I’ve been doing some more shore fishing lately, walking around with my son and exploring new and old fishing spots. Being a young father, this is new to me but in a short time I’ve realized I can’t carry my stuff and my kid at the same time using existing things I own.

Tackle Box
Carrying a tackle box on these outings is not an option. The box gets jostled around so much by the time we get to where we are going I may as well have been using a garbage bag to tote my gear.

Backpack
I thought using a backpack with some hard plastic enclosures was an easy solution to this dilemma. My entire life I’ve been able to use a backpack to transport my gear. So I threw my hook and lure boxes into an old backpack and my son and I headed out to fish. About 5 minutes into a wooded hike with my son hitching a ride on my shoulders I realized why the backpack would never work… It was hot. Really Hot. It was 84 degrees outside, a 40lb kid on my shoulder, a backpack on my back and rivers of sweat pouring out of my body with nowhere to go. By the time we reached our fishing destination I looked like I had fallen into a lake.

Dragonfly Chest/Lumbar Pack by Fishpond
A few quick searches on the internet turned up a line of fly fishing bags made by a company called Fishpond. While I wasn’t specifically looking for fly fishing bags, their Dragonfly Chest/Lumbar bag looked like just what I needed. The small bag measures 8″x4″x9″, has fully adjustable neck and hip straps and has two mesh water bottle holders. Costing $79, my wife describes the bag as a glorified fanny pack and she’s pretty much spot on, but the “glorified” part is awesome. Let’s break it down:

• Lumbar compression straps for adjustable fit
• Tarpaulin tabs and elastic loops for accessory attachment
• fishpond Jacquard accent webbing loops for attaching tools and accessories
• Two mesh water bottle holders
• Mesh tippet dispenser/accessory pocket
• Signature, zip down fly bench with replaceable foam
• Adjustable padded neck/shoulder strap
• Air mesh back for comfort

The big compartment is cavernous enough to hold a Plano storage box, a spool of fluorocarbon leader, a headlamp, a digital camera, a couple of granola bars and hand wipes. The front/fly compartment is big enough to hold nail clippers, forceps, measuring tape and several packs of hooks both loose and snelled. The outside mesh compartment is perfect for your fishing license. The two water bottle holders held on to my bottles without them falling out. There are many loops and tabs for securing other items to the bag as well.

The entire hike, I din’t get uncomfortable and I didn’t have to stop and adjust anything (once I made my preliminary adjustments first putting it on).

Conclusion
I really love this pack and the material it is made of seems bomb proof (the bag has a lifetime warranty). The only down side is that at $79 it’s pricey, but I would still recommend it. Check out the Fishpond website for more info about them and their products.