Not A Fishing Report

I don't often write for therapeutic reasons, but I hope this post serves a little bit of that purpose. So bear with me on this one... this is less fishing report, more of a first world problem pity party. Yes, there are pictures of the outdoors and fish, so even if you (wisely) choose not to read this post, you can at least scroll through those so your click to visit this site was not in vain...

See, I haven't been having a good run lately on either a mental or physical health front. I've been putting in some long hours of work, both at the office and once again logging in when I get home. I go to bed late and get up early. Really not taking very good care of myself, can't tell you the last time I went for an evening walk around the neighborhood or weekend bike ride. I've put back on most of the weight I lost last year thanks to compensatory stress eating and low amounts of willpower. I'm generally exhausted and run-down, and a little more irritable than normal. If my Mom were to read this (she won't, I don't think anybody in my family reads this blog anymore) she'd tell me I'm "burning the candle at both ends."

Holistically, my home life is stable. My wife is extremely supportive and Lilly seems to be having a fairly good 8th grade school year and is looking forward to sneaking in one last evening of trick or treating in a few weeks. She's a good kid and I love how unique she is. She's more than comfortable zigging when others zag. So that's a positive. I shouldn't ignore the positives. I have a very good life; things could certainly be way worse. Unfortunately, I just don't feel right. This funk I'm in is probably the most wrong I've felt in a long time.

With that said, I really needed to make a weekend run to the sanctuary of the woods. It seems to be the only place I feel I can get my head straight, even if it is only for a few hours. Perhaps its because cell phone coverage can't reach me there. I love a lot about technology, but sometimes miss the days when we weren't accessible 24-7 and expected to respond to such intrusions. I'm an only child, so finding happiness and fulfillment from being alone doesn't come hard.

So I left right from work on Friday evening, drove for a few hours and got to where I needed to in time to get a little shut eye. I should have taken the opportunity to sleep in a bit on Saturday morning for a change, but rather woke up early and found some water and trout, and just tried to clear my mind for a little while...

The alone time and cooler temperatures were enough to coax a crooked smile, and perhaps bring back some of the missing balance I was seeking. At least temporarily.

As I type this post early on a Sunday evening, I know all those feelings I ran away from on Friday are just going to rapidly intensify in a few short hours. The stress and anxiety I escaped will be back; heck, I actually feel it starting to ball up inside me a touch now.

I wish I had a cute little concluding paragraph for this post that made the claim that fly fishing cured all my ills, and say I'm all good now, but I don't. I'm not seeking your sympathy or positive reinforcement, everybody has issues, and most (if not all) are bigger and more messed up than mine. It's called life, it throws punches, and I just need to suck it up for the time being. Things are bound to get better in time, they always do. But for now I'm definitely down in the dumps and I haven't started digging out quite yet. I just needed to write this all down to maybe help me find the shovel.

North Georgia Rainbows

Made a quick run up to a familiar spot in north Georgia on Friday night after work... I wanted to chase some wild rainbows on Saturday... and fortunately, I found more than a few.

Will probably be my last trout-based fishing outing until the Tenkara Summit in Colorado at the end of July, but spending an early summer day hopping rocks and wet wading in the cool water protected by the overhead canopy... well, it was definitely worth the drive and should (hopefully) be enough to hold me over until the end of the month.

 

Kicking back and taking a break.
Neoprene spats came in handy while bouncing around rocks.

Notes:

• Rod: Oni Type III 340
• Line: Dragontail 3.0 level line, 12'
• Tippet: Orvis Super Strong Mono 5x
• Fly: White stiff hackle, orange thread body, beadhead kebari
• Techniques: Upstream Sasoi, Yokobiki

Nothing Big, But Lots of Action

"Nothing big, but lots of action."

If asked, that's pretty much how I'd sum up this past Saturday.

A nice long drive (actually Friday night), two different trout streams, lots of rock hopping, stronger water flows than I expected, and a bunch of little rainbow trout to hand.

I take this same picture all the time when I road trip to fishing destinations

The weather was absolutely glorious, high 60s with the sun peeking out between the clouds.

The trout all more or less looked like the ones below, so I only took a few pictures. I've said it before, parr marks are beautiful. I did have a heftier one on at one point, but he kicked my barbless fly in the fight. I'm cool with that.

It was an Oni Type III sort of day. Probably should have brought a bit stiffer rod too, as the wind kicked up on occasion making upstream casts a bit frustrating, but it was all good.

Flies used were a orange Road Kone kebari (pictured on the grip above), a pink squirrel nymph leftover from my last Driftless escapade, and a stiff hackle Futsuu wool body kebari from Robb at Creekside Kebari. Check out Robb's selection of flies, they're awesome.

Anyway, until I figure out a way to live closer to the mountains, that's probably the last coldwater / trout trip I'll take until May. Here's hoping that changes... but in the meantime, I was definitely content with Saturday's outcome.

First Impressions: Yonah Packs Minimalist Sling / Fanny Pack

Today I'm going to present a "first impressions" gear review of the Yonah Packs Minimalist Sling / Fanny Pack. I was sent this pack by Marcelo, the gentleman who hand-makes each pack, to sample about a month ago. Unfortunately, it showed up just after the big Tenkara Campout outing, so I really haven't been able to use it on the water yet.

That being said, I have been able to poke, prod, pull, and stuff this little pack quite a bit over the past few days, and feel like I have a pretty good grasp of how it would best be used, as well as what sort of capacity it has.

Before I get into the review, figured I'd first drop in the manufacturer's description, as found on the Yonah Packs Etsy page:

Measurements are 9” wide x 6” tall x 2.5” thick and weighs about 7 ounces.

A very minimalist tenkara fanny pack that can double as a sling pack and carry everything you need for those hot summer fishing trips.

The pack has a zippered compartment up front to carry a small fly box or any other smaller items. The nylon webbing in the front has various attachment points for all of your fly fishing tools and tippets. This allows for quick access to all your frequently used tools and gear. 

The main compartment has 2 line spool pockets and one large cell phone/wallet pocket.

On the bottom there are straps that will hold a water bottle or a tenkara rod securely. There is also some shock cord with a cord lock on the bottom to further secure a tenkara rod.

OK, sounds good so far... but let's dive in a bit deeper.

Build Quality

I'm not going to lie, I was impressed.

Sometimes you get handmade things from Etsy and they're a little sketchy. Bad sewing, poor zippers, stuff like that. This pack appears pretty much bombproof, without a single stitch out of place. I gave all the zippers really firm pulls and they all moved silky smooth. The main compartment is made out of X-Pac (the fabric, not the wrestler), which is a multi-layered, lightweight laminate fabric that's also water-resistant. It's just solidly executed, all the way around.

Capacity

So this is what I decided to do to get a grasp of capacity. First, I grabbed my Vedavoo Tighlines sling. It's the pack I most commonly use for a day on the water if I don't also need to bring a rain jacket, snacks, a first aid kit, or extras like that. (For that I upsize to the Zimmerbuilt Deaddrift pack). I've used the Vedavoo for the better part of 7 years, so it's been through the ringer and I highly recommend it.

Here's the Vedavoo pack...

And my typical contents, that were all comfortably crammed inside.

The contents are (clockwise from upper left): 2 line spools, 2 line cards, a spool of level line, a Buff, a tip grip, cell phone, wallet, keys, tippet spools, forceps and nippers on a zinger, two tacky fly boxes, and a Sawyer squeeze water filtration system.

So then I decided I would load up the Yonah pack as best I could with the same stuff.

So what fit? Surprisingly everything except the following:

My wallet, the Sawyer filtration system, and one of the Tacky fly boxes were all a no-go. However, everything else was tucked neatly away. PLUS, I was able to use the loops on the bottom to cinch down an (extra) tenkara rod. If I didn't want to bring an extra rod, those same loops can be loosened far enough to hold a water bottle or perhaps a rolled up rain jacket... so that's a definite +1 for the Yonah pack.

The Guts

Here's a peek inside.

A large front pocket holds thin items. I used it for the Buff and tip grip. Probably could have crammed something else in there, but the extra fly box or my wallet didn't fit.

And on the inside, there are two small pockets that I used for the line spools, and a larger pocket I slid my phone into. The main compartment held everything else. Probably could have fit a Clif Bar or something in there too if I wanted to pack a snack.

So all in all, very comparable capacity-wise. My wallet is somewhat Costanza-like in nature, so I'm not surprised it didn't fit as-is, but I'm sure if I just wanted to carry an ID and credit card it would be no problem.

Functionality

Now in terms of functionality, this bag definitely has one up on the Vedavoo. Natively, it's a fanny pack. It has a webbed belt with an over-sized nylon buckle that adjusts easily and I suppose can be worn in the front or behind you.

(I kept the tenkara rod on the pack in these photos, but I don't think I would recommend it if you use as a fanny pack. It just sticks out too far to the side and is awkward. Use those loops for something else.)

But here's the really slick thing. It does convert into a legit sling pack. There a little clip on the back of the bag and if you slide the webbed strap through it, it realigns into a shoulder pack.

The pack stands vertically on your back...

And when swung around to access the contents, sits horizontally. It's actually well thought out and executed.

(And yes I'm a little bummed no birds photo-bombed these photos, I get a really nice sampling of birds back there, hence the feeders in the background)

Here's a little Instagram video from Yonah Packs that shows the quick transformation a little more effectively:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Yonah Packs - Tenkara Gear (@yonahpacks) on Aug 8, 2018 at 2:17pm PDT

Conclusion

I guess in the end, you probably want some sort of summary. Well, being that this pack hasn't been put through the rigors of multiple fishing seasons (at least by me) like the Vedavoo pack, I can't fully endorse it quite yet. That said, all signs point to it getting an excellent final review overall, and I look forward to putting it through some headwater fishing experiences in 2019.

Some quick thoughts:

• It appears to be very well made, tight stitching, smooth zippers, tough fabric
• It holds just the right amount of stuff for an afternoon on the water, including an extra rod
• It has plenty of pockets for internal and external organization
• The capability to convert from a fanny pack to a shoulder sling adds extra functionality

So, if you're looking for something to scratch the minimalist pack itch, (without leaving all your creature comforts behind), I think this Yonah Packs Minimalist sling / fanny pack might just be what you're looking for.

The pack currently retails for $75, and can be found HERE.

----------------------------------

DISCLAIMER:
The Minimalist sling/fanny pack featured in this product review was provided to me at no cost, but carries a suggested retail price of $75. I currently hold no official association with Yonah Packs and did not solicit them for the product to review, nor receive any financial compensation. It was simply offered to test for feedback.

REVIEW POLICY:
As with all independent gear reviews at Troutrageous! I try my best to keep my reviews honest and unbiased. This policy pertains to items both purchased and provided at no (or reduced) cost.