Just wondering how many of you bring along your fishing rod when backpacking? I'd like to bring mine along but my backpacking buddy is terrified it'll attract bears. What do you guys do to keep the stink off? Obviously I wouldn't be cooking the fish near my tent but I think it'll be hard to avoid getting that fresh fish smell on my hands. Guess I could bring disposable gloves and hang them with my food.

I take my fishing rod with me all the time while backpacking. Very few things are better than fresh fish instead of re-hydrated meat while on a trip. I especially like bringing a bit of butter, lemon juice, and pepper in a bottle to fry the fish in. Keeps just fine over several days.

As for bears, I read a report from Parks Canada that said people fishing are one of the most likely groups to have a bear encounter. However, that usually happens to people fishing up and down streams where the bear can't hear or smell them. As I understand it, near water is the most common place to have a bear encounter.

To minimize the risk I try to fish from a relatively stationary position with some decent sight lines, always carry my bear spray, and I bring an odor proof bag to carry the fish in if I need to carry it to camp. I like to cook the fish either the campground eating area (more people = more safety) or away from both the water and camp if not at an official campground.

What kind of rod were you planning to bring? I have found a collapsible spinning rod with a couple of Black Fury lures to be dynamite with the trout in high alpine Rockies lakes.

I don't have a collapsible rod. Was just planning on strapping my regular rod to the back of my pack. Maybe if I get more into bringing it along, I'll invest in a collapsible one. Do you do anything to keep the fish smell off your hands? Even after washing them, I can always still smell it a little. My concern is having a bear smell the fish on my hands while I'm sleeping and thinking I'm his next meal.

Aside from washing my hands I don't do anything for the smell. I find that most of it wears off before bedtime and I don't know if the residual fish smell is any worse than the sweat and stink of the people in the tent. People have been fishing and camping in the backcountry for centuries, must be ok if we smell a bit.

Also, if you do find you enjoy it a collapsible rod is quite cheap and alot less of a hassle. I got mine for $20.

I spend all summer hiking and fishing through the Banff and Jasper. Many places you can't keep fish or you can't have a fire to cook them anyway so its not an issue. Bait isn't allowed. I usually fish lakes. Anytime your hiking or fishing with limited viability you need to be very careful.

I enjoy using a bubble float with flies. The bubble float can have water added to give it some weight and can be cast quite far. While I enjoy pure flyfishing it's often a pita to cast due to wind or trees.

Plus the extra distance you can get which you often need.

I've fished many back country lakes while on BPing trips. I clean in the lake and throw the entrails into the lake. I normally hike where I can have a fire and burn what isn't edible.

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Yes, this fish "stink" you speak of may be more pungent to you and most other humans. That said, a bear's sense of smell is the most acute in the animal kingdom. Hiking thru the backcountry even if you were to vacuum pack every morsel of food a bear will still detect your scent two valleys over, or more accurately up to 30km away. The question is, is how much of an effort does the bruin intend to make when it knows a ground squirrel-or another food source-is a mere few hundred metres away. "Keep a clean camp" for sure but don't ever be under the impression because you do, that you're now "invisible" to the bear.

As far as the fishing goes I carry a collapsible fly rod complete with a dry and wet line. Along with a few flies and that combo at least for me finds me usually successful in a high alpine rocky mountain lake. If I don't return the fish to the lake I immediately cook it, eat it and burn what's left over. Biodegradable soap cleans what needs to be cleaned, including me, but again don't believe for a minute the bears can't smell me or my camp no matter how clean it is. I've followed this routine for decades and have never had an issue. Good luck.

Amen to this.

To me it was always more than anything else about not keeping edible things in the tent where you sleep. Which one would hope is common sense. Apparently not, because they had to put down the bear last year @ Robson, because he got used to all kinds of food left by campers at their tent sites at Whitehorn.