The Ultimate Guide to a Fishing Camping Trip

Every time there is a sudden tug on my fishing line in my hand on a camping trip, my heart starts racing and pounding.

I cannot tell how much I enjoy catching fish while backpacking through the backcountry every summer. After that, the roasted or grilled fish over an open fire makes the trip more alive.

If you have planned something like this, I have written this post to help you with a combined experience of fishing, camping, and cooking.

Plan Your Trip

As a camper, you have plenty of options for a fishing camping trip, such as car camping at a lakeside site, backpacking to a remote trout stream, or RV camping with a boat.

You also need to consider where you want to go fishing. Freshwater, saltwater, lake, river, or ocean?

I recommend you (if you’re a beginner) start with a short trip by car or by backpacking and trekking. If you’re looking for challenging trips with a bit of route finding, there is a loop in the area that you can explore.

You can head south, where you’ll take the Liberty Trail to Upper Sand Creek Loop and pass by Crestone Mountain. The Rio Alto Four Pass Loop in the Sangres is also on my favorite list.

There’re plenty of lakes around with excellent fishing facilities, such as Venable and Rio Alto.

Years ago, I had adjusted a route to pass Comanche Lake and Phantom Terrace. When roaming around, you also have a chance to pass through some 13ers nearby.

Besides, you can go to the Red Castle area (Utah) with a side trip to Lake Hessie. I have seen many lakes with excellent fishing. For me, Lake Hessie is the best for catch and cook 2-3 lb tiger trout.

When it comes to the Eastern Sierras outside of Bishop Castle, I often see pine lakes in my mind. You will always find lakes 1 and 2 usually busy, but the upper lakes are vacant and serene, where you can enjoy great fishing.

Make sure you get permission or a license for fishing in the campsite.

You also need to understand that seasons affect both fishing success and camping comfort. Consider spawning seasons, water temperature, bugs and weather.

If you go down South, early spring and late fall are the best, while summer and early fall fit for the North.

Also, timing is vital. In cold water, you may want to fish shallow in the afternoon. When the sun heats the water, fish come up to play. But sunrise and sundown are often best for hot weather.

Fishing Gear

For lake fishing, you only need a basic spinning rod and a small spin reel paired with flies and a bubble.

I would recommend that beginners use a lightweight spinning rod. You can find some really packable ones out there from Mepps, Rooster Tail, Panther Martin, and others.

Besides, you need a tackle box, bait/lures, lines, a net, a cooler, and a bucket if you want to work like a professional or seasoned angler.

My first fishing experience while camping was with a Tenkara USA. After that, it’s been my regular tool for backcountry fishing. It’s easy to learn and a lot more affordable, and it makes fishing easy with a rod and reel. You need fewer parts and pieces to break.

I often use Sato and Rhodo depending on where I’m going to fish. They also have good books and dozens of YouTube videos, which help you use tenkara if you are on the fence and want to learn.

Anyway, you would need a rod, line, and some flies for the whole day of fishing.

If you want to fish only for recreation, go with a single rod. But if you try to catch real fish for food on the trip, you may need multiple systems, preferably 3 or 4.

(I hope you have already backpacked essential camping gear, too!)

How to Fish on a Camping Trip (Step-by-Step)

Step 1

First, you need to choose a fishing spot (lake, stream, or river) where there is enough clean water, probable fish, and quiet surroundings.

You can go wild fishing in national parks, local lakes, or backcountry areas. (I have already suggested some places above for your knowledge and ideas.) Use reliable apps or local fishing maps to find out a fishing location.

Step 2

Pitch your tent on high ground so that water cannot reach you in the middle of the night if it rises to an unexpectedly high level. If you go out in the rainy season, then you need to be more alert.

Also, make sure your cooking and cleaning zone is downwind and a safe distance from your tent. Don’t forget the fire pit area also comes along with the kitchen.

You don’t want a bear approaching your tent with fish smell at 2 am. Also, keep your fishing gear organized and dry.

Step 3

I’m sure you have probably watched some YouTube videos on how to set up a new fishing rod with essentials and make it ready to drop into the water.

If you haven’t until now, do check it out. (I am not able to explain everything in this single post.)

For the novice, it is purely a luck to catch the fish by themselves. But they can also learn some techniques, such as casting, baiting, and reading the water.

While many bigenniers enjoy shore fishing, some adventurers try boat fishing, fly fishing, and night fishing. What my experience tells, fishing is a game of patience, quietness, right technique, and persistence.

Fishing Tips

• Fish near structure (rock, shore) and soft pockets near current.
• Make sure you have a proper license and follow harvesting regulations.
• You can keep fish on the stringer until the last possible moment if you don’t have a bucket or storage. This is suitable for keeping them for only a couple of hours if the water isn’t too warm and the fillets remain lean and firm.
• If you want to keep your fish overnight, you need a cooler with ice. Upon returning to land, learn about the location and opening times of the nearest location (if you are in the facilitated campsite), get new, fresh ice, and change it as soon as possible.

How to Cook Fish While Camping

After catching fish, you need to clean them. So, you need to make a sharp cut and take out all the guts from the fish. I don’t like the head, so I also remove it. If possible, filet them, which is easy to cook, roast, and eat.

Method 1

If you’re going to cook fish in a pan, make sure you have brought a couple of pieces of parchment paper. Wrap the fish up in the parchment with some herbs, lemon, and butter.

Then, cook the wrap in the pan. Don’t worry, you don’t need to worry about cleaning a greasy pan or you finish cooking fish. You take out the fish from the paper and burn the wrap on the campfire.

Method 2

Many campers like to cook whole fish (gutted) wrapped in foil with garlic, butter, or lemon over the campfire. This works great with everything from grayling or trout to salmon.

For this, you may need a stainless steel or aluminum pan. You can also go for titanium, which has the advantage of weight, but it has poor heat distribution, creating hot spots.

Method 3

Get a green branch or nice stick, cut off the bark, and sharpen one end. Scale, gut, and clean the fish properly. Season with whatever you have (lemon, dill, thyme, basil, or parsley). Jam the stick or skewer through the fish’s mouth out the tail.

You can try some decent fish, such as Bass, big perch, and big bluegill.

Now, hold the steak from the other end and place the fish skewers over the tail. Rotate it slowly like a hot dog roast and cool off until the meat in the fish belly seems white and the skin is crispy.

Final Thoughts

Fishing on the camping trip is adventurous, which demands some practice and skills before heading out. Many return to the campsite without any fish.

I want you to gather some experience fishing in the nearby fish pond and learn some tricks for successful catching fish before you go out and test your skills in the wild.

Also, always follow safety measures, try to avoid animal encounters, and keep the campsite clean, leaving no trace for fellow campers.