ZimmerBuilt Tenkara Sling Lite Pack

by Scott Bruno
(New Jersey)

This past weekend I tried for the first time my brand new ZimmerBuilt Sling pack lite -- and I loved it.

Previously I had been using a large and bulky waist pack that held a lot of gear (most unnecessary) which I had to completely remove to gain access to, or just take off when I found a spot to fish and leave on the bank. Not so with the Sling Lite. In fact, I never took it off all day. Besides almost forgetting I was wearing it, I simply unhooked one strap, swung it around to get what I needed, and flipped it back. I could even remove and replace my rod this way.

I picked the Lite for a reason: I wanted to force myself to just bring the basics which the pack did admirably. But I could in a pinch stuff a shell or fleece inside if I needed to.

The trip this weekend required quite a bit of scrambling up and down banks and having both hands free (the beauty of a tenkara rod) and a very slim pack behind me was a tremendous benefit. I highly recommend it. Although a bit expensive, this is a piece of gear your grandkids will use some day.

Footnote: I also used for the first time the Nakazima Ball Floats. I've used every indicator in the world and these were best by far: easy to see, easy to re-locate, easy on the tippet.

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.

We've all had situations where seriously chewed up flies kept catching fish after fish after fish. It is no sin to tie flies that come off the vise looking seriously chewed up.