Reddit reviews Pflueger PRESSP20B President Spinning Fishing Reel

I would go for a 2 piece or 4 piece light or ultralight action spinning rod. Amazon is full of suggestions with lots of reviews but for a low cost, relatively lightweight and tough rod an ugly stick is hard to beat. Here is a 6' light action rod which would be a great choice imo. https://www.amazon.com/Ugly-Stik-GX2-Spinning-Rod/dp/B00F0KM43G/ref=sr_1_19_sspa?keywords=shimano%2Bpack%2Brod&qid=1565000672&s=gateway&sr=8-19-spons&th=1 It is a bit more to pack than a 4 piece rod but strapped to the side of your pack should not be too obtrusive. As far as a reel again staying with the bang for the buck for the price I have had great luck with Pflueger President reels like this one. https://www.amazon.com/Pflueger-PRESSP30X-President-Spinning-Fishing/dp/B074WHM4PV/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2PMKS1QL76NWO&keywords=pflueger%2Bpresident%2Bspinning%2Breel&qid=1565001151&s=gateway&sprefix=pflueder%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1-spons&th=1 I would spool it up with 4lb test.

Be sure to check the regs of where you are going bait may not be allowed but even if it is I would stick with lures. I would not want to fool with backpacking live bait, nothing stinks as bad as dead worms. LOL

Panther Martin, Roostertail and Joe's flies spinners are my go-to baits for trout. Small minnow baits like rapalas can be super effective as well. I am not going to list links for all but these but panther martin spinners are pretty deadly lures in my experience. https://www.amazon.com/Panther-Martin-UV6-Violet-Assortment/dp/B00AU5WNQO/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3A07BIDNZTDYW&keywords=panther+martin+trout+spinners&qid=1565001635&s=gateway&sprefix=panther+%2Caps%2C150&sr=8-4

Last but not least. Someone else suggested a Tenkara outfit and I have to agree with him. It is a very simple and lightweight system that lends itself well to backpacking. The learning curve is not as steep as you may think and really the only downside is casting range but on remote streams and lakes a lot of the time you don't need to cast as far. Here are a couple of blog posts I wrote about what I use backpacking. I am a fly fisherman but maybe it will give you some ideas.

Backpack fly fishing gear

Tenkara

I agree with those who have said Tenkara is great for ultralight backpacking but not for fishing from the shore. A nice spinning set-up is great from the shore. I've given up on poles that breakdown and just buy telescoping rods now. They are not as great of rods, but they are so much easier to break down and carry. It is a PIA trying to keep track of and protecting all of the pieces for a rod that comes apart.

I would look for a telescoping rod 5 1/2 - 6 1/2 feet with as light of action as possible. The tiny little lures don't cast well with a stiff rod. For a spin set-up, the standard recommendation is to spend your money on the reel, not the rod (vs. fly fishing where you want a solid rod and don't care too much about the reel).

A cheap decent telescoping rod is South Bend:

https://www.amazon.com/South-Bend-Neutron-Spinning-Telescopic/dp/B00GIA9IF4/ref=pd_day0_hl_200_3/145-5623006-2978351?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00GIA9IF4&pd_rd_r=b06a9bb2-6b90-11e9-81c3-e19ee3aed6a0&pd_rd_w=HUvrt&pd_rd_wg=Vd2x6&pf_rd_p=ad07871c-e646-4161-82c7-5ed0d4c85b07&pf_rd_r=FHH3TMQ49E06Y74B4CM9&psc=1&refRID=FHH3TMQ49E06Y74B4CM9

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I have one and its a great deal for the money. If you want a real nice one I bought a Balzer rod. Definitely nicer than my South Bend rod but a heck of a lot more expensive. If you want as cheap and light as possible check out Pen Rods: http://penfishingrods.com

I ended up not getting a Pen Rod because they only work with their reels and those reels look pretty cheap and crappy to me.

For a reel I like the smallest Pflueger President PressP20 Spin reel: https://www.amazon.com/Pflueger-President-Spinning-Reel/dp/B074WHM4PV/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_3?keywords=pflueger%2Bpresident%2Bspinning%2Breel%2B20%2Bx&qid=1556661646&s=gateway&sr=8-3-fkmrnull&th=1

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It is a heck of a deal for the quality of the reel.