Budget Packing List for Anglers Traveling to the Southeast this Winter

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If you live in a western or northern state and are looking for a change of pace from the bitter cold of winter, look for cheap flights to the Southeast. While the western freestones becoming all but frozen, the mountain streams of Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina are still open and the season is still prime.

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Frontier and Spirit usually have some great deals if you don’t mind the budget experience. And you don’t have to pack a ton of bags to have a good time! The list below is all the stuff I managed to jam into my personal item (a 32L Patagonia Chacabuco pack) on a recent flight into Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta, Georgia.

Note: You’ll probably want to pay for a carry-on if your trip is going to last more than a few days, but if you can wash and reuse the same clothes, you can save the cash.

  • Moonshine Drifter 3wt rod

  • Lamson Liquid reel

  • Patagonia Rio Azul waders

  • Simms Headwaters wading boots

  • 4 fly boxes

  • 6 spools of Scientific Anglers tippet

  • floatant, indicators, splitshot, etc.

  • wool base layers & socks

  • 2 changes of clothes

  • Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard

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As far as cities into which you can fly, here is a list of good locations that can be a hub for the start of your Southeastern fishing adventure:

  • Atlanta, Georgia

  • Knoxville, Tennessee

  • Asheville, North Carolina

  • Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Greenville, South Carolina

  • Roanoke, Virginia

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