Road Tripping
"Road trip" in my dictionary means a camping trip. With 33.5 square feet of cargo area, I was confident that my wife, our 7-year-old daughter, and a few bits of basic camping equipment would pack nicely behind the rear seats. For additional room, I could drop one side of the Forester's 60/40 split rear seat and pack the needed gear alongside my daughter. But what I really wanted was to take the Subaru farther afield, find a fire road to conquer or one of those forgotten trails carved into the High Sierras by wagon wheels during the Gold Rush.

My daughter would be up for it. My wife, probably not. She isn’t opposed to camping as long as a certain levels of civility are maintained: fresh water, flush toilets, GPS. The sort of things I consider limiting factors to a good old-fashioned camping adventure. I opted for Plan B. I called my brother-in-law.

Camping To Fish
Brian is a great brother-in-law, always up for a challenge, always willing to go along with my sometimes questionable plans. He doesn't worry about flush toilets or GPS. So I placed the call and made the offer. I had a new Forester, I told him. Let's go camping. He wasn’t interested in just camping. He wanted to go fishing as well.

Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area was only an hour's drive from his place, and its lakes offered trout and bass fishing. Brian explained that below Lewiston Dam was a hatchery that raised and released trout fingerlings into the Trinity River. It was said to have some of the best fly fishing in the area.

It was one of those slap-the-forehead moments. Why hadn't I thought of fishing? It was the perfect complement to a camping trip. And I liked the idea of fishing near a hatchery; it increased my chances of success, although, in truth, it seemed like hunting at the zoo. But fly fishing? I shuddered at the thought of wadding into chilly waters. Of course, I could not admit that to my brother-in-law. Instead, I responded with the idea of borrowing a boat for the lake.

Instant Vessel
For a long time I had my eye on the inflatable AdvancedFrame Convertible Kayak from Element Adventures. Designed with a rigid bow and stern frame, the kayak is extremely versatile. Its adjustable seating can accommodate either one or two kayakers. It can be used as an open kayak or, with its detachable decks, be paddled through rougher water. Even bearing a pair of oarsmen, there is plenty of room for fishing gear.

Luckily it only took a phone call and some pleading to borrow the craft. Still, I was hesitant to take an inflatable fishing. But Element Adventures' service manager, Ritchie Simpson, assured me that the kayak would hold up against our barbless trout hooks since its outer skin was rated at 600 denier. A denier is a unit of measure for the linear mass density of fibers—in layman's terms, 600 is pretty thick stuff.

I had hoped that the idea of casting from a kayak would deter Brian from further thoughts of fly fishing. Instead he added spinning reels and rods to our gear.