Trout season opens soon, an annual event that ushers millions of anglers to the water. For many, this means a trip to a freshly-stocked stream or lake. But that’s not the only option.

Pennsylvania boasts miles upon miles of streams supporting wild trout, many of which flow through publicly owned lands where access is not an issue.

Most streams with populations of wild trout don’t support the artificial densities found on a temporary basis on stocked streams — and the fish are often modest in size — there’s something special about catching trout reared in their natural environment rather than a hatchery runway.

Preparing for a backwoods trout trip differs from one where you drop down to the creek from a roadside turnout. Greater preparations are needed, based on the length, in both distance and time, you expect the adventure to entail.

Consider for instance an outing that involves a hike of a mile or more to reach the stream. You may well fish a couple miles of creek — “what’s around the next bend” has a strong draw — and then have a lengthy hike back out at day’s end. Several hours will be involved, so you’ll need to carry food, water, map and compass, and a minimum of survival gear including fire-starter material and a basic first-aid kit. It’s comforting to carry a small flashlight, just in case you underestimate the time needed to hike back out. A hand-held GPS is standard equipment on all my trips.

A small rucksack or backpack is ideal to carry gear. With the added storage, you can carry extra clothes and have a place to stick a jacket once the day warms up. Some fishing-specific backpacks accept add-ons, like small chest packs, that easily hold needed tackle in an accessible location.

I like to carry a good camera as well as a landing net. Not that the trout — which are mostly small native brook trout — require it, but the net makes handling fish for photographs much easier. And larger wild brown trout and rainbow trout are a possibility in some waters.

For long hikes over rugged terrain, the pack makes it feasible to wear good hiking boots in and out of the woods, changing over to wading equipment once stream-side. Wet wading is an option, but keep in mind that good backwoods trout waters stay cold, even in the summer. Finally, a wading staff is often helpful, serving more as a walking stick/trekking pole than for wading use.

Shorter trips require an appropriately scaled-back amount of gear.

Tackle Considerations — A relatively small selection of tackle is needed to catch backwoods Trout.

It’s common for such streams to flow through open hemlock and mature hardwoods bottoms, where there’s room to fly cast. I prefer a 7-foot fiberglass 3-weight rod, over-lined with a #4 line. It’s a versatile setup capable of fishing a variety of flies. If the water’s up and discolored a bit (prime conditions for streams of this type), it’s quite capable of casting a weighed Woolly Bugger.

Under normal or low flows, it’s fine for fishing a two-fly setup with a Stimulator or Humpy on top, and a small nymph or green weenie underneath. Brook trout respond well to brightly-colored flies. I always carry pink and salmon-colored Woolly Buggers, and weenies tied with pink (rather than green) yarn.

An ultralight spinning rod is also appropriate, particularly along brush/alder-lined streams, or ones choked with timber. Small spinners and spoons are standard fare, though flies like Buggers and green weenies can be fished with the addition of a split shot or two for weight.

Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle