It is the week before your long awaited vacation, all your travel arrangements have been made, and the only task left is to pack. If you are traveling by road, you are only limited by the size of your vehicle. However, if you are traveling by air, a little more thought has to be put into your luggage.

Current airline security requirements have limited much of what can be carried on. For those of you who cannot be separated from your gear, consider traveling on Delta. Through my research, they are the only major airline in the Yellowstone area that allows four and five piece rods in a carry on bag. Be sure your carry on does not contain anything sharp and fits Delta's requirements: 9"x14"x22" maximum size and forty pounds maximum weight. Delta is also the most fisherman friendly when it comes to checked luggage. Industry standard is two pieces checked, one carry on, and one personal item. Delta will allow fishing equipment to take the place of one checked piece. This includes one or a combination of the following: 2 rods, one reel, one landing net, one pair of boots, and one tackle box. In layman terms this equates to a rod case and gear bag as one checked item. Other airlines, such as Northwest and United, count each piece separate.

A final option for traveling with your rod and reel is to ship them ahead of time. Blue Ribbon Flies receives UPS and FedEx daily, as well as daily UPS pickup. If you decide on this option, please give us a call to work out the details. The current state of the travel industry is one of constant change. Travel requirements and regulations fluxuate. Contact your local airline representative for the most current restrictions.

No matter how you get here, traveling with rod and reel is the first step towards the trophy trout waters of Yellowstone.