Background: I went on a 10 day point to point 92 km hiking expedition in Northern Manitoba with a good friend of mine last week - let's call him Pete. I shot small game with a .22LR while my buddy fished. We got by with more than enough food for the both of us, but he pulled in at least 4x the total calories compared to my haul. In 8 days of early morning hunts, I managed to take 2 jack rabbits, 1 grouse, 2 squirrels, and 6 prairie dogs. Meanwhile, Pete brought a minimum of 2 pikes to the table every day. In fact, on Day 3 he even caught more fish than we needed (we had rabbit, 1 walleye, 2 largemouth bass and 1 trout), and he had to throw back a bunch of pike.

I'd like to get back into fishing. I never actually enjoyed it, but as far as effort to calorie ratios go, it seems to be very effective.

Can you recommend a versatile and reliable rod-reel-lure combo? I need something that packs small, is sensitive enough to feel small bites, with light enough line to cast far but strong enough to pull in 6-8 lb fish, and all-around lures that don't snag often but can attract a wide variety of fish. Pete doesn't have a lightweight or compact set-up, and he brought a huge tackle box. I'd rather get fishing equipment advice from people who have more experience. My whole philosophy of bugging out is to bring the least amount of stuff that can do the largest amount of things.

Thanks