When I was tasked with writing an ENO hammock review for Fly Lords, I was skeptical. Who takes a hammock fishing? Seriously. Have you ever brought one along? It had never crossed my mind but, I was down to throw one into my bag to see how it fit into my fishing routine.
I shoved my doubt aside and brought the ENO DoubleNest on a recent float down the San Juan with my buddy Chris Eagan of Kokopelli Anglers. I was pleasantly surprised as the hammock made an already chill day even more enjoyable.
In my experience, fly fishing is a pretty damn mellow sport. Sure…there are sporadic moments of chaos and fury when I actually hook into a fish, and sometimes I burn a handful of calories when I have to hike into a spot but for the most part, fishing is chilling. Whether I’m wading a beautiful river in Wyoming or casually floating the San Juan in New Mexico there are glorious moments when I forget about the troubles and toils of regular life and can relax. With this in mind, I figure bringing a hammock along could actually be a good call.
Chris Eagan guides on the world-famous San Juan Quality Waters below Navajo Dam in northern New Mexico. The float is mellow. No rapids, minimal wind, abundant wildlife, beautiful landscapes, endless cottonwoods and thousands of trout. Hammock country for sure. Our float started out pretty slow.
A snowstorm was expected to roll in from the south, and I presumed the pressure change had the fish flustered. They were picky and fickle. Unamused and lazy. But finally, they started to smack our olive leaches and bend our rods.
The caffeine buzz from our morning coffee started to wane and we pulled to shore to set up the hammock, devour some sandwiches, sip some beers and chill. Prior to this float, I had never set up an ENO hammock.
Luckily the set up is intuitive, easy, and literally takes maybe only a minute. We suspended the hammock between two towering cottonwood branches and crawled in. The river boiled with rising trout as blue herons gracefully glided down the run and time slipped away.
Thankfully, these ENO hammocks are just as easy to take down as they are to set up and we were back slaying fish in no time. We floated into the afternoon and had a great day on the water.
I am no longer a skeptic when it comes to hammocks and if someday, I finally get myself a freakin drift boat, I will undoubtedly throw one in my boat bag. I mean why not? They pack small, are easy to set up, durable and make for super extra chill and relaxing lunch breaks on the river. To purchase an Eno Hammock and check out the full line of different products, check out this link.
Photography and article is by Ben Kraushaar a talented content creator based in the Colorado/Wyoming area. Be sure to check him out on Instagram and Vimeo.
