When I was a kid my friends and I just carried our rods in one hand while controlling the bike with the other hand. I still see people -- children and adults -- doing the same thing today, but there are fancier options available: special mounts for carrying your fishing pole on your bike hands free, and collapsible "fishing pen" rods that you can carry in a backpack.
Daniel Canfield in Boise, Idaho gives a rundown of some available options. There's a Bike Fisherman fishing pole bicycle mount, the Mini Pen fishing rod, the Coleman Fish Pen, and other similar products.
A fishing rod not mentioned by Canfield are child fishing rods. When my daughter outgrew her short Disney Princess fishing rod it's a short enough rod that I used it for bike trips to the lake a few times. Child rods are cheap but they're also very portable.
Read more here at Examiner.com.
Edit: See also Noah's post with his practical experience shopping for fishing gear that works well with cycling.
I threw a nice bike-friendly fishing kit together a few weeks ago. From a usability and total length standpoint, it beats all those chintzy fishpen style rods the article links to, but it is a little heavier and packs larger. Easily tucks into my panniers, though. Set me back $17 total. I tried it at the local lake and as far as mechanicals go, the thing works great. I need to find a better lake nearby to fish in. I can't wait to take it on my next bicycle camping adventure!
ReplyDeleteThe Shimano Pocket Fisherman inserts into the end of a mountain bike flat bar. It uses the rear STI shifter as a reel and the rear shift cable as line. The frayed cable end forms the hook. Fiendishly clever.
ReplyDeleteHowdy--
ReplyDeleteAs a kid, I used to tie my spinning rod to the frame of my Sting-Ray with twist ties. More recently, I've carried my less-expensive fly rod into the backcountry by strapping it diagonally across my hydration pack, dangling the reel as low as I dare so the ferrules aren't too exposed at the top. For road accessible trips, I just use a Lone Peak grocery bag on my Long Haul Trucker. It breaks down to about four feet, so it's not as though it's snagging power lines.
Happy Trails,
Ron
The Disney Princess rod works great, but the Scooby Doo model suits me a bit better.
ReplyDeleteI'll keep the Scooby Doo rod in mind the next time I go shopping for fishing stuff.
ReplyDeleteFor those of you in Colorado: the state Division of Wildlife gives out free fishing rods to children during their fishing promotion events. My children each have a green & yellow Colorado fishing rod.
On a bike, I think the challenge is not the rod, but how to carry all the *fish* you catch!
ReplyDeleteSince I rarely catch keepers, I haven't had that problem!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting concept and I couldn't help but notice my daughter has the same fishing pole mentioned above, the thing's more than worth the five dollars I've payed for and it's extremely durable.
ReplyDelete