Fishing and cycling

[Paul Boote]

A pair of working legs and those things at the end of them (ah yes - feet), no ton-weight chair (an orthopaedic foam mat in wet weather and in the winter), no backpack (a tiny "troutfisher's bag" at most, very often just a wallet of rigs and hooks, a few leads, some floats in a tube etc in the pockets of whatever I need to be wearing), no car (if I can avoid it, as they tend to encourage things like more roads, which do tend to destroy the unspoiled country with their unspoiled rivers which we Anglers are always moaning loud and long about the lack of...).

 

[sam vimes]

Doesnt that depend on the water and the swim your going to ?

If you dont even want to consider a bike as a potential way of getting to a swim then far be it from me to try and convince you !

Enjoy the hike!

Without a car I'd have a realistic choice of one small stretch of river and a couple of pretty poor ponds. I suspect that, without a car, I'd have given up on fishing years ago. Naturally, it all depends on where you live but a bike simply isn't a viable option. I want to go fishing, not cycling.

 

[Philip]

Cars will always be the first mode of transport but what about taking a bike with you and cycling to far off swims ?

Sam, not sure you read what I wrote. I too use a car. A bike will never replace it. However a bike can be a potential way of getting from the car to the swim.

Btw ..I now have 3 bikes including a fold up one that fits in the boot or the leg space of the cars passenger seat...

 

[Ric Elwin]

For me it's more about the challenge then the practicalities. OK 15 miles isn't the other end of the earth, but 30 miles in a day is a fair old cycle ride. I try and shave a minute off the journey time each time, and feel satisfied that I'm getting fitter every week.

All my fishing here is with lures, so no chair required. I strap my rod to the crossbar on the bilke. A small bag on my bag holds my reel and a small box of rubber worms, hooks etc. A big bottle of water and some sandwiches, that's it.

The biggest problem is choosing the right clothing. Cycling in heavy clothes is a big no-no. There again, with daytime temperatures of 1-2 degrees max, it's no fun freezing half to death when you get there. I now cycle in jeans and my walking boots, thin Sundridge sleepskin and lightweight windproof jacket. When I get there it's off with my sleepskin (brrrrr!), put thermal top on, sleepskin on top of it plus jacket, I'm now warm enough as long as I stay out of the worst of the wind (which I do!). My feet do get a bit cold but there's nothing I can do about that as cycling in moon boots would be a sweaty nightmare.

 

[sam vimes]

Sam, not sure you read what I wrote. I too use a car. A bike will never replace it. However a bike can be a potential way of getting from the car to the swim.

Btw ..I now have 3 bikes including a fold up one that fits in the boot or the leg space of the cars passenger seat...

I can't get a bike and fishing gear into any car I've had over the years, so my reality is somewhat different to yours. I still don't think I'd do what you propose even if I had a huge car and a fold up bike.

 

[barbelboi]

I can't get a bike and fishing gear into any car I've had over the years, so my reality is somewhat different to yours. I still don't think I'd do what you propose even if I had a huge car and a fold up bike.

Me neither. All the club waters I fish are a 8-15 mile drive and have secure parking in the immediate proximity. The last thing I'd want is a bike which would anyway be totally impractical for the terrain of most. The only real advantage of a bike that I remember when a youngster would be for disappearing down the tow path for canal fishing.
Jerry

 

[Philip]

I can't get a bike and fishing gear into any car I've had over the years, so my reality is somewhat different to yours. I still don't think I'd do what you propose even if I had a huge car and a fold up bike.

Sounds like bikes are just not for you regardless of if they offer an advantage or not. Out of interest do you own a barrow ?

All I can say is space in the car is not a problem. I also have a bike rack that attaches/detaches to the car (along with bike) in less than 3mins. ....

Some of the fishing I do involves a very long walk even once you have arrived by car. I also suffer from a bad back One day I decided to try a bike and it worked. The bike takes the load and I did the "hike" in about a tenth of the time. Sometimes I will cycle as far as I can then walk the rest. The bike can be hidden away in the bushes for the return "walk".

I can think of a river and a couple of lakes I fish were the access is down paths that are closed to cars and are used by things like the forestry commission and hikers. No one fishes them because no one can stand to hike it carrying all their equipment. I rationalize the equipment get on a bike and pedal it. Sounds like you would not even consider it ...GOOD ! .....leaves all that fishing for just me then. )

The other occasion a bike comes into its own is exactly as barbel boi mentions...fishing canals. I do a bit of light lure fishing on canals and its tailor made for a bike. Fit a bag/basket to the front and you can put all your equipment into that and just prop the bike next to you and have a few casts before moving to the next spot. No different to pushing a barrow or wheeling a trolley is it....plus you have the added benefit of getting on and riding if you want.

I guess people need to apply some common sense ? I am not suggesting everyone take a bike with them in the car every time they go fishing or starts cycling around their lake on every trip. I am suggesting a bike as another potential method/tool...like a wheel barrow. You dont use a wheel barrow every trip do you....you take it when/if you think it will be useful.

Of course a bike is not a good idea if your trying to carry 400 tons of cr*p for an 8 day session or trying to to cross a ploughed field that resembles the battle of the Somme ! .....but yes it can work if your travelling over reasonable terrain and are willing to put some thought into what you carry.

...Btw I seem to recall Nigel Sharp used a bike to track down the Burghfield common....so its not just noddies like me that use them...

 

[sam vimes]

I do own a barrow but I try to avoid using it. Hateful things that I'll only use when doing overnighters. However, you wouldn't stop me getting to the far off swims you like. I just cut the gear down and walk. A bike simply wouldn't work for me. Too far to any fishing where it might be anything other than a hindrance and too much of a faff to get it into the car and along the banks where distance could be an issue. I can also carry more gear walking than I could on a bike. Similar to you, I have a non-treatable injury, walking is more comfortable than cycling ever will be. You are right, biking and fishing is a non-starter for me unless it's out of necessity.

 

[barbelboi]

I'm not sure about Nigel, Philip but I'll give you Terry Hearne. He spent something like 9 or 10 months cycling/walking around Burghfield lake trying to locate the common - we used to see him quite often. OK maybe for fish location on a large water such as this - I prefer my car and legs though and I don't remember Terry bringing all his gear down on a bike.
Jerry

 

[waggy]

Milksops! When I was 6-16 I used to go on a front carriered shop bike, seat box in the front, rods binder-banded to where the cross-bar should have been.
Sometimes I did 8 miles out and the same back. Never bothered with waterproofs or a brolly - too much extra weight and hassel. Just rods, reels, minimum tackle, bait, k. net and l. net. Sometimes scaled 15ft stone walls at the old railway bridges at Keadby drains by lowering the bike down as far as I could, balancing the bike on a pedal resting on a protrusion of a stone, scaling down after it whilst holding it to the wall, stopping below it and repeating until I was down & then pedalling along the drain embankment until I saw signs of fish. Stayed out as long as it took to catch, faced the climb back UP the bloody wall and then pedalled home to face the music for missing a meal or two. Usually got brownie points for taking a fat pike or eels back though.

 

[Tee-Cee]

Never did cycle to fish but walked to Finsbury Park lake which was close by as a child.

Tended to use the train from FP station which went out to St Neots etc etc........Didn't enjoy the walk home though at the end od the day..


I cannot say cycling ever really appealed once I'd been over the crossbars a couple of times!!

 

[agamemnon]

my first ever driving lesson was on my 17th birthday id passed within 10 weeks and have only been on a bike twice since then. once after a new years party in order to save taxi fare i fell off 3 times and walked 2/3 of the way home.
car or walk now

 

[nicky]

I do 90% of my fishing by bike, i use panniers if going over 5 miles for my gear, rods straight up in the air sticking out of the bottle bags on the back and secured safely to the pannier using velcro straps, i have a very light weight camping chair that i can strap to the back no problem, or a waistcoat and avon telescopic if trotting down the local river, or mostly i use my bike trailer for local waters i can take what i like with that including bivvy, chair food etc and when you want to go home just chuck it all in the back and off you go easy, it makes me laugh when i see the boys struggling with their big wheel barrows as i whizz past. There's one set of ponds that has been stocked recently with loads of tench rudd and crucians that is 7 miles from my house i can get there in 35min, i have only ever seen 2 or 3 people there as it is too far from the nearest car park and they cant be bothered to carry all the gear there so in that respect i have an advantage.

 

[Philip]

I do 90% of my fishing by bike, i use panniers if going over 5 miles for my gear, rods straight up in the air sticking out of the bottle bags on the back and secured safely to the pannier using velcro straps, i have a very light weight camping chair that i can strap to the back no problem, or a waistcoat and avon telescopic if trotting down the local river, or mostly i use my bike trailer for local waters i can take what i like with that including bivvy, chair food etc and when you want to go home just chuck it all in the back and off you go easy, it makes me laugh when i see the boys struggling with their big wheel barrows as i whizz past. There's one set of ponds that has been stocked recently with loads of tench rudd and crucians that is 7 miles from my house i can get there in 35min, i have only ever seen 2 or 3 people there as it is too far from the nearest car park and they cant be bothered to carry all the gear there so in that respect i have an advantage.

Thats exactly it. I can think of a great little water that does not get fished simply because the hike from the nearest car park is too far....solid concrete track all the way there too...tailor made for a bike. I have another water that due to its location, if I had to drive I just would not fish it due to the traffic...I can do the journey by bike in a quarter of the time that I could by car and dont have to worry about parking after either.

For the kit /I use a pannier at the front and a rack at the back. Like that you can easily (easily!) carry enough stuff for a 1 day session. Its funny that people are quick to mock or think a bike is old hat but they then spend a ton on some trendy "specilist angling barrow" which they then load up and push along at snails pace.

Really interested to hear more about the bottle bags you mention for the rods...can you expand on that please ?

 

[gingerbeard]

I've spent the past few years cycling, and recently got back into fishing (as well as buying a car!).

Despite the majority of my fishing trips being via the car, I have been out a couple of times this year on the bike, following the K&A, which has been great. Just a little bit of tackle plus my JW Young travel rod, I even followed part of the Holybrook stalking some shy chub.

In fact I'm looking forward to next summer and the propect again of cycling along the river paths and maybe stopping for the odd beer along the way

 

[Colin Brett]

Used to cycle miles for my fishing as a kid and still fish the same waters today [57 years later]
However cycling to my fishing is out of the question as it's just too dangerous to even contemplate.
The main reason is the road I can't avoid, the A14.

I'd love to cycle to fish again as I can do with a bit more exercise.

 

[dangermouse]

I guess I`m quite lucky. I can walk to the canal in less than 10 mins, be on the Don in 15-20 and be at my local fishery in about 30 mins. I don`t carry a huge amount of gear so I`m happy enough walking.

 

[nicky]

The bottle bags are just two pockets on the pack of the pannier bags used for storing drinks bottles, i use them to sit the rods in then strap the rods to the pannier frame, all i need is to stick a flag on top of my rods and im away
I did at one point cable tie a cut down bottle to the bottom of the frame as a rod holder.
I have also had people mock me for my bike trailer telling me i was ripped of when they asked how much it was (£70), but how much do the carp barrows cost my way is much easier and i just roll right into my swim, i just dont take any notice I enjoy being a bit eccentric.

 

[waggy]

Me too, Nicky. I have a trailer that takes tackle and Jack Russell. Cost me a carboot kids-bike for the wheels, £6; a strandline fishbox from Holland; 3 lengths of scrap copper pipe; a bit of bent steel strip for suspension and (the only thing I had to buy new) a good quality bike seat post connecter. About £20 and 2 hours work. All I need now is the energy to pedal it.

 

[chub_on_the_block]

Used to cycle miles for my fishing as a kid and still fish the same waters today [57 years later]

That sort of knowledge is priceless. If you kept diaries/photos would make an excellent publication charting how things have changed. For me, my childhood or young adult haunts of about 30 years ago are too far away and never seem to get back to them and would possibly be a rather harrowing event if i did in some cases. I envy that degree of continuity!