Rigging a bike for fishing

This is an admittedly humorous idea to me....so feel free to laugh and poke fun. I'm old enough that I no longer care about looking "cool".

My wife and I are building a new home in Bridgeland, which is a large 11,000+ acre residential development Northwest of Houston. Upon the completion of Bridgeland, there will be a total of 900 acres of lakes open to residents. Currently there are about 400 acres of lakes that are completed and stocked (some have been stocked for 10 years). So, my new mission is going to be scouting out the best bass fishing spots in the neighborhood.

My question is regarding bicycles. Has anyone here ever rigged out a bike for fishing purposes? Ideally I would like to be able to transport 2-3 rods (7 ft. one piece rods) and a small tackle bag with relative ease. I'm looking for advice on two separate things:

1. What type of bike do you think would be best? (thinking possibly a "fat tire" bike) Most of the travel will be on pavement, but there will be some grass/trail riding required as well.

2. What types of equipment are available, and what types of modifications would you suggest?

Like I said, feel free to giggle at the idea....because I still am myself. But the more I think about it, the more interested I am.

Thanks in advance.

I think this bike is made by Ranger, it's got a huge rooster tail and is hardly moving.

How about an industrial tricycle, or something similar?

I've been working on a similar concept. Instead of the bike seat I'd use like a chair. I'd hammer the bike frame flat and kinda shape the front in a V shape. Maybe get 2 bikes and hammer that 2nd bike out flat and box like. I'd then hammer the seam of the opened V end to the boxof the 2nd. Maybe even put a few rivets in. Instead of the pedals, chain and sprocket I'd look to see if there was some sort of battery operated fan on the end of a stick that you could put down in the water to propel the 2 flattened and formed bikes around.

Just brainstorming here.

Do a google search for "fishing bicycle" and click the "Images for fishing bicycle" link, lots of ideas there and most wouldn't be too difficult to build.

from a slightly more serious perspective - find a nice rear rack and then get a kayak pack/crate with rod holders or track mounts for said. make sure the rod holders are angled back - 1) so that if a hook gets loose while riding it moves away from you. 2) so that if you go under branch/bridge so on the rod will scrape but bend in a "better" direction rather than snapping.

when i was in college in NY i would bike to lakes w/ no other access all the time with 2- 2 piece rod, camping/cooking gear in a "ski" backpack. Maybe someday when my son is older we'll re-rig for something similar again. Was MUCH faster than hiking and you got to get/see/fish some lakes/ponds that most people don't make the effort to get to because of how hard they were to get to.

Read my mind...

Why not just rig up the bike to tow a wagon or something similar? Seems too much work and too clunky to outfit just the bike. Great idea, though. Every time I lug all my stuff to my spot for the day I'm cursing how heavy and inconvenient it is!

I rigged a little red wagon up that way for pier fishing...it worked great...just get one with the fat off road tires. It would do the work of two or three guys toting tackle/ fish, in only one trip!

I'd rig it up to tow a small fishing kayak, unless the HMO Nazis disallow such. You can keep all your gear in and on a kayak, and just boogie when you get the "Itch to fish". IslandJim

5 gallon bucket or one on each side of the rear frame clamped or zip tied

They make trailers for bicycles. You don't have to Jerry Rig something.

Eland, they sell things like this (below) or you could mock one up for a few dollars with a single trip to Home Depot. I'd carry either 1 or 2 rods per side for a total capacity of 2 or 4, then a bag that holds 2 Plano boxes, lunch, etc., incidentals.

Design details will be necessary so if you are going to pedal around through low tree branches, you'll want the rods angled more horizontally.

I love the idea, especially for a controlled area.




You will likely forever be identified by your neighbors by some moniker like "the bike fishing dude." I could live with that; I might actually very much like that!

Brad

After searching a little on Google Images, I found this and REALLY like the design. Obviously this is a women's bike, but I'm referring to the rear rack design.

I do this often by just putting the handle of the rod on the brake cables. I'm sure you could put one on each side and the other end is held up by a Velcro strap around the seat post.

1) Used BMX bike off craigslist with PVC pipe rod racks on the front handle bars. Fishing tackle in a small backback.
2) Mountain bike with a rear rack to support tackle bag and PVC pipe rod rack attached.

Both would go go over curbs and grass pretty easily.

Simple mountain bike. No need for suspension, just something with gears. Go get yourself a trailer that attaches to the bike. www.nashbar.com. They have cargo trailers that are good for doing this. This enable you to carry as little or as much as you want.

My son and did this quite a bit at my brothers place. My trailer would fit a 40 quart ice chest, tackle bags, and had rod holders. One benifet of a trailer is that it is much easier to handle than having the gear strapped on the bike.

As for rigging a rack on the back of the bike......

We did not like that method. With rods on the back of the bike, it is not quite as easy getting off and on the bike.

The bike becomes too heavy when you are not on it. More than likely it will not stand on its kick stand. So now you are laying the bike on its side when you stop. Now your gear is on its side. Remember the rods, how do you handle them it’s the bike laid over?

Maybe try a backpack for tackle and mount one or two rods on the bike. If you get serious, then go full on with a trailer.