Hi Friends,

I found this nice thread on fishing while touring
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ht=fishing+rod

do any of you have anything to add/tips on how to do it right? I prefer spin fishing to fly fishing but I can't stand mini-rods. I want a proper graphite rod but 4 or 5 sections is ok I guess. Any progress in rods available since this thread was posted? Looking to go for a 3 day off road tour on easy trails (not really "bikepacking" or terribly rugged).

There have been other threads, since I have contributed, but not on that thread. It is hard to make recommendations without more info, but if I wasn't fly fishing, and was going to fish just about anywhere, i would take an ultralight spinning rod. Spool 2 or 4 pound line. First it is light to carry the rod and in particular the lures. Second, it gives the greatest chance of getting a strike, though many fish prefer larger baits, you can with guile fish a range with light gear. Third, on a random fishing assignment, close to roads, you want to use something subtle and a little different than what the fish may have been presented with in the past. You would be surprised how large a fish can be landed on 4 lb test. Many rods, like most fly rods, can't work more than a few pounds. Try breaking anything heavier with a full bend in the rod. The world tarpon record for 4 lb is over 125lbs, for instance, though obviously they had a boat, but still. Just learn to put the butt to them, and learn to work the full line capacity, and you won't be diddling around. However, there are assignments that could be a useless set-up for.

Sorry about the detail. I intend to use them in NC where water is mostly small lakes, for bass and small fish. Will be fishing from shore. I may also use the setup as my "travel" rod when I go to Panama for work. Over there it is mostly to be used in the Canal area for peacock bass and the occasional tilapia. There are supposed to be tarpon in the canal area but I've never seen one so I am not holding my hopes up for that. Mostly I intend to use spoons and the occasional plug or natural bait.
https://www.everything-panama.com/200...ing-in-panama/

encountered in England the in the stream fish as a property right.
and I was not allowed to even camp nearby even without tackle.

given the King owned all the deer in the forest , and that is history.
seems private holders get to feel the same.

How do you handle fishing licenses? Always wondered how folks touring deal with that hassle...

I have the LL Bean 9' 8 piece fly rod that comes in a small tube and included the reel and line that's great for touring and back packing, I take it a lot. It's also the cheapest I could find that broke down small enough and had snake guides instead of foot guides, snake guides hold up better from accidental hitting of the guides. I prefer fly when touring or backpacking over spinning because it's more compact, the reel lays flat and you can hold a lot of flies in a fly tin.

You can get cheaper breakdown rods then the LL bean but the sensitivity is less as is the ability to cast well.
South Bend makes a 3 or 4 travel rods for under $50 including the reel.

You can also get backpacking spinning outfits as well. II bean even makes a backpacking kit that comes with both a spinning reel and fly reel with a breakdown rod with interchangeable butts so you can switch from one to the other. It's not as good of a rod as a dedicated fly or spinning rod, but it's cheap and you could fish both systems depending on your needs.

"How do you handle fishing licenses? Always wondered how folks touring deal with that hassle..."

I buy them.......on line or from a sporting goods store.
But fishing is mostly the reason for my tours.

Cyril

Though I build my own rods and therefore have several nice 5 piece fly rods, if I were in need of a travel spinning rod, I would at least look at Cabela's as they have several to choose from:

https://www.cabelas.com/catalog/searc...tt=travel+rods

Dynamite.
Match.
Throw in lake.
Dinner.

The security people at the Panama canal get a little "twitchy" about Dynamite so that's a no. Otherwise, no license required except to go offshore. Then your captain takes care of it. In NC it's easy to get a visiting permit btw. I've been fishing out west and it was pretty easy too. In Utah for example you just visited your nearest sporting goods store and filled some paperwork. Good trout fishing up in them Utah mountain lakes.

Central America is pretty relaxed about fishing licenses. I've even just taken a "Cayuco" (dugout canoe) for kicks and actually caught some Peacock bass on crappy department store tackle purchased down there. Hard to come by nice rods though as the locals just use a bunch of 30 pound line spun around a plastic spool with an old piece of rusty metal for weight, swing it above their head and let go. Not as much fun as a rod but effective if you just need dinner.

Weeeellllllll......have you ever heard of stealth fishing? I do have an Indiana license and most of my tours have been in Indiana due to lack of time to go too much further till I retire. But I have fished in Ohio without a license and in Michigan. It's risky but not big time risk, about the same as speeding on the freeway and getting caught. Night fishing offers some distinct advantages too. They don't throw you in jail, they sometimes take your fishing equipment depending on your attitude, and give you a ticket for $25 to $50 depending on the state. The fine isn't bad considering that a 7 day license is between $7 to $12 and if you don't get caught for a long time you come out ahead!!

Personally, because of problems like touring whether its by car, bike, hiking etc it's impractical to have a license in every state, they should have a federal fishing license so travelers can fish in other states without having to buy one for every state their going to be in.

Safario,
I hope you have better luck with your fishing than I did on one trip this past summer. This old man told about this excellent stream and falls but it was a good afternoon's ride just to get there. It had been a dry summer in much of the lower midwest and when I finally arrived, I found the stream in the background dried up. That grey tube sticking up in my rear right pannier houses my 5 piece fly rod but it didn't get to come out and play on that day. ha

In Ohio, if you are caught fishing without a license, they can confiscate anything you have that facilitated your violation. Your tackle, your boat, your vehicle that got you there. That would include your bike. Many times I've had a Warden walk up to me and ask to see my licence. Many of those times, I was fishing where I never expected a warden to be, like on a river that ran along the back of a an old graveyard.

So watch out for the Buckeye Fishing Cops.

And I agree, there should be a federal license.

I'm not an expert at fishing by any means. I do it to relax. There's nothing like the sound of water, wildlife all around, and you slowly moving through water with a fly rod and reel trying to entice fish with a fake fly, once a false appearance of the fly is presented, like letting it drag through the water and the fish know it ain't real.

One thing I forgot to mention. When I do fish in states I don't have a license, I fish using barbless hooks. I do this in the remote event I get caught I can explain that I was catching and releasing without damaging the fish with the barbless flies. Not sure if that would work real good, it may prevent my equipment form being confiscated, but I would probably get the fine. You see if you catch the fish to eat your poaching that's what the fine is all about, if your catching and releasing it's not poaching. Not sure how legal that is but it's not poaching.

Do any of you expert fisher-folk have advice for no-nuthings like me who may want to catch supper along the way.
What kind of kit can you use to catch fish in lakes, streams and rivers that will land fish of dinner-plate proportions.

In the UK you can buy fishing license (Environment Agency rod licence) available online or from any Post Office.

MichaelW, in Europe you need to watch out for contaminated fish. I am sure you will get other UK and European people to chime in, but when I visited Germany I was advised not to eat the fish because of chemical and heavy metal (esp. mercury) tainting. Also, it was my understanding that in the UK most fisheries are now catch and release. Found this interesting site on UK fishing btw:
https://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/arc...p/t-22400.html

In Ohio, if you are caught fishing without a license, they can confiscate anything you have that facilitated your violation. Your tackle, your boat, your vehicle that got you there. That would include your bike. Many times I've had a Warden walk up to me and ask to see my licence. Many of those times, I was fishing where I never expected a warden to be, like on a river that ran along the back of a an old graveyard.

So watch out for the Buckeye Fishing Cops.
It's the same way in Arkansas no license you better not be fishing.I don't have the time to fish while I am touring to much fun doing other things.

Catch and release maybe ought to be what you describe, but since so many fisheries are moving in that direction due to overuse, the cops are not going to look at you that way. And depending on how you look at it mortality rates are a part of catch and release fishing so you are consuming the resource by so doing. With cold water species like trout, the mortality rate, as reported by fish friendly publications, is pretty high. I have had my doubts about these reports since I have fished places where the fish were like trained seals and rolled on their sides and waited for you to remove the hook (Yellow Breeches). However, these are also places where the standard fly is about the size of the j on your keyboard, size 22 ant, so they are virtually fish velcro.

There are two other approaches, hooks with the loop at both ends, you get a tug, and maybe you might see the fish, but in the end he lets go. The other option is hooks without the bend and you get the rise, for instance. But you should be aware that even these could get you into trouble. First of all many places will prosecute you is you have a rod within x of the water, and what if you are carrying flies that are real, just not on your line. Most places you are toast. Further, some places have laws that say, yes you can kill our fish or stick them as part of fishing, but if you aren't fishing you can't bother them. So if you hook a fish but prove you weren't fishing, then you were harassing a fish, and you get prosecuted anyway, though possibly you don't loose the bike.

To the OP, I would buy one of these rods:

https://www.cabelas.com/product/Rains...Ntt=rod+blanks

I would buy this model: SB781-3 But the 4 piece lighter model is also a possibility, if you will fish mostly open water. Or you can go for whatever line size you prefer. The advantage of a blank is price, but more importantly a wide choice of options to chose from. And also just as important is that there are lots of old tech graphite blanks out there that are superb quality, but lack the latest in materials, these are high end products action wise, and in certain cases better than the latest. While if you buy cheap rods you don't get the action quality. A bit like a carbon frame vs. steel, except both are carbon.

For the reel, if you will be casting on the short side, I would get the smallest reel you can find that says it works with 10-12 pound, it might be pushing it but there are some huge reels out there, and you can get by with less. You can, by the way, build out the rod to suit this smaller reel size. Another advantage with the build approach. You would choose guides that suit the line and spool size of the smaller reel.

You do have to try to match the hatch (flies in the air around you where your at) so you should get a book and take flies that you know are out during that time of the year in that area. There are some basic flies that if all else fails have a relative fair success rate; the first fly is called a Royal Muff, then a Renegade, Parachute Adams, Skating Spider, and a Humpy. Those flies come in different sizes but you have to at least match the size of the hatch at the time you go in that area. Remember fish ain't stupid.

Here's a little aid if your new to fly fishing is a pretty good thing to have: https://completehatch.com/ just click on the various flies on the left panel and will see how this thing can work for you.

I take a 9 foot rod even though in some circles of fly fishing wisdom, it's too long for small streams, but since I fish in a variety of areas I like the 9ft. Even on small streams I can just let the line out then roll the line out into the water with just a small rod movement and get it out far enough for a small stream and since I do roll it trees aren't issue. Most of time I don't fish small streams anyways, most waterways I end up at are either lakes or rivers. When I lived in California and streams are smaller there I carried a 6 footer but that one is not a camping rod, I took my car into the areas.

What k9 gromit said,, here in Utah, gummer man take yur pole and yur bike, they bad ass here

Has anyone tried these fishing rigs. https://www.emmrod.com/ I have thought about buying one not only for the bike, but to keep in my truck, never know when you might want to fish.

I love to fish so combining touring and fishing would be perfect.

I've tried a couple of those. I find them atrocious. That's why a take-apart 4 or 5 section rod seems a better idea, even with a simple micro-reel.

Those look interesting but don't forget about the telescoping rods and of course there is always the finest.....the Popeil Pocket Fisherman

they look like ice fishing rigs.