【BikeToFishing】Solo Fishing Trip🐟

I finally went on a long-awaited mountain stream fishing trip, having been held back for a while by the oppressive heat. Naturally, I went in my BikeToFishing style. I had invited my mentor, but we couldn't align our schedules, so it was a solo trip for me this time.🚲🎣

With very little rain this summer, I haven't been seeing the results I'd hoped for in bass fishing either, but since it rained a bit the night before, I pedaled up the forest road with my heart full of anticipation.

Even in the morning, clouds would occasionally drift over the mountains, and the weather changed rapidly—one moment the sun was out while climbing, and the next, a light mist of rain would fall. For a heavy sweater like me, it was a blessing, cooling my body down like a mist shower during the climb.

Actually, this was my first time mountain stream fishing alone. Since it was a weekday, there were no other anglers, which I welcomed, but a part of me was also feeling a bit anxious about encountering a bear up there as I pedaled along.

I enjoy how my senses gradually sharpen as I enter the mountains—listening to the sound of the water and the wind in the trees, and occasionally sensing movement in the brush. At the same time, it reminds me of how quiet a bicycle really is.

With that, ringing my bear bell, I slowly made my way up and arrived at the entry point.

I put on my wading shoes from the front basket and the waders I had strapped to my Burrito Rack, and began the actual fishing.

Once I started fishing, the anxiety from earlier vanished. I became engrossed in observing the water's surface, casting repeatedly into the promising spots.

While holding onto the positive feeling from my last trip, the fish weren't reacting as I’d expected, and I started to get a little impatient as I worked my way upstream (lol).

Just as I was reaching the end of the first section, I finally got that long-awaited reaction!

A beautiful Iwana (char) played with my lure, even if it was a small one.

Using this as a hint, I targeted similar situations and managed to hook a few more.

Whether it was due to the water shortage or not, I could feel how the water levels affected the fish's activity, which gave me some good insights on how to approach them. I’ll make that a focus for next time.

Gear Check🚲🎣

My familiar My Doppo ATB in BikeToFishing mode. The setup remains the same: rod on the top tube and waders strapped to the Burrito Rack, but the big difference from last time is the addition of a front basket to carry my wading shoes.

Since I have to climb forest roads to reach the entry point, I decided to ride in my BEDROCK SANDALs and change them once I got to the creek, and it worked out great. This style is definitely the way to go during hot weather.

I also put the BIVO bottle, which we’ve started carrying, to the test. I’ve been using the insulating Trio model, and I highly recommend it. Even after fishing and returning to my car, it was still ice-cold. I'll introduce this bottle in more detail later, so stay tuned.

For polarized sunglasses, an essential for any angler, I used the Maia model from FLOAT, which we recently held a pop-up for. In mountain streams, there are times you need to take them off quickly, like when you enter a dark, shaded area, and being able to keep them around my neck was stress-free and let me focus entirely on fishing.

My backpack is the Chips Bag 13L, which recently added new colors. For this trip, I packed minimal snacks, enough water, and rain gear just in case. That’s my usual gear loadout for stream fishing. When I hop off the bike to start fishing, I move my BIVO bottle to the outer mesh pocket.

It might be difficult this month with a business trip to the U.S. coming up, but I’d like to give it at least one more try before the fishing season closes in September.