Angling bicycle

It is the bicycle that Giovanni uses to go fishing in the small streams near his home in Sommariva del Bosco (CN). He has equipped it so that it can carry his angler’s gear. Everything must be light: this is the principle.

This is a mountain bike he had once given to his grandson as a gift. But ten years ago, the grandson bought himself a racing bike and gave the mountain bike back to Giovanni. Now, it is an angling bike: Giovanni has added a few storage attachments to the triangular fabric pouch.
Behind the seat, there’s a spot to attach a plastic basket that holds hooks and a small fish trap. And a rod holder. Giovanni has prepared his bike to go trout fishing in the next few days. He always uses two rods when trout fishing. With one he fishes in the Carmagnotta, with the other in Due Acque.

 
The rods are now thirty years old—he built them himself. He’s been making his own rods since he was a child. The first ones were made of bamboo, composed of three sections and a tip section that fit into one another. This way, he avoided using the small sleeves that connect the rod’s sections – which are usually made of brass – to save every last gram.
Now his rods are made with plastic: light and strong, like bamboo.
The rod he uses at Due Acque is equipped with a cork float and sinkers, because there the water drops and flows faster. Many twigs have accumulated at the bottom, and the float helps keep the line from getting tangled in them.
To transport his two rods, he built a rod holder from two plastic tubes once again – carefully measured to avoid unnecessary bulk and weight.
He also built the landing net himself, which he uses to help pull out the bigger trout that, by resisting, might otherwise snap the line. It is folding and telescopic. He carries it strapped to the bike frame, protected by a case he specifically made with packing tape.