There’s a small lake near to where I live and we like nothing better than to ride down on our bikes for a spot of fishing. However, anyone who has tried to carry a fishing rod whist riding a bike knows it’s a tricky thing to do!

I finally decided to do something about it and make a fishing rod holder for our bikes.

The build is really simple and you only need a couple of off the shelf parts to make your own. I actually had the parts already so you might be lucky and have them sitting around in your shed.

There’s a short video of the holders in use as well.

Step 1: Parts and Tools

Parts:

1. 40mm PVC pipe – Local hardware store.

2. Rubber strapping – Local hardware store

3. Small nut and bolts X 2

4. Cable ties

5. Spray Paint. You will need some primer and whatever colour you want to paint the holder

5. Bike!

6. Fishing rod

Tools:

1. Circular saw

2. Drill

3. Wire Cutters

4. Pliers

5. Screwdriver

Step 2: Cutting the PVC

Steps:

1. First thing to do is to work out how much PVC pipe you will need. The pieces I used were around 500mm long. Place the rod against the pipe and estimate the best length to use

2. Cut to length with a circular saw (or just with a hand saw)

3. The neck of the reel will sit in a groove cut out of the PVC pipe so you need to make this cut next. Measure the width of the reel neck and mark on the PVC

4. Use an angle grinder to cut out the section like in the images below

5. I decided to round off the top cut sections to give the holder a nicer look. You can do this by trimming the corners and sanding the cuts to a round, smooth finish.

Step 3: Add a Rubber Strap to Hold the Rod Into Place

In order for the rod not to fall out as you are burning along on your bike, you need some way to hold into place. I went with some rubber strapping I had which worked a treat.

Steps:

1. Cut a length of the rubber strap about 150mm long.

2. Place the rod into the rod holder

3. Put the strap around the neck of the reel and mark where you need to attach the rubber

3. Drill a hole and secure the rubber with a small bolt and nut.

4. Place the rod back in again and stretch the rubber over the neck of the reel. Mark where you need to add the bolt on the other side

5. Drill a small hole just big enough for the bolt and secure it in place with a couple of nuts. You want the bolt to stick-up a little as this will be the “latch” for the rubber to go over

6. Trim the rubber and drill a small hole for the bolt head to go through

7. Test with the rod in place to make sure it works

8. If you are going to paint your holder, you'll need to remove the strap and re-attach a little later

Step 4: Adding Holes Into the Rod Holder to Attach It to the Bike

Now you have a rod holder, you need some way to attach it to your bike. I went with quick and easy cable ties but I’m sure you could come up with a way so the rod holder is easily removable. That will be version 2. For version 1 I went with a more permanent solution

Steps:

1. First, locate the best spot on the bike to attach the rod holder. I went with the rear wheel frame

2. Next, place the rod holder against the frame and mark where the holder touches the frame. The rod holder will be attached to the top and bottom sections of the rear wheel frame

3. I drilled the holes as per the image below.

4. To secure the holder to the frame and not have it move, you will need to add 2 lots of cable ties for each part of the frame it will be attached to. If you are going to paint yours then don't add the cables yet.

Step 5: Painting

I decided to paint the rod holder as well. It wasn’t really necessary but I didn’t really like just the plain white

Steps:

1. First, hit it with some primer. I did about 4-5 coats. Leave to dry for 12 hours

2. Next, paint it any colour you want to. I had some red left over from a previous project so used that. Give it a few coats and leave to dry for 24 hours

Step 6: Adding the Strap and Cable Ties

Steps:

1. Add the strap back into place on the rod holder.

2. Next it's time to add the cable ties. You may have to bend the ends of the cable ties in order to thread them through the holes.

3. Weave each one through the holes in the holder. I used 4 to secure it to the bike

Step 7: Attaching the Rod Holder to the Bike Frame

Now you need to attach the rod holder to the bike frame. Make sure you think about which side would be best before you attach it. If the bike is facing you, I went with the right hand side. It meant that the handle of the rod wasn’t in the way of the peddle and kept the reel away from potential damage

Steps:

1. Place the holder against the frame. You want to try and angle it so it’s facing away from the seat.

2. Fasten the first cable tie around the top part of the frame. Don’t tighten it yet

3. Add the next round the bottom part of the frame

4. Next, position the rod holder and tighten up both of cable ties.

5. Do the same for the next 2 cable ties

6. Check to make sure that rod holder is secure and doesn’t move

7. Add a rod and test top make sure everything fits and the rod isn’t getting in the way of anything on the bike

8. Trim the cable ties

You’re done! Now go grab some worms and head out to your favourite fishing spot.

Happy fishing!