Motorcycling and Fishing (published Motorcycle Tour and Travel, Sept. 1995) Ouch, I'm hooked again. The last time I was "on the end of the line" I ended up trading up to a new motorcycle. This month, it's the fishing bug that did it. But it's me that's hooked and not the fish. In my first Travel Master column (May 1995) I wrote about increasing your enjoyment of the outdoors by combining motorcycle camping with other outdoor interests . This month I'll pass on to you what I've learned about including fishing gear on your next motorcycle camping trip if you happen to be heading to an area where the trout may be running. I was in my local sporting goods store rounding up some motorcycle camping accessories when I happened to strike up a conversation with the fishing department salesman. As usual, I steered the conversation to motorcycling, the open road, and far away places and when I told him about my northern travels, he stared at me bug-eyed and said "You rode through Labrador and you never fished? You are headed for the Gaspe Peninsula this summer ? Hey, Buddy, we've gotta talk!" The good news is that much of the same gear for motorcycle camping can double as fishing gear as well. For example, most motorcycling sunglasses are polarized, so they can help cut down on water glare and help you see fish better. Your all purpose emergency combination tool also serves double duty in fishing mode, but be sure to pick up a fishing license before you wet your line. There's been a big improvement in gear since I put away my fishing tackle twenty years ago. The new stuff is generally lighter and smaller. My old tackle box is full of rusted hooks,lures, and a seized spinning reel. My ancient rod would need a red flag attached to the end of it with the words "oversized load" if I were to lash it to the back of my bike. Not to imply that you can't haul in a fish with a sapling strung with dental floss and a hooked worm, but it took about two seconds looking at the gear for me to realize that I was soon going to be parting with some hard earned green. I live in the northeastern United States and while there may be some regional specialization, the information that I'll outline here should suit most newcomers. Experienced fishermen have already likely absorbed the following but for you motorcycling wannabe fisherpersons, here are a few guidelines. There is a good selection of quality fishing gear that has been developed for backpackers that can fit just as snugly in your motorcycle duffel bag. I'd advise you to motor on down to your local sporting goods store and ask for help in getting outfitted for fishing. Be sure to tell them you need to have light packable gear that can take up little space on the back of your motocycle. National mail order companies can advise you over the phone, but hometown salesmen are usually neighborhood experts that fish extensively and also want you to return as a customer. They need you to be successful and often spoon feed you fine-tuned advice. There are two basic approaches to freshwater fishing. The easiest and cheapest option is a spinning rod setup that allows you to cast live bait or various plastic and metal lures. With spinning gear you are "heaving hardware" at the fish. Garish multimedia lures and hook/bobber combinations are readily available in hardware departments, drugstores, and even neighborhood mom and pop variety shops all over the country. With a three piece or collapsible telescopic rod and lightweight reel you can be fishing within minutes of parking your motorcycle stream side. Pull your rod out of it's protective aluminum tube, snug up the reel, thread the line up through the rod ferrules to the tip, clip on that scented fluorescent yellow nightcrawler and cast toward the feeding pools. I took my crash course in new gear from Paul McGurren of Maine Sport in Camden, Maine. Paul is contributing editor and "New Gear" columnist for Fly Fishing magazine. Paul advised me to pick a flyfishing setup. With this choice you join the millions of anglers that have taken up centuries old techniques of casting and landing fish, but be forewarned. With flyfishing you enter the complex and intriguing world of studying seasonal predator prey cycles in learning what the fish are feeding on. There's a science in selecting or even tying the tiny feather and hair covered hooks that will help hill your fry pan. A fly fishing setup is built around the rod which will likely be a four piece graphite pack rod housed in a protective aluminum tube. The storage tube's two and a half foot length is a perfect size for to your luggage rack . The reel and line combination is matched to the rod. With this setup you'll be presenting the fish tiny hand tied files but what you are really casting is the thick plastic fly line. "Floating weight forward" line is the easiest to learn to cast and fish, and choosing a high visibility color also helps you to see where the line is and to encourage good casting. As far as flies go, national mail order houses such as L.L. Bean sell preselected groups of flies. Flies are stored in small protective boxes, and Paul showed me a new type of rigid foam type that weighs just one ounce and fits in a shirt pocket. Again, a local outfitter may be the better choice for selecting specific flies, due to large numbers of customers feeding back to the sales staff field reports of what Ôs catching fish. So, there you have it. Fishing is more fun than playing the lottery. Open up your newspaper next week and you'll probbaly see a picture of some mechanic holding the lunker that he pulled in from the local lake. Consider heading out with your hopes high with a tankbag full of the feeling that all's right with the world. Best of all you'll be riding your own secret weapon, the ultimate five hundred pound artificial lure. Catch fish or not, it really doesn't matter, because when you've finished your morning's fishing, you'll be ready to enjoy your number one two wheeled sport, while the best part of the mechanic's day is probably behind him.