Shifting Gears: Desert Fly Fishing and Bikepacking (Video)

We’re proponents of mixing other activities into bikepacking trips, and this unique bikefishing excursion and the resulting video shared by The Fly Fish Journal caught our eye. Wonderfully shot and featuring a good mix of riding and fishing in incredibly beautiful locations, it’s well worth checking out, even if fly fishing isn’t your thing.

As they summarize the trip, “In October 2021, a group of friends in southern Utah set out on a 58-mile bike tour with plans to fish several alpine lakes along the way. But as so often happens with plans, they went awry. The weather had its own ideas, and by the time they reached the trailhead—at around 11,000 feet—the snow showed no signs of letting up. For the most part, bikes and snow don’t mix. What does go well with mountain bikes and fly rods, on the other hand, are small desert streams and dusty trails with a sprinkling of sandstone slabs for good measure. When nature throws a wrench into the gears, sometimes you just have to shift them.”

You can watch the full seven-minute video below, followed by a small gallery of photos from the trip. After the film, be sure to scroll down to the related content grid and the bottom of this post for more bikefishing resources.

“My lips were always turning a little blue and I was shivering, but I was catching so many fish I didn’t want to stop.”

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For the original article and more great fly fishing content, head over to TheFlyFishJournal.com.

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