Travel rods

2765 Views 20 Replies 10 Participants Last post by Alex Jordan, Jan 17, 2010

Nigel A

Discussion Starter · Jan 10, 2010

I have recently returned from a from a bone fishing trip, there are numerous choices of quality 4 piece fly rods by many manufacturers in many line weights. I also decided that when conditions were not suitable I would like to lure fish from the shore for barracuda and other species. My bench mark for lure rods are the red rods and I found the choice of travel rods suitable for purpose was limited. I eventually bought a hardy demon 50-100 grams, i realise that i needed not have gone so high in the casting weight but i wanted the power.Sage manufacture a 3 piece and shimano a 5 piece 6.5 to 7.7 ft in a 2.75lb test curve. i read that Mr Fish had been asked to look at or help design alternative rods and I wander whether a quality 4 piece by tenyru or another specialist rod maker that maintained the same quality as the 2 piece rods would interest other bass fisheman and destination anglers?

1 - 20 of 21 Posts

Keith White

· #2 · Jan 10, 2010

Mick has looked at getting travel rods of similar action to the Tenryu's.

The 3 pc Sage is good. I believe a few guys have them who are forum users.
Nick Phillips I believe has one.

Lots of guys on here travel to plug and lure fish..

Answers will be forthcoming I'm sure

Dave Irving

· #3 · Jan 10, 2010

I tend to go for baitcasters for heavier inshore work, cuda jacks tarpon etc. I use a 7' reddington, done tuna to over twenty pounds on it. Fixed spool wise I have heard very good reviews from friends about the St Croix Tidemaster rods 7' 3 piece rods.

http://www.stcroixrods.com/product/tidemaster-inshore

Mike Kennard

· #4 · Jan 11, 2010

I seem to be a bit of a travel rod collector. I have rods by Sage, Loomis, Daiwa and Lamiglas, some standard, some custom builds. They are all a lot better than they used to be. So far mine have proved reliable too. The down side is that with the exception of one (Daiwa Whisker 9ft) they are all 6 or 7ft. Sage and Lamiglas do make longer ones but I have never seen one in the flesh. I use a Lamiglas 3 piece popping rod custom built from a blank by Chris Ward for some of my soft plastic and lighter plug work. Not used it much yet but blindfold I would likely find it hard to tell from a one piece one. Casts pretty well too.
They aren't in the same class as Tenryus for bass plugging but they weren't designed for that originally.

Nick Phillips

· #5 · Jan 11, 2010

Keith White said:
Mick has looked at getting travel rods of similar action to the Tenryu's.

The 3 pc Sage is good. I believe a few guys have them who are forum users.
Nick Phillips I believe has one.

Lots of guys on here travel to plug and lure fish..

Answers will be forthcoming I'm sure

Yes mate I have two.
I love them and have had them for approx 6 years and they both came from Sportfish.
I have the 6-12 rated one (mega lite) and the 8-17 model.
They are 3 section and both 7 footers with an ultra fast but soft tip action thats actually designed for throwing small lures and tiny baits to Bonefish etc.
They are totally saltwater rods and come on the usual Sage tube and are built to the usual Sage standards that includes the famous Sage guarentee.
There is a much heavier model thats rated 10-20lbs but these are designed for the larger species etc.
I love them.............

Mick Ward

· #6 · Jan 11, 2010

It is a question that I have already put to the rod designer of Tenryu, in fact Henry was there, we were asking why we cant have proper GT travel rods etc. He basically said its impossible to have the total power and confidence that comes with a one piece or two piece rod. Sandy, the designer said to Henry that he had made himself a travel rod, multi piece etc, when asked if he would make him one Sandy told Henry no problem, but it would be £1000+.

Here is the rod that my brother Doug is taking to India on thursday, I have had them in nearly a year and are only now starting to sell, wierd, its a fast action bass rod basically, he is taking the 8ft, I recon it will be great for small game fish, we will see.....

http://www.despoissonssigrands.com/fich ... gorie=2685

The Shimanos are great value for money, but we are talking spinning rods here, not man enough for big fish. Well an old school teacher of mine did land a 20lb GT on a Shimano 9ft Exage travel.....mmm...I wish we had more info in this country of what out small range of travel rods are caperble of.

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Mike Kennard

· #7 · Jan 11, 2010

[quote="Nick Phillips
Yes mate I have two.
I love them and have had them for approx 6 years and they both came from Sportfish.
I have the 6-12 rated one (mega lite) and the 8-17 model.
They are 3 section and both 7 footers with an ultra fast but soft tip action thats actually designed for throwing small lures and tiny baits to Bonefish etc.
They are totally saltwater rods and come on the usual Sage tube and are built to the usual Sage standards that includes the famous Sage guarentee.
There is a much heavier model thats rated 10-20lbs but these are designed for the larger species etc.
I love them.............

[/quote]

Not sure how easy they are to get over here but they also do a lighter 6ft 3 piece on rated for 4-10lb line at up to 10gm. I have a factory built spinning version and a custom baitcaster. Both excellent and fantastic fun when conditions allow.

Mick Ward

· #8 · Jan 11, 2010

Does anyone use the Greys or Hardy? Never hear of them mentioned much.

Nigel A

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jan 11, 2010

Thankyou to every one who posted a reply and some interesting replies, although i beg to differ with a rod designer for tenyru many of the specialist fly rods in the higher line weights are designed to catch big tropical fish and are travel rods but maybe not GT,s..I would also note that the price difference between a top of the range fly rod in a 4 piece is not much different than a 2 piece The shimano rod that I mentioned before in my previous post is a tribal 5 piece 6.5 ft-7.5ft long 2.75 lb test curve and it is a very strong but stiff rod. i still feel that there is a place for a high quality bass/plugging lure rod that could be used overseas. However market forces will dictate whether it is viable to tool up to make 3 or 4piece rods but it would be nice to see more choice in purpose designed lure rods

Mike Kennard

· #10 · Jan 11, 2010

There is still room in the market for a top end British designed and built bass lure rod. No reason why it couldn't be 3 piece......

Nick Phillips

· #11 · Jan 12, 2010

Mike Kennard said:
[quote="Nick Phillips
Yes mate I have two.
I love them and have had them for approx 6 years and they both came from Sportfish.
I have the 6-12 rated one (mega lite) and the 8-17 model.
They are 3 section and both 7 footers with an ultra fast but soft tip action thats actually designed for throwing small lures and tiny baits to Bonefish etc.
They are totally saltwater rods and come on the usual Sage tube and are built to the usual Sage standards that includes the famous Sage guarentee.
There is a much heavier model thats rated 10-20lbs but these are designed for the larger species etc.
I love them.............

Not sure how easy they are to get over here but they also do a lighter 6ft 3 piece on rated for 4-10lb line at up to 10gm. I have a factory built spinning version and a custom baitcaster. Both excellent and fantastic fun when conditions allow.[/quote]
Yes Mike I remember the 6 footer version,I nearly got one for trooting

You can still get them,I would contact Sportfish and ask them and I know that Sage have just updated the rod range with some longer models that are used also for steelhead etc.

Henry Gilbey

· #12 · Jan 12, 2010

Mick - I have used the Greys Missionary 6 40-100g model on a few trips overseas. Works ok, but does not like it when big fish dive deep - nowhere near enough guts in it to really horse 'em. Plus it has a few "issues" that I came across.

As for bass travelling rods, I still reckon those Hart Bloody Trek models we saw at Nantes last year feel like the best action BASS travel rods I have come across so far - can't say much more as I have not used them myself, but they felt very good.

In the fly world they take it for granted that 4 piece rods are just as good and strong as 2 piece rods - always makes me jealous when I travel with fly guys and all their rods pack away in their main hold bag. And us muppets have to travel with great big rod tubes that are a complete pain in the rear to put it mildly. There are plenty of four piece fly rods that will handle stupidly big fish, I have seen it done on many occasions - Loomis Cross Current GLX, Sage (can't remember the name) etc. - GTs, doggies, parrotfish, yellowfin, you name it, the fly guys smash them on four piece rods.

I do remember that time Mick when I asked Sandy for a "proper" travel rod, and I think I gulped when he told me what it would cost !! But at least he was honest. There has to be a reason for example why all these tropical vertical jigging rods are one piece - it is utterly insane what big fish vertical jigging does to gear.

Plenty of cheap and cheerful travel spinning rods that are fine for smaller fish, but if you want fast action and/or a big fish travel rod ? Not easy.............

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Tony Barnes

· #13 · Jan 16, 2010

Ah, cheap and cheerful travel rods...preferably with a fast action.

Anyone tried any of these?

Savage gear Roadrunner, 7', 12-40g, £60.
Quantum Energy Travel, various lengths (7'-10') and casting weights (10-60g), £60-80.
Hiro Bass Fighter Travel, 9', 20-60g, £60.
Hart Bloody Trek, 8', 10-35g, £170. Are you still selling these Mick? Have Cormoran released one yet?

I started a similar thread on 'the other place' and had lots of interest but only a few replies from people who had experience of the rods mentioned. Anyone tried the new Shimano travel rods? Have the actions got any faster?

Sorry for hijacking the thread, but I must get a travel rod for the holiday in the summer. It'll probably be the Roadrunner, unless anyone advises me otherwise. Anyone know of any others worth considering? Tones.

Mick Ward

· #14 · Jan 17, 2010

I do have the Hart ones Tony, and I will be looking out for some more. Has anyone tried those Shimano big fish travel rods? I asked a french friend and he said they were for kids and not serious rods at all!!

Dave Irving

· #15 · Jan 17, 2010

Mick,
The Fenwick Ironfeather travel rods are good for the price, we used to sell them. The are a cheaper alternative to the Sage travel rods, quality is/was pretty good to. The 1-3oz 7' 3 piece was good as a light GT rod, done sailfish, tuna, King Mackerel , jacks, and Cubera Snapper on the I one I have.

Simon L

· #16 · Jan 17, 2010

I have a Daiwa Wilderness travel spin that has come on hols with me a couple of times. Problem is that its just too heavy. My arms ache after about 20mins of use.

I had a 2 piece Hiro Bass Fighter, until the misses shut the boot on it. The 2 piece is a nice rod, but i've had a fiddle with the 4 piece, and i didnt really like it. Even the tackle-shop owner said that it resembled the shape of a 50p piece when bent.

My local tackle shop has the Road Runner, but i havent had a good look at it yet.

Interesting thread though, as i rekon my Daiwa has just seen its last foreign hol (makes a nice light surf rod though !).

Alex Jordan

· #17 · Jan 17, 2010

ahhhh *cracks knuckles* hoping a friend who sighed up recently may contribute as he does alot of tropical GT trips - I am still a newb!

The reason for not having GT or popping travel rods is simple - they would be mincemeat in the first 15 seconds of the fight - even if Tenryu marketed a high end £1000 plus rod imho the strenghening components required to make it anywhere beefy enough would destroy the action making it really bad to fish ...

GT popping is one of the most extreme forms of lure fishing - the gear has to be on par hence why a top end rod and reel will lave you with little pocket change from £2k, same with lures, line and terminal tackle - I have hooks that cost £4 quid each ... everything gets pushed to the limit including your muscles and mental strength!

Top end rods like Ripple Fisher, Carpenter, Smith and Tenryu are fantastic to fish with - again you get certain rods for different lures and actions chugging/popping/stickbaits, length all differ ...

Invest in a really good rod travel tube - some airlines even let you take a tube for free like Emirates or BA - such as a Plano or Nature Boys Case and fingers crossed it gets there OK!

***Shimano rods are OK - but not got the greatest rep - there are a few vids on youtube with top end shimano rods exploding under a GT ... however even high end Carpenters get mashed - an aquantaince snapped a Carpenter Wild Violence rod - this thing is a GT beating stick tooo!***

Oh and the Tehryu bass rods get packed with the GT rods too - hoping to give the SuperMix a workout on SP's for reefies!

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Dave Irving

· #18 · Jan 17, 2010

Alex,
There is a three piece rod in Australia that beats the stuffing out of even decent sized GT's. Not the lightest bit of kit in the world, due to the fact it is made of Glass Fibre with some carbon thrown in to stiffen the blank. I have used the rod to pitch livebaits at sailfish, which on braid you can almost skulldrag to the boat with this rod.
Will try and find you a link, I know the guys fishing the top end have down GT's to about 40kg on them without problems.

Alex Jordan

· #19 · Jan 17, 2010

Ta Dave - eglass - toughtest m*tha rod making material period!

Mick Ward

· #20 · Jan 17, 2010

Got a text from my mate who is on holiday in Maritius at the moment, he had a 110lb GT on a Beastmaster spinning rod and a Stella 4000!!!!

1 - 20 of 21 Posts

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