Pack It Up, Pack It In
Airline travel has become increasingly restrictive in recent years, and for those of us who fly to fish are left with a conundrum – do you trust the lodge/guide’s rods, if they provide any at all, or do you dare risk flying with a long tube of your precious sticks? The latter option works in some cases, but sometimes it’s simply not possible or feasible for any of the following reasons:
Airline restrictions prevent you from bringing the tube
In-country restrictions (e.g., float plane) and weight limits prevent you from bringing the tube
You’re afraid that your valuable rods will get damaged or stolen by the airlines or other security officials
Airline officials who don’t know or respect their carrier’s policy will not allow you to check them through, or will make you pay an exorbitant fee to do so.
Many of the lodges we visit have top quality rods available in plentiful amounts. For example, Anglers Inn provides really good St. Croix rods, in a variety of actions. There’s no charge unless you break one. One of the reasons that we recommend Bear Trail Lodge in Alaska over similar operations is because they provide rods, reels, line, flies and waders. Otherwise us non-fly-anglers would’ve had to make a huge investment in gear before arriving. This made it comparatively painless.
One of the options available to bridge this divide is to use multiple-piece rods. Judging from the scene in the Anchorage and King Salmon, Alaska, airports, the fly guys have this one figured out. You still may get some resistance from gate agents about bringing shorter tubes onboard, but with careful preparation and proper sizing they should not be a problem. TSA guidelines explicitly allow them (size permitting) but note that “The final decision rests with the TSA officer on whether an item is allowed through the checkpoint.”
Conventional anglers have generally been resistant to multi-piece rods. Many of us are convinced that they’re not as sensitive or reliable as single-piece rods. We have memories of childhood where during a cast or while fighting a fish the ferrules came apart. This prejudice results in manufacturers producing fewer technique-specific multi-piece rods, so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that we shouldn’t/can’t use them.
I’m going to try, over the next few months, to figure out whether the juice is worth the squeeze on three-, four- and five-piece rods. I’m going to fish around home with nine of them that I’ve acquired and try to give you an honest report on their performance. Maybe I’ll be disappointed, but I might be satisfied enough to integrate them into some of my regular rotation. Here are the participants:
Brand: Bass Pro Shops
Model: Conservationist
Length: 6’6”
Pieces: 4
Suggested Lure Weight: 1/8 to ½ ounce
Price: n/a
I bought this rod in the late 80s and early 90s and it has been all over the place, chasing everything from Alaskan silver salmon to Florida largemouths to a British Virgin Islands mixed bag. It has been loaned out multiple times as well. It’s no longer in stock, but has been my all-purpose workhorse for a long time and I’m anxious to see how it handles dropshotting, dock-skipping and other techniques I didn’t use back them.
Brand: Enigma
Model: Pack Master EPM 66MLF-Spinning
Length: 6’6”
Pieces: Telescoping
Suggested Lure Weight: 1/8 to ½ ounce
Price: $79.97
I’ve never used a telescoping rod before, but noticed that several other manufacturers introduced them at “Virtual ICAST” this year. This one has six segments, each of which can be replaced individually.
Brand: Enigma
Model: Pack Master EPM 73MHF Casting
Length: 7’3”
Pieces: Telescoping
Suggested Lure Weights: ¼ to ¾ ounce
Price: $79.97
These come with ALPS guides and reel seats along with a semi-rigid plastic carrying case.
Brand: Falcon
Model: Coastal Traveler X9 SS7M-3
Length: 7’
Pieces: 3
Suggested Lure Weights: ¼ to ½ ounce
Price: $119.99
Falcon’s travel rods come with a branded, segmented carrying case, which has the rod’s specifications on the outside, making sure you grab and take the correct one.
Brand: Falcon
Model: Lowrider Traveler 7MH-3
Length: 7’
Pieces: 3
Suggested Lure Weights: ¼ to ½ ounce
Price: $149.99
I’ve been fishing several of Falcon’s one-piece rods, including the Lowrider series, over the past year, and I’ve been really impressed with their quality and performance.
Brand: F5
Model: Departure 806
Length: 8’
Pieces: 3
Suggested Lure Weights: 1-4 ounces
Price: $190
This is one of the truly technique-specific finds – a rod devoted to swimbaits – but it should also have applications for exotics like payara, as well as in saltwater. Easy on the eyes, too.
Brand: G. Loomis
Model: ETR81-3 MHC 17
Length: 6’9”
Pieces: 3
Suggested Lure Weights: 3/8 to 1 ounce
Price: $375
I’ve had Loomis rods in my boat consistently since 1997, and I’m embarrassed to admit how many I own total. A medium-heavy baitcaster will suit me from largemouths to peacocks to some saltwater species.
Brand: Impulse Custom/Batson Components
Model: MH7
Length: 7’
Pieces: 3
Suggested Lure Weights: 5/16 to ¾ ounce
Price: call to ask
Lance Stringer of Impulse Rods was kind enough to do me a favor. He took my favorite Senko blank and built it into a travel model. It’s still light as a feather and super-sensitive, and when I let an Elite Series pro fish with it he had to be told it wasn’t one-piece.
Brand: Legit Design (Arundel Tackle)
Model: Wild Side Light Spinning Rod
Length: 6’3”
Pieces: 5
Suggested Lure Weights: 0.9 to 7 grams
Price: $310
This is the newest addition to my collection, and paired with the new 4.9 ounce Abu-Garcia Zenon spinning reel, it’s light as a feather, maybe lighter. It’s definitely going to Alaska next year. If the five-piece design delivers anywhere near one-piece performance, these rods will be worth every penny, as they break down small enough to put into a briefcase, backpack or purse. Legit Design offers multiple other actions in a five-piece design, including a 6’8” Big Bait Special.
Stay tuned for intermittent reports.
In the meantime, I’d be interested in hearing additional recommendations and thoughts on this topic.
