High-End Travel Rods to Covet and Buy
I’ve accumulated nine travel rods from a variety of manufacturers, and while testing is still ongoing so far I’ve been impressed with their performance My one-piece prejudice has proven to be semi-unfounded. Most of the rods I’ve acquired have come from mainstream companies like Loomis, Falcon and Bass Pro Shops, but I’ve also taken a shallow dive into JDM models and custom sticks.
Now that I’ve caught the bug and gotten over my fears that multi-piece rods would feel subpar, I’ve started to explore additional options. If you look to foreign markets like Japan and Europe and Australia, there are many more models than you can find here – including some at bespoke prices – but for purposes of this piece I’m going to limit it to items that are fairly easy to acquire within the U.S. Of course Ebay is always an option with foreign sellers, but in the era of COVID shipping may be less reliable and returns are difficult or occasionally near impossible.
Below are more options I’m looking at – remember, I haven’t used any of them, so this is not meant to be an endorsement but I’ve been shopping hard and I have my finger on the “Submit Purchase” button.
I already own five Megabass one-piece rods, including three from their Orochi XX series, and two from the Destroyer US series. My second biggest bass came on the Orochi XX 7’11 Launcher and a 10XD. They’ve had some travel rods available through select retailers in the past, but the Triza series is the first one that can easily be purchased from multiple online US outlets. There are at least five casting rods and two spinning rods, and while they’re certainly not inexpensive, these three-piece rods have several traditional Megabass enthusiast touches, like wooden reel seats, aluminum triggers and graphic touches. Some retailers also carry Megabass Levante travel rods, at about the $200 price point, in a range of actions from light to medium-heavy.
There’s also a Triza carrying case.
Singapore’s Bone Fishing World has built a number of specialized travel rods aimed at those of us who want to catch large and mean fish like peacock bass, Papuan black bass and golden dorado. Their Voyage series are priced in the $200-300 range and their Voyage Expedition Series rods – the true beasts – are $365 and 380. They’re all four-piece, have Fuji K-Alconite guides, and an individual piece warranty. You can buy them from the manufacturer of through a distributor in Florida.
Ironman Outfitters is also based in Asia, but their “Throne” travel rods are available through Cudakilla.com, a distributor in Austin, Texas. They’re comparatively reasonsable at $185 apiece. Not only are no sections longer than 22”, but they can all be ordered individually if you happen to break one. At least two of the rods can be set up differently to allow for either 6’10” or 7’6” lengths, without any loss in performance.
Of the brands listed in this blog entry, Okuma is probably most widely available within the United States, and they have a dozen travel rod lineups and kits within their catalog. The Altera Series (two 4-piece casting rods and four 4-piece spinning rods) were new for 2020. The Citrix travel rods have minimalistic reel seats and lightweight EVA split grips and include two 7’11” models – both heavy and extra-heavy – that would be fantastic for payara, light saltwater, and chucking an A-Rig in Mexico. Similar models are available in the Nomad Xpress line, for the very reasonable price of $119.99.
If you’re willing to go down the Ebay rabbit hole, some other brands and models to explore include Tulala (Japan), Tailwalk (Japan),
One series that seems to get consistent plaudits is the Shimano World Shaula Dream Tour, albeit at a hefty price.
Another group that I’ve heard nothing but good things about are the Deps Huge Monster Hunting Rods.
