Abu-Garcia: A Brand You Know, Travel Rods You Probably Don’t
For many North American anglers, an old, round, just-about-bulletproof Abu-Garcia Ambassadeur reel was their first introduction to baitcasting (and likely to backlashes as well). If you’re old enough, that first reel might not have even had a thumb bar. Over the ensuing decades they’ve constantly improved, and now the Revos are one of the most popular series on the markets.
They’ve constantly improved their rods, too. Lineups like Veracity are in many serious anglers’ arsenals, and the Fantasista qualifies as enthusiast gear. At Anglers Inn El Salto and Picachos, I’ve used the white Veritas rods extensively and at or near the hundred dollar mark they are a solid performer at a better-than-average price.
Within their US market, however, they only offer a few travel options – specifically the Ike Signature Series Travel Casting and Spinning rods. While that selection may initially seem limited, the four-piece rods come with two different tip sections to provide two different actions. At $149.95, that’s a remarkably good deal.
If you go to Abu-Garcia’s Japanese page, however, there are a wealth of multi-piece options.
The five-piece Hornet Colors rods come in three standard freshwater casting actions and three comparable spinning actions, with standout blank patterns.
The Hornet Stinger Plus has been around since 2018 with a remarkable 12 travel rods, enough to handle just about any freshwater bass situation.
The ones that have intrigued me the most are the World Monsters. I’ve almost hit the “buy now” button on Ebay several times for one of these three- or four-piece sticks that can handle big baits and big fish.
The ultralight 5’4” Troutin four-piece model has exquisite wood accents.
If you prefer saltwater angling, there are three-piece models in the Salty Stage line, several of them tailored to specific species.
They also produce rod cases, like this one made for two-piece models under 7-feet, although it will certainly handle three- and four-piece rods.
There is also a segmented “roll bag” case (soft), although it might not do well for American anglers since the longer version is just under 7-feet.
All of this is just another way of showing how much more advanced foreign markets – and in particular those in Asia – are when it comes to travel gear. Fortunately, even though you might not be able to test them in your local tackle shop, a lot of these products are available through Ebay and international retailers.
The World Monster Rods are in the $200 range, inclusive of shipping, as is the Troutin four-piece. The Hornet Stingers are even less. Some of them are also available on Amazon or through various JDM retailers.
