[vantagefish]

I'm guessing 5' is going to be too long, but the new Bull Pup from Bull Bay Rods is awesome. I fished all day with it during Super Lure and was able to cast just as far with it as I could my 7'6" Bolt. I know they make a 3-piece in the Banshee line of rods.

I’ll have to check out their offerings. Most of the bull bay rods I’ve put my hands on feel very stiff with extra fast action but I’m not familiar with their different models

 

[vantagefish]

I have a few travel rods that my wife uses when we travel. I put together the attached matrix for some friends that have tried to pinpoint the best travel rod. My answer in each scenario is of course, "it depends" on what you are targeting and what size baits/lures you are throwing. For your trip to the Bahamas for bonefish, I agree with @vantagefish . . . a 7' L or ML. My wife's favorites for wading for bones is the Falcon Coastal Traveler and TFO Travel rods. Both are on the light end of the scale and do well with lighter jigs (see comments in the attached matrix). I also agree on the 2500 or 3000 reel size. We made a mistake once of only bringing Stradic 5000's with different braided lines and the retrieve was too fast for bonefish jigs.

Hope this helps. Feel free to DM if you want to talk more by phone.

Great synopsis! Super helpful. If I go with the avid it’ll definitely be the ML. Will look into the falcon and tfo for sure

 

[vantagefish]

I have a few travel rods that my wife uses when we travel. I put together the attached matrix for some friends that have tried to pinpoint the best travel rod. My answer in each scenario is of course, "it depends" on what you are targeting and what size baits/lures you are throwing. For your trip to the Bahamas for bonefish, I agree with @vantagefish . . . a 7' L or ML. My wife's favorites for wading for bones is the Falcon Coastal Traveler and TFO Travel rods. Both are on the light end of the scale and do well with lighter jigs (see comments in the attached matrix). I also agree on the 2500 or 3000 reel size. We made a mistake once of only bringing Stradic 5000's with different braided lines and the retrieve was too fast for bonefish jigs.
Looking at the TFO site they don’t have anything
In stock, will look at online dealers. The falcon offerings look encouraging as they are about half the price as the TFO and st croix options. Only issue is that they only offer a medium action, not seeing ML or L on their website. Have you compared the coastal to the low rider series?

 

[Bleen]

Great synopsis! Super helpful. If I go with the avid it’ll definitely be the ML. Will look into the falcon and tfo for sure

Great synopsis! Super helpful. If I go with the avid it’ll definitely be the ML. Will look into the falcon and tfo for sure

Forgot to mention. I always use a Fishpond travel case for my fly rods/reels and my wife's spin rods/reels. 7'6" 3 pcs travel spin rods don't fit this size case. 4 pc and 3 pc 7' spin rods fit just right though.

 

[vantagefish]

Forgot to mention. I always use a Fishpond travel case for my fly rods/reels and my wife's spin rods/reels. 7'6" 3 pcs travel spin rods don't fit this size case. 4 pc and 3 pc 7' spin rods fit just right though.

Good to know, thank you

 

[skinny_fishing]

I was told by one of the guides I fish with in the Keys that he goes to the Bahamas a lot and the Bahamians don't like it much when you show up with your own gear lol, it's frowned upon because they feel you should patronize the guides there. I guess he had a bad experience when he took his own gear the first time then didn't after that. Anyone else had any issues like that in the Bahamas?

We're taking a trip up to the finger lakes in NY this summer and thought about travel rods, but then we decided to just take some reels and buy some used rods or a few Ugly Sticks from Walmart or something.

 

[vantagefish]

I was told by one of the guides I fish with in the Keys that he goes to the Bahamas a lot and the Bahamians don't like it much when you show up with your own gear lol, it's frowned upon because they feel you should patronize the guides there. I guess he had a bad experience when he took his own gear the first time then didn't after that. Anyone else had any issues like that in the Bahamas?

We're taking a trip up to the finger lakes in NY this summer and thought about travel rods, but then we decided to just take some reels and buy some used rods or a few Ugly Sticks from Walmart or something.

I get that but I have a guide for 3 days. I’m sure my guide will have some equipment but I plan on bringing every bit of tackle I’d possibly need

 

[skinny_fishing]

I get that but I have a guide for 3 days. I’m sure my guide will have some equipment but I plan on bringing every bit of tackle I’d possibly need

Oh I understand completely, you just might wanna keep it under wraps as good as you can at least. From what I understand he had some issues with the locals coming out of the airplane/airport with his gear in tow.

 

[Bleen]

Oh I understand completely, you just might wanna keep it under wraps as good as you can at least. From what I understand he had some issues with the locals coming out of the airplane/airport with his gear in tow.

We fish in the Bahamas 3 to 4 times a year and have never had even a hint of this. I always take my gear and things that are difficult and/or expensive for guides to buy so I can leave it with them. While they may have good fly rods/reels (emphasis on may), they rarely have spinning gear, related terminal tackle, etc. I fly only and my wife does in good conditions. But when the wind starts howling, she switches to spin. Plus, I prefer a 7wt for bonefishing and guides in the Bahamas don’t normally have that on their skiffs …. at least with the dozen or so with whom we fish.

But - I’ll be on the lookout. 👀

 

[ElHydro]

Great feedback! Much appreciated. I have a buddy that makes jig heads for me. A ML casts the 1/4oz very well but a light action would cast a 1/8 much better. Any complaints with the tfo travel rods? I’ve only thrown a tfo fly rod, I don’t have experience with their spin gear.

I've had no issues w/the two TFO traveler rods that I have but, admittedly, I havent been able to fish them as much as I would like. We've got a 2 year old and 3 month old so the concept of free time has become a bit foreign. I read that the initial traveler blanks had issues with the tip top guide breaking off but I havent experienced that. I have nothing but positive feedback thus far

 

[skinny_fishing]

I've had bad luck with TFO, out of the three I've owned two of them broke in less than a year

 

[vantagefish]

I've had bad luck with TFO, out of the three I've owned two of them broke in less than a year

Looks like I’ll be going the Avid route! Thanks for all of the feedback. Decision made!

 

[zthomas]

For those who may want to go the cheap-o route for occasional or one-time use (or kids), I bought a couple of these no-names from Amazon last fall, and they were a lot better than you'd expect for $40. The 6'6" medium felt about right with 10 lb. braid on a 2500-size reel: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XRCLHYT/

 

[captainjz16]

Only travel rod i found that can do most of what I want was the St. Croix Avid Trex. I prefer a 7'6" or 8" rod and that's the only one I could really find.

St. Croix Avid Trek 3-Piece Spinning Rods - Tackle Warehouse

www.tacklewarehouse.com

 

[vantagefish]

Only travel rod i found that can do most of what I want was the St. Croix Avid Trex. I prefer a 7'6" or 8" rod and that's the only one I could really find.

St. Croix Avid Trek 3-Piece Spinning Rods - Tackle Warehouse

www.tacklewarehouse.com

That’s what I ended up getting. Haven’t used it yet so I can’t share a review

 

[Formula1]

I have a a bunch of TFO traveler rods which I like very much. From Light to Heavy, they cover most of what I need to do with a spin rod and to use for the kids as well.

 

[richarde206]

I have a a bunch of TFO traveler rods which I like very much. From Light to Heavy, they cover most of what I need to do with a spin rod and to use for the kids as well.

Echo that for the TFO travel rods. My only issue with them is those that I have are 3 piece, and won't fit into carryon luggage; I much prefer to carryon whatever gear I can. So, I have since scrounged up 4 piece rods that fit into my carryon luggage. To the extent 'legal' carry on luggage is 21" in length, that means the rods need to be 6'6" or less (7' means 21" each piece for 4 piece, plus the ferrule length) if you want to fit the rod in longitudinally, but 7' four piece rods might fit if you place in the bag diagonally. And, to the extent some airlines (American comes to mind) are starting to adopt the more strict European carryon size restrictions, checking 4 piece (or less) rods appears to likely be a future requirement.

 

[Bleen]

Echo that for the TFO travel rods. My only issue with them is those that I have are 3 piece, and won't fit into carryon luggage; I much prefer to carryon whatever gear I can. So, I have since scrounged up 4 piece rods that fit into my carryon luggage. To the extent 'legal' carry on luggage is 21" in length, that means the rods need to be 6'6" or less (7' means 21" each piece for 4 piece, plus the ferrule length) if you want to fit the rod in longitudinally, but 7' four piece rods might fit if you place in the bag diagonally. And, to the extent some airlines (American comes to mind) are starting to adopt the more strict European carryon size restrictions, checking 4 piece (or less) rods appears to likely be a future requirement.

Echo that for the TFO travel rods. My only issue with them is those that I have are 3 piece, and won't fit into carryon luggage; I much prefer to carryon whatever gear I can. So, I have since scrounged up 4 piece rods that fit into my carryon luggage. To the extent 'legal' carry on luggage is 21" in length, that means the rods need to be 6'6" or less (7' means 21" each piece for 4 piece, plus the ferrule length) if you want to fit the rod in longitudinally, but 7' four piece rods might fit if you place in the bag diagonally. And, to the extent some airlines (American comes to mind) are starting to adopt the more strict European carryon size restrictions, checking 4 piece (or less) rods appears to likely be a future requirement.

@ richarde206, I’ve looked at the travel rods options extensively and own/fished 8 to 10 different models. I mentioned some of my experiences with the various brands and weights a while back in this thread.

BUT - here is what I have found to address your exact scenario:

• The St Croix Triumph 4-pc 6’6” (see attached pics) is the only one that might work for you.
• The rod case is ~24” …. but the longest section (handle) is only 21.25”.
• You can probably make a travel tube with a UPS shipping tube and place them diagonally in your carryon.
• My smaller carryon (European style from Costco): The 4 pcs, without the case, fit diagonal …. but I wouldn’t be comfortable without some way to protect the tip section.
• My larger carryon (Briggs & Riley): BTW - it’s never been rejected on any US flt. It too is 21” long, but stretches the rules by being 23” diagonally (see attached pictures). You can definitely get this St Croix rod in a carryon this size.

Hope this helps

 

[Bleen]

@ richarde206, I’ve looked at the travel rods options extensively and own/fished 8 to 10 different models. I mentioned some of my experiences with the various brands and weights a while back in this thread.

BUT - here is what I have found to address your exact scenario:

• The St Croix Triumph 4-pc 6’6” (see attached pics) is the only one that might work for you.
• The rod case is ~24” …. but the longest section (handle) is only 21.25”.
• You can probably make a travel tube with a UPS shipping tube and place them diagonally in your carryon.
• My smaller carryon (European style from Costco): The 4 pcs, without the case, fit diagonal …. but I wouldn’t be comfortable without some way to protect the tip section.
• My larger carryon (Briggs & Riley): BTW - it’s never been rejected on any US flt. It too is 21” long, but stretches the rules by being 23” diagonally (see attached pictures). You can definitely get this St Croix rod in a carryon this size.

Hope this helps

@ richarde206, I’ve looked at the travel rods options extensively and own/fished 8 to 10 different models. I mentioned some of my experiences with the various brands and weights a while back in this thread.

BUT - here is what I have found to address your exact scenario:

• The St Croix Triumph 4-pc 6’6” (see attached pics) is the only one that might work for you.
• The rod case is ~24” …. but the longest section (handle) is only 21.25”.
• You can probably make a travel tube with a UPS shipping tube and place them diagonally in your carryon.
• My smaller carryon (European style from Costco): The 4 pcs, without the case, fit diagonal …. but I wouldn’t be comfortable without some way to protect the tip section.
• My larger carryon (Briggs & Riley): BTW - it’s never been rejected on any US flt. It too is 21” long, but stretches the rules by being 23” diagonally (see attached pictures). You can definitely get this St Croix rod in a carryon this size.

Hope this helps

@ richarde206, I’ve looked at the travel rods options extensively and own/fished 8 to 10 different models. I mentioned some of my experiences with the various brands and weights a while back in this thread.

BUT - here is what I have found to address your exact scenario:

• The St Croix Triumph 4-pc 6’6” (see attached pics) is the only one that might work for you.
• The rod case is ~24” …. but the longest section (handle) is only 21.25”.
• You can probably make a travel tube with a UPS shipping tube and place them diagonally in your carryon.
• My smaller carryon (European style from Costco): The 4 pcs, without the case, fit diagonal …. but I wouldn’t be comfortable without some way to protect the tip section.
• My larger carryon (Briggs & Riley): BTW - it’s never been rejected on any US flt. It too is 21” long, but stretches the rules by being 23” diagonally (see attached pictures). You can definitely get this St Croix rod in a carryon this size.

Hope this helps

Here are the photos mentioned in the above post. Had trouble before, but here you go …

 

[TyD]

Sorry, I know this is an old post but how long is your TFO when broken down?