A Brits Guide to Travel Rods

I’ve got to be straight with you – travel rods and telescopic rods are more prone to snapping. This is the fact we must address from the get go. A lot of people would be better off not buying a travel rod, and it’s not exactly in my interests to say that given this site is supposed to help you spend money on tackle.

I once had a rod snap first cast into a secluded lake in New Zealand where I’d just been dropped off after a 4 hour journey… This was a painful experience as fish were surfacing everywhere. As it happens, my mate then broke his knee jumping a fence… I’m not sure which was more distressing!

Asides from having a habit of randomly snapping, the majority of travel rods and certainly telescopic rods also make significant compromises in the rod blank. This is because each joining point can be a weak point.

It can also be a ‘flat spot’ on the rod. That means when the rod is bent, it doesn’t bend evenly throughout the rod. The energy isn’t transferred smoothly up the rod under tension. It’s not the end of the world, but if you’re spending 150+ quid it’s not nice to see a rod bend like that.

So, what’s a travelling brit to do?

I’d say, ideally don’t buy a travel rod at all, and buy a regular rod out there you sell at the end of the trip taking the financial hit (but possibly saving on carry on). Bring a reel with you and some line and lures in your suitcase, and visit a tackle shop on location. However, this is not always cost effective or possible depending on where you’re going, and a lot of people like to be more prepared than that.

There are some fantastic travel rod options, though they are few and far between:

Penn travel rods here – rugged option good for rocks, lowest snap risk, worst for light lures
Tenryu travel rods here – super high end option
Major Craft travel rods here – best for light lures, more likely to snap but very nice
HTO travel rods here – the nebula & labrax special travel rods in particular are exceptional lure rods – the Nebula being the better value for money by far.

Below is a gif of me yanking a beach caster to reveal its flat spots. You can see they limit the rods action severely. The exact same thing happens with most lure rods that are multi-piece. This is why it’s hard to get decent multi-piece rods. Flat spots and ultimately, random snapping when you least want it to happen.

Travel fishing locations

Fishing the Mediteranean

It can be misleading when you see on social media or the internet people catching monstrous fish in locations like the Med from the shore. Generally speaking, most of the fish in the Med are small, and best targeted with very light gear. It’s a lot of fun bringing LRF gear to holiday locations with piers and lines of boulders, where the fish tend to be overeager to smash anything bright coloured with an aggressive action.

There are some very big species too – often targeted at night time – if you have specialist knowledge on how to find and effectively target them. The locals that are catching these fish normally have everything dialled in – the tides, the time of year, the lures, the actions, the tackle, even the recent tip-offs from friends on commercial boats etc. The best way to get into those kinds of fish is to hire a guide or do a large amount of prior research.

Essentially, if it’s a family holiday, we recommend going for super light tackle. If you’re bringing a rod that casts up to 80g, it will be necessary to do quite a bit of research to have good chances at a fish that requires that kind of casting weight. Morocco may be different, because it has access to the Atlantic as well as the Med and may not be as overfished (I’m not sure).

Fishing in Mexico

Fishing kit in Mexico is much more expensive than in the UK. I found it to be roughly twice the price. You have the Gulf of Mexico on the North coast, the Caribbean on the east and the Pacific on the west coast. I don’t know anything about the Carribean or the Gulf of Mexico, but did fish several locations along the length of Mexico’s pacific coast over a long period. It is essential to have a rod of about 11ft – basically a surfcasting rod. If I was to go back, I’d reach for a very long lure rod of 11ft that could cast up to about 80g. I’d use 30lb braid and and I’d bring with me some large white plugs and white jigs – white seemed to be a popular colour with locals. I’d also bring plenty of surface lures – big ones. The last thing you want is a 7-8ft rod on the Pacific coast. It’s not a land of harbours like the sheltered bays in Cornwall where I grew up. In terms of cost, buying a good rod out there would be FAR more expensive than the UK. You’re definitely going to want to bring a decent high-end reel with you, spooled with braid, a spare spool of braid and a load of lures.

Fishing the USA

Watch out for ‘American Made’ rods, they aren’t necessarily better than some of the higher end rods made in China and are generally inferior to those made in Japan. They do still have a lot of tat out there, so don’t let the overexcitement get to you in those big tackle shops. The yanks are trying to get you excited. Stay shrewd…

Fishing Australia & New Zealand

Ok – this is going to be an exciting trip, and you’re going to need more than one rod. For New Zealand, something around 9ft that casts about 50g is useful for their most common sea fish – the snapper. There are literally snapper everywhere up north and easy to catch – similar to our wrasse only they taste delicious and grow to 20lb from the shore. On the south island, the same set up will do you for Kaiwai, which are very plentiful in the estuary mouths – actually at around 60% of their original pre-industrial population. On the south island, the sea fishing from the shore is generally not nearly as good as the north island and you might want to swap that rod out for a much lighter trout rod or even fly rod. Right down at the bottom of the south island you can catch Blue Cod with the same rod already mentioned. The second outfit you’ll need is something much heavier for the King Fish. Nothing on this page is that relevant for these species unfortunately, I can only recommend you check prices for high end spinning reels before you go to check where it will be cheapest to buy something with a serious drag. E.g. Daiwa Saltiga for the Kingfish (not necessary to go that high end of course, but something with a very decent is necessary).

If you’re bottom fishing with baits – a beachcasting rod that casts up to 6-7oz would be needed depending on location. There is no ‘scratching’ option with all the sting rays etc about. That’s too big a topic to delve into here, but suffice to say the fishing is going to be insane, especially around Northland. It’s getting my buzzed even thinking about it. Reach out at [email protected] for more personalised advice, I spent 2 months solid fishing the whole of NZ with guides.

Fishing the Canary Islands

The Canary islands have far superior fishing to the Med. They also have species of a huge range of sizes from the shore. If it’s a holiday and you’re going to be hanging around marinas and boulder outcrops – something like the light shore jigging rods from Major Craft that we look at later in this article is perfect. A rod that casts 30g for your smaller species, where there is still a chance at something larger. I’d recommend scaling up your reel to the largest size that will fit on your rod comfortably. You don’t really want to have a 1000 or 2500 size reel and hook something 10lb+ if you can help it!

If you’re on a dedicated fishing trip to the Canary’s there is so much potential, and the exact rod you need is going to depend on what you’re targeting and where. A rod casting up to 60-80g is going to be a lot more versatile out there for working bigger hard lures etc for the larger species. We’ll hopefully put together a full guide on this in the future for FISHMAG readers.

@thefishingbackpacker and others I’ve met have had great success while fishing completely alone. These people have in common that they are very good at finding locals that will share tips with them. A change in lure colour, a change in timing, a change in tide, a change in retrieval – it can change your results big time when in foreign lands.

Travel rod options

I’d avoid Shimano. Their rods are not like their reels. I’d definitely avoid Snowbee and frankly pretty much everything apart from these picks below. Most travel rods suck, so there’s not a huge pool of good options.

Penn Travel Rods

Shop Penn travel rods here

This is the most utilitarian option – more rugged, harder to snap, and good for a more ‘worry free’ travel experience. They are not ‘elegant’ rods, they are built for the rocks.

They have thicker, more robust blanks than Japanese equivalents. They won’t feel as slick as a super-thin Japanese stick, but that is often what you want if you’re going somewhere fairly remote for decent sized fish off rocks where you cannot replace a rod easily.

The range covers a lot of ground. The Overseas XT Inshore lure rods, in 8’2″ and 8’8″ lengths, are rated around 15-40g, which sits in the standard UK bass range but handles species up to 5-10lb comfortably. They have a super fast action with quick recovery. @thefishingbackpacker told FISHMAG he travelled the world with one, fishing plenty of hard lures and jigs, and found it a robust rod with great results. At the heavier end, the Overseas II Offshore Casting models go up to 150-200g and come with a rod tube. They feel premium for the price and suit targeting larger species with lures from an inshore boat, or throwing poppers and big plugs for big fish from the shore in calmer waters.

Tenryu Travel Rods – most premium option by far

Shop Tenryu travel rods here

Among die-hard lure anglers, Tenryu has a reputation for making some of the best rods ever built. These Japanese-made rods are imported into France, where they have a cult following. Their travel models share the same blank quality as the rest of the range, so you aren’t sacrificing performance for packability. The Super Mix 240 Travel is a good example of what the brand does well. It’s just shy of 7’2″ and casts 28-110g, with huge power in the butt section for taking on larger fish. Tenryu sits at the premium end of the market, but if you want a travel rod for big fish overseas this is the highest end option.

Major Craft Travel Rods

Shop Major Craft travel rods here

This is what I’d go for for light weight lure fishing, if any are in stock. Defo more of a snap risk, but if you want to fish light jigs in the Med these rods are going to be the best option.

Major Craft offers Japanese design and blank quality at a much more accessible price than most of its rivals in Japan, which made it prime for importing to the less picky UK market where it’s still top end but not 500 quid. Their travel range is particularly strong for light-to-medium lure fishing. The Hardrock Custom Travel 764M (7’6″, 5-25g) shows why. Its length and casting weight are ideal for fishing light lures around Mediterranean harbours, where you rarely need extra length for distance and often end up fishing close to your feet. Rods like this are perfect for trips where you’re not expecting giants but don’t want to be completely undergunned with an LRF rod casting under 10g.

HTO Travel Rods

Shop HTO travel rods here

HTO make the Nebula Travel, which is the best travel rod we’ve come across at its price. The Labrax Travel is the closest thing to a step up from the Nebula. We haven’t tried any other HTO travel rods, but I would expect lighter, probably nicer blanks than Penn, but likely also easier to snap for the same reason!

---

Can I use a travel rod for all my fishing?

Some of the new / very high end travel rods are seriously good quality, you almost don’t notice. Predictably the differences get smaller as you spend more.

Another benefit of the travel rod is a lot of rod breakages happen due to car doors or car-related incidents. One of our rods has been a victim to sliding the car seat back a bit too far. A rod being half the size can help you tuck it away out of harm’s way, especially in a loaded-up car driving down the coast. They can also be perfect for public transport, tucked up neatly away in a bag.

Make sure it fits in your bag!

One thing to note, just before you buy the travel rod, make sure it fits in your suitcase! although you should be able to put it diagonally if space is short.

Why you might need a travel rod

Taking a regular fishing rod on holiday can add to the complexity of the trip. It’s another thing to pack, you have to drop it at a different place, it’s a weird shape so it’s another thing to lose, then you’ve got to pick it up from a different part of the airport, and the list goes on. With a travel rod, you can often put it in your hold luggage, and you’re good to go.

What are the potential cons?

Generally, with travel rods, there is a trade-off that has got to be made between the strength and sensitivity of the rod vs convenience. This does vary brand by brand. Some travel rods from brands are known to be stronger than the non-travel rod version. The higher-end travel rods can be almost indistinguishable from the normal two-piece rods. There are four main drawbacks:

Feels heavy

Strangely two-piece rods are usually lighter than one-piece rods, but due to the weight distribution, one-piece rods feel lighter. This is inevitable due to the additional strengthening required around each extra joint, meaning there is more weight nearer the tip. This effect is amplified in cheaper rods. It varies greatly depending on the manufacturer, with some rods it’s not really noticeable.

Loss of strength

Each joint in the fishing rod adds another point of weakness. This can be caused by material like sand getting in the joint, wearing away the rod. Most of this can be mitigated by proper care with your tackle. Basically a quick rinse-off, and not putting your rod in the sand pretty much solves this.

Loss of sensitivity

This is due to some of the vibrations that transmit bites being lost in the joint. So the more joints, in theory, the less sensitive the rod will be. This again varies by the brand of the rod. Two-piece rods can generally provide all the sensitivity you need. We’ve been using the HTO Nebula 4 Piece travel rod and that is pretty darn sensitive.

Flat spots

This is more of a problem on the budget end rods. This is when the rod does not bend with the rest of the rod, creating ‘flat spots’. This would generally occur around the joints. This puts additional strain on the rod. This flat-spot effect diminishes in the better-built, more expensive rods.

Telescopic vs multi-piece rods

Multisection rods are superior in almost all cases, however, telescopic rods win on convenience. They pack smaller and can transport the rod set up more easily.

Multi-section rods have better action, are stronger, and will be more sensitive. Telescopic rods are particularly prone to breaking. We’d almost always recommend you get a multisection rod over a telescopic. If you are just a very casual angler and the slightly smaller size is essential, a telescopic rod might be preferable.

A word from world travelling lure angler, Bram Vangindertael:

We got in touch with Bram, a Belgian lure fisherman that has fished all around the world from his backpack. To get to the point, he told us that he likes PENN travel rods, finds them to be robust and hasn’t had one snap yet. He sticks the in his hold luggage and says clothes are cheap to buy, but good fishing kit is tricky to find, so he just brings less clothes to fit his rod and reel. He also gave some tips for fishing abroad.

“I do my research on instagram. I try to contact local fisherman and see if they have time to fish a session with me. Fishing stores are also helpful and when you are on site just talk to the locals. Google maps and Navionics are really helpful in finding good spots. And of course – if you go sea fishing, I plan my trips according to the tides and moon phase.”