Saltwater-grade travel rods which stow in small, protective tubes; some may fit inside suitcases for ultimate packability. From left: TFO Traveler, St. Croix Avid Trek, Toadfish Travel Rod, Fenwick World Class Travel Inshore, Okuma Voyager, KastKing Black Hawk, PENN Pursuit IV.
August 21, 2024
By Sid Dobrin
Do you remember those great commercials from the 1970s? “It’s the fishing invention of the century! Compact enough to fit in your glove compartment or your pocket! It’s rod, reel, line, bobber, hook, the whole thing!” Inventor Ron Popeil would later found Ronco and the Pocket Fisherman would be one of the company’s hottest-selling items (so popular that Popeil redesigned the product in 2006 and they are still available—I have two and use them from time to time just for fun).
Needless to say, regardless of the commercials’ claims, the Pocket Fisherman —despite being loaded with Trilene XL 10-pound test—was not really the gear needed for hauling in big bluefish or bull reds.
The concept of an ultra-portable fishing outfit, though, has merit. I have owned many travel rods, and I rarely travel without one. Planned or unplanned, fishing when away from home isn’t something I want to miss due to lack of access to gear.
Popeil’s Pocket Fisherman. Yes, it’s still around! Don’t Fear the Ferrules One of the key components of deciding which travel rod to purchase is just how small the rod breaks down. Most travel rods break down into three pieces; however, some break down into smaller components. For example, Okuma’s Voyager series packs down to five segments of about 15 inches each to form a 6-foot, 3-inch rod. The more segments a rod divides into, though, also means it will have more ferrules, the junction points where the rod connects and disconnects.
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For a long time, anglers (especially in the U.S.) were somewhat resistant to compound rods, whether simple two-piece rods or multi-piece travel rods. That had to do with the assumption that the points of joining—the ferrules—created weak points in the rod. However, technological advances and contemporary ferrule designs have rendered that argument all but moot.
Two types of ferrules have become popular in contemporary fishing rod design: the “tip over butt” style (TOB) and the “spigot” style. Interestingly, both of these ferrule types were developed in California back in the 1960s. The TOB design is credited to Jim Green of Fenwick .
Attribution of the spigot style origin is less evident, though sources credit the invention to a collaboration between designers from the JK Fisher Rod Company and fly-fishing champion John Tarantino. According to Justin Poe, Director of Rods at Pure Fishing , spigot ferrules tend to be more applicable when the rod is stout. Lighter rods, he explains, function better with TOB ferrules.
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A couple of examples of the travel rod concept include the telescoping KastKing BlackHawk II with floating guides and protective sheath (left), and the multi-piece Okuma Voyager with travel satchel (right). Most brands (including Daiwa and Shimano) sell some form of compact rod. The TOB is widely used because of its simplicity and reliability. In the TOB design, the forward segment of a rod slides over the top of the lower portion. The tapering of the rod secures the two pieces together. Many top-of-the-line travel rods, like TFO’s Traveler series , make use of the TOB design but modify the design to reinforce the strength of the ferrules. The TFO Traveler series, for example, uses a precision sanding process to ensure that the ferrules fit seamlessly to within one ten-thousandth of an inch.
Likewise, St. Croix’s Avid Trek series of travel rods use St. Croix’s Integrated Poly Curve (IPC) technology at connecting points to create a more uniform thickness in the wall of the blank throughout the rod, thus strengthening the ferrule connecting points.
Poe explains that Fenwick’s World Class Travel Inshore rods also rely on TOB ferrules to create a truly strong connection between the rod segments.
Improvements in materials used for rod blanks have increased the strength of ferrules and the connecting points of TOB ferrules are significantly stronger than they once were.
For example, Daiwa’s Saltiga Saltwater Travel rods —both the spinning rods and the casting rods in this series—use a proprietary TOB-type ferrule called a V-Joint which is made from bias carbon that is wrapped at a 45-degree angle to allow the ferrule to curve and bend with the rest of the blank and then return to its original straight position, rendering the ferrule strength close to or on par with the rest of the blank.
In some cases, ferrules allow you to “build” a travel rod for specific situations.
For example, Toadfish’s Stowaway Travel Rod is a three-piece design, but the travel pack comes with five TOB segments allowing you to match midsections and rod tips to create different actions—medium, medium light, moderate fast, and fast—depending on your fishing needs without having to carry multiple rods.
At first glance, the spigot configuration appears to be similar to the TOB approach; however, the spigot ferrule is designed to leave a small gap between the two parts of the rod blank with a piece of the blank connecting the two parts. That is, the spigot ferrule is designed so that the marrying parts of the blank do not touch, thereby avoiding friction between the two parts. This design is common among multi-piece fly rods and some travel rods use the design, too. Toadfish’s Travel Rods use spigot ferrules to give their rods the feel and performance of one-piece rods.
Anglers should be alert, though, that while their instinct may be to force the rod connections flush, the spigot ferrule is specifically designed not to bring the parts together flush. If you try to push the pieces to match up flush, you risk damaging the ferrule or wedging the pieces together such that they may not separate again.
PENN Pursuit IV Travel Combo (left) is affordable ($110-$120) and stowable, reel and all. Shown on the right is a telescoping tenkara pole, an ultralight option which fishes like a cane pole or flyrod and requires no reel at all (www.tenkararodco.com). Telescoping Rods As the name suggests, telescoping rods collapse into themselves and can be extended much like a telescope does. Telescoping rods generally pack down much smaller than traditional compound travel rods, making them more portable. They are particularly popular among backpackers because of their compact size. They are also popular because they do not have separate pieces that might be lost.
The first telescoping fishing rod was patented by Everett Horton on March 8, 1887. Horton, a mechanic from Bristol, Connecticut, used telescoping steel tubes to make his telescoping rod. From what I gather, the line on Horton’s rods ran through the middle of the tubes which were designed to protect the line.
Horton used the design to make a range of kinds of rods from offshore/deep sea rods to light flyrods.
Today there are many kinds of telescoping rods available, from sophisticated, Japanese-inspired tenkara poles to rugged budget combos like Zebco’s 33 Spinning Reel and Rod Combo .
KastKing’s BlackHawk II telescoping travel rods are an interesting option. I have two of these telescoping rods, one spinning and one casting, which I use often when traveling. The BlackHawk IIs are available in 14 sizes in both casting and spinning versions and range in collapsed lengths from 22 inches to just over 26 inches. One of the things that makes the KastKing BlackHawk II rods unique is the addition of several floating guides that slide into position along the rod when it is extended. This allows the rod to collapse into its compact size without limiting the number of guides the rod can have.
The increased number of guides improves casting performance. KastKing also makes the Compass Telescoping Fishing Rods Combo , a 17-inch telescoping rod with six guides and either a spinning reel or casting reel depending upon the model.
Travel Tubes & More One of the big selling points of a travel rod is the travel tube that comes with most travel rods. Travel rod tubes are designed to store and protect a rod while traveling. There are some unique designs.
For example, TFO’s travel tube is triangular rather than tubular, so the tube does not roll when set on a sloped surface. It also includes a soft- material divider sleeve to put the rod pieces in before sliding the rod into the tube.
St. Croix’s Avid Trek travel rods come with an oblong-shaped tube that doesn’t roll. It also has a unique feature in that it doesn’t have a rod sock like other rod tubes but instead has material sewn into the tube to create compartments for each segment of the three-piece rod.
Instead of a zipper closing, the Avid series tube uses webbing and a buckle clip to keep the tube securely closed. The Fenwick World Class tube also uses a divided tube for protecting the rod components from scratching and dinging while in the tube.
The Toadfish travel tube is made from crush-proof aluminum and seals with a screw top end. The tube, then, floats, protecting the rod even if it should fall overboard.
The big drawback to most travel rod tubes is that they are designed only to carry a single rod, not a rod with a reel. There are, however, some exceptions.
For example, Penn’s Pursuit IV Spinning Travel Rod & Reel Combo comes with a travel case that holds the rod and reel. Likewise, Okuma’s Voyager comes not with a tube but a small satchel with room for the rod components, the included reel, and a small tackle box. Instead of using a traditional tube, the KastKing BlackHawk II travel rods come with a plastic sheath that protects the rod and guides and leaves the reel seat open so you can carry a reel attached to the rod. This approach also takes up significantly less space when stowing the rod.
There are travel cases sold independently from travel rods—like Plano’s Guide Series Rod Tube —that are designed to accommodate rod and reel. Plano’s Airliner Telescoping Rod Tube is adjustable so you can alter the tube’s length to match the size of your rod. It is also designed for protection against the rough baggage handling of air travel and is approved for checked baggage when flying.
A Note About Travel Reels Taking a travel rod with you pretty much requires that you also carry a reel to pair with the rod. One of the most astute things I’ve learned about the relationship between reels and travel rods is something that Sam Brenner, Vice President of Sales at Okuma told me: “When it comes down to it, all reels are travel reels.”
That is, unlike a travel rod that either breaks down into parts or telescopes into a compact version, fishing reels don’t change for travel (beyond, perhaps, removing the handle or loosening the handle to fold it along the reel). Thus, the key to traveling with a fishing reel is to pair the reel with the travel rod and pack it in such a way as to protect it from damage.
