Hunting & Fishing Question for the fishermen on here, about pack rod

[flyfisher117]

Looking at picking up one of the more inexpensive travel rods to throw under the seat of the car. Im a fly fisherman myself but there are days where the fish or the weather wont co-operate with me on the fly. Im also off to college so instead of taking my 7' one piece rod Id like to have a nice compact one that wont take up much space.

I fish mainly for trout but lately Ive taken a liking to fishing for bass, so a rod that can handle smaller bass (nothing huge) would be nice.

Daiwa Mini Spin

Shakespeare Excursion

Cabelas Tempest/Pro Guide

-Price is right on the Shakespeare, specially with the rebate.
-Love the cork grip on the Cabelas, but quality wise?
-I hear great things about the Daiwa but I have one of there casting pack rods and it is nothing to be desired, I wouldnt take the time to throw it away its so useless. Im worried there spinning may be the same.

 

[mwilkins]

Re: Question for the fishermen on here, about pack rod

You may be surprised with the quality of the Cabela's line. A lot of times, the store brand is actually a decent buy. For instance, Bass Pro has a Johnnie Morris real that is of very good quality for the price.

 

[Longspring]

Re: Question for the fishermen on here, about pack rod

I like the shakespeare . 6'6 and it even has a 2 bearing reel . I've had problems with cabelas brand , and the guys at the Boise store don't seem to know much about what they are doing . Can't bring it back for a rebate , just in store credit ...I'd get a lite 6'6 ugly stick and a decent reel and leave it in the trunk instead of under the seat . Fun for the dinks , and you can fight a good cat or bull trout with out snappin' the bastard .

 

[CaptRob]

Re: Question for the fishermen on here, about pack rod

I think Shakespeare is junk now adays and not familiar with Cabella's line so that only leaves the Diawa.

 

[Big Bone]

Re: Question for the fishermen on here, about pack rod

Out of those three brands I would definitely chose the Cabala one. I don't believe Diawa or Shakespeare makes any truly decent rods (and if you think the ugly stick is a decent rod, well it may be the perfect rod for yanking catfish out of the local pond but it's entry level at best as a trout or bass rod IMHO). You may also want to think about ditching the kit reel and geting a good Shimano, like a Stratic or the Stratic Ci4.

Now if price is not a factor and you want something of true quality and want keep it as compact as possible, buy this- Orvis Frequent Flyer Spin/Fly Combo
I've talked with a few guys who own this rod and they say it's great for small streams and rivers.

 

[CaptRob]

Re: Question for the fishermen on here, about pack rod

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Big Bone</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Out of those three brands I would definitely chose the Cabala one. I don't believe Diawa or Shakespeare makes anything truly decent. Also I'd ditch the kit real and get a good Shimano, like a Stratic or the Stratic Ci4.

Now if price is not an option and you want something of true quality, buy this- Freaquent Flyer Spin/Fly Combo

I've talke with a few guys who own this rod and they say it's
great for small streams but is a little long for spinning on small rivers. Still a good option though. </div></div>

Solid recommendation. Anything Shimano would be better. I used to fish on the Red Fish circuit and all my partner and I used were Stradics (for our Spinning reels).

 

[Big Bone]

Re: Question for the fishermen on here, about pack rod

On second thought I would suggest just avoiding the whole 4 piece thing. Buy a good 6 foot two piece and a good reel with a tube, then store it in your truck. I've own 3 cheapy 4 pieces like the ones you've shown. I broke every one and the action is spongy and inconsistant.

I'm a huge Fenwick rod fan. If I needed to buy a set up right now I would pick up a Fenwick Silverhawk or HMX in a medium-fast action and mate it with a Shimano Stratic 2500 reel.

You'll probably never want to fish with another rod/reel again.

 

[knockemdown]

Re: Question for the fishermen on here, about pack rod

Agree.
Skip the pre-set combos & piece yourself together a nice little outfit. Shimano Sedona series reel is a great buy and will last you a long time in freshwater. Compliment it with any a decent 2 pc. rod in the action the will suit your predominant lure choice.
If you are gonna potentially beat the rod up in the rig, make a rod tube out of PVC pipe with some foam inserts at each end. Your rod will last for ages in there. One the way home from the Depot, stop at the liquor store for a bottle of Crown Royal & use the purple felt Crown baggy to put your reel in. Gotta be some under seat storage that'll accomodate it...

have fun!

 

[Big Bone]

Re: Question for the fishermen on here, about pack rod

i like that idea of using a Crown Royal bag. I think I'll go pick one up. Sedonas are great reels as well for the money. That's what I used for 4 years before I upgraded to a Stradic last year.

Good idea on the DYI tube too.