Why do you need travel class rods?
Multi-piece spinning rods were developed specifically for those situations where the compactness of the rod is the main requirement of the fisherman. Such situations often arise among those lovers of predator fishing who periodically go on business trips and want to devote free minutes to their hobby, exploring unfamiliar bodies of water. This is where a travel class rod is designed to help, which, complete with a reel and a minimum set of baits, will allow you to catch fish in any situation.
Spinning travel is popular among tourists for whom fishing is an additional activity during hikes, trips and banal outings into nature.
The rod won't take up much space in your backpack and won't get in the way in a boat. With its help you can always catch some fish by fish soup or frying. For reference: Travel class spinning rods are used not only in freshwater bodies.
They can be used for sea fishing from the shore, sometimes from a boat. A folding spinning rod is suitable for walking within the city. With it you can go to the nearest body of water to catch perch or small pike. This rod is convenient for transportation on public transport, weighs little, and does not create discomfort.
Spinning fishing methods
The most famous spinning fishing techniques:
- Jig.
The method of fishing with jig baits is based on equipment using a weight.
- Twitching.
Fishing with wobblers. It is performed by small jerks of the rod end.
- Flashing.
Fishing is carried out using spinners of various types, without playing with bait, with uniform fishing.
For beginner spinning enthusiasts, two techniques are suitable: jig and lure.
You can catch fish on the bottom with a jig, and when learning this technique, no special questions or problems simply arise. When jig fishing, the following main baits are usually used: twisters and vibrotails. There are a lot of them in stores with various gadgets.
Flashing is a good way for beginners, because initial knowledge and special experience are not required at all. You just need to fit the swivel to the end of the fishing line and then attach the selected lure.
According to the advice of experienced fishermen, it is better to choose spoons from the following companies:
- Silver Creek;
- Typhoon;
- Tsunami;
- Strike Pro.
The best manufacturers of baits for spinning fishing are:
- Salmo;
- Yo-Zuri;
- Rapala.
Types of spinners
Rotating ones are very convenient for beginners, because fishing with them does not require any special knowledge or skills. Made of wear-resistant material with a special coating. You can fish on them in any weather.
Oscillating - an old type of spinner, made of metal. These spoons imitate the movement of a fish in the water. They are made of lead, steel, copper.
Bladebaits are spoons with blades that very realistically imitate the movement of an insect.
Castmasters are similar in appearance to an oscillating spinner, but have a special game.
Spinnerbrates are a combination of various sources of irritation for fish.
Choosing a fishing spot
Beginner fishermen should not sit still, but fish in several places, gradually moving from one area of the reservoir to another. By these actions you can determine the expected location of your future catch. At the same time, you need to remember these areas. Flocks of predators can be located at the bottom - in pits, exits from pits, dumps.
With a spinning rod you can catch fish such as: pike, perch, pike perch, salmon, burbot, catfish, bersh, chub, asp and other types of fish. These species are the most popular objects of spinning fishing.
Spinning fishing technique.
Finding the location of fish.
To find a school of predatory fish you need to move around the pond. An echo sounder can provide significant assistance in the search. This is a radar that helps detect fish. It can be used both from land and from a boat.
Casting
Once the intended fishing spot has been selected, you can throw in the bait. There are 4 main casting methods:
Casting from behind significantly increases distance and accuracy and is the most used by fishermen.
A throw from the side can be performed both from the right and from the left; it is used when a throw from behind cannot be performed due to any interference from above.
Casting a spinning rod with a pendulum is used when it is impossible to perform either a cast from behind or a cast from the side.
A catapult throw is made when all of the above throws cannot be completed.
Wiring.
When retrieving, the angler must lure the fish using bait. For each type of bait, there is its own animation method:
Uniform is a very light wiring option, so it is suitable for use by beginning spinners. After casting, you need to let the bait sink deeper and then turn the reel smoothly without changing the speed.
Jerk - after the bait sinks to the bottom, the angler needs to swing the end of the rod and wait a little, then perform a new swing and continue these actions until a new cast.
Wavy - performed by unscrewing the reel handle without changing the rotation speed, pulling the fishing line and at the same time making uniform swings with the end of the spinning rod. Spinner baits and spinnerbaits are great with this setup.
Step retrieving is mainly used when fishing with jigs. After casting, you need to let the bait sink to the bottom and then make 2-3 turns of the reel. After this, you need to pause and rewind the fishing line towards yourself again.
Stop-and-go - this wiring is very slow, so it is used in closed places in the reservoir, such that there are obstacles to avoid the fish from leaving.
Carrying out cutting.
When the bite starts, it is important to hook the fish in time. The required jerk force is determined:
- Fishing line. With braided fishing line you need a smaller jerk.
- Reel stopper. The better it is adjusted, the more sweeping the hook will be.
- A type of fish. The larger the bone in the mouth, the sharper you need to cut.
Kinds
Travel class spinning rods are divided into two large groups based on their design features – telescopic and plug-in. The former are more familiar to beginners, and their budget options are sold on every corner. The second “rods” are more often used by experienced fishermen and professionals.
Telescopic
Telescopic “sticks” are presented mainly in the budget segment, so you should not expect the characteristics inherent in plug-in two-part spinning rods from them. There are separate models specially designed for advanced fishermen, but not everyone can afford them, and there is little point in spending money on an elite travel rod.
The main advantage of telescopes is their maximum compactness when assembled. Their transport length is 25–50 cm. The blank, as a rule, is made of fiberglass or composite material, which is reliable and durable, but heavy and inertial. Slow or medium action, test from 10 grams, low sensitivity.
Plug
Plug-in travel spinning rods consist of three or more parts. They are considered advanced and professional level instruments. Better balanced, lighter, more sensitive, more graceful. In fact, they are something between classic two-part telescopes and telescopes. There are many good models on the modern market, aimed at fishing and light fishing.
Advantages and disadvantages
The main advantage of travel-class spinning rods is their compactness for transport. Most fishing rods fit into a backpack or bag, taking up little space. This is where the advantages end, the disadvantages begin:
- low sensitivity;
- unreliability due to the large number of connections;
- poor ballistic data;
- often inconvenient, rarely “fit in the hand.”
Really high-quality models that were developed for professionals are even priced higher than classic plug-in spinning rods in the mid-price segment. Telescopes and most multi-piece baits are not suitable for fishing with jerking and jigging lures.
Top 5 travel spinning rods
Every fishing brand that produces rods certainly has one or more lines of telescopic or multi-part spinning rods for travel in its assortment. Below is a rating of travel “rods” that can be recommended to domestic fishermen. The top includes fishing rods of different directions, which demonstrates the wide capabilities of products in this category.
Major Craft Benkei Travel BIC 664MH
Casting travel spinning rod Major Craft of high quality. It features solid performance characteristics and versatility. Suitable for different types of baits, but works best with wobblers and jig rigs; it can be used for fishing with spinners and spoons, and less often with topwaters.
Tip: The Benkei Travel BIC 664MH spinning rod can be recommended to anglers who want to have a universal medium rod for a multiplier reel.
This compact spinning rod consists of four parts. Its assembled length is 1.98 meters, and when transporting it takes up only 49 cm. The blank is reliable and sensitive with medium-fast action, allows you to fish with baits of 7-28 grams, a slight overload is acceptable.
Photo 1. Major Craft Benkei Travel BIC 664MH.
Shimano Catana EX Telespin 210L
A budget travel spinning rod from Shimano is suitable for every angler who is looking for one tool for all occasions in order to be able to catch a predator in any conditions. Works well with a variety of artificial baits, namely:
- rotating spoons;
- miniature crankbaits, shads, minnows;
- walkers and poppers;
- small silicone baits;
- light oscillating spoons.
The Shimano Catana EX Telespin 210L model is one of the best budget light spinning rods and is recommended for beginners and seasoned anglers.
For reference: The Catana EX Telespin line includes 12 models of different directions with lengths from 1.65 to 3.30 meters for lures weighing from 1 to 50 grams.
The length of the fishing rod in the working position is 2.10 meters, when folded it is 67 cm. The weight is 126 grams. The telescope body is made of inexpensive carbon material XT40+. Thanks to the use of a hollow tip, the spinning rod turned out to be stiffer and more sensitive, with a fast action. The bait test is stated to be 3–14 grams and is confirmed in practice.
Photo 2. Shimano Catana EX Telespin 210L.
Norstream Flagman-T 804MN
An inexpensive spinning rod for travel from a famous domestic brand, declared as a universal rod for lures weighing from 7 to 25 grams. Suitable for catching various predatory representatives of the ichthyofauna, in particular, pike and perch, and can be used for hunting asp and pike perch.
The Nordstream Flagman-T rod blank is made of inexpensive but proven carbon material. It features lightweight Seaguide rings with SiC inserts. The handle is 33 cm long and made of EVA. It has a screw reel seat with top fixation.
Please note: The tube is not included with the rod. This is done to reduce its retail cost and increase its compactness.
Model 804MN of the Flagman-T series in working condition has a length of 2.44 meters. The fast action blank weighs 164 grams, has power and some margin of safety, allowing you to exceed the upper limit of the test to 30–32 grams. The rod's range is average.
Daiwa Megaforce Travel 2.7m
Four-piece spinning rod from Daiwa, designed for travel and business trips. Suitable for an experienced fisherman who wants to purchase a powerful tool for “adult” baits. It is used for hunting for pike perch and pike with jig rigs, as well as for asp using heavy spoons and jigs.
Daiwa Megaforce Travel is a spinning rod with a working length of 2.7 meters. The test for baits is stated to be 15–50 grams. The rod allows for slight overload, if necessary. It has high ballistic performance and sensitivity. The solid cork handle fits comfortably in the hand, and the classic screw reel seat securely holds the reel while fishing.
Photo 3. Daiwa Megaforce Travel 2.7m.
Akara Teuri Travel UL
A compact ultralight spinning rod that every fan of fishing with ultralight lures can take on a trip. The tool is suitable for small spinners and micro-oscillators, crankbaits and shads, and copes with jerky retrieves of minnows and topwaters.
Tip: Using the Akara Teuri Travel UL spinning rod you can catch chub and asp in temperate latitudes, and go fishing for trout and grayling on northern rivers.
Akara Teuri is not exactly a spinning rod for rock fishing. However, thanks to the use of high-quality materials in its manufacture, it is endowed with good sensitivity and rigidity, allows you to carry out various wiring of microjigs and record all contacts of the predator with the bait.
The mid action blank is made from high modulus TX-30 carbon fiber. The test is stated to be 0.5–6 grams; in practice, the “stick” can be overloaded up to 8 grams. The length of the rod is 2.28 meters, when folded it is 60 cm. The weight of the spinning rod is 91 grams.
The rod blank is equipped with lightweight Kujira XR Long Super Hard ZrO2 guides with zirconium oxide inserts. They are arranged using the New Guide Sysytem technology, which made it possible to optimally distribute the load along the spinning rod, increasing its range and sensitivity.
Main models
Travel spinning rods are available for sale in a huge assortment. They are produced by all well-known fishing tackle manufacturers. The most popular line is the PONTOON 21 GRAN TURISMO group, the forms of which are suitable for hunting trout, pike, grayling, and asp. These are telescopic models consisting of three or four elbows. The gear is divided into ten modifications, made of medium and high modulus carbon fiber. They are equipped with Japanese guides and Fuji DPS screw reel seats. Spinning rods are lightweight and have good sensitivity.
The top line in this sector includes the GRAPHITELEADER COMPATTO line, designed for professionals and athletes. The gear is designed for hunting predators at sea and in freshwater bodies. They belong to the elite category, a universal type, and can solve various problems. Spinning rods work with jig baits, are used for twitching, and are suitable for spinners and spoons. These are ultra-plate and light rods with very high sensitivity and a decent margin of safety. The gear provides an accurate swing with a range of up to 60 meters.
The top ten includes the SAVAGE GEAR HITCH HIKER line from the Japanese manufacturer. It is aimed at experienced fishermen and fishing with heavy baits. The line includes six series with dough from 6 to 80 grams. It contains spinning rods with a swing from 10 to 60 meters, universal and jig blanks of medium and fast action. These are high-strength gear made from carbon fiber. Spinning rods are suitable for catching large predatory fish and are inexpensive.
The BALZER MAGNA MINI SPIN line is widespread among fishermen of different levels. It includes telescopic models and works effectively with any spinners, cranks, minnows, and silicone baits. The blanks are made of high modulus carbon and have a fast action. The line includes five series.
The top ten includes the budget line SALMO SNIPER TRAVEL SPIN. Its spinning rods have a very low price and are suitable for beginners. The blanks do not solve too complex problems, they allow you to fish with rotating, oscillating lures, and can catch predators weighing up to 3 kilograms. These are universal models for small lakes, ponds, and quiet rivers. The rods are made of fiberglass, have a medium-fast action, and are equipped with reliable and convenient fittings. The models are suitable for spinning reels.
