Travel Fly Rods

For many years, travel fly rods have been rather looked down on as not really being a "proper" fly fishing rod.

In many cases today this can still hold true. If one visits any large department store or cheap seaside town shop selling beach accessories, one can always find the $40 special, usually in a cheap plastic pack containing rod, reel, line and a few flies or float and hook, depending on the type of fishing you want to do. The rod is often of the "Travel" variety, either coming in several sections, or in several lengths that have to be inserted into each other to create the rod.

True, these cheapies may do the job in that they might last for the week you are on holiday without breaking, and if all you want is some angling fun whilst on holiday they're fine, up to a point.

The problem is, the better your tackle, the more fish you will catch. This is not because better tackle makes you a better fisherman, it doesn't, but better tackle does allow one to fish better, in that given the same number of "bites" or "takes" if you're a fly fisherman, the fisherman with the better tackle will generally catch more of the fish.

This is due to a number of factors, one of which is that a better rod will act as a better "shock absorber" when playing the fish, making the fish less likely to come off, and therefore making the fisherman with the better rod likely to land more fish.

However, does this make travel fly rods a bad deal?

No, not at all. The point here is that everything in life comes at a price, and generally the more you pay the better quality you get. The beauty of a rod that comes in a number of sections is that it is easy to transport. Much easier to carry 5 or 8 sections of rod in a two foot fly fishing case, than two six feet sections!

And rods have changed a lot in recent years, with most of the major manufacturers offering sectional "travel" rods as part of their range.

These rods are going to be more expensive that the cheap ones you see in the supermarkets, but if you are serious about fishing, then it's a false economy to buy cheap. Most manufacturers and retailers will put together "combo" deals, where you get a rod, line, reel and some flies at a discounted price. Sure, it's more expensive than the cheapo combo in the local general store, but you are buying a rod that has had a lot of research put into it, will be easier to use and help you catch more fish.

Travel fly rods are a great investment, allow you to fish almost anywhere as they are so transportable, and are now very popular with hardcore fishermen, as they find that having more than two sections to your rod does not hinder your fishing – if they are of good quality.