Any collapsable rod users ?

[sirex]

Lo, Thinking of getting a collapsible rod for coarse fishing in scotland. Few questions

1) Any decent makes of collapsible rods ? Ive seen a few nice looking ones, but they seemed too cheap to be true. Whats a usual price for an average rod ?

2) How do you avoid the line guides getting bashed and bent when out in the woods on a bimble ? I have a 10' lake rod and had alot of issues with that when i used to fish, call me clumsy.

[Shewie]

The Shimano Exage are nice rods, reasonably priced too.

I tend to go for a budget tele rod and match it with a decent reel and rig.

[Labrador]

Depends on what you mean by collapsible, do you mean telescopic or multi-section?
As Shewie says Shimano Exage rods are great, both the telescopic & multi-section ones & cheap telescopics have their place in a canoe (where expensive rods always seem to get broken).
Personally for packing into the woods I would take a multi-section with a small reel, two spools with different strength lines & a variety of terminal tackle so that I can target anything from small perch, through trout to pike!
Hope this helps....

[sirex]

yea, i mean telescopic, sorry

i guess if i go cheap i can not worry about it too much. It's just that i'd likely be strapping it up the side of a burgan, so i wondered if theres some trick im unaware of as i can imagine it getting smashed when going through forests, i seem to smash them at the best of times

edit: that said, i guess if the rod comes in sections small enough to be strapped in such a way it'd do the job. I know my old rods were 2 piece and so still fairly lengthy.

[Shewie]

The little rod I'm using at the minute came in a flattened tube which is pretty handy, it keeps the eyes from getting snagged on stuff and generally makes it easier to pack and tie onto stuff.

I think I paid around £20 on ebay for this one, good spec materials with a proper cork handle etc.

[para106]

I've used a John Wilson Nomad telescopic rod for a couple of years & it's been very good. The action is brilliant - you wouldn't know it was a tele. Comes with a 1.25TC Avon top as standard & 3 screw in quiver tips. For a multi section, the best I've ever used is a Bob James 5 piece travel rod - big bucks tho. The second best is a Grey's 5 piece Barbel Travel - superb!! Supposed to be a 2.0TC but I reckon it's 1.75 plus a seperate quiver tip section. You can get them for about £60 if you shop around & they're worth every penny.

[Labrador]

Hi Sirex,
when you get your rod take a trip to B&Q & get some plastic waste pipe wide enough to fit your rod into, it's your choice how you plug the ends of the pipe but this will protect your rod from just about anything the woods can throw at it. Well maybe not falling branches from a beech tree, but you wouldn't want to be anywhere near them anyway!

[Teepee]

I've got a shakespeare 8ft telescopic. It cost £12.95.

It would struggle with anything over 4 lb line, but I've been surprised at what a good action it has for its price. Its perfect for spinning for trout in the scottish lochs.

[marcelxl]

There's loads of decent ones around now but go for multi sections & NOT tele everytime!
You can get just about every concievable type of rod in a travel version or multi section, I have 5 different weight of fly rod in 4 or more sections, lure rods from ultralight to a decent weight baitcasters and even a 3lb TC pike rod and 2 boat rods and to be fair you can hardly tell any difference between them and some of my other top end & sometimes 1 piece. Savage gear roadrunner lure rods are superb as are, as previously mentioned Shimano STC which do lots of different types.
Forget tele's even the good ones don't cut it for me

But then I'm a tackle tart and been at it a while!

[jonnie drake]

I have a savage gear roadrunner superb pike lure/stalking rod, a bit heavy for anything smaller though I'd say its sovergunned for anything under 10lbs. I've jus sold on my orvis frequent flyer 7 piece fly rod, a proper decent pack down rod.

Im gonna put my neck on the line here and go against what marc says (sorry ) but for mucking about a cheap tele will do, I would kick myself if I broke a good multi section rod.

have you tried a hobo handline?.... I have used them to great success.

[marcelxl]

I have a savage gear roadrunner superb pike lure/stalking rod, a bit heavy for anything smaller though I'd say its sovergunned for anything under 10lbs. I've jus sold on my orvis frequent flyer 7 piece fly rod, a proper decent pack down rod.

Im gonna put my neck on the line here and go against what marc says (sorry ) but for mucking about a cheap tele will do, I would kick myself if I broke a good multi section rod.

have you tried a hobo handline?.... I have used them to great success.

How very dare you!

Its fair to say that I'm not a fan and they're the only rods I've ever broken.
The roadrunner spinning rod is not as brutal as the baitcaster, I have them both and they are both nice pike rods but either would be outgunned with a 6oz broon troot!
For those I have lovely BromanOdell 6ft ultralight

Don't know if they still do them but there used to be some on ebay, firefly I think they were called. Heard good things about them.

[jonnie drake]

tis the non-baitcaster version that I own, well impressed for the price.

How much did the ultralight set you back??? I fancy a march brown fly rod when I get the money!! 10 piece!!

hobo handline gets my vote, works well in the right hands. Find yourself a nice slightly whippy green forked stick about 4ft long to help you cast a bit further.

[marcelxl]

Got it the PAC conferance last year, nicked it for £60.......they are usually a lot more, very sweet little rod though with a 1000 Stradic on it.
I'm going more for multi sect these days only the biggest tart can tell any difference these days,
But it seems I'll get rid of them all and just get loads of plastic bottles!

[Martyn]

If you are feeling flush, take a look at the Shimano 5 piece tribal A lite, 6'6" to 7'6" - aimed mainly at carp fishing but it has a 2.75lb test curve and can cast 100g, that's pretty beefy for a little rod, it also comes with a hard carry case (tube) for strapping to packs. Alternatively, check out the much cheaper 6'6" Ugly Stik Travel Spin, a lightweight spinning rod that breaks into 4 sections and packs into a tube.

[jonnie drake]

rods are much more of a pleasure to use dont get me wrong! nowt wrong with being a tackle tart I have to restrain myself most of the time!! Sounds like a good set up what casting weight is it? I'd love o have a go with something 5g and under.


I've had the ugly stick and tis very ugly. Feels like a wet noodle, but the width of your arm, I would not reccomend. Probably quite unbreakable though.

[marcelxl]

Had a few ugly sticks, they're actually pretty good but I suppose an aquired taste.
Great value, thought about that travel one before.

[Mesquite]

If you were going for a telescopic/breakdown rod such as the shimano or ugly stick what sort of reel would you recommend?

[jonnie drake]

shimano stradic aint a bad reel, the cheaper shimano ones are worth it too, I've used the alivio range a few seasons now very impressed when they only cost 20 quid a pop, shame that spare spools are a pain to get hold of.

[marcelxl]

Yep, usually if it got Shimano on it it'll be decent!

Sedonas are good for the £ too. My favourite FS reels are the Abu sorons at the moment, very nice they are-every bit as good as the Stradic.
Theres alot of good budget gear about, stick to the reputable brands though

[Bumpy]

Definitely not an expert but on impulse bought myself one of these for a recent trip to Scotland:


with a



for 20 quid from

http://www.clasohlson.co.uk/Product/...x?id=147623263

And I was really pleased with it - fantastic fun!

[daveO]

Yep, usually if it got Shimano on it it'll be decent!

Sedonas are good for the £ too. My favourite FS reels are the Abu sorons at the moment, very nice they are-every bit as good as the Stradic.
Theres alot of good budget gear about, stick to the reputable brands though

I've never had a bad Abu reel, or a bad Abu anything come to that. My Abu perfection spinning rod is exactly that.

Try not to go under 9' for a spinning rod though. You'll find the shorter rods won't cast nearly as far and have a lot less control, especially multi peice rods where each section has a more restrcted bend.

[marcelxl]

I've never had a bad Abu reel, or a bad Abu anything come to that. My Abu perfection spinning rod is exactly that.

Try not to go under 9' for a spinning rod though. You'll find the shorter rods won't cast nearly as far and have a lot less control, especially multi peice rods where each section has a more restrcted bend.

Not my view, Sorry!

I've done very little fishing other than luring (and fly fishing) for the last 15yrs and at one time it was so bad I had 15 lure rods only 3 were 9/10ft (11 of the constantly set up!......got a bit anal about balanced tackle and all that!) have been an LAS member for many years and once you get into using short rods, correctly balanced and with modern braids and reels with flawless line lay then longer lure rods are just a bit dated and by that I am refering to longer than 8ft.
Ask any modern lure angler and they will tell you the same, shorter rods give you SO much more control for imparting the action into modern lures and braid has nil stretch so hook sets are good too. I still like a longer rod for my Bass fishing, helps with rocks and surf and even for the use of spoons and spinnerbaits for pike and I can see the benefits of using one where there is current or bankside vegetation but in lure angling length means nothing these days.

I like spincast reels, can't tell you why because the performance is pretty shocking but they are just cool!

[daveO]

I prefer a longer rod just because they're more versatile especially if it's not just lure fishing you want to do. For a holiday rod I'd rather have something that can cast a float of any size or do some ledgering, just because you don't know what you'll end up fishing for or how you need to catch it.

The Shimano break down rods come with a section to reduce the length if you want but I've never used it. I've used it float fishing bread in mediterranean harbours on tiny hooks, ledgering for sea fish off the boat, spinning on large and small waters and it's always been a great allrounder. For one particular task though yeah get the right rod for the job and one that suits you and your style.

[Everything Mac]

I know a chap who's mate used several sections of antler hollowed out and with tags on which were then bound to a stick. - coupled with a fly reel and you have a go-er.

granted it isn't exactly collapsible but worth a try??

[Petey]

I've got a blackwater tele fly rod, which is yet to land any trout, but the first time I used it I managed to land a 6lb chub (my first chub btw).
I've used it to catch way over 40 carp over the summer - both on a fly reel or a normal reel and on floating baits. Puts all the fight of the fish onto your wrist so you get maximum excitement out of each take.

It's my preference, but i like to have a bit of grip above the reel, a tele fly rod can do this. best £30 in fishing!

[bigbeewee]

I do a lot of world travel for my job, I always carry a shimano exage telescopic spinning rod and a shimano travel fly rod.

Both pack down incredibly small, the fly rod is a 6-9 weight and 9 foot

The spinning road at first feel, seems very light weight, but this week I have been pulling 4+ KG barramundi out of ponds at a fish farm I'm helping on. It dealt with they no problem on very thin 6kg braid

The spinning set up is so balance light, precise and with braid its a joy to use. The responsiveness of the braid means you can feel every bump of your bait/spinner

I'll take my camera down this afternoon and have a flick

[WeThePeoplexfbm]

i got one but i have prob with it it keep slipping back in and gettin stuck

[StJon]

rub bees wax at the joints...
jon

[bmartin1uk]

I use the Shimano Mini Exage for travelling - packs down to 12", comes with a sturdy carry case, reel and spare spool. Excellent quality and super light.

[Tyla]

This was on a pound shop rod and £10 reel. The lure cost more than both of them. This was the biggest, had 5 more the same evening

It would be a picture of a reasonable pike but i cant put it up, sorry