If you’re a frequent traveler, than you know the importance of packing light. This means thinking hard about every square inch of your luggage, and eliminating everything that isn’t going to be immediately necessary.
Still, if your travels are going to put you near a fishing spot, it’s hard to throw away the possibility of some time on the water. While you may not be able to lug all your gear with you, it would be nice to be able to at least take a “just in case” rig with you.
It also never hurts to have a small portable fishing rod in the trunk of your car or under a seat. After all, you never know when you might have the opportunity to fish. And if you have a small enough travel kit, you can stash it conveniently out of the way.
This is exactly where a traveling fishing rod comes in. The best traveling fishing rods are small, versatile, and durable. And if possible…. affordable!
Our Favorite Traveling Fishing Rod: The Okuma Voyager
After reviewing and comparing a lot of different traveling fishing rods available on the market, our favorite is the Okuma VS-605-20 Voyager Spinning Travel Kit. It includes a 6’0″ rod that collapses into 5 sections, a size 20 reel, and is fitted with sturdy, machined hardware.
The Rod
The Reel
The reel is easily attached to the blank, with indentations and a threaded collar. It is a little noisy, but heavy duty. If you really don’t like it, it can be easily switched out for another reel without any problem.
The Case
It comes in a nice, compact travel carrying case that measures 19″ x 10″ x 4″, and weighs only 3.5 pounds. It’s padded and has a basic handle. This is just what the doctor ordered if you are trying to haul everything on a plane, train, or automobile. It nicely holds the rod, the reel, and includes a small plastic tackle box.
The tackle box isn’t giant, but after all, if you’re doing light tackle fishing, you don’t need a lot. It has enough space for a few spoons, spinners, hooks, and some split shot.
The carrying case also has a tiny little extra space that you can stash some extra line, a multitool, or something small. This won’t be the heaviest duty fishing that you’ve ever done, but it’s plenty enough for a basic trout or bass setup.
Other
The price is right too, coming in right around $40. This means that you’ll actually have some money leftover for bait, lures, and other gear.
The value is one of the things that people like best about it. For being so inexpensive, you can actually catch fish on it. As opposed to several other “portable” fishing rods that are more gimmick than anything (think: pen-rod), this puppy can get the job done.
All in all a pretty good little kit at an extremely fair price.
Parting Thoughts
The paradox of frequent business travel is that you find yourself in lots of unique and beautiful places, but with very little time or flexibility to get out and enjoy them. The ironies of life right? Still, if you have a traveling fishing rod that’s easy enough to pack with you, then all you have to do is find a couple hours to sneak away. A nice collapsible rod like this gives you that opportunity.
For all the times you have driven past interesting looking water and said “I wonder if there are any fish in there”, now you have the chance to find out.
Check Latest Price for The Okuma Voyager
(Not sure you need a traveling fishing rod? Check out one of our favorite all-around poles, the Ugly Stik GX2, or see our complete comparison of the best fishing rods here.)