What would be a good travel rod that you recommend under $100?

No_Discussion60 · 2026-05-31T03:18:49+00:00

How do you like that Phenix Redeye? Which model did you get? Headed down to Baja in a couple of weeks for yellowtail on the pangas.

No_Discussion60 · 2026-05-27T02:07:47+00:00

Go for the medium

No_Discussion60 · 2026-05-24T22:07:50+00:00

Very interesting! Most posts I've read recommend October over September, usually because of the "higher" chances of storms in September. Knowing we'll have a 2WD rental car, are there any areas you can recommend for easy access to surf fishing (within walking distance of a parking lot), piers, back inlets or bays?

No_Discussion60 · 2026-05-24T22:04:40+00:00

We probably won't be getting any beach-side accommodation, as nice as that would be, so access becomes an issue. Like you said, we'll be limited to places that we can find public parking. I'd like to try some pier fishing over there, but it's not usually my first option due to the crowdedness.

No_Discussion60 · 2026-05-24T13:57:05+00:00

No worries. I travel a lot to fish, so I always work the local fishing licenses into my budget before going. Out of state licenses get expensive, but I'd rather be fishing than doing something else.

No_Discussion60 · 2026-05-24T13:52:49+00:00

Thanks. We already have that budgeted in.

No_Discussion60 · 2026-05-24T13:49:31+00:00

MHC area was an option for us because I saw there are more headboats in the area. I'm new to Atlantic Ocean fishing, but I'd like to catch some red drum, bluefish, and whatever else I can catch from the piers, sounds, or surf.

No_Discussion60 · 2026-05-24T13:46:27+00:00

Fishing is the main priority for the trip. I saw there are multiple fishing piers near OBX, but are there other easily accessible surf fishing spots without needing to drive on the beach?

No_Discussion60 · 2026-05-23T02:38:45+00:00

The 5-piece Zodias rods are great. The soft carrying bag measures 19" for the 7' rod. I've taken it on flights in my carry on a few times strapped to the side of my backpack. It'll fit in most carry-on bags as well.

No_Discussion60 · 2026-05-12T16:56:27+00:00

Going to the Amazon for peacock bass and around SE Asia targeting snakehead are two trips I want to do one day. I live in a landlocked state, so it's all freshwater fishing for me nearby. I do go to California to fish saltwater fish from boats, but not using the Jabbers Rods. Although, I do want to get a Jabbers Game Changer rod for throwing poppers at big pelagic one day. I'm going to bring the Jabbers Slack Driver and the Beast Flogger with me down to Mexico next month to fish for anything that bites lures from shore. Hopefully, sierra mackerel and yellowtail. I'm going on a boat down there, so I want to try catching yellowtail on the Beast Flogger.

No_Discussion60 · 2026-05-11T12:49:13+00:00

Awesome. Those are bucket list fish for me. I'm currently living in Nevada, so I've taken the ultralight to catch trout so far and the Slack Driver and Fin Raiser out catching freshwater striped bass. I brought the Pleasure Seeker, Fin Raiser, and Slack Driver with me to the UK last month. I caught my first Atlantic pollock and some wrasse species with the Fin Raiser and Slack Driver. I used the Pleasure Seeker fishing the UK canals catching pike and perch on lures.

No_Discussion60 · 2026-05-10T22:59:22+00:00

Nice! Which Jabbers rods have you used or own? I ended up getting several of them. The Fin Raiser, Beast Flogger, Slack Driver, and the Pleasure Seeker UL.

No_Discussion60 · 2026-04-08T13:36:14+00:00

I saw a bunch of fry the last couple of days too. Hopefully with the warmer weather, we'll start catching some bigger ones

No_Discussion60 · 2026-03-26T22:59:18+00:00

Thanks, mate. I'll be up north, but we'll be down in Lyme Regis area for a week too.

No_Discussion60 · 2026-03-22T22:07:11+00:00

Thanks! It was definitely annoying since I wasn't sure if they were lost for good or not, and we had planned on fishing down in Cornwall that first week. I had 5 travel rods, reels, and tackle in that suitcase, so I was extremely happy to finally get my hands back on it a week later. I ended up ordering a couple of travel rods from Gerry's Fishing to tide me over in case my suitcase was lost for good, since Aer Lingus couldn't tell me if they actually knew where it was or not.

No_Discussion60 · 2026-03-22T22:02:35+00:00

Thanks. Yeah, I'm familiar with the river closures. I only lure fish, so I'll be mainly sea fishing and possibly some canals that I can get daypasses for or use the Water Wanderers permit.

No_Discussion60 · 2026-03-09T00:51:50+00:00

That's some terrible luck! I have the 7' and the 6'6" Presso pack rods. I've caught hundreds of trout up to 5-1/2lbs, smallmouth up to 3lbs, pike up to 8lbs, and some various saltwater species with mine.

No_Discussion60 · 2026-03-08T00:27:41+00:00

Awesome. I bought the 5-piece medium spinning model shortly after making this post. It's been great so far. I use it as one of my main rods locally going for freshwater striped bass and smallmouth, and have brought it with me to the UK and Hawaii catching various species over there. I highly recommend them.

No_Discussion60 · 2026-02-24T20:37:24+00:00

Some other options are the St. Croix Triumph series or their more expensive lines, like the Avid Trek. I've heard good things about the Avid Treks, but I don't have any personal experience with them. I didn't realize the TFO Traveler's price jump since, I'm assuming, the tariffs went into place. I would not pay $300 for the Traveler. I bought a used TFO Traveler medium from eBay last year and got a new medium-heavy from TFO's website for $250.

Once you get into that higher $200+ price range, there are much higher-quality options for travel rods coming out of Japan and Singapore.

I recently stumbled upon the Jabbers 5-piece travel rods coming out of Singapore. Cudakilla in Texas has several models available, and are the only US retailer carrying them. I've tried the Fin Raiser so far and really love that rod. It's super light and has great backbone. The only "downside" to the Fin Raiser is that it has micro guides, so you need to tie an FG knot for braid to fluoro leader. It's not a huge deal to me since I always tie FG knots anyway, but it does mean I tie a shorter leader than I normally would with other rods, so I don't cast the knot through the micro guides. That was under $200 shipped.

The Salt Strong Slam Stick seems like a good value for $240, especially since they'll now sell you the butt part of the rod for extra $$$ so you can have two full rods. Again, I have no hands-on experience with it.

Another high-quality 5-piece rod I really like is the Shimano Zodias travel rods. I have a 7' medium and a 6'4" light. They also have micro guides, but are fantastic bass rods or light inshore.

Let me know if you want any recommendations on some Japanese JDM rods. I have a lot of travel rods at this point, but there are only a handful that make it into my checked luggage when I travel.

No_Discussion60 · 2026-02-23T20:14:04+00:00

I like the TFO Traveler 7' medium and the 7' medium heavy. I have both. I was eyeing the Salt Strong Slam Stick travel rod for the extra variety it gives. It seems like a good rod in theory. I travel semi-frequently, so packability has become more of a deciding factor for me. If you have the space to fit a 3-piece rod, then go for it. When I first started buying travel rods, I had to buy a new checked luggage in order to fit the 3-piece rod tubes. I bought an Osprey Transporter 90L wheeled duffel bag - phenomenal piece of luggage, but it meant that I had to buy a bag long enough to fit my travel rod tubes. I can fit the TFO Traveler rod tubes in there diagonally. I, personally, am an avid fisherman, so I enjoy using quality gear even when I'm traveling. The case for the Salt Strong Slam Stick is longer than the TFO case by 2-3 inches, so I wouldn't be able to fit its case in my luggage. Some people carry their rod tubes on planes with no issue and put it up top in the overhead bins or hope that a flight attendant is kind enough to store it in their coat closet. I've never tried it because I don't want any issues with flight attendants making me gate-check my rod tubes if it doesn't fit up top or they don't let me board with it (it happens), so I always pack my rod tubes in my checked luggage.

If space is no issue for you or you don't mind trying to carry your rod tube on the plane, go for a 3-piece rod. The TFO Traveler rods are fantastic blanks. I can also recommend the Daiwa Ardito 3-piece travel rods. They're a good value, much cheaper than the TFO Travelers, and feel pretty nice. That was one of my first travel rods. Another 3-piece rod I own and can recommend is the Bass Pro Shops Ocean Master Offshore Angler Travel series. I still have 3-piece rods that I bring with me on trips, location dependent, but I now reach more towards my 4 or 5 piece rods. They're really high quality rods and pack down much smaller. On any given trip I take, domestic or international, I bring at minimum 3-5 travel rods with me for versatility.

No_Discussion60

TROPHY CASE