Lighter Travel Rod?

[oneftonshore]

I'm looking for a multi piece rod to use plugging for bass in the 10ft range. Most of the models on offer seem a little stiff as I don't need to cast much over 25gms as I use a lot of the lighter japanese plugs and soft plastics so I'm ideally looking for something stated in the 10-40gm class give or take a few gms either way.

 

I have had a go on the mike ladle 4surespin and shimano xtc but they feel a bit too heavy and struggled with lighter lures. Most of the seem more suited to tackling tarpon than bass which I suppose is fair enough as their are meant for 'travel'

 

Have looked on the internet and come up with a Shakespeare oberon 9.5ft (cheap!) or a Daiwa exceler 10ft (expensive!) Has anyone tried these or can they recommend anything else? Thanks for your help.

[Ken L]

Look seriously at the rods from Quantum, Offshore Angler and others on the BassPro and Cabelas websites. rods rated to cast 2oz (other than the StCoix option which is pretty heavy duty) will cope with lighter lures well and have the backbone to stop bigger fish when you need to. The Tsunami travel rod sold through E-Bay is getting good reports as well.

 

I'm not sure what the obsession is with long rods but unless to have very specific reasons for wanting 9 or 10 feet, a 7 footer will give you more controll and be a lot lighter and more comfortable to fish with for long sessions.

[oneftonshore]

I'm not sure what the obsession is with long rods but unless to have very specific reasons for wanting 9 or 10 feet, a 7 footer will give you more controll and be a lot lighter and more comfortable to fish with for long sessions.

 

Thanks for the tips, will look into buying from abroad but the price is little prohibitive. I need the length for the practical reasons of getting lighter lures out into a stiff wind on the north Cornish coast as well as being able to steer fish round rocks through gullies etc. Believe it or not I did go through a phase of using a 6ft spinning rod but it was too short to be practical.

[Ken L]

Have a look at some of the lighter rods in the Shimano STC range. Not just the Exage but the Beastmaster and Antaries as well. A mate in Denmark has the Beastmaster and loves it.

 

Failing that, take a look at the Balzer Diabolo III Travel Spin that's available from Askari. I seem to recall reading a positive review of these rods from the US (of all places) but I've not actually seen one in the flesh.

[Lid]

I bought an excellent 12' 5 piece salmon spinning rod a few years back, but I can't seem to find it for sale now. I think it was called a silver creek travel spin.

 

You could look at the Shakespeare Expedition Spinning Rod 9ft 15-60gm (section length 45cm) (6 piece) or the Shimano Exage Spin Outfits (see here).

Edited April 16, 2007 by Lid