I would like advice on Hunting Fish, What Rod to get for traveling?

philhut

philhut

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
34   0   0
Location
GTA, Ontario
Yes I know its gun nuts but you guys fish too. I am an novice fisherman. In the last 10 years I caught 1 fish and he actually jumped in the boat on the fear of my hook hitting the water.... I usually look hooks after a while and give up for the day. However I have taken a job where I frequently travel by multiple planes to the Canadian north as a traveling nurse. The fishing up there would be amazing. What type of rod/reel etc would you recommend for a fishing idiot that wants to pack it up small and easy but be able to fish at catch something decent up there.
Do they have rods that fold or telescope. I have no idea.....
 
You can buy rods that come in multiple sections and are packed into their own case, check Cabelas. Try some Storm rubber swim baits they are easy to cast and very effective
 
If you do go for a pack rod (forget telescoping, I have never seen a good one), make sure to spend as much as you can afford, +20%. You can get by with a cheap-ish 1 or 2-piece rod, but a pack rod is more touchy. Believe me, I speak from experience.
 
They are making them in three and four piece and come in a case.
The high end Sage Rods (fly fishing) so they might be what you are looking for.
You don’t need to spend 4-500 dollars on a rod and reel.
Cabelas and Bass Pro or ideas not where to buy.
Tight Lines,
Rob
 
What is a good price point for fishing rods? my budget is such that I do not know what is quality or not (norinco vs sako for instance). I'd like to get something in the mid-point that will last me for as long as I wish to use it. Is there a SKS of fishing rods?
 
I pack a 5' 2 piece ugly stick ultra lite fast action rod with a ultra lite open face reel. I cant think of the name of the reel now. I use 4lb test and use it for northern fishing. With proper drag settings metal leader and good technique you can land even northern pike in 30" range if you have the time. My best was just a touch over 38"
 
I used to do a lot of away from home work all through northern Canada. When i was working in northern BC I carried a cheap telescoping rod with me. Wasn't anything spectacular but worked. If you go this route, put a tiny bit of vaseline or white lithium grease where the sections snug into each other. I made a small ABS case for it for protection against the duffle bag being handled poorly by the baggage smashers. If you desire, try this for a season before you spend big $$$ on a more professional rod. Experience will show you what will work best for you.
 
philhut, go to cabelers.ca and ok at the rod there.
Btw, I spelled it incorrectly on purpose.
The price point is what your looking for will be the selling feature.
St.Croix ,Shimano, Okuma is another brand or be a snob and get a Sage.
Lifetime warranty is Bravo Sierra, if the tip breaks they want a $50.00 handling charge and it takes 6-8 months to get it back.
Or you can try and find a Ron Popeel pocket fisherman as looky mentioned.
Careful though, he is off his meds and making sense this morning ;)
Rob
 
Picked up one of these a few years ago from "Gone Fishin' " in Nanaimo while I was visiting family. When I got home, I immediately lost ownership of it to my wife, so had to go get another from Cabelas:

https://www.amazon.ca/Okuma-VS-605-20-Voyager-Spinning-Travel/dp/B000MQTJW2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525269939&sr=8-1

After a couple years of using it, I replaced the reel with one of the nicer ones from my "giant pile of fishing related crap". The reel that came with it was "ok" - but I have some really nice reels, and once I'd filled out the travel bag that came with the kit with my standard spinners and spoons etc., this just ended up being the rig that was always in the car with me, so the one that always got used.

As mentioned, stay away from the telescoping rods.
 
I would not go ultralight for a single Northern rod/reel... I agree that telescoping rods or four+ piece rods suck. Try to find a two piece 5'6" medium or medium light rod... Berkley use to make the "Magnum" series that has a nice action for a ridiculously low price. Any low end Shimano spinning reel will do you just fine... load it with 25 or 30 pound braided line (equivalent thickness of 8 pound mono), and buy an extra 300 yard spool. Buy a small waterproof Plano container and pack an assortment of 1/8 & 1/4 oz. jigs... buy about 8 or 10 bags of Berkley Gulp 3" minnow grub bodies in various colours and you are set for every species of fish in Canada from char to musky... pack your rod in a section of PVC plumbing pipe, glue one end cap on and just press the other one down, the suction pressure will keep it together... P.S. - mark "Open" on the un-glued end so that you don't break a blood vessel trying to open the wrong end (ahhhemmm...).
 
Last edited:
I have a shimano exage telescoping rod I pack around in the service truck when I’m headed into the woods. It’s actually surprised me with how much abuse it has taken. It comes with a case but I pack it with a reel on it and fully collapsed. It’s probably taken more abuse in the truck than on the lake, broke I tip off in the door one time. Heated up the tip, pulled it off and stuck it back on the now shorter tip section, still holding today. I wouldn’t go sturgeon fishing with it as it’s a pretty light rod but I’ve landed more than a few decent sized jack, Wally etc with it and it’s still going strong. The telescoping feature is important as I have limited room in my truck, it fits behind the seat no problem with the reel on it. I packed the ugly stick before this one and it was always tangled up in something and drove me nuts.
 
I'll second the Ugly stick and a good spinning reel.
A piece of pvc pipe with caps will substitute for an expensive case.
 
Whelen B said:
Been very happy with my 4 pce St Croix. Came in a padded soft case and I have packed it into wilderness trips for last 10 years or so. Cost me 125 I think. https://stcroixrods.com/collections/freshwater/products/triumph-travel-spinning?variant=5279589597221
Click to expand...

I had one, and was very happy with it. I also had a Shimano pack rod, cost around $100, and it worked fantastic. I have an Amazon telescopic 10 ft. that I use when I go for catfish on my bicycle, cost me around $40. It's OK for what I use it for, but if it breaks, I just take the reel off and toss it. It could never cost me the fish of a lifetime. I have just found that in multi-part rods, quality is more important than in a 1-piece or 2-piece.
 
Make sure you throw your receipt in the lake to show the fish you spent a good amount. They won't bite if they know you are using poverty equipment.
 
dahs said:
Make sure you throw your receipt in the lake to show the fish you spent a good amount. They won't bite if they know you are using poverty equipment.
Click to expand...

LOL when I was much younger and starting out I was a bit of an equipment snob i went fishing in a popular local river and this man and his kids show up. They had the cheapest equipment imaginable and me and my friends called them the $1.44 gang from back when that was Woolco's big sale days($1.44 days). Damned if they didn't catch the biggest fish of the day, start of a long lesson that day
 
I like Hoyt's suggestion of an ultralight spinner set up, I bet that would serve you well. If you are inclined towards fly fishing then Echo rods provide great performance for the price and have likely got the best warranty in the business. A 4 or maybe 5wt rod would likely be a good way to go, I have hauled in 8lb Bull trout on my 4wt when targeting grayling on our local river systems before, not ideal but it can be done though I typically use a 6wt single or switch rod when targetting the bulls with streamers.

***Edit - I see I misread, Hoyt actually advised against the ultralight spinner set up, I can see where it might be under gunned at times on bigger Char up North but they sure make middle sized and smaller fish a lot more fun to play but I see where he's coming from, I've had lightweight leaders broken by 10+lb fish while trying to tail them and it was pretty disappointing to lose them after having them at my feet and actually laying hands on them.
 
Last edited:
Iron Sighted said:
I like Hoyt's suggestion of an ultralight spinner set up, I bet that would serve you well. If you are inclined towards fly fishing then Echo rods provide great performance for the price and have likely got the best warranty in the business. A 4 or maybe 5wt rod would likely be a good way to go, I have hauled in 8lb Bull trout on my 4wt when targeting grayling on our local river systems before, not ideal but it can be done though I typically use a 6wt single or switch rod when targetting the bulls with streamers.
Click to expand...

I agree that Echo fly rods are great bang for your buck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom