Suggest a really light rod that folds down to 3ft or less

[Another Dave]

Fishing a tiny river and currently using the 5.5ft AG Devil Spin and have been very happy with it, chub to 3lb, trout to 2, perch to 3/4. Jack pike.

Roving and flicking little lures around at the moment, but back in the summer i'd put a lob on the jighook and put the rod on the rest, line tight. The rod's so thin the whole thing worked like a giant quivertip, with a definite element of bolt rig going on.

Now, that worked well for me in what rapidly became my favourite swim, but in a few other swims i found my rod a bit lacking in the length department :00h matron:

Now the triffids, sorry, nettles are weaker, there's a nice new run where i could picture me trotting a perch bobber down, but not with the current rod.

In summary then, rod that will collapse to fit in my 3ft stealth kit, as light as possible at the tip, that could at a push be used for some close range trotting.

 

[tomino2112]

I have been looking for something similar and considering John Wilson Avon Quiver Travel Rod which should be 2' 9" dismantled.

Otherwise I would consider telescopic rods.

 

[skov]

The Shakespeare agility exp pellet waggler is worth a look.
It's 11' and breaks down into 4 sections.
It's probably a little heavier than you'd like, but I don't think it's as quite as heavy as the pellet waggler name suggests.

 

[Molehill]

This is probably not the most practical suggestion (depending on you), but there are a lot of cheap 4pc travel fly rods out there, a 9ft Shakespeare is only £35, with tube new on fleabay.. Strip it down and do a cheap rebuild to your specs.
Fly rods tend to be a little softer towards the tip, but I have done this in the past with success.
If you are in a game fishing shop, pick up a few travel rods and give them a wiggle. Obviously don't bother if you have no inclination to build a rod!

 

[steve2]

How long do you need this rod to be, have you thought about telescopic rods?

I would be interested in knowing where this stream is. I have fished most of them in my time and they do turn up some surprises. Drop me a PM.

 

[john step]

Dave, I have one of those JW travel rods for holidays. Its OK. Very versatile.
Light enough but may feel a tad heavier than you were used to comparing it directly after using your light little wands.

 

[Another Dave]

How long do you need this rod to be, have you thought about telescopic rods?

I would be interested in knowing where this stream is. I have fished most of them in my time and they do turn up some surprises. Drop me a PM.

I reckon 9 or 10ft would do it, that would put the rod tip out enough to clear the nearside vegetation.

I have nothing against telescopic rods, in fact a telescopic would allow me to extend my roving into some of the guesting stretches :wh The problem i have is that the market is a minefield, so many horrible looking rods, ones for sea fishing etc. If you have any recommendations do let me know.

Will drop you a PM later mate, assuming no one warns me in the meantime that you are a terrible person.

 

[Another Dave]

Dave, I have one of those JW travel rods for holidays. Its OK. Very versatile.
Light enough but may feel a tad heavier than you were used to comparing it directly after using your light little wands.

Interesting. I'm in no rush so i might see if i can have a feel of one next time i get to a tackle shop.

 

[Another Dave]

What do you chaps make of this: Berkley Phazer Pro II 4-Piece Light Rod - Black/Purple. There's a 8.6ft version (3-18g) for £35 on a well known selling site named after a South American river.

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

I've asked before if anyone owns or has used one of these, purely because there are a few places where it would be extremely useful to me.

Tackle Box Darent Valley 8ft Specialist Quiver Rod

Would the 4'0 sections be a problem?

I also use a JW travel Avon which falls into the "does most jobs adequately" category. Is the 11'0 length a problem?

 

[sam vimes]

I doubt you are going to get a rod, that's intended for float fishing, that's going to fulfil your requirements. There are few float rods of ten foot or less. When you find them, they are invariably two piece and intended as pellet waggler rods. There are a few telescopic match rods out there, in catalogues at least, but they are often longer than 10/11ft and may not pack down as small as you'd like. Unless you go down a custom route, I'd suggest looking for a fast action, light lure rod. The action of a few drop shotting rods I've seen might do the job, but the rings and ring spacing will be less than ideal.

 

[Philip]

I've asked before if anyone owns or has used one of these, purely because there are a few places where it would be extremely useful to me.

Tackle Box Darent Valley 8ft Specialist Quiver Rod
?

I was going to suggest this rod as i recently got one and would say it seems to tick most of the original posters boxes . Comes with 2 changeable tips so can be used as a float, tip and drop shotting rod. Not measured it broken down but its 8 foot and breaks into 3 and is very compact.

It was designed to fish a small chalk stream for Chub, Roach, Perch etc. Its around 40 quid ...i think they do a deal with a reel for another tenner.

I havent used it yet so cant comment on how well it fishes but seems nice enough based on a waggle.

 

[Another Dave]

These all look lovely and i think we all know i'll end up getting the lot. MUST RESIST.

One thing i've noticed is that lure rods seem to be rated by what size lures you can flick with them, my current baby is rated 2-10g. Which is perfect for most of what i do but there are times where i could use the extra reach and there are times when i'd love to trot a float but to do that i'd need more reach and more importantly, a stiffer spine to pick up the line on the strike.

I'll be honest and say i never really worked out how this relates to the old TC system, which means i'm not sure how, say, a 1.5lb TC compares.

 

[S-Kippy]

I doubt youll find one rod that will do all of this well and pack down small. The nearest you'll get is a pellet waggler type rod I think....some of those are quite light actioned but do tend to b 2 piece. Grey's do ( or did do) a 6 piece Rova rod....but it's a 12 footer and ( I suspect) a bit of a dog.i seem to recall waggling one in a shop but it didn't get close to coming home with me.

I wouldnt even try to work out the test curves of lure rods. It just wont compute.

All I would say is to work out what it is you really want ( does it have to pack down small ?) Then go try various rods completely ignoring what the manufacturer says its for. Quiver rods will do drop shottng, pellet wagglers will do almost anything ..inc a bit of lead/lure work. I've found PW rods to be probably the most versatile rods I've ever owned and I've never, ever used them to fish a PW.

Cheers for the heads up on the Fortis shades btw. Tried them, liked them,bought a pair.

 

[wyncroft]

I would make two suggestions, firstly if a shorter rod isn't an issue and you like the idea of telescopic then take a look at Shimano. Their telescopic lure rods like the Exage STC spinning are fantastic quality, worlds apart from the cheap bucket-and-spade seaside shop telescopic rods. I can speak first hand of their quality and their lure rods tend to be available in the UK.

I'm not familiar with their other telescopic rods however, but they seem to have quite a selection. The problem is likely to be getting hold of them, and possibly the price too, but I'm a believer in getting what you pay for. Telescopic rods seem to be quite unpopular in the UK, less so in Europe and Asia. But if price is ever a measure of quality (and I know it's not all the time) some of the prices you can pay are astronomical, for good ISO rods or huge amounts for top of the range Ayu poles for example. My ISO rod I had to import from South Korea and it's unlike anything I've seen commonly available in the UK. I'm currently waiting on a Herabuna pole from Japan but I seem to be drawn to the eclectic/obscure for some reason...

Second option would be a trout rod from a European retailer. Typically lighter long rods would be used for peche au toc methods, or you'll find heavier long rods for bombarda or tremerella methods, or lure fishing. Whether you'll find something that will cover light lures and still be suitable for trotting a float I don't know, but here is a good place to start looking. You'll have to look closely to find one with transport length less than 90 cm and the right casting weight to find what you're looking for.

The website isn't overflowing with information on the rods they sell, so you might need to research any that catch your eye elsewhere, possibly with Google translate plug-ins for your browser, but I have ordered from that site a number of times without problem. Not the fastest dispatch in the world, a couple or three days, but I've used their returns service without issue also....

 

[sam vimes]

Shakespeare Graphite Travel match rod. 6 pieces length 3.5m | eBay

 

[john step]

Shakespeare Graphite Travel match rod. 6 pieces length 3.5m | eBay

I have one of these for holiday use. Not bad at all although my version is old and has those sliding reel seats you dislike.
Recommended for lines up to 4lb. bs.

If this is good nick and goes for anything like that £5...........grab it.
Mine cost about £25 new in the 80s.

 

[markcw]

NGT do a 4 piece travel rod for around £20,
a friend has two for travelling light says brilliant rods,
nice slim blanks and Fuji style reel seat,
he got his from Northern angling Show but Go Outdoors are
selling them for same price,

 

[Another Dave]

I have one of these for holiday use. Not bad at all although my version is old and has those sliding reel seats you dislike.
Recommended for lines up to 4lb. bs.

If this is good nick and goes for anything like that £5...........grab it.
Mine cost about £25 new in the 80s.

Would you mind explaining what a sliding reel seat is?

It could be an absolute bargain but it's collection only, and Leamington Spa is miles away.

 

[Another Dave]

I have been looking for something similar and considering John Wilson Avon Quiver Travel Rod which should be 2' 9" dismantled.

Otherwise I would consider telescopic rods.

I'm still drawn towards this. Can anyone recommend a not too expensive reel that would go well with it? Would the mini baitrunner we were looking at the other week be a good match?