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Travel Fishing Rods – perfect for cruising sailors?

Conventional fishing rods are pretty uncompromising when it comes to finding somewhere to stow them. But travel fishing rods provide a solution for cruising yachtsmen with limited stowage space aboard – and that’s all of us, isn’t it?

As a fishing fanatic, having rods aboard Alacazam isn’t optional – it’s obligatory. But my two-sectioned trolling rods have to live in the forepeak, which is not ideal particularly with guests aboard.

Travel fishing rods can be broken down into conveniently short sections, such that they'll fit easily into a cockpit locker.

They come in one of two configurations. Either as:

•    a number of short, separate sections, or ...

•    a telescopic design, such that each section can slide into the one below it

Multi-section travel fishing rods are much like ordinary two or three piece rods with push-in joints, except that the sections are much shorter and there are more of them.

Telescopic rods are even more convenient as once collapsed they’re entirely self-contained. To enable the sections to slide one inside another, a single line guide is fixed at the narrower end of each section. In most cases this means that they're designed for use with a fixed spool reel rather than a multiplier reel which, being used on top of the rod, would require more line guides.

My advice would be to stick with a handline for trolling when underway, and have a telescopic rod for fishing at anchor – or from the dinghy, or the shore.

Make it a spinning rod, coupled with a fixed spool reel loaded with 12lb to 15lb nylon monofilament line, and this one rod will be sufficiently versatile to suit all three applications.

One of the things I particularly like about telescopic rods is the fact that they can be left rigged with the reel in place, and the line threaded through the guides while in 'short' mode. Not just because of a shameful tendency to indolence, but when at anchor and a shoal of baitfish erupts alongside you won’t want to waste any time in tackling-up.

But things don’t always go entirely to plan …

We were motoring ashore in the inflatable dinghy, leaving Alacazam anchored in the bay, just outside Jolly Harbour in Antigua. Mary needed to get some beads for her jewellery making hobby – I was just the dinghy driver. But I’d got my telescopic fishing rod aboard, with designs on pulling out a few mullet from the marina while Mary was poking around in the shop. She could be hours in there, I thought cheerfully. Hopes of this were dashed when we arrived at a distinctly closed craft shop. ‘National Holiday’ the notice said.

Soon though, we were hurtling alarmingly towards St Johns (Antigua’s capital) in a local bus – Bob Marley giving it loud, very loud – where Mary thought she’d find a craft shop open for business. I wasn’t entirely convinced, but neither was I too depressed about the way things were turning out. I’d got my telescopic rod and knew that the bus terminal was right on the waterfront at St Johns.

Ears ringing with the memory of ‘The Man’ and his Wailers we duly arrived – Mary wandering off in search of the craft shop and I, telescopic fishing rod in hand, tripping lightly towards the waterfront fish market.

I baited up with a sliver of tuna charmed from a  lady on a fish market stall, cow-hitched on a self-cocking float to assist casting, and looked for a suitable spot between the moored fishing boats.

I didn’t know what to expect – but what did happen next came as something of a surprise ...

Immediately my line landed in the water, a dozen or more large dark shapes rushed out from the shadows beneath the adjacent boat. The bait vanished in one swirl and the float in another. There was a short, violent snatch on the rod and then … nothing. A frayed line end fluttered in the tropic breeze.

Calm soon returned, the tarpon (for that’s what they were, and every bit of 30lb apiece), obviously well accustomed to being 'fed' in this way, slid back to their sanctuary beneath the boat as the rippling surface of the water gradually re-established itself.

A voice from the fishing boat …

“Hey Man, them’s our pets. Leave 'em alone!”

Chastened, I did as instructed, and set off in search of Mary.

You can find much more on fishing on Dick's site by clicking the logo right

Related reading:  Which Boat Rod for You?