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First handcrafted in the 90’s for the Japanese domestic market, by 2005 our range of Hamachi rods made their way to Australia, for hardcore anglers requiring ultra high-performance jigging and popping rods to tame the brutes of their waters, like the Samsonfish, Dogtooth Tuna and Giant Trevally. It wasn’t long before word got out and Hamachi rods started appearing across the globe.

Today, we are still a boutique manufacturer, hand rolling every blank, you will find Hamachi rods & reels in over seventy countries worldwide.

If there’s an exotic location where the beasts of the deep are renowned for smashing tackle & bringing seasoned anglers to their knees, then our tackle is what you need to beat them.

With this in mind, we designed Hamachi rods for the travelling angler looking for a rod compact enough for air travel and more than up to the task when they arrive at the once in a lifetime exotic location.

Through our team of experts with decades of experience, in design, manufacturing and of course hardcore fishing. The latest Hamachi designs are tested to the limits in many of the most extreme fishing destinations on the planet.

Our rigorous research and development cycle enables the refinement to handcraft some of the finest Japanese tackle available.

Hamachi’s boutique size has allowed us to remain highly nimble and stay ahead of the pack, enabling fast production, extensive field testing and refinement of prototypes to bring the latest designs and materials to the market well ahead of our competitors.

Priding ourselves on a tradition of innovation, always redefining performance boundaries and to cater to those that know and demand extreme performance tackle.

In a market where many manufacturers struggle to provide even a one year warranty, we ensure our Hamachi rods are crafted so we more than have the confidence to offer with a lifetime warranty*.

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Best Travel Fishing Rods for 2024

Jason sealock.

• Oct 09, 2023

Choosing a travel rod for anglers who like to pack light and carry a fishing rod in their luggage on every where they travel requires a little planning and view of the options and fish you think you might encounter on your travels. We reviewed a wide gamut of rods and came up with a lot of options to consider as well as some great recommendations for which fishing rods we would suggest for a lot of different types of fishing and travel.

Things like size of the rod when disassembled, number of pieces, rod case, roll or bag, type of rod, how you will transport it, whether a telescoping rod makes sense and more need to be considered before choosing the best travel rod for your fishing plans.  

Travel rods can come from 2 pieces up to 5 pieces not to mention the telescoping travel rod options out there. You might want to fit the rod in a suitcase, if so more pieces will break down into a smaller foot print. Or you might carry it with you which might give you more options for rods. You might want a hard case to protect the rod if you’re worried about TSA or some other party damaging your rods in transit. Or a rod wrap may suffice if it’s tucked inside of another hard case suitcase.

OUR TOP PICKS

• Best telescoping travel combo – Buy from Tacklewarehouse
• Best travel rod for bass – Buy from FishUSA
• Runner up: Daiwa ardito travel rod – Buy from Basspro
• Best all-around / saltwater travel rod – Buy from Basspro
• Best telescopic travel rod – Buy from Basspro
• Runner up: Ugly stik cx2 4-piece travel combo – Buy from Basspro
• Ark rods genesis rods – Buy from Tacklewarehouse
• Zebco 33 spincast telescopic combo – Buy from Basspro
• Shimano Convergence D Travel 4-Piece Spinning Rods – Buy from Tacklewarehouse
• St. croix triumph travel rod – Buy from Tacklewarehouse

Know Your Travel Rods

Then there are the types of rod to consider including spinning travel rods, casting travel rods, telescoping travel rods as well as travel fly rods or specialty rods like travel swimbait rods or travel trout or panfish rods. Or any combination of the aforementioned.  

If you plan to fish with light lures and light line, then a spinning travel rod might be the best option. If you plan to look for big bluegills or crappies specifically on your travels, then a long telescoping rod might make more sense or a small spinning rod like a trout rod might give you a lot of options for trout and panfish.

If you’re going for larger quarry, you will want a beefier rod that has a reel that can hold heavier line. Usually a baitcasting travel rod makes sense for bass, or big fish like walleye, pike, musky, stripers, etc.  

Specialty rods like travel swimbait rods or extra long jigging rods might be just the ticket for probing unknown waters for specific types of fishing like jigging brush for crappie or casting oversized swimbaits for trophy bass and stripers.  

Of course if you’re in to fly fishing, then a travel fly rod is hard to beat. There are some super high end and middle of the road options that are great rods that make a 9-foot fly rod fit into an over night travel bag with the travel fly rod option.

CONSIDER TELESCOPING RODS FOR TRAVEL

For some, a telescoping rod is an easy spur of the moment travel rod option to probe some nearby waters to see if they have fish available. I have buddies that keep telescoping rods in their trucks at all times and will break it out on their travels or while taking a lunch or after work on a work trip. It’s a quick and simple option.

Most of time telescoping rods are a bit lower quality. Or at least that was the case back when the only option was a low end push button spin cast combo for small panfish. There are, however, some newer options bringing this back as a real viable option for bass and panfish.

A Travel Combo Might Make More Sense

You can buy travel rods that are a rod and reel combo. This is often the case with telescoping options. But there are some better quality options in the multi-piece travel rods with a decent spinning reel. Most of the time. I want the best rod I can get and a good reel in my bag so I’m not fighting my equipment in the limited amount of time I get to fish on my travels. Especially those spur-of-the-moment unplanned fishing trips while traveling.  

But when you get to a location and wished you had a rod and reel, a decent priced telescoping rod/reel combo can get you in the fish on an unexpected hot spot quickly and easily.

You Need a Travel Rod Case, Bag or Roll

Anymore your travel rod is going to come in a hard case, a roll or a bag. Regardless you need to take care to protect the pieces of the rod or the rod while it is compartmentalized so it’s not damaged in your travels.  

A hard case might be a cloth case with a hard shell inside of it that zips closed on the end and the multiple pieces slide into little sleeves inside of it. Or it might be a hard outer shell with a soft interior that keeps your guides and blank parts protected. These are nice when you plan to carry your travel rods separate from your luggage. Or keep them in a vehicle on your travels.

A travel rod roll is just a cloth sleeve with individual pockets for each piece of the blank and then you roll it up with flap that closes on one end and tie it off with the attached ties. These can be nice for putting a rod or two into your other travel bags or a small compartment in your vehicle.

A travel bag can be just a cloth bag or a padded foam bag that houses and protects the rod simultaneously. I’m a fan of these as they keep your pieces from falling out as sometimes happens with rolls. And they keep the blank pieces with a bit of added protection. The padded bags are ideal in my opinion.  

Best Travel Rod Brands

In the freshwater space, the best travel rod makers are often synonymous with the best rod makers. Makers like Daiwa, Shimano, St. Croix, Megabass, Ark Rods, Fenwick, and others have really solid travel rod options. Others that many don’t know offer travel rods have good options like Favorite, Bass Pro, and BnM Poles.  

Here are the travel rod brands we reviewed and liked:

• Favorite Fishing
• B’n’M Poles

Having said all that, let’s take a closer look at some of our personal favorites in various travel rod categories.

Best Telescoping Travel Combo

Daiwa travel combo.

We chose the Daiwa Travel Combo as the best combo because it comes with a good reel, telescoping rod that is better than most and it’s own sling carry bag that is big enough to put several travel rods and reels in. This combo compacts down to 26 inches making it a perfect option for any trip whether it be in a car or a plane.

The rod is a 7-foot, 2-inch Medium power fast action rod. It’s a solid rod and stayed extended as we fished with it. The reel is a 2-bearing Daiwa Crossfire LT 2500. Even though it’s only 2 bearings, it performed very smoothly and effortlessly with a very smooth drag. It’s a solid spinning combo and it’s offered in EVA or Cork grips.

The combo costs $149 but if you just want a good combo without messing around with pairing rods and reels, this is a quick easy choice.

Buy at TackleWarehouse

Best Travel Rod for Bass

Shimano zodias travel rod.

The fact that Shimano took one of their best rod lines and converted it into a high-end bass travel rod got me excited. And when I got the new rod in my hand, I was very impressed. I am a big fan of the original Zodias line and was so excited to see this level of quality in a 5-piece travel rod.  

This travel rod condenses down to 19 inches when packed, meaning you can literally take it anywhere. And when full assembled you have a very high quality rod full of all the features of the high end one-piece blanks. The 5-piece construction gives the rod more uniform bend than a 2-piece model would.  

It has so much power and a steady consistent load when casting. You will forget it’s a travel rod by your second cast. It’s a high end rod that just happens to be in 5 pieces. It has a CI4+ reel seat for lightweight strength and a full carbon monocoque grip which eliminates the use of EVA giving a light rod more sensitivity.

Hi-Power X construction which makes the blanks outermost layer wrapped with carbon tape form that X appearance on the blank that gives more precise actions to the rods with more strength.  

You can really lean into fish with this rod without worry. It’s one of the nicest travel rods we’ve tested.

Buy at FishUSA.com

Buy from Omnia

Runner Up: Daiwa Ardito Travel Rod

This is another high-end rod that has been brought down to a travel rod form factor. This rod comes with a very nice hard case and it breaks down to 30 inches (32 in its case). It features a V-flex ferrule joint system. These ferrules don’t require you to jam the rod pieces all the way together and then struggle to separate them. You simply push them until they snug together and you are all set. You can break down and put the rod together in seconds and be fishing as fast as you can thread your line.  

The rod has a high-modulus blank, Fuji Aluminum Oxide guides, unsanded micro-pitch blank, split Eva grip and machined nut hood. It’s a high quality rod that pairs nicely with your favorite bait caster. It comes in 7-foot medium, 7-foot medium heavy and 7-foot, 6-inch medium heavy.

Buy at BassPro.com

Best All-Around / Saltwater Travel Rod

St. croix avid trek rod.

This is a finely crafted American rod with incredible blanks offering uniform performance, strength and ultra-perceptive sensitivity. The premium cork full grip, and quality blanks featuring St. Croix’s IPC mandrels, SCII high modulus carbon, slim profile ART ferrules, Sea Guide Hero hi-grade guides with zirconia rings and stainless gun smoke frames, sea guide hook keeper, and a 15-year-transferable warranty.  

This rod can literally do it all. Going to Louisiana to fish the marshes for bass and redfish, this is your rod. Strong, light, smooth, sensitive and easy to pack. The 3-piece rod is 6-foot, 6-inch MH rod with a lot of power but great castability. This rod is a joy to fish with and you can expect it to last a long time with that kind of warranty.

Best Telescopic Travel Rod

Bass pro aventur1 telescoping rod.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Aventur1 telescoping rod. It features 6 sections but 8 guides for uniform castability and a nice line path while fighting fish. The unique guide system has floating guides as well as guides permanently affixed to the rod sections. So you won’t fight with line on the blank on this travel rod.  

The 7-foot medium power rod fished really well and I was pretty taken aback at how nice this rod fished for $59. A rod that will likely always be in my travel plans. With an RT2 graphite blank, Fuji aluminum oxide guides, Fuji reel seat, with EVA split grips and X-Wrap rubber cork butt cap, this is a pretty functional telescoping rod for travel fishing.

Best Big Swimbait Travel Rod

F5 departure travel rods.

The folks at F5 Custom Rods make some of the nicest big swimbait rods available today. These are custom made rods from blanks to handles to accents. They are often very selective in how they build rods and you usually have to get lucky enough to catch a rod on a drop. However, the F5 Departure Travel Rods are often in stock and I picked up a H and XH rod a year or so back.

These are two of my favorite big swimbait rods that I use for crankdowns like the Bull Shad 4×4 and the Toxic Whippersnappers, for glides like the 86 Baits Doomrider, KGB Swimbaits Chad Shad or the Deps Slide Swimmer 250 and of course for my jointed swims like the Bull Shad 8 inch.

The rods are both 3-piece rods and are custom made with a full extra long camo EVA handle. The ones the often sell are split grips. The rod blanks are solid. Even with three pieces I had no issues heaving big baits like the Slide Swimmer which weighs 6 1/2 ounces.

They are going to run you about $289 a piece for these rods. But I am so happy to have them because I can take a pack of my favorite big baits and a very high-end swimbait rod literally everywhere I go to chase trophies all over the country and out of the country for that matter.

Buy at F5 Custom Rods

Best Travel Rod on a Budget

Favorite fishing army geo rod.

This is an impressive rod not only for the price but for how well this 4-piece rod fishes and fights fish. We caught some really quality bass on this rod this spring and it is a legit fun spinning rod to fish. I love that I threw it in my suitcase, loaded up and went to Arkansas and broke it out and caught a bunch of nice bass that were moving shallow to spawn.  

Even my brother-in-law enjoyed fishing with this travel rod. And at $39, it’s a hard rod to pass up. The 4 pieces in their hard travel tube are 26 inches. The pieces are barely 23 inches. The rod is a 7-foot, 2-inch medium-heavy spinning rod. I used it to skip Senkos around shallow cover a lot this spring. And it sets a nice hook and has a ton of backbone to land big bass. Our biggest on it was 6 pounds, 4 ounces this spring.

Buy at FavoriteUSA.com

Runner up: Ugly Stik GX2 4-piece Travel Combo

At $44 at Walmart, you can’t go wrong with this nearly indestructible travel rod. The Ugly Stik has been the staple of affordable travel rods. They can take abuse and continue to catch and land fish.  

Buy from Walmart.com

Buy at Scheels

Best Trout Travel Rod

St. croix trout series pack rod  .

For the adventurer who needs a light and packable trout rod to get to remote locations, this is the Cadillac of adventure rods. This rod says trout, but it’s a dynamite bluegill, crappie and even smallmouth rod for remote streams and creeks. It’s a beautifully built rod at only 2.9 ounces and 3 pieces, it compacts down to be no added weight in your backpack.  

I paired it with a small 1000 spinning reel and 4-pound line and really enjoyed fishing this rod a lot. It will become one of my staple creek travel rods now. It throws little baits effortlessly and had a nice backbone for such a light rod. A real joy to fish with.

Buy from FishUSA.com

Best Panfish Telescoping Rod

Bnm poles little mighty telescoping rod  .

I have to admit, I’m a little blow away by this rod. I grew up crappie and bluegill fishing with my father in Florida and Arkansas with telescoping fiberglass rods from B’n’M Poles. So I have a lot of nostalgia when it comes to these types of rod. But the new Little Mighty Rod is something special.

While it’s not technically a travel rod, it’s a telescoping rod that reaches out to 20 feet and breaks down to barely 22 inches. It looks like a bright orange track baton but it extends to a masterful reach out and touch a crappie or bluegill telescoping rod quickly.

One word of caution, be sure you extend the rod small sections first. So grab the string tab on the tip and pull it out that way. Don’t slide the sections out by dumping the open end out or you will have issues with sections getting out of order and blocking each other. Same for breaking it down. Big sections first and be sure to leave the string out when you put the cap on.  

Other than that, I enjoyed testing this rod a lot. I honestly didn’t think much of it when I got it. But after using it I can think of all sorts of places I want to take and fish with this rod. Once you get the hang of maneuvering 20 feet of rod with a fish on the end it’s a pretty fun stick to fish with.

Buy at Walmart.com

Buy from BnmPoles.com

Other Travel Rod Considerations

Ark rods genesis rods.

This was my original travel rod and I’ve put a lot of miles on it. It’s caught fish in Nebraska, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. This is a two piece travel rod that comes with a nice padded bag.

Read our full Ark Genesis 2-piece travel rod review

The rod joins together nicely and fishes so well. The very narrow blanks are durable and sensitive. I’ve caught fish just about every way you can on these rods. I have the 6-foot, 8-inch MH and the 7-foot, 6-inch MH rods and have flipped, frogged, spinnerbait fished, jigged, cranked, popped a topwater popper and burned a buzz bait with these rods. A great option that gives no sacrifice in performance in a 2-piece travel rod.

SixGill Argos Travel Rods

A very nicely made travel pack rod, the Argos Travel Rod is a 4-piece rod built on a 24T Toray Carbon blank. Comes with a 25 inch travel case. It fishes like your nicest bass rod but you can tuck it under a jacket and take it with you anywhere. The rod loads nicely on the cast and has enough back bone with it’s 7-foot MH frame to fight any size bass you might tangle with. A very nice travel rod option.  

Buy from Sixgillfishing.com

Zebco 33 Spincast Telescopic Combo

This is an affordable option at $25 but it’s not made to handle big fish in my opinion. It’s a great rod for catching panfish around a campsite, or of the dock on vacation. But it’s not made for fishing for larger fish. The rod bends easily at the tip under load and the line cuts across the rod to the next guide. So just be cautious with bigger fish on this setup. But for $25, you can catch the heck out of a bunch of panfish with this setup.

Buy at Amazon

Hardy Zephrus FWS Travel Fly Rod

I haven’t had a chance to review the latest offerings from Hardy yet, but one of my all time favorite travel rods is my Hardy Zephrus FWS Travel Fly Rod. It’s a 9-foot, 5-weight rod. It is the perfect pack rod for hiking into remote streams and chasing fish on the fly. This is the Ferrari of travel rods in my opinion. Everything is first class from the aluminum case, styled bag, ferrule covers, and beautiful craftsmanship on the Sintrix 440 blank.  

Buy from Hardyrodsandreels.com

Shimano Convergence Travel Rod

This 7-foot, 4-piece rod is another great do-it all travel rod. It’s a great rod for a lot of different species and lures in that 1/4 ounce to 3/4 ounce size. It breaks down to 25 inches so it will fit in almost all your bags and it comes in a nice hard case with a shoulder strap if you want to carry it on your back while you hike. It’s very well made and fished nicely with a variety of reels.

Spinning rod

Casting rod.

Buy at Tackle Warehouse

St. Croix Triumph Travel Rod

This work-horse travel rod serves a ton of different purposes. It’s 6-foot, 6-inch size makes it a great size for tight quarters. I loved fishing some small streams near the house with this rod. A fun little rod for wading creeks or winging around on bigger waters on your travels. It’s small form factor of 24 inches makes it a great pack rod to keep in your vehicle or throw in your bag on long trips. It’s a very nice blank divided into 4 pieces. It’s strong, sensitive and light. A great travel version of their very popular Triumph line.  

Wired2fish Travel Rod Comparison Chart

We review a ton of products and while they don’t always make the best of categories there are a lot of good rods to choose from that can get the job done. We try to give you as many options as possible while identifying some that we think stand out in the array of options. The goal with our guides is to help you be as informed and aggregate as much helpful information and personal experience into helping you with your fishing gear decisions.  

Here is a quick rundown of a lot of travel rod / telescoping rod options:

Currently working as Senior Advisor to Wired2fish. Former COO and Publisher, Jason Sealock came to Wired2fish shortly after inception in January of 2010. Prior to that he was the Editor-in-Chief of FLW Outdoors Magazines. He worked up from Associate Editor to Photo Editor and finally Editor in Chief of three magazines FLW Bass, FLW Walleye and FLW Saltwater. He set the content direction for Wired2fish while also working directly with programmers, consultants and industry partners. Sealock has been an avid angler for the better part of 40 years and has been writing and shooting fishing and outdoors content for more than 25 years. He is an expert with fishing electronics and technologies and an accomplished angler, photographer, writer and editor. He has taught a lot of people to find fish with their electronics and has been instrumental in teaching these technologies to the masses. He's also the industry authority on new fishing tackle and has personally reviewed more than 10,000 products in his tenure. He has a 30-year background in information technologies and was a certified engineer for a time in Microsoft, Novell, Cisco, and HP. He mostly fishes for bass and panfish around the house. He has, however, caught fish in 42 of the 50 states in the US as well as Costa Rica, Mexico, and Canada and hopes to soon add Finland, Japan, Africa and Australia to his list.

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The Best Travel Fishing Rods of 2024

By Pete Robbins

Updated on May 24, 2023 5:36 PM EDT

13 minute read

Best for Bass

Abu garcia i.k.e. signature series travel casting rod, best budget, shakespeare ugly stik gx2 travel spinning combo, best premium, megabass triza travel rod.

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn More ›

Travel fishing rods are easy to pack for a trip, and the good ones fish like a one-piece rod. Over the past several decades, rods have gotten longer because more length typically equals better casts and more leverage on big fish. For example, the 5-foot 6-inch pistol grips that dominated bass fishing into the 1980s have been replaced almost entirely by rods that are 7 feet and up. Unfortunately, luggage costs and rules have also exploded at this same time, meaning that it’s not always feasible to take an oversized 7- or 8-foot rod tube on distant trips. That’s doubly true if you’ll be getting on a floatplane or your luggage size is otherwise restricted.

Travel rods aren’t solely for air travel, though. If you’re an urban angler getting on a subway, they may be your best choice. If you want something to keep in your car or backpack in case you pass by a tasty-looking fishery, they’re prime choices. In the past, the options were often limited. Either manufacturers took an existing blank and added rudimentary ferrules, or it was a bargain basement combo that required a staple remover to get out of the package and that couldn’t stand up to farm pond bluegills. Fortunately, many manufacturers have recognized the need for better travel tools, and they’ve heeded the call. 

I get to do a lot of traveling with fishing rods as a writer and host of exotic fishing trips. I’ve been to the Alaskan wilderness, through the Amazon jungle, and on every major bass lake in the U.S. and Mexico. Those destinations require a plane ride, and while I don’t always pack multi-piece rods, it’s given me the chance to test out many of the best. Here are my picks for the best travel fishing rods.

• Best for Bass: Abu Garcia I.K.E. Signature Series Travel Casting Rod
• Most Innovative: Daiwa Ardito-TR Travel Casting and Spinning Rod
• Best for Inshore: Falcon Traveler Coastal Spinning Rod
• Best Budget: Shakespeare Ugly Stik GX2 Travel Spinning Combo
• Best Finesse: Wild Side Light Spinning Rod
• Best Premium Casting: Megabass Triza Travel Rod  
• Most Versatile :  Toadfish Travel Spinning Rod
• Best Bait Finesse :  KastKing Kestrel 3-Piece Rods
• Best Premium Spinning : Shimano Zodias 5-Piece Travel Spinning Rods

How I Tested the Best Travel Fishing Rods

I’ve taken these travel rods all over the globe and all over the country, fishing for species both exotic and mundane. More importantly, though, I’ll admit that I’ve abused them. They’ve been shoved in suitcases, walked through dense forests, and used for lures outside of their supposed range. That’s the nature of the travel game. Coming home from Mexico, officials forced me to check a carrying case that I’d carried on for the trip South of the Border, and my rods returned in one piece—or rather in their original configurations of multiple pieces. When possible, though, I like keeping them at my side, and I’m usually able to do so. It also enables me to bring a rod and reel or the occasions when I travel for a non-fishing purpose but might be able to sneak away to make a few casts.

Best Travel Fishing Rods: Reviews & Recommendations

Key Features

• Length: 7 feet
• Packed Length: 28 inches
• Three pieces
• Comes with both medium (1/4-3/4 ounce lures) and medium-heavy (3/8-1 ounce) tip sections
• Soft travel case included
• Versatility means you only need to carry one rod
• Comfortable E.V.A. handle
• Great value
• Included case isn’t crushproof; should not be checked on airlines

Abu Garcia, worked with Bassmaster Classic champion Mike “Ike” Iaconelli, to design the Ike Signature Series Travel Rod. Ike is known for his wins on the pro bass circuit, but he’s also known for his urban angling adventures. Traveling by bus, bike, plane, and train to those urban fishing spots were the inspiration for his travel rod. 

The best feature of the rod is the included interchangeable tip sections that provide different actions. They are a tremendous value, since the rod doesn’t sacrifice on components. They include 36-ton graphite blanks, stainless steel guides, and a premium Fuji reel seat. Ike carried this rod worldwide on his television fishing exploits for a wide range of species, but his heart remains with bass, and that’s where this rod excels, for everything from soft plastics to crankbaits to spinnerbaits . Anglers who expect to use finesse presentations can buy the spinning version.

• Length: 7 feet 
• Handle converts from spinning to baitcasting
• Three-piece rod, includes six total pieces 
• Lure Weights: ¼ to 1 ounce 
• Extreme versatility
• Handles wide range of lures
• Sensitive yet strong graphite construction
• Included case not crushproof; should not be checked on airlines

Daiwa has built a rod—and specifically, a rod handle—that will accommodate both spinning and baitcasting reels when configured appropriately. That means you don’t have to choose one or the other when you’re limited to one travel rod. What’s most impressive is that they’ve somehow developed a blank that doesn’t feel awkward in either role. It includes X45 graphite construction that prevents blank twisting and truly performs like a one-piece. I took this rod to Zambia for tigerfish, where it performed admirably with a baitcasting reel, and then used it at home to skip Senkos under docks with a spinning rod. It’s not truly a finesse spinning rod, but could handle light baits with plenty of backbone to extract hard-pulling bass from gnarly cover.

• Medium action
• Lure weight: ¼ to ½ ounce 
• Bargain priced
• Durable full cork handle
• High-quality components
• Some anglers may not like the moderate action

If you’re chasing redfish or speckled trout on the Gulf Coast, or bonefish and snook in the Everglades or Keys, you need a rod that will simultaneously make pinpoint presentations that also has the heft to muscle outsized, super-strong fish away from cover. This rod is light but mighty and fits the bill. The Coastal Traveler series also has a baitcasting model in the lineup. They’ll both do double-duty in freshwater, although Falcon also provides Lowrider series travel rods for that purpose. All of them include cork handles (full in the case of the Coastal, split-grip on the Lowriders), Fuji K-Frame tangle-free guides, and a blank through reel seat. All come with a crushproof, three-section Cordura-coated case with the rod’s specifications printed on the outside.

• Lengths: 5 feet 6 inches and 6 feet 6 inches 
• Comes with matching reel
• Three or four pieces
• Rod and reel packaged together for the price of one
• Four-bearing spinning reel
• Strong guides will stand up to braided line
• Cloth rod and reel travel bag cannot be checked

The Ugly Stik brand has been synonymous with strength and value for decades, and Shakespeare continues to refine the products while keeping them at rock bottom prices. These three spinning combos—one light action, two medium action—all come with a four-bearing reel and rods that combine graphite and fiberglass construction. While the cloth carrying case may not be crushproof, this combo will stand up to just about anything you can dish out. That makes it a great option for kids or beginners, but you’ll be surprised at the wide range of species it can handle across the globe without any fear of failure.

• Length: 6 feet 3 inches
• Packed Length: 22 inches
• Action: Light
• Five pieces
• Ultra compact 
• Innovative ferrules maintain one-piece feel
• High modulus graphite

Wild Side’s U.S. distributor Arundel Tackle claims that this rod is “made for the overhead bin, NOT baggage claim.” It comes with a rectangular carrying case that weighs a mere 2 ounces and will slide easily into your carry-on. More importantly, they’ve somehow taken a five-piece rod and eliminated any traditional multi-piece imprecision. That might be because they use refined spigot ferrules that do a solid job of maintaining a one-piece flow. This has become a go-to Ned Rig rod when I’m bass fishing at home, but it has so many other uses where it’ll excel. These include stream trout fishing, pan fishing, and light saltwater use. The high-quality cork and E.V.A. split handle are comfortable for all day fishing and match up with any lightweight spinning reel.

Best Premium: Megabass Triza Travel Rod  

• Lengths (casting): 6-feet, 6-inches; 6-feet, 8-inches; 6-feet, 9-inches; 7-feet; 7-feet, 2-inches   
• Available in five baitcasting and two spinning models
• Lure Weights: 1/32 ounce to 3 ounces
• Wide range of actions for a full range of techniques
• Built one at a time for attention to detail
• Gorgeous peacock wood reel seats and hand-drawn graphics

Megabass makes everything from the best swimbaits to some of the nicest production rods available. The Triza Travel Rod has typical Megabass quality in a rod that fits in a backpack. Megabass has a lot of experience making travel rods for their Japanese customers, who are often more constrained in terms of space and transportation, and therefore demand them. These premium travel rods are now widely available in America and cover just about every bass fishing technique under the sun—while at the same time being superior for some saltwater and multi-species use. They’re a gorgeous piece of art that would look great displayed, but they’re too solid to sit on the sidelines. Megabass claims they are constructed to their “Triangle” ideal—with a tip section that maximizes tension, a belly section that maximizes torque, and a butt section that maximizes torsional rigidity. These are workhorses that present like show horses.

Most Versatile:  Toadfish Travel Spinning Rod

• 7 feet 2 inches
• Medium/Medium heavy action
• Interchangeable mid and tip sections
• Incredible versatility
• Kigan tangle free guides
• Extremely durable
• Included case is strong but quite heavy

This rod comes with one handle section, two mid-sections, and two tip sections, allowing for five different configurations, making it the most versatile travel rod on the market. That uniqueness is also a huge bonus if you slam a section in a car door or otherwise break one – you lose a bit of that trademark versatility, but you’re not completely out of luck. What’s also nice is that it comes with extremely durable components, including soft-touch rubber handle inlays and a handle that will stand up to the most you can dish out, including saltwater exposure. It’s fairly sensitive for a five-piece rod, and the spigot ferrules hold well. The case may be heavy, but you can check it through on the airlines without worrying about damage.

Best Bait Finesse:  KastKing Kestrel 3-Piece Rods

• Light-fast action
• IM8 ultra-high modulus graphite blank
• Extremely reasonable price
• One of the few rods in its category
• Very sensitive IM8 high modulus graphite blank
• No case included

The biggest problem with many travel rods is that they’re too vanilla – understandably made to cover a wide range of conditions and species. That’s fine if you just want one for random use, but it doesn’t help anglers with specific needs. KastKing has entered the market with a lot of BFS options and wisely chose to build a three-piece rod in that category. It can handle lures as light as 1/10 ounce, yet, with a balanced baitcasting reel, still has the winch-like power that spinning cannot provide. The rod comes with quality components, including American Tackle Ti forged guides with aluminum oxide Duralight rings, so whether you’re chasing panfish, Alaskan trout, stream smallmouths, or light saltwater species, it’s meant to stand up to a beating. In Asia and Japan, manufacturers have historically made a wider range of multi-piece rods than they do in North America, so it’s a good sign that KastKing is willing to take a calculated risk on this specialty stick.

Best Premium: Shimano Zodias 5-Piece Travel Spinning Rods

• Medium-Light – Fast
• 1/8 – 7/16 ounce lures
• CI4+ Reel Seat maximizes ergonomic comfort
• Fuji guides hold up to the rigors of travel and different kinds of line
• At 5 pieces, incredibly transportable
• Rod case not included

Shimano and brand partner G.Loomis have dipped in and out of the travel rod market for years, producing some top-notch products. Shimano’s bargain-priced Convergence Series is a great value and quality product, but the Zodias will fill the needs of more demanding anglers. It looks and feels like an expensive JDM product, and despite the multiple ferrules functions like a one-piece rod. I liked the Carbon Monocoque grip, and felt that it enhanced sensitivity, even with light lines. It’s also available in a baitcasting rod if that’s your stylistic preference, or if you want to use heavier lines on bigger fish.

While most standard rods are one or possibly two pieces, most travel rods are three or more pieces. Alternatively, they may be telescoping. Either way, they “collapse” or “compress” or “break down” to lengths that will fit in a suitcase or in a small separate carrying case. That makes them easy to take on a plane or stuff under the seat of your vehicle for impromptu fishing adventures.

Many anglers believe that one-piece rods are superior in all instances and will do whatever they can to take them on long-distance fishing trips. Of course that is possible, and there are hard-sided carrying cases that extend up to nearly 10-feet long to transport them. One problem, however, is that the airlines are increasingly restrictive on checking such bags. Even when they allow it, they may be costly. Furthermore, rough baggage handling may result in destruction of or damage to your valuable gear.

Typically commercial airlines will not allow you to carry full-sized rods on airplanes, but they’ll often allow you to carry properly-cased and appropriately-sized travel rods on board. In fact, the T.S.A. guidelines explicitly state that fishing rods are permitted in carry-on and checked bags but note that “passengers should check with the airline to confirm that the fishing rod fits within size limitations for carry-on items.” Some foreign airports and foreign carriers will not allow the same, so be sure to check ahead of time and carry a crushproof case that can be checked if necessary.

Things to Consider When Buying a Travel Fishing Rod

What will you be fishing for.

The same travel rod that excels for panfish might be a liability chasing big saltwater fish in the surf. Today there are enough specialized options that you should be able to cover most extremes and many technical presentations. The trouble comes when you need to do double duty. That may require the purchase of a second rod, or perhaps even making compromises—using a single rod that is a jack of all trades but a master of none.

How compact must it be?

Fewer ferrules or connectors usually (but not always) means better performance. However, the ideal travel or “pack” rod will fit into a small case, which may or may not need to fit within your suitcase. Take careful measurements of your possible dimensions, adding a slight bit for the padding of the case and any internal rod sock that protects your tool.

How will I carry my travel rod?

The best possible scenario is to keep your rod or rods with you at all times, in a padded, crushproof case. That reduces the chances of loss and breakage. However, in the instance that you need to check it, make sure it fits in your other luggage or run the risk of paying a surcharge. Many of these rods come with tubes or cases. Some are better than others, so don’t hesitate to invest in an aftermarket product for peace of mind.

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Since 1898, OL has been a leading authority in testing and reviewing hunting gear, fishing tackle, guns and shooting equipment, and much more. We have more than a century-long history of evaluating products, and we’re now bringing that expertise to online reviews. Our editors are experienced outdoorsmen and women, and most importantly, we’re trained journalists. We prioritize field testing and objective data when reviewing products. We conduct interviews with gear manufacturers and engineers as well as outdoor experts so that our readers have an understanding of how and why a product works—or doesn’t.

Advertising does not influence our gear reviews and it never will. While we always focus our coverage on standout products—because we want our readers to be aware of the latest and greatest gear—we also cover the flaws and quirks of any given product.

Final Thoughts on the Best Travel Fishing Rods

As I’ve amassed an arsenal of travel rods over the past several years, I’ve seen a shift in my thinking. Previously, I reserved them exclusively for exotic travel to places like Zambia, Mexico, Brazil, and Alaska, and then relegated them to a garage shelf when I returned home. Increasingly, however, I’ve found myself using some of them in my day-to-day angling, in places where I could still take a 7- or 8-foot one-piece rod but now choose instead to take the multi-piece tool. 

Many of the more inexpensive multi-piece rods are still notably less fluid than their one-piece counterparts, but that’s not always the case. Furthermore, if you’re a one-piece snob, you may be surprised at how refined these options have become.

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Raider Travel

The new generation raider travel rods are built on high performance 30 ton toray high modulus graphite blanks. it comes with quality fittings such as fuji fazlite guides, custom reel seat and hard wearing, shaped eva with slipresistant overwrap rear grips..

Raider Travel rods are built on high performance 30-36 ton toray high modulus graphite blanks, come with quality fittings such as Fuji Aluoxide guides, custom reel seats and hard wearing, custom-shaped split EVA grips. The key to a good travel rod is the ferruling, and these are neat, and maintain the crispness of the high quality blanks. Whether you target bream, barra, snapper or spin the coast on your travels, there’s a Raider to suit.

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The 5 Best Travel Fishing Rods for 2024

Whether you're going on a dedicated trip, or just want to get some casts in during the family vacation, it pays to be prepared

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Travel fishing rods are made for anglers on the go. Wherever you end up, there are new waters to seek out, so the addition of a dedicated travel fishing rod to the arsenal makes sense for aspiring travel anglers. The problem for many years was the lack of quality rods to meet the carry-on restrictions for fishermen traveling on planes. Multi-piece rods were much less common and inferior to more conventional rods; they were also more likely to break.

Thankfully, advances in technology and design have changed the landscape of angling travel. Rod companies are now able to provide traveling anglers with quality options, and the best travel fishing rods fish like their one-piece counterparts. 

• Best Budget & Best Combo: Ugly Stik GX2 Travel Spinning Combo
• Best for Bass: Abu Garcia IKE Signature Series Travel Spinning Rod
• Best for Saltwater: G. Loomis Escape GLX Series
• Best Telescopic: KastKing Blackhawk II Telescopic Fishing Rod
• Best Fly Rod: Orvis Clearwater

How We Picked the Best Travel Fishing Rods

My first travel-to-fish trip happened when I was seven. We ventured north to fish for northern pike and bass in the Thousand Islands area of the St. Lawrence River. Since that first trip, my wanderlust has persisted, spanning three continents, five countries, eleven states, and three Canadian provinces. I’ve carried rods to all of those places via airline, bush plane, panga, train, car, taxi, subway and hiking boots. In between those adventures, I’ve spent a lot of time talking with fishing industry professionals about travel fishing rods and other assorted gear. Cumulatively, this distilled experience proves highly useful in evaluating travel fishing tackle. While writing this review, I considered the following attributes:

• Fishing Performance—comparative to one-piece rods
• Packability
• Materials and Construction

Best Travel Fishing Rods: Reviews & Recommendations

• Length(s): 5 feet (light power), 6 feet and 6 feet 6 inches (Both medium power) 
• Numbers of sections: 5 foot rod is 3 pieces; others are 4 pieces
• Line Rating: Light: 4-10 pound; Medium: 6-15 pound
• Strong, durable and sensitive graphite and fiberglass construction
• More economical than buying individual components
• Strong and durable Ugly Tuff stainless steel guides
• Shakespeare four-bearing spinning reel, with double anodized aluminum spool
• Cloth rod and reel travel bag offers only cosmetic protection; not suitable for checked luggage.

According to Shakespeare lore, the Ugly Stik received its now world-familiar moniker when a product management executive took one look at the first prototype blanks and said they were the ugliest he’d ever seen. 

The most updated version is more aesthetically appealing, but it hasn’t lost its rugged durability or the signature clear tip segment. The Ugly Stik Travel Combo comes in three lengths and two power options (light and medium). Each rod is fitted with a solid Shakespeare four-bearing reel with oversized bail wire for added durability. And the entire combo is at a price point that won’t break the bank. 

These travel outfits make a solid choice for those trips focused on activities other than angling where you just might be able to fit in a little fishing anyway. They also make excellent entry-level outfits for kids and fishing rods for beginners . From personal experience, I’ll also say that these rods can handle those unexpected trophies that have a knack for biting when you’re just helping the kids catch a few bluegills.

• Length(s): 7 feet
• Numbers of Sections: Four pieces—butt section, midsection and two tip sections for increased versatility
• Tip Sections: medium light—for 1/8 to 5/8 ounce lures and medium for 1/4 to 3/4 ounce lures
• Line Rating: medium light: 6-12 pound; medium: 8-14 pound
• Two tip sections offers great versatility
• Fishes like a one-piece rod
• Excellent sensitivity 
• Doesn’t include a crush-proof case for checked luggage protection

Abu Garcia was smart to partner with Mike “Ike” Iaconelli in designing this rod. Twenty plus years as a bass tournament professional coupled with his additional experience as a city fishing enthusiast provided the ideal experiential foundation for crafting top notch travel fishing rods. 

The Ike Signature Series Travel Spinning Rod is an exceptional value and an incredibly versatile fishing tool. Quality components are a significant part of the winning formula. The rod blanks are constructed from 36-ton graphite and finished rods have stainless steel guides and a high quality reel seat. The use of a continuous graphite ferrule is key to allowing this rod to fish like a one-piece rod. If all of this isn’t enough, then add in the best feature—the versatility provided with interchangeable tips. This combination allows you to fish an extended range of lures and finesse baits. Anglers looking for a more powerful bass fishing tool should consider checking out the casting rod version .

• Length(s): 7 feet in two power options, medium-light and medium
• Numbers of Sections: three
• Line Rating: Medium-light: 6-12 pound; Medium: 10-17 pound
• Multi-taper design offers a superior blend of durability and performance
• Nickel-Titanium RECOIL guides
• High quality cork grip
• Light weight
• Difficult to find stock, at the moment

Very rarely will I say that a rod has the potential to enable a competent angler to catch more fish. The G. Loomis Escape GLX rods are an exception to this rule. Hands down, these are some of the finest fishing rods made today.

G. Loomis has been making fishing rods focused on performance since 1982. I bought my first GLX rod in 1999 and I still fish it today; I think that says a lot about both the quality and durability of the GLX line of rods. Loomis’ rod building expertise has led to superior travel rods that compromise nothing in a multi-piece design. Their proprietary Multi-taper Design process strengthens potential break points while reducing material application elsewhere. The result is strength and sensitivity. The Nickel-Titanium RECOIL guides used on these rods are amazingly tough and the cork grip provides a comfortable feel over days, months and years of fishing.

These rods are amazingly lightweight, given their strength, durability and ability to subdue large saltwater fish. This lightness in hand translates to greater comfort over a long day of fishing. The last cast of the day feels as effortless as the first.

GLX Escape travel spinning rods are available in two models. The medium power model is what I consider the ideal saltwater rod, able to handle large inshore species such as permit and bull redfish. In freshwater, this rod will handle most of the salmonid species, bass and pike. The medium-light model is also a phenomenal light saltwater rod, ideal for small bonefish, puppy drum and schoolie stripers. This rod is also a great crossover rod, whether for large trout, shad or smallmouth bass.

• Length(s): Casting —7 models from 6 feet, 8 inches to 8 feet; Spinning—7 models from 6 feet, 6 inches to 8 feet
• Numbers of Sections: All models are telescopic
• Line Ratings: 6-25 pound, depending on the model
• Multiple models for diversity and flexibility
• Quality materials and construction
• Quick assembly
• Still not as good as quality multi-piece rods
• Segments can loosen after significant casting/fishing time

Though I’m not a telescopic rod fan, I see the usefulness of the concept, and the KastKing BlackHawk II is the best telescopic rod I’ve seen. These rods are particularly well suited for anglers who need the added convenience provided by a telescopic rod and aren’t logging serious hours of fishing associated with dedicated travel fishing trips. In other words, they’re ideal for when you’re on vacation and, suddenly, you have an hour or two to go fishing.

KastKing has provided an outstanding array of options, in both casting and spinning rod models. This selection is a great service for potential customers who need to find rods to fit a wide variety of angling scenarios, as well as the inevitable personal preferences.

The BlackHawk II rods are built using KastKing KastFlex 24-Ton Carbon Matrix blanks, with a solid glass tip. Snug-Fit ferrules, stainless steel line guides, graphite reel seats and comfortable EVA handles are used to create a nicely finished rod. 

For more information on telescopic rods, we have a rundown of the best telescopic options out there , as well. 

• Length:  9 feet
• Line Weight:  5
• Action:  Medium-Fast
• Pieces:  4
• Warranty:  25-Year
• A bit heavy

The Orvis Clearwater took home the best value award in our fly rod test last year and was a favorite among our group of editors and testers. For starters, the Clearwater is one of the more affordable fly rods on the market, and it can hold its own with the premium rods that often see a price tag north of a grand. This rod went head-to-head with all of the top-end models, and after a quick blind-casting test, most of our editors put the Clearwater ahead of our favorite high-end rods.

As for performance, the Clearwater throws tight loops and can reach almost as far as any other rod. It’s a bit cumbersome, and you might get tired after a full day on the water. Anglers can pick up a Clearwater rod in sizes ranging from 2-weight to 12-weight. So no matter what fish you enjoy chasing with a fly, there’s a Clearwater rod for you. And since this is a travel fishing rod story, it’s worth mentioning that the Clearwater is a four-piece rod and can be carried on any plane in a rod tube. —Ryan Chelius

Things to Consider Before Buying a Travel Fishing Rod

Travel fishing can be as exotic as a once-in-a-lifetime globetrotting adventure, or as simple as a subway trip to the city pond or lake. In both scenarios, a more compact, travel-friendly fishing outfit will make transit to the destination easier. Before buying a travel fishing rod, consider what species of fish you’re targeting, spatial limitations, mode of transport and the all important time versus money equation.

Target Species

What type or types of fish will you be chasing, and where will you be fishing? An ideal rod for panfish or trout will be outgunned and frustrating to use when targeting big stripers or redfish. Rods and their counterpart reels (meaning the reel you always use with that rod) may be great in freshwater but not up to the abuse they’ll endure in a marine environment. I like versatility in my gear but not to the point of compromising my overall enjoyment. To this end, I think it best to establish realistic expectations and fully understand what my travel rods can and cannot handle.

Spatial Limitations

The first leg of the journey is a commercial airline behemoth with spacious overhead compartments that will easily accommodate your travel rod case. But the final hop comes via a de Havilland Beaver where space is severely limited. Or, perhaps you’re hiking into the backcountry for a multi-day camping and fishing adventure. In each of these scenarios, spatial limitations are different, and in each case it’s important to identify how compact your travel rod (or rods) need to be. This is a question best asked and answered before you depart.

Mode of Transport

In a perfect world, my rods never leave my oversight when I travel to fish. But often that’s just not realistic. So, I opt to plan for the worst and hope for the best. I like when rods come with a crush-proof case. If they don’t, it’s best to invest in a specialized travel rod case that will accommodate the rod or rods you plan to take. When trips require multiple transfers, the added peace of mind alone merits the investment.

If carrying a rod or rods onto an airplane, I find out the airline’s maximum dimensions for carry-on items. If I have any doubt about carry-on options, I make sure the cased rod I’m traveling with will fit in my checked baggage.

Time versus Money 

This is an important equation that has additional variability based on a person’s disposable income and priorities. I once commented to a guiding client that I thought everyone should have one area of life where they indulge themselves. His response was, “Why just one?”

Realistically though, most anglers need to evaluate how often, and for how long, they’re likely to use a travel rod, and then factor that into their decision about which rod is best for them. An angler who might, or might not, use the rod once a year on a family vacation will want a different rod from the fisherman or woman who embarks upon one or more dedicated destination fishing trips each year.

Q: Can I carry-on a fishing pole?

According to the TSA (Transportation Security Administration), fishing rods can be carried on, as long as they meet the airline’s criteria for carry-on items. However, it’s best to always work with the specific airline you’ll be traveling with to fine-tune your carry-on planning. If you’re traveling internationally, be sure to also check with air carriers you’ll be flying with in the destination country or countries.  Adhere to their requirements, and your rod should remain in your hands from home to destination and back.

Q: How do you travel with a rod and reel?

I always want to travel with my rods in a hard, crush-proof case and my reels safely stowed in my carry-on fishing bag. Even if my travel rods are compact enough for airline carry-on, I still prefer to carry them in the protective hard case, as plans can sometimes change at the flight check-in. If I have to check the rods, at any point in the journey, I know they’ll be safe. Many people think about the flight process but don’t consider the auto travel on either end of the flight. In my experience, the transition points are when unprotected gear gets broken. Careful packing of your rods and reels extends the safety to these travel transition scenarios. In the “for what it’s worth” column, I’d rather arrive at a fishing destination without my clothes than my rods and reels. But happily this can be avoided by using a change of clothes as padding around your rods in the travel case. This way you arrive with your rods, reels and at least one spare outfit. 

Q: Can you carry-on a 4-piece fly rod?

Yes, most conventional 4-piece fly rods will meet airline criteria for carry-on luggage. I’ve traveled with 4-piece, ten foot fly rods to Chile, Mexico, England and remote north western Canada. I’ve never had any difficulty carrying-on my fly rods. That being said, it’s still always best to check with the airline in-question in advance. If you’re working with an experienced fishing travel service, they can also provide their experience traveling to your destination. For additional thoughts on this topic, check out our in-depth breakdown of the best fly rods .

Q: Can I fly with fishing lures?

According to the TSA, fishing lures are defined as “sharp fishing tackle that may be considered dangerous.” They recommend sheathing or otherwise securing hooks; the lures should then be securely wrapped and packed in your checked baggage. Based on this information, any hooks, lures or flies in your carry-on could be confiscated. For anglers, the problem with this approach is the fear of arriving at a remote fishing destination with nothing to fish. To alleviate this concern, I pack a small selection of must-have flies or lures that I put in my carry-on bag—think of it as an emergency kit. I keep the selection small enough that I can accept the loss if it’s ever confiscated. The bulk of my fishing lures are packed safely in my checked bag and include duplicates of the essentials.

Q: What is the difference between a travel rod and a standard rod?

A travel fishing rod can break down into small sections or telescope into one small piece. A normal fishing rod is often one, two, or four pieces. This makes it a bit more difficult to travel with.

Q: Are travel rods worth it?

Having a fishing rod that can break down into small pieces is definitely worth it. You don’t necessarily need a “travel fishing rod,” but rather something that breaks down into three or four pieces so it’s easier to travel with.

Best Traveling Fishing Rods: Final Thoughts

Whether you’re embarking upon a bucket-list adventure fishing trip or hoping to get in a little fishing while traveling with the family, it all depends on your tackle getting to the destination unbroken and functional. That defines why travel rods have become so important for modern anglers, and the importance extends beyond airline travel. Try carrying a one-piece rod on a busy subway and you quickly realize the value of travel rods for close-to-home fishing. 

Though many travel rods still fall short of their one-piece counterparts’ performance, advances in technologies and economies of scale have closed this gap. In some cases, the best travel fishing rods are indistinguishable from one or two-piece rods. To decide which travel rod is right for you, evaluate your target species, consider spatial limitations, mode of transportation and time versus money. Then, just add water and enjoy the fishing.

Why Trust Us

For more than 125 years, Field & Stream has been providing readers with honest and authentic coverage of outdoor gear. Our writers and editors eat, sleep, and breathe the outdoors, and that passion comes through in our product reviews. You can count on F&S to keep you up to date on the best new gear. And when we write about a product—whether it’s a bass lure or a backpack—we cover the good and the bad, so you know exactly what to expect before you decide to make a purchase.

5 Best Japanese Fishing Rod Brands

What are the best Japanese fishing rod brands? My personal favorites are Shimano and Megabass , but there’s a lot to like about all of them.

Let’s take a look at the best Japanese fishing rod brands and what they have to offer for your next fishing adventure.

Shimano has been around for 100 years, and the company makes freshwater and saltwater fishing rods with a focus on low-weight yet strong setups . I think Shimano has the best grip out of all Japanese fishing rods, and the high sensitivity makes it a no-brainer for trout or bass fishing.

Shimano first started with glass rods before moving to polyester resin and eventually high-strength carbon fiber. Today their extensive collection includes trolling, jigging, inshore, and surf rods, plus special designs for muskie , salmon, and steelhead.

Shimano is also a popular choice for conventional, spinning, and electric reels, as well as combo setups and fishing lures.

Top Shimano Japanese Fishing Rods

A few of Shimano’s bestsellers include:

• Shimano SLX Casting Rod – sensitive carbon foregrip and custom reel seat.
• Shimano Clarus Salmon Trolling Rod – lightweight and durable carbon handles.
• Shimano SKIXX Muskie Rod – 250% more structurally rigid than standard rods.
• Shimano Cauis Combo Rod & Reel – compact durable bait-casting reel with Super Free Spool.

Another one of the best Japanese fishing rod brands is Megabass. It’s a newer brand compared to Shimano, but the quality and rod selection is of the same high caliber.

Megabass specializes in freshwater rods and also has reels, lines, and lures. These rods are stylish and designed to maximize comfort , so if prefer holding your rod like I do, Megabass is a good choice.

Megabass is known for handcrafted designs and technical advancements . Although the company has grown significantly in the past decades, it remains committed to comfortable, custom rods that combine functionality and performance.

Some of my best lake days have been with the Megabass Levante rod, but there are many more rods that work for hard-charging, big-biting fish too.

My Favorite Megabass Fishing Rods

If you’re going to try Megabass Japanese fishing rods, I recommend:

• Megabass Levante Extreme Mission Type F – 7’5” length and shorter rear grip help with balance and long casts.
• Megabass Destroyer Bunker Buster – designed for heavy jigs, allowing precise angles and accuracy.
• Megabass Destroyer P5 Kirisame Ultimate – solid carbon stinger tip with 5-D Graphite for extra sensitivity.
• Megabass Orochi XX Tour Versatile – a tournament-tested rod with compact 7’ blank and fast taper.

It’s tough to beat Daiwa fishing rods too. This Japanese fishing brand has a reputation for durable and affordable rods , which feature a water-resistant coating so they last longer.

The company started making reels in the 1950s and has built up a big following thanks to their innovative open-faced reel and high-tech graphite rods with densely packed carbon fibers.

Daiwa has a wide range of freshwater, saltwater, travel, and surf rods, plus specialty trolling rods for walleye, catfish, crappie, muskie, and salmon. You can also get saltwater combos with fiberglass rods, spinning reels and rods, lures, lines, and apparel.

I personally am a big fan of the newer Daiwa rods that prevent line tangling and offer extra carbon reinforcement without losing sensitivity.

Durable Daiwa Japanese Fishing Rods

There’s a lot of Daiwa rods to choose from, but here are some of the most popular:

• Daiwa Emeraldas X IL – interline technology keeps line tidy and ensures precise casting.
• Daiwa Jig Caster – ideal for shore jigging trout, snapper, and bluefish with long, lightweight casts.
• Daiwa Ajing X – improved power and function with braided technology for light lure fishing.
• Daiwa Liberty Club Iso – an all-purpose rod with standard draw-out for rockfish, halibut, and sea bass.

Gan Craft isn’t as mainstream as some other leading Japanese fishing brands, but their rods are still very impressive.

Originally a lure manufacturer, Gan Craft started selling fishing rods more than a decade ago, and they have quickly become popular as an economical yet effective option for bass and saltwater fishing .

Gan Craft makes custom rods and uses strong carbon fiber in its dynamic designs. The Gan Craft Scarface rod stood out to me with its special banks for better hooking.

Just keep in mind Gan Craft has more specialized rods in a smaller selection compared to Shimano and Megabass.

Great Gan Craft Rods

The most exciting Japanese rods from Gan Craft include:

• Gan Craft Scarface – a 6′-8″ medium-heavy power rod good for spinnerbaits and shad raps.
• Gan Craft Cross Born – hard tip with high sensitivity for bait casting and great for rubber jigs.
• Gan Craft Super Violence Jerk – a high-end saltwater rod with ideal balance for larger fish.
• Gan Craft Ocean Killers – custom saltwater jigging rod with bait model for slow jigging or spinning model for super light jigging.

This list of the best Japanese fishing rod brands wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Raid Japan, a rod and lure manufacturer specializing in bass fishing .

There aren’t as many rods to choose from, but the brand’s two series don’t disappoint. Both the Gladiator Anti and Gladiator Maximum are carefully designed for better comfort while reeling in bass and similar fish.

One of the first things I noticed about Raid Japan rods was the style, with a modern black and gold design that looks as smooth as it feels. These carbon graphite rods are available in different weights, with ultra-light, light, medium, and heavy options.

Bestselling Raid Japan Rods

If you want to test out Raid Japan rods, you can’t go wrong with:

• Raid Japan Gladiator Maximum The Maxx – this is the flagship model with a heavier cover and delicate solid tip with ample flexibility for bass bites.
• Raid Japan Gladiator Maximum The Bishop – a shooting specialty rod for close-range fishing perfect for light or medium rigs.
• Raid Japan Gladiator Anti Power Bait Finesse – 6’5 ” medium-light rod with a solid tip offers fast response for rubber jigs and plugging.
• Raid Japan Gladiator Anti King Heavy – a versatile heavy rod with new carbon material and sharp blanks for long-distance fishing and side casting.

In my opinion, the best Japanese fishing rod brands are Shimano and Megabass . I know I’m not the only angler who appreciates their premium comfort and sensitivity, so you can feel every bite.

As an avid salmon angler, my top two go-to rods are the Shimano Clarus Salmon Trolling Rod and Megabass Levante.

Daiwa, Gan Craft, and Raid Japan are some other popular Japanese brands for fishing gear. Whichever brand you go with, you can look forward to the quality and comfort that Japanese fishing gear brands are known for.

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Top 14 Best Japanese Fishing Rod Brands To Buy [Update 2023]

Fishing is considered a leisure game for people, especially males, at different ages. It helps us to take a rest after hard-working days. But, to get the most memorable fishing experience, we need to have good and appropriate rods. Although there are lots of types of fishing rods on the markets recently, Japanese fishing rods are always more beloved and trusted in comparison with others.

In this article, Janbox will share with you the top 14 well-known Japanese fishing rod brands , some tips when buying fishing rods as well as the best websites to buy genuine Japanese fishing rods. So, you can choose the most suitable rod to start your fishing hobby. Get started!

1. Top 14 best Japanese fishing rod brands

Don’t let you wait anymore, we will start with the best Japanese fishing rod brands right now.

1.1. Shimano

The first Japanese fishing rod brand that we would like to introduce to you is Shimano. Established in Japan in the 1920s, Shimano is well-known as one of the oldest brands of fishing rods. In the early period, they started as a company for precision engineering. However, at the present time, Shimano has a good reputation for fishing gear.

This brand’s fishing rods are appreciated to be quite lightweight but still strong. They give high sensitivity as well as superior grip. Shimano continues to enhance their rods with new materials and technologies as well. Made of high-quality carbon fiber, Shimano fishing rods have a lightweight and durable body, good bearing capacity, and a great finish. Meanwhile, the handle of the rod is usually made of wood, which makes users feel very comfortable and convenient. What’s more, these fishing rods also possess an extremely high heat resistance, up to 100 degrees Celsius.

In addition to various series of fishing rods, this company has expanded its products. That is the reason why you can easily find fishing rods, fishing reels , lures, or many other accessories for fishing under the brand Shimano. Undoubtedly, Shimano fishing rods and reels are popular among fishing fans and listed as the best products on the market nowadays.

• Website: https://fish.shimano.com/
• Recommended product: SHIMANO Rod & Reel TLD Fishing Combo Saltwater

1.2. Megabass

One of the best Japanese fishing brands we should not ignore is Megabass. This brand’s fishing rods are very famous in Japan. Along with fishing rods, many types of fishing gear like reels, lures, etc. are always welcomed and beloved on the market. People using the Megabass fishing rods evaluated them as the best tool with high fishing results. These days, this brand’s fishing gear has been introduced in many media in the US, Asia, UK, etc.

Megabass fishing rods are very popular. They are designed with high functionality, which gives a great performance. Besides, the designs of these rods are eye-catching and artistic, providing an optimal comfortable feeling during fishing. It is not wrong to say that the Megabass fishing rods are not only tools to catch fish, but also something all fishing lovers would like to own. Made from great materials, and combined with incomparable engineering, these Japan fishing rods promise to give users a fantastic experience.

Yuki Ito is the person who designed the fishing rods based on his experience in fishing technology as well as his passion for this leisure sport. The designs are characteristically Japanese. These fishing rods are used by lots of fishing competitors in both Japan and the United States. It is a fact that fishing competitors using Megabass rods have more chances to win.

• Website: https://www.megabass.co.jp/
• Recommended product: Megabass 8POD 8P-FUNE 176-2 Megabass 8POD

1.3. Lurekiller

When it comes to the best Japanese fishing rod brands, we must mention Lurekiller. Lurekiller fishing rods are highly appreciated for their lightweight body and sophisticated design. Made from strong carbon fiber, the fishing rods of Lurekiller have a better bearing capacity, compared with many other normal fishing rods. It must be that using Lurekiller will give you a wonderful, interesting, and unforgettable fishing experience. Lurekiller has several quite cheap types which are good and convenient for fishing on the sea.

Lurekiller poping spinning fishing rods

• Recommended products: New Arrival Lurekiller 1.68M UL Trout rod 

>>> Read more: How To Buy From Mercari Japan with Janbox Proxy Service

1.4. Jackall

If you are looking for a good Japanese fishing rod to satisfy your fishing indulgence, Jackall is a suggestion for you. Jackall is one of the best Japanese brands producing fishing gear like rods, lures, etc. The head office of Jackall is located in the vicinity of Lake Biwa.

The Jackall fishing rods are famous for their good balance as well as high sensitivity. Despite being lightweight, the fishing rods of this brand still possess a good grip. It can’t be denied that the rods produced by Jackall are now listed as the best-selling products on the market. One of the reasons that promote you to purchase the Jackall rods is their price. A good price with respect to the quality of rods is always their leading criterion.

Jackall fishing rods are used by a lot of people, including professional athletes, experienced fishermen, etc. The beginners of this leisure sport are not an exception because Jackall fishing gears are so easy to use.

• Website https://www.jackall.co.jp/
• Recommended product: JACKALL 21 BPM B1-C70H

1.5. Imakatsu

Located in Nishinomiya, Imakatsu is a famous Japanese fishing rod brand. The founder of this brand is Katsutaka, one of the professional bass anglers in Japan.

Their fishing rods are always welcomed on the market and have become best-selling products. Naoyuki Mihara is the person who designs them. In addition to unique designs, Imakatsu fishing rods are not only easy to use and throw but also have a good, firm grip. One of the most popular rods from Imakatsu is the Rodeo Ride Reviver range which is created for catching big bass.

Fishing rods of the brand Imakatsu

Imakatsu fishing rods are believed to enhance your fishing technique and give users wonderful experiences. Hence, lots of fishers feel extremely satisfied with the fishing rods of this brand.

• Website: http://imakatsu-lures.com/
• Recommended product: Rodeo Ride Reviver Ventolist

1.6. Gan Craft

Gan Craft is another Japanese fishing rod brand we would like to introduce to you. It is located in Tanabe-city, the western part of Japan. When it comes to Gan Craft, people immediately think about their lures that have been manufactured for many years. Their fishing lures are developed and refined to the supreme level. However, this brand started its plan on fishing rods over a decade ago. Their fishing rods rise to popularity soon thanks to high quality and good performance.

The Scarface from Gan Craft is designed to be most suitable for fast-moving lures. The banks made from tough carbon fiber help to reduce the influence of the high-speed attack of big fish to lure. What’s more, these banks also give you the power to allow strong hooking. Another function of the rods is to resist unexpected direction changes of fish, which helps to minimize the risk of the hook being thrown. Gan Craft also makes custom fishing rods.

• Website: https://gancraft.com/english/
• Recommended product: Gan Craft (Gun Craft) Rod Killers-00 Blue

>>> Read more: The best Japanese proxy buying service

Whether you are a beginner or a fisherman with much experience, Daiwa is one of the best Japan fishing rods you should use. Founded in 1958, Daiwa created a number of innovative technologies as well as developed new materials such as Zaion that is new high-density carbon fiber. Daiwa has developed carbon fiber technology to create the lightest fishing rods which are used popularly nowadays.

When it comes to Daiwa fishing gear, especially rods, we will think about the best quality of products as well as the harmonious combination between subtle design and high technology. Besides, the fishing gears of Daiwa help users make a difference and show their style as well.

Daiwa provides high-quality rods at an affordable price. This brand’s fishing rods are evaluated to be lightweight, durable, and sensitive, which makes them a great choice. Furthermore, crafted with a water-resistant coating, Daiwa fishing rods are perfect for use for a longer period of time. Daiwa has various types of fishing rods for all purposes.

• Recommended product: Daiwa All-Purpose Lure Rod Lure Nist, 2.9 fl oz Fishing Rod

1.8. Nories

Norio Tanabe founded the brand Nories. Based on his wide knowledge and extensive experience of fishing, Tanabe started his business on fishing accessories. He and other specialists design the products that are created under the brand name Nories.

The fishing rods from this Japanese manufacturer are very impressive because of their highest quality as well as sophisticated designs. The designs of Nories fishing rods are a combination between traditional craftsmanship and modern styles. There are many Nories rods that suit all types of fishing styles.

• Website: https://www.nories.com/index.html
• Recommended product: Nori-zu Torautopuroguramu Esukuro-za- ec61m 

1.9. Evergreen

Evergreen is also regarded as one of the best Japanese fishing rod brands. Founded in Japan, this company has a long history of producing fishing gear.

Evergreen fishing rods are released in various kinds. Due to their ease of use as well as good materials, these fishing rods have become more and more prevalent. Besides, the rods of Evergreen are frequently used in many tournaments and helps professional fishers win. Fishers are definitely satisfied with their performance. So, no matter who you are, a beginner or an experienced fisher, the fishing rods of this brand are always a great choice for you.

• Website: https://www.evergreen-fishing.com/
• Recommended product: EVERGREEN EG Phase PCSC-68H

1.10. Raid Japan

The list of the best Japanese fishing rod brands wouldn’t be complete without Raid Japan. This is a well-known Japanese rod and lure manufacturer which specializes in bass fishing.

Raid Japan Gladiator Maximum The Maxx

With the style combining modern black and gold design, Raid Japan rods look so smooth and luxurious. There are two series of fishing rods named Gladiator Maximum and Gladiator Anti. Whether which type you choose, you will never be disappointed about this brand’s two series. Both of them give a comfortable feeling while you are reeling in bass and similar fish as well. These carbon graphite rods have different weights, from heavy, medium, light to ultra-light options, so you can choose the most suitable one.

Some best-selling Raid Japan rods are popular such as Raid Japan Gladiator Maximum The Maxx, Raid Japan Gladiator Maximum The Bishop, Raid Japan Gladiator Anti King Heavy.

• Website: http://raidjapan.com/

>>> Read more: Top 10 Famous Japanese Fishing Tackle Brands

1.11. Geecrack

Geecrack is an indispensable name in the list of the best Japanese fishing rod brands. Although the brand was founded in 2014, later than other brands, it quickly gains popularity in the fishing arena. These days, Geecrack is known as one of the most trusted Japanese brands for fishing gear.

There are three Geecrack fishing rod series including Double Dutch PG, DD Galaxy, and Double Dutch. Most of the Geecrack fishing rods feature an x-carbon wrapping butt that reduces twisting in the blank. What’s more, it also provides a better grip, better shock absorption, and gives fishers more control over the bass.

• Website: http://www.geecrack.com/freshwaterEN/

1.12. Uzaki Nissin

Established over 50 years ago, Uzaki Nissin started producing bamboo fishing rods as their first product. Their manufacturer is located in Hyogo, Japan. Then, they continued to improve technology in manufacturing fishing rods. Glass fiber, carbon, and other materials are gradually used to create better fishing rods.

Rods series and accessories are designed to satisfy all anglers, as well as for catching various fish species in almost freshwater habitats. The fishing rods of Uzaki Nissin combine technology, tradition, and passion for fly-fishing, which features a perfect harmony of quality and simplicity. The brand always focuses on producing high-quality fishing gear for both professionals and leisure fishing lovers. The renowned fishing rod series of Uzaki Nissin are Ares and Curtis.

• Website: http://www.u-nissin.co.jp/
• Recommended product: Uzaki Nissin Pro Spec 2way 360 7:3 Tenkara Fishing Rod

1.13. TIEMCO

If you are a fishing lover, Tiemco must be a familiar Japanese fishing rod brand to you. Founded in 1976, Tiemco is known as a pioneer of fly-fishing hooks in Japan. Tiemco’s fishing rods are also the best-selling products on the market. The brand has combined new manufacturing techniques and advanced designs to create the best fishing rods.

Infante Backpacker Special #5-6 Fly Rod

The Tiemco fishing rods always meet the Japanese and foreign customers’ high expectations. For example, the Maxcatch Predator Saltwater fly-fishing rod is known as an advanced fast-action rod. It is perfect for loading fast to deliver heavy saltwater flies accurately.

In addition to fishing rods, Tiemco also manufactures many other products like lures, reels, fly-fishing hooks, or outdoor clothing. The brand has developed a nationwide chain, which makes it easier to access Tiemco products.

• Website: https://www.tiemco.co.jp/eng/groups/index/type_id:2/category_id:1
• Recommended product: J-Stream Fly Rod

1.14. GARY YAMAMOTO

The Japanese fishing rods from Gary Yamamoto are the last products we would like to show you today. In 1983, Gary Yamamoto established the Gary Yamamoto brand. Being one of the leading bass fishers, he comprehended what an angler needs and how the best fishing rod is. That is the reason why Gary Yamamoto wants to manufacture high-quality fishing products, including rods.

Fishing rods of Gary Yamamoto

It is a fact that all anglers using Gary Yamamoto’s baits and rods love the products of this brand. Their rods work so well, giving fishers unforgettable fishing experiences. If you want to have perfect fishing performance with the best result, try this brand’s fishing rods and other accessories as well.

• Website: https://store.baits.com/rods.html

>>> Read more: 7 Websites to Buy Vintage Japanese Bamboo Fishing Rods

2. Tips for buying a suitable fishing rod

When buying Japanese fishing rods or any type of rods, you need to keep in mind some issues below:

Experience to buy a proper fishing rod

• Rod materials : Almost all fishing rods are made of graphite, fiberglass, or a mixture of both materials. The graphite fishing rods seem to be more lightweight, stiffer, and more sensitive, but easier to break compared with fiberglass counterparts. Meanwhile, the rods made from fiberglass are more flexible and nearly unbreakable. You can also try the rods combining both materials. This type of rod is ideal for anglers fishing in some different locations as well as conditions.
• Rod curvature : The flexible curvature of the fishing rod should be suitable for the types of fish you want to catch. Choosing the proper curvature will help you cast baits and pull fish more easily. Therefore, based on your purpose of use, you can choose the rods with the suitable curvature. For example, flexible rods are the best choice for fishing small fish, while stiff rods are better for bigger fishing.
• Rod length : Fishing rod length is one of the important factors when choosing a new fishing rod. The rods usually range from 4 feet to 14 feet. However, most bass fishing rods tend to vary from 6 to 8 feet. The general rule of choosing the rod length is that longer rods cast longer distances and shorter rods cast shorter distances.
• Rod eyelet : the rod eyelet is often made of hard plastic, metal, or fired porcelain. These eyelets are mounted vertically to the rod body. The number of eyelets corresponds to the length of the fishing rod.

3. Where to buy Japanese fishing rods?

One of the things buyers care about is where to buy good Japanese fishing rods. Here are 5 handpicked reputable websites offering genuine Japanese fishing rods that can be helpful to you. Let’s see!

3.1. Janbox

Website: https://www.janbox.com

If you are looking for services to buy Japanese items, welcome to Janbox. We are a service unit specializing in ordering genuine goods on commercial sites and reputable Japanese websites. We will help you own the best Japanese fishing rods according to your needs.

3.2. Rakuten

Website: https://www.rakuten.co.jp/

This is famous as the largest e-commerce company in Japan. Rakuten is compared with a flexible online shopping mall with lots of high-quality products, including fishing rods. This website has plenty of goods at reasonable prices. It is easy for you to search and purchase the best Japanese fishing rods on Rakuten .

3.3. Amazon Japan

Website: http://www.Amazon.co.jp

This is also a renowned e-commerce website in the Japanese market, where you can look for any items you love. Fishing rods on Amazon Japan are described in detail in Japanese and English. Therefore, the buyers can follow the steps of product selection as well as payment. However, you might have some trouble when ordering fishing rods from Amazon Japan if you are unable to verify your identity. It is advised that you should hire services to buy Japanese fishing rods on this website.

3.4. Yahoo Auction

Website: https://shopping.yahoo.co.jp/

Yahoo Auction is another website on which you are able to purchase a genuine Japanese fishing rod. You can save 20-50% of your budget when buying authentic products via this online auction. Like Amazon Japan, you also need to verify your identity to take part in Yahoo Auction . So, the best way is to use a Japanese auction service.

3.5. Aucfan

When it comes to the best Japanese website to buy fishing rods, Aucfan is a good choice for you. Through this online shopping website, you can easily find a lot of Japanese fishing rods from many famous brands. It is quite easy to create an account on Aucfan, and then you can search for the product quickly.

3.6. Kakaku

Same as Aucfan, you are able to look at shops that sell Japanese fishing rods on Kakaku. One of the advantages of this website is that the price of products are highlighted in red, which makes it easy for you to find items and save your time.

Above are some websites where you can buy Japanese fishing rods.

Have you chosen the most suitable Japanese fishing rods that meet your requirements? There are always fishing rods that are great for you, whether you are a newbie or a professional fisher. So, with the above-mentioned Japanese fishing rod brands, you will never go wrong.  Now, with the support of Janbox, purchasing these famous fishing brands is easier than ever. Don’t forget to check out our site if you want to get any help from our wholehearted service team.

We hope you found this article inspring! If you did, we’d love if you could share it with your fellow Japan lovers. You’re also welcome to join us on  Facebook ,  Pinterest ,  Twitter  and  Instagram for more tips and inspiration!

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About Janbox – Japan In A Box

Most Japanese online shopping is extremely difficult because the majority of Japanese websites do not ship internationally and only take domestic credit cards . For that reason, Janbox’s mission is to simplify buying process from Japan for consumers. We’ll help you to optimize the products with our intelligent proxy service . You may buy high-quality items from Japan and have them sent to your house quickly and safely with just a few simple steps!

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Home » Gear » The BEST Travel Fishing Rods – Cast Off in 2024!

The BEST Travel Fishing Rods – Cast Off in 2024!

I love to fish all over the world. Fishing somewhere new is always fun, but the exciting uncertainty of fishing in a totally new country or biome is unbeatable.

I’ve had some of my most raw and authentic travel experiences with local fishermen in remote locations. It’s so rewarding bonding over such a primal activity and commonly shared passion, all whilst spending time in nature. Nothing beats enjoying a well-earned meal at the end of it too!

Fish of all shapes, sizes and colours can be found in each of the world’s waters. Spending time in some unbelievable and serene off-the-beaten-path spots is what makes travel and fishing such a match made in heaven.

Talking as someone with plenty of experience, travelling with bulky fishing gear isn’t ideal. The best travel fishing rods, however, bridge this great divide and allow me to combine my two favourite activities effortlessly – fishing and travel.

If you’re wondering how to travel with fishing rods, the number one piece of advice I’ll give you is to invest in a travel rod! I’m going to share with you some of my personal favourite travel rods in this post, some of which fit INSIDE my backpack.

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The 5 BEST Fishing Rods For Travel

5 more great travel fishing rods, how to travel with fishing rods, ethical and sustainable travel fishing, final thoughts on travel fishing rods.

Travel fishing rods are better for backpackers as they take up far less space than your standard rods – without compromising on quality. Fitting a rod into your bag or strapping it to the outside of your pack makes for a more realistic approach to fishing on the road.

Travelling the world with a fishing rod opens so many doors. You can catch your dinner in the smallest of streams by the roadside, or hop on a local’s boat and explore the ocean. Different fishing rods are good for different things, so here’s a list of my favourite travel rods , and what I think they’re useful for.

Overall Best Travel Fishing Rod – X5 Adventure by Rigged and Ready

Image: Rigged and Ready

• Length: 1.90m – 2.20m (41 cm transport length)

• Weight: 160g to 163g

• Price: £75 or $91 (£129 or $161 With Reels)

• Type: Spin and Fly

The X5 Adventure is my number one travel companion. The rod packs up so small it fits INSIDE of my day pack. I mean, the thing is bonkers.

For a rod so small, it packs a serious punch. It comes with five different combinations and four unbreakable rod tips. It’s my favourite travel rod because, thanks to the interchangeable rod tips, I basically have four different rods. This lets me do all my types of fishing, all with just the X5 (fly, cast, bait-cast, spin and bait).

I recently took this rod along with me on my brief stay in Malta and had a great time. I caught lots of different fish and it fit in my easyJet carry-on luggage. Yep, it’s that small.

There is also an X5 MAX version of this rod, which I would recommend to anyone who wants a great travel rod with a bit more backbone for heavier lures, or surf/sea fishing. There is an option to get an X5 package with a great spin (RR3000) and fly reel included too which is what I did. I love it.

One of the main reasons I love Rigged and Ready products so much is their unbeatable warranty and parts replacement service . They have a no-questions-asked part replacement or money-back policy that lasts for two years! This is valid if you lose or break a part on the road, for ANY reason.

There is a five-year support system too (you basically just pay for postage) on all products which is very easy to claim too. In short, investing in a Rigged and Ready Travel is a safe bet by definition. Not only do you get multiple rods in one, but it pretty much comes insured!

Second Best Fishing Rod for Travel – Shimano STC

Image: Shimano

• Length: 2.40m (64cm transport length)

• Weight: 142g

• Price: £107 or $131

• Type: Spin

The STC series is a classic travel rod range of spinning rods with lengths from 2.4m up to 3m and casting weights from 10 to 100g. I like the 20-60 gram STC rod as a good all-rounder (stats listed as 20-60g variant).

The transport length of the rods is kept to a maximum of 65cm, ensuring that you can fit the rod in your backpack, suitcase, car or wherever you want to store it!

The Shimano STC is a great option for any traveller looking to purchase a travel rod for a specific usage such as spinning and knows the weight of lures they want to use. Shimano is a great brand, and this lightweight, ultra-strong rod is one of my favourite pieces of Shimano kit.

The rods come with a two-year manufacturer’s warranty – but it can be difficult to claim.

Best Collapsable Travel Fishing Rod – Infinite Ultimate by Rigged and Ready

• Length: 1.07m to 2.80m (49cm transport length)

• Weight: 125g to 245g

• Price: £130 or $163

• Type: All Types

The Infinite Ultimate by Rigged and Ready is essentially the most comprehensive rod package out there.

If you are looking to just buy one rod and use it for all your fishing, look no further than the infinite ultimate. This rod is a 25-in-1. Yes, there are 25 different ways to use this fishing rod – it truly is one of a kind.

The numerous parts and combinations can be a little confusing at the beginning, but that’s the only remotely negative thing I can say about this rod. It’s not as small or compact as some of the other travel rods on this list, but you won’t find a more complete travel fishing set out there, I promise. This thing is a unique piece of kit for any avid all-round angler who loves to travel.

It’s not the cheapest travel rod on the internet, but when you consider the fact that you’re buying 25 rods in one, all of a sudden, it becomes astonishing value!

Best Telescopic Travel Fishing Rod – KastKing BlackHawk II

Image: KastKing

• Length: 1.98m t0 2.84m (53.4cm transport length)

• Weight: 115g to 163g

• Price: £100 or $49 (USA Only)

• Type: Spin, Cast

The Kast King Black Hawk II sells like crazyyy on Amazon, it’s probably the most popular travel rod out there.

With 14 length options to purchase, this one-piece telescopic rod is one of the best telescopic travel rods on the market . It compresses to just one-third of its total length telescopically. I like the shortest option (6’6″ or 198cm) as I like my travel rods to be as compact as possible.

I love telescopic rods – they are so quick and easy and I would recommend them to beginners. They are not the most sturdy things though (sometimes). A multiple-piece rod could be a better option for some more keen anglers.

It’s one of the most affordable travel rods available, so I would recommend it on that alone . KastKing makes some quality stuff, and this rod is a good option for almost anyone.

There is a useful one-year ‘total peace of mind warranty’ available with this rod too which is great, but it can be tough to redeem.

Best Lightweight Travel Fishing Rod – Fish Rig 180 by Rigged and Ready

• Length: 1.60m t0 1.80m (48cm transport length)

• Weight: 90g

• Price: £67 or $84

This is my personal go-to light rod, I must have caught hundreds of fish on this thing and call it my ‘pocket rocket’. Don’t underestimate its power and capabilities because of its size.

Whilst I wouldn’t really recommend this rod for all types of fishing, this rod stays in my car… ALWAYS. I can set it up in about one minute thanks to its telescopic system, and it’s the perfect travel rod for opportunists.

The Fish Rig 180 is a super-lightweight travel rod that comes with two rod tips. It’s my favourite rod for hikes and treks due to its weight.

The thing weighs just 90 grams! That’s lighter than some lures.

I wouldn’t recommend the Fish Rig 180 for sea fishing though. It’s light and can handle some decent fish, but something with a bit more backbone is better for sea fishing in my opinion. The Fish Rig 180 is perfect for mountainous lakes, small rivers and maybe some shallow or micro jigging.

If you haven’t found what you’re looking for, here are more of the most popular travel rods out there. They are popular for a reason – they’re EPIC!

The World Traveller by Rigged and Ready

• Length: 1.90m to 2.15m (43cm transport length)

• Weight: 146g to 150g

• Price: £90 or $110

• Type: Spin, Bait-Cast and Bait.

The World Traveller is Rigged and Ready’s original travel rod. It is the perfect travel rod for an all-around fisherman who wants to combine efficiency and functionality.

This rod has been popular for a reason, and as the name suggests, this thing was made for you world travellers. The rod actually comes with a great reel too (RR3000), so it really is the full package.

The World Traveller comes with two interchangeable rod tips as part of a six-piece rod. The rod tips are a standard lure weight (10-20g) and a heavier short tip for 15-40g lures. I’ve caught pike, perch, chub, carp and a handful of saltwater fish like mackerel and sea bass when using this rod in the UK.

Abu Garcia Diplomat V2 Travel Rod

Image: Abu Garcia

• Length: 2.13m to 3.04m (58cm transport length)

• Weight: 114g to 213g

• Price: £89 or $110 (With Reel)

Abu Garcia is one of my favourite fishing brands. It is world-renowned, and their tackle has NEVER let me down after over 15 years of usage.

In the words of Abu Garcia themselves, “The famous DIPLOMAT range stands for mobility and travelling.”

Abu Garcia’s Diplomat V2 travel rod range has four different rod lengths ranging from 2.13m to 3.04m (Light-Heavy). Depending on the length you opt for, this rod can be either a four or five-piece set. It can cast lures as heavily as 55g and as light as 3g.

Whilst this flexibility does sound great, it lacks the flexibility of interchangeable rod tips offered by competitors such as Rigged and Ready rods – so you’re kind of stuck with what you choose.

It’s sold as an exclusively freshwater rod, but the heavier variants will work fine in saltwater. The 5-21g version is competitively priced at $110 WITH an Abu Garcia WFS reel which is a marvellous piece of kit.

Daiwa Travel Combo

Image: Daiwa US

• Length: 2.18m (71cm transport length)

• Weight: 450g (With Reel)

• Price: £120 or $147

This Travel Combo by Daiwa is a great option for opportunists. It’s a highly functional telescopic rod that can be set up and packed away in just minutes. It also comes with a Daiwa Crossfire 2500 spinning reel included in the price.

This is more of a freshwater combo, but it can be used in saltwater too – just don’t expect greatness.

That being said, this is a great telescopic rod, and one of the best travel rods that exists. It’s great value, Daiwa is a great and reputable brand, and the fact that this set comes with a reel makes it a great full-package option.

The thing feels great to use and it’s very strong for a telescopic rod. I would recommend it to most anglers who want to opt for a brand they trust.

My favourite thing about the Daiwa Travel Combo is the carry case. It’s compact, functional and more importantly… it looks the part.

Shakespeare Ugly Stik Travel

Image: Shakespeare UK

• Length: 1.98m (54cm transport length)

• Weight: 302g

• Price: £45 or $55

This four-piece travel rod is a classic. Shakespeare holds a special place in my heart as it is the brand that introduced me to fishing. As a kid, I owned tons of Shakespeare gear and it is ALL really good shit.

The Shakespeare Ugly Stik Travel is a four-piece travel rod which is perfect for beginners.

Shakespeare is always a great option for affordable fishing gear without compromising on quality and the Ugly Stik Travel is no exception. At £45 (under $60), this is a steal that fits in your carry-on luggage.

It’s a little heavier than the other rods out there but is still a great choice for freshwater anglers. The cast weight is 5-15g so it’s a bit optimistic to use this for most types of saltwater fishing.

Unfortunately, despite a great 7-YEAR guarantee being on offer for this rod, it’s extremely tough to claim – I wouldn’t bank on it. I would recommend this travel rod for beginners, children or as a gift.

The Predator by Rigged and Ready

• Length: 1.85m to 2.20m (65cm transport length)

• Weight: 144g to 147g

• Price: £80 or $100

• Type: Spin, Bait-Cast

The Predator by Rigged and Ready is a great option for those who fish to hunt for magnificent and marvellous beasts. It is a slightly larger travel rod than other options on this list, but it has the strength and backbone to justify its bulkiness.

This is the perfect rod for anyone who wants to do some more heavy-duty spinning or lure fishing. It has a unique spin or bait cast microtrigger handle and I have caught some MONSTERS on it. For a travel rod, this thing is strong. 

Paired with the RR3000 or a bait caster (sold separately), this thing feels so well-balanced and nice to use. I recommend the Predator to any… predator anglers… obviously.

If you want the strongest of strong travel rods, I’d recommend the S MAX by Rigged and Ready . But the Predator is my pick for the best rod that combines the convenience of travel with the ability to sea fish, cast big heavy lures, or target behemoths.

Travelling with a fishing rod can be challenging at times. You’re also gonna need some more gear, or as fishermen call it, tackle. 

You’ll need a reel, some line and other basics like some hooks, lures, baits and weights. Buying a durable and compact tackle box to fit all your gear is my advice, but a basic food storage box will do.

Compact travel rods reduce the inconvenience of travelling with long poles, but you still may run into a few issues. Theft is a minor concern, as some of the gear isn’t cheap.

Keep your eyes on your tackle and treat it as you would any other valuable belongings.

Taking rods, hooks and tackle on buses, planes and other transport shouldn’t be an issue. Big rods may have to be checked if they don’t fit in your carry-on bag. I have been stopped at airports for having MASSIVE treble hooks in my box though  – avoid this. 

When travelling with a travel rod, it still may be slightly too big (depending on what rod you choose) to fit in (or strap onto) your bag. In this case, I would recommend storing it in places such as behind hostel/hotel desks to keep it safe. Overhead lockers, under hostel beds, with bus drivers, and on balconies are all places I’ve stowed my sticks.

One final recommendation I have for travellers is to CLEAN and pack away any rods and tackle in between sessions. Avoiding fishy smells is a must. I’ve had times where I didn’t decamp my rigs and ended up breaking rod tips, hooking bus seats and snagging line on passing pedestrians. It’s just not worth it.

Fishing ethically and looking after fish (fish care) is non-negotiable. Sport fishing is ethically questionable already, so it’s important to take extra care. Fish are living things and they’re worthy of respect.

If you are fishing for food, do so sustainably and only ever take what you need. Practice catch-and-release fishing where possible and do not target vulnerable species or fish in conservation/marine protected areas. Always follow laws and bylaws – wherever you’re fishing.

Stay prepared with a way to unhook fish quickly or cut line or hooks (plyers/wire cutters). You may also need somewhere to rest or land fish. A net, a mat, a rockpool or some wet grass will do fine.

Killing fish ethically is important. I usually give ‘em one swift and powerful strike to the back of the head before bleeding them out. Never let fish suffocate . If you are releasing the fish you catch, take your photo and get them back in the water ASAP.

Sometimes accidents happen, I’ve hooked stingrays, snapping turtles, and even birds all accidentally. In this case, it’s best to release the animal as quickly as possible, sometimes you’re able to do so easily and hassle-free. However, sadly, just cutting the line is sometimes the best option.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Before You Cast Off!

Fishing can be dangerous and accidents do happen – not to mention the possibility of losing gear! Some good quality travel insurance is never a bad idea – just make sure it covers fishing as a sport/activity.

ALWAYS sort out your backpacker insurance before your trip. There’s plenty to choose from in that department, but a good place to start is Safety Wing .

They offer month-to-month payments, no lock-in contracts, and require absolutely no itineraries: that’s the exact kind of insurance long-term travellers and digital nomads need.

SafetyWing is cheap, easy, and admin-free: just sign up lickety-split so you can get back to it!

Click the button below to learn more about SafetyWing’s setup or read our insider review for the full tasty scoop.

Travel fishing rods are simply amazing, they’re the perfect invention to accompany any keen angler abroad. I never travel without them now, and I go carry-on only! 

It’s important to decide which type of fishing you want to be doing BEFORE you buy a rod. 

Smaller rods will be good for dropping off piers and sussing out small rivers, lakes, ponds and streams. They are more easily transportable, but won’t be able to cast far or fight big fish.

I use the Fish Rig 180 by Rigged and Ready for my occasional, opportunistic and quick sessions.

If you want to do some beach/surf fishing or hop on a boat, I’d recommend a bigger travel rod, with a larger casting weight. The X5 MAX Adventure by Rigged and Ready is my go-to for this. The Predator or S MAX would be good for larger fish too.

If you’re not sure what type of fishing you’ll be doing, grabbing a good all-round option would be the safe shout. Something like the Shimano STC would be good . The Infinite Ultimate by Rigged and Ready will be great as it is so versatile and flexible. It just has so many rod tips, making it great for different types of fishing.

As a final note, I want to say something realistic. It’s called fishing not catching for a reason. It’s important to understand that when fishing in totally new places, (or anywhere really) it’s normal to sometimes not to catch anything (blank).

Connecting with locals, connecting with yourself and connecting with nature is what it’s really all about.

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Joe Middlehurst

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Everything You Wondered About Japan

Top Japanese Fishing Rod Brands Today

Fishing is a popular leisure sport in Japan. Traditionally, Japan has been a leading manufacturer of fishing gear with brands that are preferred all over the world. Here are the top 10 Japanese brands for fishing rods.

Usaki Nissin

When it comes to fishing, often the focus is on the lures and the boat. However, the fishing rod is also a very important tool. A good rod can make your fishing time more enjoyable and productive. Finding the right fishing rod depends on several factors such as the type of fish you are looking to catch and the distance through which you want to cast the line.

Shimano is one of the oldest brands for fishing rods. Their fishing rods are known to be low in weight yet strong. They provide high sensitivity and superior grip. With new materials and technologies, they continue to improve the rods. The brand has come up with different series for fishing rods. All these rods are quite popular among fishing enthusiasts.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by ShimanoFishSEA (@shimanofishsea)

The brand started out with making rods from glass and moved on to using polyester resin. As they improved upon the designs, they started using ‘polybler’, and strong carbon fiber. They use different techniques to give their fishing rods a lightweight body and a great finish. No wonder then that this Japanese brand is well known all over the world for great fishing rods. Apart from rods, they also have reels and lures.

• Website : https://fish.shimano.com/
• Recommended product : Shimano Trevela Graphite Saltwater Jigging Spinning Rod

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Megabass Inc. (@megabass_inc)

The brand designs fishing rods with high functionality for great performance. And these are fishing rods that are good-looking, too. The designs are artistic and provide optimum comfort during fishing. The Megabass brand claims that their fishing rods are not just tools to catch fish but something that fish enthusiasts would love to own! Great materials and unparalleled engineering ensure that the fishing rods give a superior user experience.

The fishing rods are designed by Yuki Ito. His experience in fishing technology and his passion for the sport shows in the bespoke designs. The designs are quintessentially Japanese. The craftsmanship used in their products is inspired by traditional Japanese craft. The philosophy of the brand is “ Form follows Emotion “. And each product follows this philosophy to create products that users would love.

• Website : https://www.megabass.co.jp/
• Recommended product : Megabass Destroyer P5 F6-69X

View this post on Instagram A post shared by 元木 創一朗 (@ms110723)

Jackall is a Japanese brand that produces fishing rods, lures, and other fishing accessories. They make casting as well as spinning fishing rods. The Jackall fishing rods are known for better balance and high sensitivity. The rods are designed to be lightweight but with a good grip. The one thing going about this brand is that they are priced really well with respect to the quality that they offer.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by (悪)MAR (@sotosukisentai2)

There is a line of Jackall fishing rods that are manufactured in collaboration with Shimano. However, the brand also has a good presence of its own in the fishing circles.

• Website : https://www.jackall.co.jp/
• Recommended product : Jackall Egg Arm Shorty

Imakatsu is a well-known Japanese brand that deals with different fishing lures. Their fishing rods are also quite popular due to the unique design features. The fishing rods are designed by Naoyuki Mihara.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by 河野正彦(こうのまさひこ) (@kouno_1)

The Rodeo Ride Reviver range from Imakatsu puts ease of use at the forefront. Keeping in mind the operability, the rods are made to make throwing easy. The rods have a good, firm grip. The Rodeo Ride Reviver is made for catching heavy bass. Thus, the rod design helps to stab the hook firmly before it is spit out. The rods are designed to enhance your fishing technique.

• Website : https://www.imakatsu.co.jp/
• Recommended product : Rodeo Ride Reviver Ventolist

Japanese brand Gan Craft has been popular for lures for many years. However, over a decade ago, they launched fishing rods, too. These rods are now easily available. They are also gaining popularity as good-quality fishing equipment.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by このちゃん💋 (@knm0419)

The ‘Scarface’ from Gan Craft has banks made from strong carbon fiber. It helps to have better hooking. Gan Craft also makes custom rods for fishing.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by 吉田 撃 （公式） (@geki_style)

• Website : https://gancraft.com/english/
• Recommended product : Gan Craft Rod Killers00-Blue

The brand Daiwa is well-known for the reels they produce. Their fishing rods, too, provide great quality at an affordable price. With designs made for durability and sensitivity, these lightweight rods are a great buy. They are carefully crafted with a water-resistant coating. These rods are great for use for a longer duration of time.

With cutting-edge technology and great designs, Daiwa has a decent range of fishing rods for all purposes. Whether you are a pro fisher or a beginner, Daiwa will have a rod that’s perfect for you.

• Website : https://www.daiwa.com/global/en/
• Recommended product : Daiwa D – Wave Saltwater Spinning Combo

View this post on Instagram A post shared by ますへい (@masuhei.jp)

Nories is founded by Norio Tanabe. He has used his extensive experience of fishing in Japan as well as America to launch a wide range of fishing accessories. Tanabe himself, along with other specialists design the products created under the brand Nories. The products are crafted based on real fishing experiences. And they are tested extensively to get the best quality. The designs combine traditional craftsmanship with modern designs.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dezhill (@dezhill_tokyo)

The ideology behind the brand is to provide the joy of fishing for the users. They have a wide range of products suitable for all types of fishing styles and preferences.

• Website : https://www.nories.com/eng/
• Recommended product : Nori-zu Torautopuroguramu

View this post on Instagram A post shared by RAID JAPAN®︎ Entertainment (@raidjapan_entertainment)

Raid Japan creates lures and anglers for fishing. For fishing rods, they have two series – Gladiator Maximum and Gladiator Anti. The rods come in different weights from ultra-light to heavy depending on the use and preference. The concept behind Gladiator Maximum and Gladiator Anti is almost the opposite. However, these two series only go on to prove that Raid Japan has a fishing rod for every use.

• Website : http://raidjapan.com/

View this post on Instagram A post shared by mahseertackle (@mahseertackle)

Geecrack was founded in Japan in 2014. However, the brand has quickly made its mark in the fishing arena fairly quickly. Today, it is a trusted brand for fishing rods and other accessories.

Geecrack has three series for fishing rods – Double Dutch, Double Dutch PG, and DD Galaxxy. The rods are powerful and rigid with high sensitivity. Most of the fishing rods by Geecrack feature an x-carbon wrapping butt. It gives a better grip and reduces twisting. It also provides better shock absorption.

• Website : http://www.geecrack.com/freshwaterEN/

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Andrius (@tratatunas)

Usaki Nissin was founded over 70 years ago. The company started with manufacturing fishing rods made from bamboo. Keeping up with the improving technology in fishing rods manufacturing, they used glass fiber, carbon rods, and other materials. Their manufacturing unit is in Hyogo, Japan. They sell within Japan mostly. However, some of their products are available online, too.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Chris Stewart (@tenkarabum)

The brand leverages the Japanese know-how on fishing techniques in its manufacturing process. It aims to provide high-quality products for professional as well as leisure fishing enthusiasts in Japan as well as the world over. Ares and Curtis are the well-known fishing rod series from Nissin.

• Website : http://www.u-nissin.co.jp/
• Recommended product : Uzaki Nissin Pro Spec 2way 360 7:3 Tenkara Fishing Rod

There are fishing rods out there that are great for you whether you are just beginning to learn how to fish or whether you fish as a sport. Also, there are fishing rods for all budgets. And when it comes to the Japanese brands mentioned above, you can’t go wrong. So, which one are you going to choose?

A software engineer, entrepreneur, and Japanese culture enthusiast. I travel the world while working from my laptop and try to visit Japan as often as I can. About Eli Civil

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Finesse-Fishing.com has closed and has nothing left to sell, other than a few used books. I have decided to leave the website up as a resource for people interested in fishing with light rods, light lines and light lures - true finesse fishing.

JDM Spinning Rods

Spin fishing for trout in Japan is divided into "Native" (also called wild or natural) fishing in mountain streams and "Area" fishing (stocked, managed trout ponds). Some Areas are on streams, but the streams are a series of man-made pools constructed by building rock dams across the stream at intervals. Fishing the pools is essentially the same as fishing in a lake - there are no obstructions and minimal current.

For all the rods, though, there will be a gap between the sections. It is supposed to be like that. Please don't try to force the sections together.

JDM Spinning Rods for Native Trout

The rods used in Japan for fishing in streams are firmer and more tip flex than the Area rods. Even though the fish that are caught in Japanese streams are almost always much smaller than those caught in Areas, anglers have to deal with the current, which is often swift in the high-gradient mountain streams. Also, keeping fish out of snags is a concern in wild streams but not in managed trout ponds.

The lures also tend to be different. Many anglers use micro spoons in the Areas and "minnow" lures in streams. They look similar to the familiar Rapala, but they are primarily heavy, sinking minnows weighing over 1/8 oz. Although spinners are extremely popular in the US, they are not popular in Japan. They do exist, but they aren't very popular.

I learned from talking to Japanese anglers that they feel catching trout with spinners is too easy. They impart action to their minnow lures, and learning what the fish want that day with respect to the strength and frequency for the rod tip twitches and jerks is seen as a challenge that makes trout fishing more interesting. I truly believe they would prefer to catch ten hard won trout than ten times that many if they came too easily.

Whether you prefer spinners, spoons or plugs, though, the JDM spinning rods for wild or native trout would be a better choice than the Area rods for stream fishing here in the US. Stream anglers here face the same challenges with current and snags as the Japanese anglers do, plus one significant challenge that most Japanese anglers do not face - the possibility for big fish!

There is one notable exception, though, and that is when fishing a relatively small, relatively gentle stream for smaller fish. One of my favorite streams is pretty low gradient, and nearly all of the fish are in the 5 to 7" range. Micro spoons are very effective at catching them, and an Area rod does very nicely with the smaller lures and smaller fish.

The best stream spin fisherman I know of is Frank Nale, who lives in south-central PA. He regularly catches wild trout over 16" - which for most anglers in Japan would be the catch of a lifetime. Granted, he doesn't catch fish that size on every outing - or even every other outing, but nearly every outing at least offers the opportunity for a large fish. An Area rod can certainly tame a 16" fish in a lake with few obstructions, but in a river with current, not to mention rocks and logs, the firmer backbone of a native trout rod would be better - for hook sets as well as controlling and then netting the fish.

The nicest spinning rods for trout that I have ever seen are the Tenryu Rayz series of rods. The top of the line is the Spectra, which is what I call a "Wow" rod (everyone who picks it up says "wow" - seriously). In addition to the Tenryu Rayz Spectra RZS51LL, I currently stock several Tenryu Rayz spinning rods designed for wild trout.

The RZ4102S-UL and RZ542S-L are designed specifically for fishing wild trout streams in Japan - and will be just as much at home on small to medium sized streams here in the US. The RZ4102S-UL is designed for light lures and light lines (1/32 - 3/16 oz lures and 1 - 4 lb lines), while the RZ542S-L is designed for heavier lures and lines (1/16 - 1/4 oz lures and 3 - 6 lb lines).

The Tenryu Rayz Integral RZI48UL-4 and RZI48L-4 are four-piece "travel" rods. I call them four-piece "convenient" rods! One of the things I have definitely gotten used to with my tenkara fishing over the past ten years is the extreme convenience of having a rod that collapses to about 20" or less. You can carry them very easily strapped to a backpack, and some collapse down to a length that will fit completely inside even a modest day pack. The Tenryu Rayz Integral 4-piece rods break down to just under 16"! They will fit inside a backpack (and in your carry-on bag)!

For some reason that I do not understand, people seem to have a bias against multi-piece rods. Fifty years ago, when rods were glass and ferrules were metal, that feeling made sense. Now? Not so much. Technology has moved on and modern multi-piece rods are excellent. I guess my feeling on that also comes from fishing with tenkara rods, which often have 8 or 9 sections, and keiryu rods which may have 13 sections or more. They cast just fine. They fight fish just fine. It is the same with the Tenryu Rayz Integral 4-piece rods - they are wonderful rods that cast and fish just fine. And they are so much more convenient than even a 2-piece rod that if you try one you may never go back.

Many of the JDM spinning rods designed for stream fishing are short, with 5' to 5'6" being common lengths. When fishing smaller streams, a shorter rod is easier to maneuver and easier to cast accurately. While there are a few Area spinning rods under 6' in length, most Area rods are limited to lure weights of less than 1/8 ounce. Thus, the Area rods don't give you what you will want for stream fishing - the backbone to give you solid hook sets and keep a fish away from logs and branches and the ability to fish heavier plugs.

The JDM trout rods definitely are not "all around" or "one-size-fits-all" rods. They are designed for a specific purpose - but for that purpose they are just wonderful tools.

JDM Spinning Rods for Area Trout

"Areas" are pay-to-fish stocked trout ponds. There are a few of those in the US as well, but they aren't that popular. In Japan, where there are lots of anglers and not a lot of places to fish, they are quite popular and fishing pressure is intense. Some Areas also have stocked streams, but ponds are much more common.

Just as bass anglers' need for greater finesse gave rise to the Bait Finesse System, Area trout anglers' need for lighter lures and lighter lines has given rise to the XUL (extra ultra light) Area trout rods. They have a more progressive bend, in part for casting the light lures but even more for protecting the hair-thin lines. The rods and reels are rated for lines down to 1# and lures down to .4 gram - less than 1/64th ounce.

Although pay-to-fish trout ponds are not popular here, there are thousands of lakes that hold trout, and the Area rods are perfectly suited for them. For that matter, there must be hundreds of thousands of ponds and lakes that hold sunfish and crappies, and the Area rods are perfectly suited for them, too! And if you happen to hook a bass? If you are fishing open water, the rod will do its job and tire the fish. I've caught lots of smallies in Maine on 2 lb line.  However, if you are fishing with a soft Area rod and very light line around heavy cover, all I can say is I wouldn't use expensive lures.

The "Area" rods, designed for fishing lakes, are softer rods than their stream counterparts. Because you don't have to fight the current as well as the fish, you don't need quite the backbone you do for a stream rod. The progressive bend and a reel with a good drag will subdue good sized fish faster than you would imagine.

There is another reason for the difference in Native and Area rods. In Japan, the most popular lure for native trout is a sinking minnow lure. The most popular lure for fishing in areas is a micro spoon . A rod designed for twitching a heavy sinking minnow needs to be firmer, and have a firmer tip in particular than a rod designed for fishing a micro spoon with a steady retrieve.

I have seen a couple YouTube videos of a Japanese angler fishing a mountain stream with a rod designed for Areas, using a micro spoon and a Smith AR-S spinner, both of which also were designed for Areas.

I have tried it myself with a Daiwa Presso ST and a Tenryu Rayz Alter ( Trip Report 9-2-19 ). An Area rod is perfectly capable of fishing micro spoons and small spinners in mountain streams. If the fish are not too large and the current not too fast, an Area rod is not only extremely effective, it's a lot of fun.

I have been a bit surprised at how micro fishing has taken off in the US. Most people who are getting into micro fishing use spinning rods rather than dedicated micro fishing rods like the rods used for tanago fishing in Japan.

Even ultra light spinning rods are overkill for really small fish. If you fish small streams for small fish, consider the Daiwa Iprimi 56XXUL-S which is rated for lures as light as 4/10 of a gram (about 1/70 ounce)! Small fish are in almost every body of water. You don't have to book a trip to Patagonia to find them. With the right gear (a very light, sensitive rod) even the small sunnies in the town park are a lot of fun!

If you want a rod that can cast lures small enough for the common shiners in that little creek that no one ever fishes, this rod will do it and do it nicely.

Ajing and Mebaru Rods

Ajing and Mebaru rods are covered in much greater detail on the Ajing and Mebaru Rods page, but as a brief introduction, they are designed for ultralight salt water fishing. Although most anglers in the US wouldn't think that "ultralight" and "salt water" even belong in the same sentence, it is quite popular in Japan.

Aji are what we would call horse mackerel, and Mebaru are fairly modest sized sea bass. The fish are different, so the rods are different.

Aji are open water fish and are constantly swimming. If a school happens to come up on your lure from behind, it is very likely that one will take it and keep swimming towards you. That is a very hard bite to detect, so ajing rods are extremely sensitive. They are relatively stiff rods (to be sensitive) with soft tips (to protect a very light line).

Ajing rods are quite popular in the US, but not for mackerel fishing! They are used primarily for sunfish,  fishing with light jigs and small plastics. The same ajing jig heads and plastics used in Japan for aji work very nicely here for sunfish of any variety.

Mebaru live around the rocks on the bottom. The rods used to catch them are softer and more mid flex than the ajing rods. Mebaru are not large, and the lines used to catch them are light. People here in the US use mebaru rods primarily for crappie fishing. The softer rod is a better choice for crappie as it is less likely to rip the hook out of the crappie's tender mouth.

The Tenryu Lunakia LK6102S-MLT was designed to work well for both aji and mebaru. It is a bit softer and not quite as fast as an ajing rod, and just a bit stiffer and faster than a mebaru rod. If you want one rod for crappies and sunfish (and smallmouth, and white bass and, ... and ...) it would be a good choice. The shorter Lunakia LK632S-LMLS is an ajing rod (but it's still a lot of fun with sunfish).

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10 of the best hotels in Tokyo, from charming ryokans to Japanese onsen retreats

Japan’s capital is one of the most diverse and thrilling cities on Earth — but its sheer size can make choosing a hotel daunting. Here are 10 places to stay in Tokyo to make your trip all the more memorable.

With its glinting skyscrapers, narrow alleyways, lantern-festooned temples and neon-clad arcades, Tokyo is one of the most diverse and thrilling cities on Earth — but its sheer size can make choosing a hotel daunting. Over the past decade, accommodation options have broadened to include trendy ryokans (traditional inns) and indie hotels. Because there’s no single city ‘centre’ in the Japanese capital, you’ll almost certainly have to do some travelling — likely on the efficient metro system — to see its highlights, so don’t get overly hung up on location. Instead, think about what’s more important after a day’s sightseeing: an al fresco pool or a cool in-house bar.

1. Hoshinoya Tokyo

Best for: cultural immersion Leave the city, and your shoes, behind as you step onto the tatami floors of this skyscraper ryokan. It’s a low-lit retreat of shoji screen doors and incense-scented air, with a second-floor lobby that includes a little salon for tea ceremonies. The 84 rooms are spread across the next 14 floors, with each level centred around a traditional ochanoma lounge serving teas, sake and house-made snacks. The rooms themselves are plush, with raised-platform futon beds, deep-soak tubs and jersey kimono-style pyjamas. An immense 17th-floor onsen-spa has hot spring waters pumped in from 5,000ft below the city streets, with a vaulted roof that leaves it part-open to the elements. The 10-table basement restaurant serves exquisite French-Japanese tasting menus and the in-room bento box breakfasts are highly recommended. Rooms: From ¥112,000 (£589), two-night minimum stay.

2. OMO5 Tokyo Otsuka

Best for: budgeting In a skyscraper-cluttered metropolis, a hotel with an intimate, neighbourhood vibe can be a rare thing. Yet this branch of cool, affordable chain Omo, by Hoshino Resorts, has just that, packaged up in a modern building in the northern district of Otsuka. Cleverly designed rooms make the most of every square inch, with loft-style beds suspended above tatami mat seating areas and storage space integrated into walls and stairs. There’s also a laundry room on the fifth floor, where guests can wash and dry clothes for just a few quid, and an all-day cafe that transitions from breakfast space to coffeeshop to bar as the day progresses. Sign up for a local tour with one of the dedicated ‘Omo Rangers’, who will take you around the excellent local tempura and ramen shops — or even on an Otsuka bar crawl. Rooms: From ¥16,000 (£84).

3. TRUNK (Hotel) Cat Street

Best for: loft-style cool This felt like an entirely new concept in Tokyo when it first opened in 2017: a design-forward boutique hotel with universally appealing NYC-style coolness. Seven years on, the concept has now been copied many times in the city, but it’s still hard to top the original in the shopping area of Shibuya, just off Cat Street. Its lounge, restaurants and shop attract fashionable Tokyoites as much as hotel guests, and its bedrooms come with a breezy, minimalist aesthetic. Some have balconies with hammocks while larger options, like the Dining Suite, include spaces such as a kitchen area or terrace. Don’t be surprised to see dapper couples heading for the rooftop; it’s a popular venue for city weddings. Rooms: From ¥51,774 (£273).

4. Palace Hotel Tokyo

Best for: royal luxury This elegant hotel in Otemachi has long been a favourite with well-heeled Tokyoites who come for the dining options and spa. It helps that it’s mere steps away from the Imperial Palace, the city’s most exclusive address, and close to the swish shops of the upmarket Ginza district. Good-sized rooms — some of them featuring balconies — overlook an expanse of moat-carved gardens. An extensive breakfast buffet has princely appeal thanks to elegant platings of grilled fish, pickled plums, rice and miso soup; if that’s not to your taste, there’s eggs benedict and croissants, too. The in-house restaurants also have the wow factor, with two Michelin-starred options: French-inspired Esterre, in partnership with Ducasse Paris, and Chinese-focused Amber Palace. Rooms: From ¥91,800 (£483).

5. ONE@Tokyo

Best for: solo travellers In the east of the city, a 10-minute walk from the Tokyo Skytree observatory tower, One@Tokyo has a high-profile pedigree for a budget hotel, having been designed by Japanese starchitect Kengo Kuma. Functional yet not austere, its communal spaces — from the open lobby to the greenery-dotted rooftop — fuse industrial metallics with warm woods and a palette of unfussy greys. With their friendly price point and compact footprint, the lead-in standard semi-double rooms are perfect for solo travellers who want a step up in comfort and privacy from one of the city’s legendary capsule hotels. Long-stay discounts apply when booking for five nights, making it a perfect base if you’re planning day trips out of the city, too. Rooms: From ¥15,000 (£79).

6. Hotel New Otani Tokyo

Best for: amenities More urban resort than hotel, this vast property — once a filming location for the James Bond film You Only Live Twice — occupies a verdant location between multiple parks in the central Chiyoda ward. The hotel is fringed by 10 acres of 400-year-old Japanese gardens and, unusually for Tokyo, also has an al fresco swimming pool. The 1,474 rooms are spread across three wings, and there are more than three-dozen dining options, plus a lounge with free nibbles and drinks for Executive House Zen guests. Rooms: From ¥36,000 (£189).

7. Shiba Park Hotel

Best for: bookworms The printed page takes centre stage from the moment you walk in to this hotel, which houses a collection of around 1,500 books. As well as a double-height atrium lined with wooden shelves of books, there’s also a fireside library lounge and book corners on every floor, each themed around different aspects of Japanese culture. The rooms are comfy, contemporary retreats in which to curl up in with a good read — and the views of Tokyo Tower, lit up like a beacon at night, aren’t half bad either. Rooms: From ¥21,870 (£115).

8. Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo

Best for: families With reasonable prices, a prime location near Shinjuku station and views out to Mount Fuji on a clear day, this option ticks a lot of boxes. Rooms are a bit bland (unless you plump for a suite with tatami mats and shoji screen doors), but for families, the spacious four-bed options more than make up for the uninspiring decor. On-site experiences such as tea ceremonies make getting a culture fix easy if you’re wrangling kids. The seventh-floor outdoor pool, 11 restaurants and laundromat also help. Rooms: From ¥35,200 (£185).

9. Hotel Groove Shinjuku, A Parkroyal Hotel

Best for: nightlife-lovers For years, Shinjuku’s red-light district Kabukicho was rather sordid, the kind of place you’d head to for late-night karaoke and beers but not for a respectable hotel. All that’s changed with this recent opening, which reflects the fun of the city’s party heart but also has style and class. Set across floors 18 to 38 in the new Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, the rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the neon bustle below, as well as electric-hued carpets and the occasional pop art wall mural. On the building’s lower floors, a retro-styled arcade, cinema, live music space and food hall with regional dishes keep the entertainment flowing around the clock. Rooms: From ¥31,000 (£163).

10. Tokyo Station Hotel

Best for: European-style elegance Opened in 1915, and set within the original 20th-century Tokyo Station, this grand hotel could have been lifted from London or Paris. Red bricks and soaring domes characterise the exterior; chandeliers, marble and button-back headboards are part of the old-world European opulence inside. Take tea in the high-ceilinged lobby lounge, ringing with live piano music and the clink of fine silverware, and end the day at the venerable Bar Oak, which serves up an array of Japanese whiskies in moody, wood-lined environs. If you’re planning to adventure beyond the capital, the location is unbeatable. Tokyo Station is the main Shinkansen (bullet train) terminal, serving popular destinations such as Kyoto and Osaka, and you can go from bed to boarding in mere minutes. Rooms: From ¥135,332 (£711).  

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Japan blocks overcrowded selfie spot, bans tourists from traditional areas to cope with explosion of travellers

After fears that tourist numbers would never return to pre-pandemic levels, it may now be a case of too much of a good thing for Japan.

A combination of a weak yen, more affordable airfares, the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions and "revenge travel" has led to monthly visitors to Japan hitting a record high.

Over-tourism is now such a problem for one Japanese town it has erected a barrier to block snow-capped views of Mount Fuji, after locals complained about the bad behaviour of selfie-seeking visitors.

So, what measures have been implemented to curb over-tourism?

How is Japan handling over-tourism?

Over-tourism happens when so many visitors are attracted to an area that life becomes unpleasant for the locals, despite any economic or other ostensible benefits.

One of Japan's busiest tourist periods of the year ended on Monday.

Golden Week — which ran from April 27 to May 5 — coincided with multiple public holidays and near-perfect spring weather.

To help deal with all the international tourists in the country during one of Japan's busiest periods, authorities have tried a range of measures.

In Kamakura, a popular temple city, English-speaking guides have been helping to direct tourists to stop them obstructing busy train stations, according to Nikkei.

Kyoto's traditional neighbourhood, Gion, recently banned visitors from its small private alleys. 

Locals had complained of snap-happy tourists harassing the city's immaculately attired geisha, who had to remind them it was "not a theme park".

Authorities in Kyoto have also reportedly installed screens at the main train station showing live feeds of tourist areas so visitors can assess crowds and plan their trips better.

Many people visit the small, scenic Japanese town of Fujikawaguchiko in Yamanashi Prefecture, causing chaos on local streets while trying to photograph Mount Fuji.

Authorities said they had had enough of the excessive number of foreigners littering, ignoring traffic regulations and even climbing on roofs of office buildings in search of the perfect selfie spot.

Exasperated town officials eventually blocked the view of Mount Fuji with a 2.5-metre-high black barrier.

"It's regrettable we have to do this because of some tourists who can't respect rules," a town official said.

Hikers using the most popular route to climb Mount Fuji, where the climbing season begins in July, will be charged 2,000 yen ($19.50).

Numbers will be capped.

Where are Japan's visitors from?

The January earthquake in the western prefecture of Ishikawa had minimal impact on 2024 arrivals, according to the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO).

Tourist numbers have quickly rebounded, and apart from Australia, Japan has had a large influx of visitors from South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Street Kart, which offers rides for tourists in Tokyo, Okinawa and Osaka, said most were from Australia, the US, Canada and the UK — with decent numbers from Europe and Asia.

"The demand for our activity has risen significantly [this year] in conjunction with the increase of visitors to Japan," Street Kart spokesperson Mai Ishido told the ABC. 

However, tourism from China has stayed well below pre-pandemic levels.

The JNTO said visitors from China, which had made up nearly a third of all visitors and 40 per cent of tourist spending, were slowly returning.

The April numbers aren't out yet, but in March, visitors to Japan hit a record high of 3.08 million visitors, according to the JNTO.

The previous record of 2.99 million was set in July 2019 during a year that Japan welcomed a record 31.9 million visitors.

It's a stark contrast from the early days of the pandemic, when Tokyo banned spectators from the postponed Olympics in 2021 .

Tourists have been making the most of Japan's weak yen, which fell to a three-decade low against the US dollar last month. 

Even Australia's faltering currency still has buying power in Japan, with one dollar converting to almost 102 yen, up more than 10 per cent from a year ago.

A hearty dinner on Tokyo's famous Ramen Street will set you back around 1,080 yen ($10.60) while a bus ride in Kyoto costs 230 yen ($2.66) — both cheaper than Australia's capital cities.

What have other countries done?

Over-tourism has also affected other popular Asian destinations, like Bali and Thailand, with international travel returning to normal after the pandemic.

A new $15 tourism tax was introduced to Bail in February, after a series of incidents involving visitors desecrating holy sites and behaving badly.

In Thailand's Maya Bay, which was made famous by The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, a maximum of 375 visitors are allowed at one time.

Even though access had earlier been restricted and it was later closed for three years, an estimated 80 per cent of the coral reefs there died due to over-tourism.

While there are plenty of plans to restrict and control tourist numbers, not everyone in Japan is sick of all the foreign visitors.

Ms Ishido from Street Kart said there was no such thing as having too many tourists and that everyone was welcome.

"We hope to see many more happy smiling faces coming to and from our shops," spokeswoman Ms Ishido told the ABC.

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Everyone is visiting Japan. An extended currency slump means the tourists will just keep coming.

• Japan's weak currency is boosting tourism, with a record-breaking 3.1 million visitors in March.
• The devalued yen is encouraging tourists to spend more on luxury goods.
• The currency is negatively impacting outbound travel, with more Japanese tourists staying in the country.

Japan is a beloved tourist spot . A weak currency is ensuring that it will remain that way for foreigners.

The country just broke its pre-pandemic tourist record, with 3.1 million foreign visitors in March. The government said it's on track to surpass 2025's target of 32 million annual foreign visitors this year, after 8.6 million tourists visited in the first quarter of 2024.

Japan opened to tourists in October 2022, after over two years of strict, pandemic-induced border restrictions. Pent-up demand, combined with a cheaper currency, has fueled the record number of visitors.

Related stories

Tourists are staying longer and spending more due to the weak yen, which makes it cheaper for foreigners to purchase accommodation, activities, food, and gifts. The yen has fallen nearly 10% year-to-date , compared to the dollar.

Japan's currency has been depreciating largely due to high interest rates in the US, which makes the dollar more attractive to investors. A historic rate hike in Japan last month — the first since 2007 — did little to reverse the downward trend.

Japan is a tourist hot spot because of its status as a culture and entertainment icon, its natural wonders, and its unique cuisine. Tourists from South Korea, China, Taiwan, and the US made up the biggest portion of foreign visitors in March, according to Japan's National Tourism Organization.

Japanese carriers like Japan Airlines and ANA plan to cash in on the tourism boom by running more routes from Asia.

The sharp decline of the yen has also expanded demand for luxury goods. Foreign tourists are taking advantage of the currency discount by snapping up cheaper products in Japan from premium brands such as Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer, Chanel, and Prada, Bloomberg reported earlier this month.

While the weak yen creates a sweet spot for foreigners, it is severely hurting Japanese travelers.

The number of outbound travelers was less than half the number of inbound travelers in March, per the National Tourism Organization. Outbound Japanese travel was down 37% last month compared to the same period in 2019, though it ticked up from February, the agency's data shows.

High airfare costs and low buying power is compelling more locals to skip international travel in favor of domestic locations.

Watch: Japanese denim is costly, but it's considered one of the best denims in the world. Here's why.

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• A Guide To Moscows Trendiest...

A Guide To Moscow's Trendiest Neighborhoods

In 2017, much of the charm of Pushkin’s Moscow can only be found in books. During the Soviet Union, architects and artists under strict orders from the government built over the gilt and gleam of the Tzars, creating structures to accommodate the needs of a rapidly urbanizing country. Soviet city planning, in its own way, is a masterpiece of uniformity. But that doesn’t mean you won’t find anything unique about Moscow– you definitely will. Below is a guide to Moscow’s trendiest neighborhoods.

Kitay-gorod.

In Russian, the name means Chinatown; but you’ll be hard pressed to find anything Chinese about this neighborhood. ‘Kitay’ used to mean ‘weaving’ in medieval Russian, which might explain the rather chaotic layout of the area. For over 400 years, this neighborhood near the Kremlin has offered a colorful cross section of Russian society— immigrants, artists, gamblers and wanderers. With its winding streets, Kitay-Gorod rejects conformity. Squatters inhabit run-down mansions; artists have their studios in old monasteries and factories. The neighborhood is also famous for its nightlife with clubs and bars.

Zamoskvorechye

This neighborhood is sometimes called Moscow’s Meatpacking District. Until the late 19th century, Khamovniki was one of the city’s quietest neighborhoods and Leo Tolstoy even had his Moscow home there. But the quietude didn’t last. Like much of Russia during Soviet times, Khamovniki became saturated with textile and brick factories. Fortunately, the spirit of the area outlived Soviet industrialization, and its empty warehouses now house advertising and tech companies like Leo Burnett and Yandex. With so many young professionals in the area, there are some of Moscow’s trendiest cafes, bars and restaurants.

Patriarch Ponds

A short walk from Tverskaya Street, one of the busiest roads in Moscow, you can a neighborhood without the architectural headaches that characterize much of Russia. Patriarch Ponds has long been a hub of Moscow’s intelligentsia. Mikhail Bulgakov and Maksim Gorky lived there, and with its narrow streets around a picturesque pond, it’s easy to see why. Patriarch Ponds is a also must for foodies. You can find all types of cuisine here, from French to Finnish. Unlike the many restaurant chains found throughout the rest of Moscow, independent chefs like the Berezutsky brothers run the eateries in Patriarch Ponds’.

Vin Zavod/Artplay

You wouldn’t know it from the drunks and dirt of nearby Kursky railway station, but Vin Zavod– sometimes referred to as Artplay– is one of the coolest parts of Moscow. Vin Zavod means “wine factory” in Russian, and the neighborhood is just that. The huge factories which once churned out wine and other products in the Soviet days are now art galleries, theaters , cafes and book stores. Sergey Kuznetsov, Moscow’s principal architect, wants to take Vin Zavod even further and add miles of bicycle lanes and parking for electric cars. In European cities, Kuznetsov’s idea probably wouldn’t make news; but for Russia, it’s huge.

ZIL is the essence of the Soviet Union crammed into 2 million square meters. The 1960s-era factory complex takes up an entire part of southern Moscow which produced cars, military equipment and other heavy machinery until very recently. Early in his tenure as Moscow mayor, Sergey Sobyanin vowed to transform the defunct ZIL into something more altruistic– and he did it. Buildings within the complex now house an experimental theatre collective and Rambler-Afisha, a rapidly expanding media company.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

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In Transit: Notes from the Underground

Jun 06 2018.

Spend some time in one of Moscow’s finest museums.

Subterranean commuting might not be anyone’s idea of a good time, but even in a city packing the war-games treasures and priceless bejeweled eggs of the Kremlin Armoury and the colossal Soviet pavilions of the VDNKh , the Metro holds up as one of Moscow’s finest museums. Just avoid rush hour.

The Metro is stunning and provides an unrivaled insight into the city’s psyche, past and present, but it also happens to be the best way to get around. Moscow has Uber, and the Russian version called Yandex Taxi , but also some nasty traffic. Metro trains come around every 90 seconds or so, at a more than 99 percent on-time rate. It’s also reasonably priced, with a single ride at 55 cents (and cheaper in bulk). From history to tickets to rules — official and not — here’s what you need to know to get started.

A Brief Introduction Buying Tickets Know Before You Go (Down) Rules An Easy Tour

A Brief Introduction

Moscow’s Metro was a long time coming. Plans for rapid transit to relieve the city’s beleaguered tram system date back to the Imperial era, but a couple of wars and a revolution held up its development. Stalin revived it as part of his grand plan to modernize the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 30s. The first lines and tunnels were constructed with help from engineers from the London Underground, although Stalin’s secret police decided that they had learned too much about Moscow’s layout and had them arrested on espionage charges and deported.

The beauty of its stations (if not its trains) is well-documented, and certainly no accident. In its illustrious first phases and particularly after the Second World War, the greatest architects of Soviet era were recruited to create gleaming temples celebrating the Revolution, the USSR, and the war triumph. No two stations are exactly alike, and each of the classic showpieces has a theme. There are world-famous shrines to Futurist architecture, a celebration of electricity, tributes to individuals and regions of the former Soviet Union. Each marble slab, mosaic tile, or light fixture was placed with intent, all in service to a station’s aesthetic; each element, f rom the smallest brass ear of corn to a large blood-spattered sword on a World War II mural, is an essential part of the whole.

The Metro is a monument to the Soviet propaganda project it was intended to be when it opened in 1935 with the slogan “Building a Palace for the People”. It brought the grand interiors of Imperial Russia to ordinary Muscovites, celebrated the Soviet Union’s past achievements while promising its citizens a bright Soviet future, and of course, it was a show-piece for the world to witness the might and sophistication of life in the Soviet Union.

It may be a museum, but it’s no relic. U p to nine million people use it daily, more than the London Underground and New York Subway combined. (Along with, at one time, about 20 stray dogs that learned to commute on the Metro.)

In its 80+ year history, the Metro has expanded in phases and fits and starts, in step with the fortunes of Moscow and Russia. Now, partly in preparation for the World Cup 2018, it’s also modernizing. New trains allow passengers to walk the entire length of the train without having to change carriages. The system is becoming more visitor-friendly. (There are helpful stickers on the floor marking out the best selfie spots .) But there’s a price to modernity: it’s phasing out one of its beloved institutions, the escalator attendants. Often they are middle-aged or elderly women—“ escalator grandmas ” in news accounts—who have held the post for decades, sitting in their tiny kiosks, scolding commuters for bad escalator etiquette or even bad posture, or telling jokes . They are slated to be replaced, when at all, by members of the escalator maintenance staff.

For all its achievements, the Metro lags behind Moscow’s above-ground growth, as Russia’s capital sprawls ever outwards, generating some of the world’s worst traffic jams . But since 2011, the Metro has been in the middle of an ambitious and long-overdue enlargement; 60 new stations are opening by 2020. If all goes to plan, the 2011-2020 period will have brought 125 miles of new tracks and over 100 new stations — a 40 percent increase — the fastest and largest expansion phase in any period in the Metro’s history.

Facts: 14 lines Opening hours: 5 a.m-1 a.m. Rush hour(s): 8-10 a.m, 4-8 p.m. Single ride: 55₽ (about 85 cents) Wi-Fi network-wide

Buying Tickets

• Ticket machines have a button to switch to English.
• You can buy specific numbers of rides: 1, 2, 5, 11, 20, or 60. Hold up fingers to show how many rides you want to buy.
• There is also a 90-minute ticket , which gets you 1 trip on the metro plus an unlimited number of transfers on other transport (bus, tram, etc) within 90 minutes.
• Or, you can buy day tickets with unlimited rides: one day (218₽/ US$4), three days (415₽/US$7) or seven days (830₽/US$15). Check the rates here to stay up-to-date.
• If you’re going to be using the Metro regularly over a few days, it’s worth getting a Troika card , a contactless, refillable card you can use on all public transport. Using the Metro is cheaper with one of these: a single ride is 36₽, not 55₽. Buy them and refill them in the Metro stations, and they’re valid for 5 years, so you can keep it for next time. Or, if you have a lot of cash left on it when you leave, you can get it refunded at the Metro Service Centers at Ulitsa 1905 Goda, 25 or at Staraya Basmannaya 20, Building 1.
• You can also buy silicone bracelets and keychains with built-in transport chips that you can use as a Troika card. (A Moscow Metro Fitbit!) So far, you can only get these at the Pushkinskaya metro station Live Helpdesk and souvenir shops in the Mayakovskaya and Trubnaya metro stations. The fare is the same as for the Troika card.
• You can also use Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Rules, spoken and unspoken

No smoking, no drinking, no filming, no littering. Photography is allowed, although it used to be banned.

Stand to the right on the escalator. Break this rule and you risk the wrath of the legendary escalator attendants. (No shenanigans on the escalators in general.)

Get out of the way. Find an empty corner to hide in when you get off a train and need to stare at your phone. Watch out getting out of the train in general; when your train doors open, people tend to appear from nowhere or from behind ornate marble columns, walking full-speed.

Always offer your seat to elderly ladies (what are you, a monster?).

An Easy Tour

This is no Metro Marathon ( 199 stations in 20 hours ). It’s an easy tour, taking in most—though not all—of the notable stations, the bulk of it going clockwise along the Circle line, with a couple of short detours. These stations are within minutes of one another, and the whole tour should take about 1-2 hours.

Start at Mayakovskaya Metro station , at the corner of Tverskaya and Garden Ring,  Triumfalnaya Square, Moskva, Russia, 125047.

1. Mayakovskaya.  Named for Russian Futurist Movement poet Vladimir Mayakovsky and an attempt to bring to life the future he imagined in his poems. (The Futurist Movement, natch, was all about a rejecting the past and celebrating all things speed, industry, modern machines, youth, modernity.) The result: an Art Deco masterpiece that won the National Grand Prix for architecture at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. It’s all smooth, rounded shine and light, and gentle arches supported by columns of dark pink marble and stainless aircraft steel. Each of its 34 ceiling niches has a mosaic. During World War II, the station was used as an air-raid shelter and, at one point, a bunker for Stalin. He gave a subdued but rousing speech here in Nov. 6, 1941 as the Nazis bombed the city above.

Take the 3/Green line one station to:

2. Belorusskaya. Opened in 1952, named after the connected Belarussky Rail Terminal, which runs trains between Moscow and Belarus. This is a light marble affair with a white, cake-like ceiling, lined with Belorussian patterns and 12 Florentine ceiling mosaics depicting life in Belarussia when it was built.

Transfer onto the 1/Brown line. Then, one stop (clockwise) t o:

3. Novoslobodskaya.  This station was designed around the stained-glass panels, which were made in Latvia, because Alexey Dushkin, the Soviet starchitect who dreamed it up (and also designed Mayakovskaya station) couldn’t find the glass and craft locally. The stained glass is the same used for Riga’s Cathedral, and the panels feature plants, flowers, members of the Soviet intelligentsia (musician, artist, architect) and geometric shapes.

Go two stops east on the 1/Circle line to:

4. Komsomolskaya. Named after the Komsomol, or the Young Communist League, this might just be peak Stalin Metro style. Underneath the hub for three regional railways, it was intended to be a grand gateway to Moscow and is today its busiest station. It has chandeliers; a yellow ceiling with Baroque embellishments; and in the main hall, a colossal red star overlaid on golden, shimmering tiles. Designer Alexey Shchusev designed it as an homage to the speech Stalin gave at Red Square on Nov. 7, 1941, in which he invoked Russia’s illustrious military leaders as a pep talk to Soviet soldiers through the first catastrophic year of the war.   The station’s eight large mosaics are of the leaders referenced in the speech, such as Alexander Nevsky, a 13th-century prince and military commander who bested German and Swedish invading armies.

One more stop clockwise to Kurskaya station,  and change onto the 3/Blue  line, and go one stop to:

5. Baumanskaya.   Opened in 1944. Named for the Bolshevik Revolutionary Nikolai Bauman , whose monument and namesake district are aboveground here. Though he seemed like a nasty piece of work (he apparently once publicly mocked a woman he had impregnated, who later hung herself), he became a Revolutionary martyr when he was killed in 1905 in a skirmish with a monarchist, who hit him on the head with part of a steel pipe. The station is in Art Deco style with atmospherically dim lighting, and a series of bronze sculptures of soldiers and homefront heroes during the War. At one end, there is a large mosaic portrait of Lenin.

Stay on that train direction one more east to:

6. Elektrozavodskaya. As you may have guessed from the name, this station is the Metro’s tribute to all thing electrical, built in 1944 and named after a nearby lightbulb factory. It has marble bas-relief sculptures of important figures in electrical engineering, and others illustrating the Soviet Union’s war-time struggles at home. The ceiling’s recurring rows of circular lamps give the station’s main tunnel a comforting glow, and a pleasing visual effect.

Double back two stops to Kurskaya station , and change back to the 1/Circle line. Sit tight for six stations to:

7. Kiyevskaya. This was the last station on the Circle line to be built, in 1954, completed under Nikita Khrushchev’ s guidance, as a tribute to his homeland, Ukraine. Its three large station halls feature images celebrating Ukraine’s contributions to the Soviet Union and Russo-Ukrainian unity, depicting musicians, textile-working, soldiers, farmers. (One hall has frescoes, one mosaics, and the third murals.) Shortly after it was completed, Khrushchev condemned the architectural excesses and unnecessary luxury of the Stalin era, which ushered in an epoch of more austere Metro stations. According to the legend at least, he timed the policy in part to ensure no Metro station built after could outshine Kiyevskaya.

Change to the 3/Blue line and go one stop west.

8. Park Pobedy. This is the deepest station on the Metro, with one of the world’s longest escalators, at 413 feet. If you stand still, the escalator ride to the surface takes about three minutes .) Opened in 2003 at Victory Park, the station celebrates two of Russia’s great military victories. Each end has a mural by Georgian artist Zurab Tsereteli, who also designed the “ Good Defeats Evil ” statue at the UN headquarters in New York. One mural depicts the Russian generals’ victory over the French in 1812 and the other, the German surrender of 1945. The latter is particularly striking; equal parts dramatic, triumphant, and gruesome. To the side, Red Army soldiers trample Nazi flags, and if you look closely there’s some blood spatter among the detail. Still, the biggest impressions here are the marble shine of the chessboard floor pattern and the pleasingly geometric effect if you view from one end to the other.

Keep going one more stop west to:

9. Slavyansky Bulvar.  One of the Metro’s youngest stations, it opened in 2008. With far higher ceilings than many other stations—which tend to have covered central tunnels on the platforms—it has an “open-air” feel (or as close to it as you can get, one hundred feet under). It’s an homage to French architect Hector Guimard, he of the Art Nouveau entrances for the Paris M é tro, and that’s precisely what this looks like: A Moscow homage to the Paris M é tro, with an additional forest theme. A Cyrillic twist on Guimard’s Metro-style lettering over the benches, furnished with t rees and branch motifs, including creeping vines as towering lamp-posts.

Stay on the 3/Blue line and double back four stations to:

10. Arbatskaya. Its first iteration, Arbatskaya-Smolenskaya station, was damaged by German bombs in 1941. It was rebuilt in 1953, and designed to double as a bomb shelter in the event of nuclear war, although unusually for stations built in the post-war phase, this one doesn’t have a war theme. It may also be one of the system’s most elegant: Baroque, but toned down a little, with red marble floors and white ceilings with gilded bronze c handeliers.

Jump back on the 3/Blue line  in the same direction and take it one more stop:

11. Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Revolution Square). Opened in 1938, and serving Red Square and the Kremlin . Its renowned central hall has marble columns flanked by 76 bronze statues of Soviet heroes: soldiers, students, farmers, athletes, writers, parents. Some of these statues’ appendages have a yellow sheen from decades of Moscow’s commuters rubbing them for good luck. Among the most popular for a superstitious walk-by rub: the snout of a frontier guard’s dog, a soldier’s gun (where the touch of millions of human hands have tapered the gun barrel into a fine, pointy blade), a baby’s foot, and a woman’s knee. (A brass rooster also sports the telltale gold sheen, though I am told that rubbing the rooster is thought to bring bad luck. )

Now take the escalator up, and get some fresh air.

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