Best Bass Rods You Can Carry On an Airplane for Uncompromised Fishing Adventures

And now, with the growing popularity of adventure travel, fishing gear manufacturers have answered with some amazing solutions for anglers on-the-go. And while these travel rods can be disassembled into multiple pieces small enough to easily carry onto an airplane and store overhead, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to include any of the models I tested in my normal, everyday, non-traveling arsenal. They’re really that good.

Using the St. Croix Avid Trek Rod & SEVIIN GX Spinning Reel

Let’s start with the 7-foot, medium-light, fast action, St. Croix Avid Trek, three-piece travel rod, matched with a SEVIIN GX 3000 spinning reel. First impression: really nice. As you unpack the rod sections from their semi-rigid, oval tube, carrying case, you’ll notice immediately that they feel light and well-made. The slim profile ferrules fit together easily, and even without applying much pressure, seem to lock into place. Once assembled, the rod feels balanced, light, crisp and dependable. It has all of the classic attributes, to which I’ve become accustomed with St. Croix’s rods.

The SEVIIN spinning reel is the first I’ve ever tried for this new-ish brand. First impression: it looks great, it’s light, and the handle turns smoothly. I suppose my expectations for this product were pretty high, knowing St. Croix was the driving force behind its development.

Once on the water, I saw that I was going to want to present a small offering on light line, along the transition edges of the chunk rock and boulders. I decided to rig a Berkley Maxscent Flat Worm on a 1/4-ounce dropshot with an 8-pound-test leader. My first guess was a good one, as this ended up being my most reliable offering over the two-day trip. And this combo was absolutely perfect for gently shaking up bite after bite—mostly smallmouth, but with a few bonus largemouth mixed in.

The rod is very sensitive and has a perfect balanced feel about it. Casting the tiny lure was easy, sensing bites felt very natural, and playing those crazy, flying smallies was no problem. I did connect with a couple fish big enough to put the SEVIIN’s drag to the test, and again, everything was perfect. I think the highest compliment I can pay this travel rod is the fact that within minutes I had completely forgotten this was a three-piece rod, and the thought never crossed my mind until it was time to pack it away into it’s travel tube and head home.

Specs -St. Croix Avid Trek Rod:

-Integrated Poly Curve® (IPC®) tooling technology.
-Premium, high-modulus SCIII Carbon.
-Slim-profile ferrules with ART technology.
-Sea Guide Hero Hi-Grade guides with slim zirconia rings and SS316 stainless gun smoke frames.
-Fuji® DPS reel seat with gun smoke hoods on spinning models
-Select-grade cork handle
-15-year transferable warranty backed by St. Croix Superstar Service.
-Incredibly light, super sensitive and durable.
-Designed and handcrafted in Park Falls, U.S.A
-Retail Price: $285 USD

Specs -SEVIIN GX 3000 Spinning Reel:

-Lightweight carbon fiber / polymer body, side cover, and rotor
-10 + 1 stainless steel bearing system
-Forged and anodized aluminum spool with braid band
-Custom designed aluminum handle with soft-touch knob
-Multi-stack carbon fiber/stainless steel drag system
-Precision hobbed hard brass pinion and diecast helical drive gear
-Geared Slow S-Curve oscillation system with internal support guide
-High-strength 1-piece titanium bail wire resists bending
-Retail Price: $180 USD

Using the Daiwa Ardito Travel Rod & Daiwa Tatula 150 Casting Reel

Every travel rod I could remember, had been a spinning rod. But I love to use a casting rod for a majority of my bass fishing presentations. I needed a solution for this multi-flight trip. Fortunately, many of those advancements to the travel rod category I mentioned earlier, have been applied to casting gear. Introducing the Daiwa Ardito series.

First impression: sporty and capable. The Daiwa Ardito includes a semi-rigid, travel tube, with a built-in shoulder strap which makes transporting the 7-foot, medium-heavy, three-piece rod a breeze. This IM-7 graphite rod is mostly high-gloss black with metallic red and chrome details and includes an EVA foam, split grip and proprietary, ergonomic reel seat. It really looks and feels great.

The Tatula 150 reel, feels like the perfect, all-around, bass fishing reel. Visually, it’s slightly understated, in matte black finish with a few silver markings, including the aggressive, Tatula, mechanical spider logo. It looks like it’s kinda too cool for B.S. and just ready to get to work. It feels light-ish—exactly the weight I would expect a bait caster at this size and price range to be. It feels very solid and well-built. Somehow, it immediately conveys a sense of dependability.

I knew this clear water reservoir was going to set up perfectly for low-light topwater action. The right topwater lure was going to draw strikes from a long way. That assumption was absolutely correct, and this versatile bait casting combo delivered my Evergreen SB 105 Pencil Popper with ease. Sunrise found me on a small shoreline pocket between two rockslide points. Literally, my first four casts resulted in my first four largemouth of the day.

Casting was smooth and accurate. The rod loaded up evenly when the fish were hooked and kept just enough pressure on that none of the fish managed to get free.

I also used this combo to throw a small football jig with a Crush City Cleanup Craw along deep edges. This versatile combo felt very comfortable for delivering this lure. I didn’t get as many bites, but this produced a few of the bigger fish.

Specs -Daiwa Ardito Travel Rod:

-IM-7 graphite construction

-Multi-piece travel rod construction (3-piece)

-V-Flex ferrule jointed system
-Un-sanded micro pitch taping blank

-Fuji Aluminum Oxide Guides

-Machined Aluminum Nut Hood

-Split grip design with EVA foam grip

-Daiwa Logo Travel Case (Length including case - 31.5")

-Limited 5-Year Warranty
-Retail Price: $139 USD

Specs -Daiwa Tatula 150 Baitcasting Reel:

-Aluminum Frame & Side Plate
-Reinforced Brass Gearing
-7BB + 1RB
-TWS T-Wing System
-Magforce Z Cast Control
-100mm Swept handle
-Aluminum frame/sideplate

Using the Toadfish Stowaway Travel Spinning Rod Combo

Toadfish is what I would describe as an up-and-coming player in the fishing industry. They’ve been around for a little while now, but started out developing tools and gadgets for enjoying the outdoor, fishing, beach lifestyle. I’ve always been really impressed by the cleverness and effectiveness of their ideas and the quality of their manufacturing and construction. So, my guess about their fishing gear is that it would be very clever in its design and very well made.
Non-bass related side note: If you ever find yourself cleaning and de-veining fresh shrimp, the Toadfish Shrimp Cleaner Tool is an absolute miracle.

First impression: The Stowaway Travel Rod comes in a very memorable, crush-proof, aluminum tube. While I would note it seems heavy in comparison to the other combos I traveled with, it imparts a feeling of precision craftsmanship, like something that NASA developed. The machining and finish is flawless. The finely threaded end cap unscrews with an impressive level of perfection. And the velvet sleeve contained within reveals another memorable and clever feature—this three-piece rod includes five pieces.

As if the designers and engineers at Toadfish anticipated the fact that I wouldn’t know exactly what kind of fishing techniques my trip would require, they built a range of actions into this one travel rod. There is one ergonomic handle section, but two mid-sections (a medium and a medium-heavy), as well as two tip sections (a fast and a moderate-fast). The angler is able to mix and match these sections to create four different rod actions, covering a fairly wide range of applications, from this one travel rod system.

The Elite Carbon Series, 3000-size, spinning reel was perfectly matched to the rod in Toadfish’s corporate, bright teal and black color palette—distinctive and attractive. A turn of the handle revealed smooth, solid operation. Again, I would describe it as very slightly heavier than I might expect, but also very solid, well-made and with great attention to detail.

On the water, I used the stowaway to present everything from a tube jig to a jerk bait. The range of actions was a welcome option with the limited amount of gear I was able to bring. As expected, the rod performed well and the reel was smooth and reliable. As with all of these combos, there were no nagging reminders that I was using multi-piece travel gear.

Specs -Toadfish Stowaway Travel Spinning Combo:

Rod
-30/40 ton high carbon graphite blanks to feel every bite
-Spigot ferrule connections to provide the feel of a 1-piece rod
-Patented Toadfish reel seats with built-in rubber inlays
-Kigan 3D stainless steel tangle-free guides
-The salt-tough ergonomic handle feels like an extension of your hand
-Soft-touch rubber handle inlays provide exceptional grip and unparalleled comfort
-Hidden hook safe keeper hides a single hook inside the handle.

Reel
-7+1 Sealed Stainless Steel Ball Bearings--our most premium fully sealed ball bearings
-Superior gear feel and performance
-Carbon Fiber Handle – world-class components with incredible weight to strength ratios
-IPX5 Sealed System – seals strategically placed on the drag, rotor, and body to keep water out and years of fishing magic in
-Comfort Control Grips – first of its kind patent-pending technology. Comfort where you need it for long days on the water
-Sealed Carbon Drag – carbon fiber drag washers for an incredibly smooth and strong drag system
-Carbon Rotor – state-of-the-art materials for unmatched lightweight strength
-Aluminum Body – aluminum body maintains gear alignment and eliminates flex

Overall

I was genuinely surprised and impressed with the performance of all three of these combos. They all provided a high-level, fishing experience without compromise. When you factor in the convenience of their compact designs, this really does change the possibilities for adventure travelers who want to incorporate fishing into their plans.You literally can’t go wrong with any of these choices, but there are a few advantages and disadvantages of each.

St. Croix & SEVIIN Summary

I would put the St. Croix and SEVIIN combo as my personal number one. First, it was the best fit for the drop shop presentation which ended up being the most effective, so I used this one quite a bit. Second, this was truly in line with some of my favorite, non-travel gear. All of the hallmarks of refined, well-crafted, fishing gear were present. However, it was also the most expensive combo I tested, so that should definitely be factored in.

Daiwa Summary

I loved the Daiwa combo, first because it was a baitcaster in a really versatile, universal size and weight, but also because its build quality, looks and performance were exceptional. My only real complaint was that I ended up with the 6.3:1 model of the reel, and feel like the 7.3:1 would have been a slightly better fit for more techniques. Obviously, I can’t fault the equipment for that. It’s just something to note for future purchases.

Toadfish Summary

I would describe the Toadfish combo as the most unique. I can’t exactly put my finger on it, but it doesn’t have the same refined, familiar, elegance of the St. Croix gear, but it does exude a sense of quality. This is a company that is focused on saltwater fishing first, and as such they’ve chosen materials and build specs that are made to last in the harshest environments. What that means to a bass fisherman is gear that has a more robust, sturdy feel than what we’re used to. It’s not a bad thing, just a different thing. I feel like this combo would be absolutely ideal living in the trunk of my car at all times. It’s clever multiple-action design and bullet-proof build means it’s always going to be ready for any fishing situation I stumble across in everyday life, and it’s going to last for years and years of bass fishing without ever missing a beat.