my expensive Diawa Presso rod snapped in half on my last trip. it was 4oz, four piece, fit in my pack, and was graphite. on the other hand, it was $80, with a 6lb max line rating, and it broke with that line.
i'd like anothe four piece, as all the telescopes seem really cheap. maybe get a rod that can handle up to 12lb line, yet doesn't come in too heavy on the trail?
Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6800
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
I use a Tenkara outfit. If this interests you, there are now several companies who put out this gear.
Cabela's carries a number of excellent lightweight fly rods; check them out. I bought one for my grandson a few years ago and liked it so much I almost kept it for myself!
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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey
Line rating typically does not have to do with the strength of the rod, but stiffness. A lower line rating will be more flexible. If you are fishing for small fish, you need that flexibility to fling out really light lures. With a stiff rod it is difficult to fling out the smallest lures.
If you want a stiffer rod, then a cheap telescoping rod might work fine.
When I was looking to replace my section pole (I lost the top section :(), my thinking was similar to yours: all of the telescoping poles are cheap pieces of junk. I did however find a high end telescoping pole and ended up buying it. I'm not the world's expert on fishing but I think it is a nice rod. It is made by a German company: Balzar. A fishing shop in Pennsylvania importants them and sell in the US: http://www.psfishing.com/
Most of the rods are pretty long, but I was able to find a couple that are more appropriate for backpacking. The one I got is just over 6 feet and I think they might have a a couple that are even smaller.
those look super high quality. tho possibly too heavy for my little lake trout in CA. i suppose i want cheap\strong\light, and like everything else, we have to pick two
the fiblink i mentioned is pretty stiff, more of a bass rod, but ultumately 4.5oz. (10oz with reel, 16oz with case). i really liked that diawa presso, but if it breaks in half, its a non starter. maybe something just a bit stronger?
at this point im still looking! (and probably always will be)
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