Telescopic fishing rods

[AJB]

Hi, I realised I was hijacking Damascus' thread about £1 fishing kit, with my questions about telescopic rods.

Any one got any experience of them, can anyone recommend one that is worth buying?

AJB

 

[Nemisis]

While i'm not a fisherman a few of the guys I worked with used to take telescopic fishing poles on hols with a couple of ready made up rigs with float hooks weights etc. One told me a cheap pole was around the £20 mark and each rig about £1. Just thought it might be another option.
Dave.

 

[Marts]

I got hold of one a few years ago in Cash Converters. Cost me about a tenner IIRC.
Absolutely brilliant as it collapses down to be lashed to my pack and extends to about ten feet. Can't remember the make of it of the top of my head though, but I would say get one if you want to combine fishing with a bit of trecking or bushcrafting.

 

[bambodoggy]

I took a couple to Sweden last year on Bearclaw's Vildmark course and used them a lot fishing for pike and salmon in the beautiful lakes over there.

Great bit of kit and would certainly recomend. I had a really old one I've used when I was a kid on holiday and a new one I got for last years trip...the technology hasn't half come on lol

I'd say to go for it as even if you don't get on with them at that price it's not going to break the bank.

Cheers,

Bam.

 

[Spacemonkey]

That Chubby Mears character has a great little kit on his website which includes a Shimano mini telescopic rod. Mears flogs the whole kit for £150 or so, but the rods themselves are about £60 and some in the range are cheaper. They're not bad either but collapse down to really small.
I have an Abu carbon carp rod that is telescopic which I bought as a proper rod. It cost about £70 8 years ago and is definitely not a toy rod. I've had many big bass, mullet and some carp on it and it copes well. It's 11ft and collapses to about the hieght of my Highlander 33 rucksack which is why I bought it-so that I can scrabble along rocks and cliffs without having to carry a full size rod, and just leave it in my pack.

If fly rods are your thing then 4 piece rods are quite compact too and cast just as well as 2 piece. As said before, rod technology has really improved recently for telescopics or multi piece travel rods.

 

[steve a]

£40 here, together with a Shimano 750 or 1000 real, which are around £30-35, I have rod and its a good bit of kit
www.tackleshop.co.uk/ProductDetails...ID/173/v/bec2ef89-84d8-4ecc-b94d-4d8805fc0219

 

[AJB]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the info, much appreciated.

Andy

 

[AJB]

£40 here, together with a Shimano 750 or 1000 real, which are around £30-35, I have rod and its a good bit of kit
www.tackleshop.co.uk/ProductDetails...ID/173/v/bec2ef89-84d8-4ecc-b94d-4d8805fc0219

WOW - got to have one of these! Steve, of the four on that page, which would you recomend for general spining for what ever bites the hook?

I've got an old Mitchel spining real from my youth, will that be OK or should I invest in something a bit smaller.

Andy

 

[Keith_Beef]

My wife got me a bit of fishing kit for Christmas 2004, from these guys in Paris:
http://www.revedepeche.com/

Mitchell Basic Tele Spin, a Shimano Alivia spinning reel and a handfull of spinning lures.

I've caught a pike and a perch with it in France (both for eating), and last week I caught about a dozen small sunfish (thrown back) here in New Jersey.

If you're ever in Paris near Reve de Pêche, take the time to at least look in the window at all the knives. A few scandis and other production knives, but the chap who looks after that side of the business wants to get more and more one-off craftsman-made knives.

K.

 

[pierre girard]

Have had several, over the years. Biggest problem was the thin ends of the rod would twist - if you had a large fish on - making a mess of the eylets and line. Best one I had - the rod's circumferance was triangular. This kept the telescoping ends from twisting.

PG

 

[Spacemonkey]

I have never suffered this problem, but maybe it's because i make sure the rod joints are real tight? Can be tricky collapsing them, but I'd prefer that than lose the smooth action.

Steve, that's the rods I'm on about. How do you get on with them? Which size do you have and what kind of fish have you had with them? Would you class them as a good actioned rod? Stiff, or through action? How do they cast, and how does the reel seat work?

AJB, I would suggest picking up a new small real, those Mitchells are probably quite large and heavy. New small ones can be had for under £20, just make sure they can take enough of the size line you want. Try and get a twin spool reel so that you can have say 100m of 3 or 4 lb line on one and 100m or so of 15lb line for light sea fishing or light piking etc, if the rods can handle that, which they probably can in the larger sizes. Just make sure that after any sea trip you wash down EVERYTHING thoroughly in fresh water or it'll be a pile of rusty scrap in no time. Okuma is a good brand for cheap reels, and the more bearings the better.

Think I'll get me one of those...

 

[AJB]

Hi Monkey,

Thanks for the info, really helpful.

AJB

 

[Spacemonkey]

No probs.
Do you fish yourself? If not, or not for a long time, it's worth tagging along with a mate who does to get the basics in. Half of the problem is knowing where to find the fish in the first place! Sea fishing is easier in one respect as the fish are less wary of tackle than fresh as generally they are only caught once. I return most of mine, but keep a couple of good 'uns for the freezer. Don't forget that in this country you generally can't (and wouldn't want to-they taste of mud !!) kill and eat freshwater fish. Don't be afraid to ask for advice on gear in tackle shops as they are more than helpful in most cases and should be able to provide local knowledge in return for a sale.

 

[pierre girard]

No probs.
Don't forget that in this country you generally can't (and wouldn't want to-they taste of mud !!) kill and eat freshwater fish. .

I'd never run into this until I fished in the southern part of our state. In our cold water northern lakes - this is never a problem. All the game fish taste great. I've never thrown back a game fish in my life. I don't fish for fun. I don't particularly enjoy it. I fish to eat fish.

PG

 

[tetra_neon]

I wouldn't recommend a telescopic rod for anything other than fun fishing from the rocks on holiday. If you want to catch (and keep!) something big enough to eat on your hook, more strength and better action is crucial. Losing a fat fish, and expensive lure, is a bummer.

Shimano do a very good 5 piece spinning rod called the 'Beastmaster STC' which I have and highly recommend. It's light, compact and comes with a very sturdy tube case which is ideal for lashing against a pack or taking abroad.

As for spinning lures, the silver Dexter Wedges work like magic.

here's a link to the rod: http://www.summerlands.co.uk/Shimano_Beastmaster_Rods.htm

Hope that helps!

 

[Spacemonkey]

I'd never run into this until I fished in the southern part of our state. In our cold water northern lakes - this is never a problem. All the game fish taste great. I've never thrown back a game fish in my life. I don't fish for fun. I don't particularly enjoy it. I fish to eat fish.

PG

That's why-game fish- I'm talking about coarse fish like carp etc. Ones living in lakes over here taste of mud as do most river fish. Game fish don't for some reason. Odd...

Most people in this country fish for fun I'd say as most of us live just a few minutes from the shops so fishing has evolved into a hobby not a larder filler. However, most sea fishers and game fishers usually keep a few for the pot, as do I. Still enjoy it though, it's primarily a hobby here.

 

[Spacemonkey]

Tetra, the rods we have highlighted are from the Shimano Travel Collection (STC) range, it's just telescopic instead of the TA you mention, which looks tasty by the way.

I would however disagree about the value of telescopics. If you have a quality tele, not a £5 market toy, then they are good rods as I have proved myself with mine. But you have to get a good 'un. At £45 the STC tele is worth trying for a laugh as it is really compact when collapsed and so could fit in any bag 'just in case'. I'm sure it'd be fine for light work such as mackerel, and they'd put up a good scrap on such a lightweight outfit. That's why I normally fly fish for them. They go like the clappers when there's not a 6 oz lead on the line. I've had a 5lb mullet on my tele carp rod with no probs, and they are, pound for pound, probably the hardest fighting fish in the UK waters. Can't wait to get one on the fly though!!

 

[Keith_Beef]

I've never thrown back a game fish in my life. I don't fish for fun. I don't particularly enjoy it. I fish to eat fish.

I don't go fishing for the sake of hooking, weighing and throwing back.

If I'm going to put a fish to the discofort of being caught, I prefer to kill it and eat it.

But I enjoy exploring, and playing with, the technology of fishing. The kit, the knots, the stuff I can make myself, the knots. Have I mentioned that I like knots?

I just have the one fishing rod; that Mitchell telescopic. I know it's flimsy, and maybe it is because of this (and that fact that I'm not out to try to land a 3lb fish on a 1lb line) that I don't mess about. I use heavy line (about 9kg or 13kg rating), keep the rod low, don't let it flex much, and let the reel do a lot of the work.

About 12 seconds to land the three pound perch from around 75 yards out, straight onto the bank (I don't bother with a landing net).

K.

 

[AJB]

No probs.
Do you fish yourself? If not, or not for a long time, it's worth tagging along with a mate who does to get the basics in. Half of the problem is knowing where to find the fish in the first place! Sea fishing is easier in one respect as the fish are less wary of tackle than fresh as generally they are only caught once. I return most of mine, but keep a couple of good 'uns for the freezer. Don't forget that in this country you generally can't (and wouldn't want to-they taste of mud !!) kill and eat freshwater fish. Don't be afraid to ask for advice on gear in tackle shops as they are more than helpful in most cases and should be able to provide local knowledge in return for a sale.

Hi Monkey/Steve,

I fished when I was a kid but nothing for about twenty years. I just fancy the idea of chucking a hook in the water while camping. But yes it would probably be a good idea to ask for help as I’ve forgotten what little I knew - I’m kinda surprised there’s never been a call for a fishing forum within Fair Game – any thoughts?

Do I understand that these telescopic rods (http://www.tackleshop.co.uk/Product...ID/173/v/bec2ef89-84d8-4ecc-b94d-4d8805fc0219) will just about hold their own for a bit of gentle sea fishing? I which case would I be better going for the heavier rods (I assume that refers to the casing weight). How much would that impinge on my ability to cast a spinner?

Someone educate me please!

Andy

 

[Spacemonkey]

Put it this way, I'm going to get me one of the biggest ones in that range and that's what I'm going to use it for. When casting it's all about the flick. Use the bend of the rod to catapult out the lure. It takes very little effort to knock it out quite some way, but remember that most small sea fish are close in near rocks etc so try that first before shooting out to the horizon. Use a small silver metal type spinner or even small rubber eels for bass and pollack and even the odd mackerel. I catch these fish on flies so it's not that hard, just remember to vary the retrieve rate to allow the lure to appear natural so that it goes up and down in the water as well as towards you.