Buying Guide: What to Look for in the Best Collapsible Rods
Quality
In the fishing world, it’s easy to divide tackle into two general groups: options that serious anglers should consider, and cheap toys that are going to work once or twice before breaking.
If you’re old enough, you’ll remember infomercials for Ron Popeil’s “Pocket Fisherman,” an interesting idea, sure, but not something I’d buy or recommend to a friend.
The Pocket Fisherman isn’t for sale anymore, but companies like Plusinno and Sougayilang are
picking up where the legendary Popeil left off.
Now I’m not saying that these products are absolute junk, and they may work a few times before the tip breaks, the telescoping sections start to slip, or some other catastrophic failure strikes.
But serious anglers who need a compact travel rod would do well to skip these questionable products, choosing collapsible rods instead from companies with decades of tackle experience and hard-won reputations for quality.
Daiwa manufactures collapsible rods for the European and Asian market, where these designs are popular and common. And KastKing is breaking into the North American market with similar designs, the point being that neither company would risk its reputation on a bad product.
Materials
Daiwa and KastKing use known, relatively high end materials for their collapsible rods rather than no-name carbon fiber, or “99% Quality Carbon Cloth” as Plusinno advertises.
For instance, the Daiwa Ballistic X Tele Spin has a blank made from a proprietary form of carbon fiber that Daiwa calls HVF Nano Plus.
As they describe the material, In contrast to normal carbon fiber rods with high resin content in the space between the carbon fibers DAIWA HVF (High Volume Fiber) rods are made of a carbon fiber compound with less resin, called HVF.
Since resin has a high weight, rods made of HVF are more condensed, more light weight and feature a faster action.
Nanoplus: Resin material first is enriched with a nanoalloy compound and then is used for connecting the single carbon fibers, thus enabling the design of very lightweight and robust blanks.”
KastKing uses Toray 24-ton carbon fiber (IM6) in the blank of the Blackhawk II, and to be fair, Plussino and Sougayilang claim to use the same material in their rods. But real-world experience tells another story, and even if these three companies use the same blank material, there’s no question about how much more durable the KastKing Blackhawk II is.
Plussino and Sougayilang collapsible rods have a bad habit of breaking on the strike, under load, or when being extended or collapsed.
THat’s not going to be an issue with any of the rods on our shortlist, guaranteed.
Length
Collapsible rods need to be short when closed and proper fishing lengths when open.
Typically, the longer your rod the further it will cast, but the less accurate those casts will be. The reverse is just as true.
Daiwa’s rods tend to be on the longer side, as carp angler sneed long rods for casting far from shore.
The KastKing Blackhawk II is a normal rod length for North America, and if I were solely interested in freshwater species like perch, bluegill, and bass, it would be my top choice.
Power and action
European rods don’t report power and action the same way we do in North America, and that can make assessing the Diawa line-up on our shortlist tough.
One thing you can be sure of is that all of these collapsible rods sport fast actions: that’s pretty much guaranteed by the blank material.
You can judge the rod’s power by assessing the lure weights it’s designed to cast.
Handle
Collapsible rods are limited in how compact they can be do to the need for a real handle that can enable good casts and provide enough real estate for hard fights.
And whether you like a continuous handle, cork, EVA foam, or a combination of these materials, you’ll find a wide range of options among the rods we’ve reviewed today.
Cork has the advantage of feeling warm and looking good, but EVA foam is more durable as well as easier to clean.
Line and lure weight
Casting lures or baits that exceed the limits of a rod’s recommended lure weights can dramatically affect performance, and at the upper end, can even damage the blank as it loads before the cast and comes under tremendous force as you snap it forward.
It’s best to stick to lures and bait options that fit within the recommended range.
The Daiwa rods on our shortlist don’t report recommended line weights, but they’re relatively easy to surmise from the lure weight ratings.
Final Thoughts
Constant travel doesn’t need to end your love of fishing, and with one of the best collapsible rods in your arsenal, you’ll find that the time you spend on the water is that much more enjoyable.
As you’ll see from our reviews, our top picks make it easy to pack your passion and hit the water wherever you go, and one or more will fit the bill perfectly for your next fishing adventure.
If you have questions or comments, please leave a comment below!
We look forward to hearing from you.
Source: usangler.com