Travel Rods

[TroutTackler]

I recently purchased the Eagle Claw Trailmaster III rod, reel, and case combo. It's compact size is wonderful. I have a Toyota Tacoma, and the whole thing fits underneath my seats in the storage compartments. The only problem is, it seems a little stiff, and for a novice like me, that doesn't help too much with the "beauty of casting". Has anyone else had this problem, and is there any technique I could use to better my casting.

By the way, it's a 5 wt., so I know it shouldn't be too heavy to be so stiff...

[mmarkey]

Not being familier with this particular rod. But I assume if it fits under your seat it must be very multipieced. In general the more furrels a rod has the stiffer and less action it will have. Furrels are actually a somewhat dead spot in the action because of all the extra rod material there.

[FlyBy]

Generally, the stiffness of a rod is dependent on the taper and construction of the rod. Though not a hard and fast rule, the more expensive rods are made on lighter blanks with more advanced taper designs and are less affected by the number of ferrules in the rod. It's usually easier for novices to cast with a slower rod, since they can feel the line loading the rod. If you need a multi-piece rod, try try the TFO rods or see if you can find a Sage LE or DS, which have been discontinued and are on sale. These won't break the bank and are nice rods to cast.

FlyBy

[The Ole Man]

You might try moving up a line weight. The additional line weight makes the rod bend farther down the blank on the casting stroke creating a wider loading arc and thus slowing the rod action down some. This is sometimes referred to as "sweetening" the rod as a bend farther down the blank may hit a sweet spot that feels better to the caster.

[Drifter]

Ditto what The Mean Ole Man said ;) although a 6-weight line may be a little too heavy for a small mountain stream! 'Course if you're pond fishing for bream and bass, or big rivers....it may be the ticket.

Drifter