The Winston 5-piece rod thread that I saw here on the forum gave me reason to think. I DO have one travel rod, a 6-piece, 8' 4WT Chinese model that was VERY inexpensive and which is actually fine, punching way above its weight, but not something that anyone would call a "good rod". Given that I retired about 5 years ago and I'm trying to catch up some on the fact that I didn't travel or fly fish a lot during my working years, I constantly wonder if I don't need a better travel rod than the one that I've got that would fit easily into a checked bag or perhaps even into a carry-on for those trips when I simply don't want to be weighed down with my normal kit.
Although I do occasionally fish a bigger stream/river that might require a bigger punch, most of the streams that I fish locally or that I'm more inclined to travel to are probably best-suited to a 3, 4 or maybe a 5-weight rig and generally, if not a very small stream, I lean towards 8-9 foot rods more than anything shorter (other than my bamboo rods which are often/usually in the 7-8 foot range). So, if I WERE to get myself a decent travel rod, it would likely be in the 8'6" 4WT or 9' 5WT range, something that you could use for trout most anywhere in the world, even if it weren't perfect or ideal. A good example of what a normal trip might look like for me is one that I'm planning for June of this year to Park City, Utah to fish the Weber (maybe the Provo), Strawberry Reservoir, Duchesne River and likely several alpine lakes in the Uinta Mountains (which will involve at least some backpacking). The potential for 20+" trout is there, but the average fish on that trip will be much less than that and some of them will be 10 inchers. Some of the streams will be very small, but I'll also fish the lakes and the Weber and Provo are both relatively large streams by my standards.
I'm not the guy to spend $600, $800 or $1000 on a rod. I don't begrudge others that opportunity, nor do I ever suggest that more expensive rods are junk or don't have value, it's just not me for whatever reason (not entirely because I can't afford stuff like that if I REALLY wanted it). So, I'd probably be looking at a new rod that was in the $200-350 range or possibly looking at a used rod that was in great shape and maybe worth a couple hundred bucks in its present/used condition. I've even toyed with the idea of trying to find a nice one and offering one of the bamboo rods that I've built in exchange for it (don't get too excited, anything that I'd trade would have at least a couple of warts, although all of the bamboo rods that I've built have been MORE than adequate, fine and good).
Just looking for some ideas about the better lines of travel rods that have been built over the years (I did learn a bit from that Winston 5-piece thread and it's obvious that people liked that line) and how easy or inexpensive it may be to find good options at any given time.
Although I do occasionally fish a bigger stream/river that might require a bigger punch, most of the streams that I fish locally or that I'm more inclined to travel to are probably best-suited to a 3, 4 or maybe a 5-weight rig and generally, if not a very small stream, I lean towards 8-9 foot rods more than anything shorter (other than my bamboo rods which are often/usually in the 7-8 foot range). So, if I WERE to get myself a decent travel rod, it would likely be in the 8'6" 4WT or 9' 5WT range, something that you could use for trout most anywhere in the world, even if it weren't perfect or ideal. A good example of what a normal trip might look like for me is one that I'm planning for June of this year to Park City, Utah to fish the Weber (maybe the Provo), Strawberry Reservoir, Duchesne River and likely several alpine lakes in the Uinta Mountains (which will involve at least some backpacking). The potential for 20+" trout is there, but the average fish on that trip will be much less than that and some of them will be 10 inchers. Some of the streams will be very small, but I'll also fish the lakes and the Weber and Provo are both relatively large streams by my standards.
I'm not the guy to spend $600, $800 or $1000 on a rod. I don't begrudge others that opportunity, nor do I ever suggest that more expensive rods are junk or don't have value, it's just not me for whatever reason (not entirely because I can't afford stuff like that if I REALLY wanted it). So, I'd probably be looking at a new rod that was in the $200-350 range or possibly looking at a used rod that was in great shape and maybe worth a couple hundred bucks in its present/used condition. I've even toyed with the idea of trying to find a nice one and offering one of the bamboo rods that I've built in exchange for it (don't get too excited, anything that I'd trade would have at least a couple of warts, although all of the bamboo rods that I've built have been MORE than adequate, fine and good).
Just looking for some ideas about the better lines of travel rods that have been built over the years (I did learn a bit from that Winston 5-piece thread and it's obvious that people liked that line) and how easy or inexpensive it may be to find good options at any given time.
