Fishing rod recommendation for backpacking/survival

[Aquaneko]

As you may or may not know National Fishing Week is on right now and Canadian Tire has a sale on fishing kits.

I would like some help on finding a fishing rod/reel combo with backpacking/survival in mind. Something that is akin to an all purpose 'jack of all trades' type of setup that could be used for a wide range of fish (yes I am well aware if you use an ultralight setup and hook a 10lb carp you will need to touch and good lightly with the drag for sometime slowly to wear the fish down as opposed to if you had a heavier setup which can land the fish quicker).

I do not always have access to a car but do have a bicycle which I have kitted out for cycle touring/day touring but when off the bike I will be carrying my gear with me so everything will be in a backpack.

For those unaware I have seen Dave Canteburys 'pocket fisherman' kit which is a hand reeling kit with a tube to hold tackle. Compact and at the ready. Many videos on youtube showing it is very effective for catching fish. I have done hand reeling before with a gatorade bottle and caught a 3lb cat.

For those curious of what gear I have and am familiar with this is what I have and my experience fishing:

Quote:The kit I was using for fishing is:

-Zebco 'Just Add Water' rod/reel tackle kit. Reel rated for 4/6/8# test (but I spooled it with 10#. Spinning reel.

Reasoning is I sometimes at snags in the trees and the extra 2# strength helps when I am tugging to free the line with my bobber and float. I do however use a lighter test line as a leader.


-Garcia (pre Abu Garcia as I just found out last week) ~6'6" or 7' rod. Rod says 6-12# test. Coupled with a Daiwa EL550 Graphite IIRC the reel model right. The reel has rear drag which I like. Apparently from Bass City if they are correct Garica has lifetime warrenty on thier rods. I try hard not to bend the rods hard when fighting a fish.

-Daiwa rod ~6' model 1011 IIRC. I think and more a light action IIRC. Both the Garcia and the Diawa rod have been commented as vintage classics by the Bass City store and the staff was shocked to see it in such good working condition. Reel is a Daiwa spring loaded front drag and folding handle.

-South Bend Proton telescopic rod which I sometimes use the Zebco reel or the Daiwa reels.

-Gatorade mini bottle w/8# test, ball float, splitshot, and hook. Much like anyone that skoffs at this setup or the Zebco setup this setup has caught about a 3lb catfish using a orange wiggly tail grub lure.

http://ontarioshorefishing.com/forum/Thr...7#pid13507


Here is a link to all the fishing rod/reel combos Can.Tire has.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/sports-rec...-rods.html

I would like something economical. Cost hmm.... Say $30ish range if possible.

Right now I like carp fishing and use a 1oz lead weight for a multi hook drop shot rig that I am practicing with which can lead to catching catfish I hope as I gain more fishing experience. I have caught a lot of sunfish and a rock bass using a floating bobber method. I have read in the Catch Fishing pamphlet it says IIRC they recommend a meduim action rod. IIRC on some survival sites ( survivalboard.net ? ) I read something along those lines of a medium action rod or light action. I am new to all this action stuff but know the Garcia I have does have some flexible tip bending as with the Daiwa and Zebco.



Thank you kindly in advance for any help. Sorry for the long post as I was thinking the more info I give the better the help.


EDIT: I remember at Lake Aquitaine last year a guy with his friends fishing talking about rods and how an ugly stick has never let them down and I think he said it lasts forever.

[MuskieBait]

UglyStik has some 4-piece rods that is perfect for travel. I've used one before and it's OK. You'll catch fish with it, but sensitivity isn't all that great and it is heavier than other rods...but it will still catch fish.

Just this past weekend, I helped a young man land a 20lb carp with his telescopic rod. The drag on the reel was only so-so and the rod bent like it was going to explode at certain times. The guy had little fishing experience. He set the drag too light and couldn't gain line (reeling against the spool all the time), but the drag was way too jerky to set it too high without fear of snapping his rod. The fish was taking him toward a nasty snag and it was also spooling him, so I asked if he wants my help. I took over with his permission and proceeded to palm the reel and pointed the rod tip down to prevent the carp from snagging the overhanging branches. Long story short, we managed to get the carp out of trouble, gained the line all back and had the fish under control before I handed the rod back to him. With some coaching, he was able to finally bring it to the net. You can still land pretty big fish with low end gear...just have to know how to use the gear properly given the limitation and take your time.

[Aquaneko]

Can anyone make any recommends based on the fishing rods on sale at Can.T? Sale ends tomorrow but I know a Can.T that could give me the previous sale price 24-48hr post sale.

[MuskieBait]

Which one are you talking about specifically? If you post some links of the ones that you are considering we can take a look. But it takes a lot of time for us to browse through 10+ pages of products not knowing which ones you are interested in.

But like I said, if you are interested in the UglyStik, they do have travel options. They are just under $40. I saw them at LeBaron and Sail in the past...not sure now.

[zippyFX]

Don't rush it. I have found that sale price at CT is almost as good as regular price at basspro, sail or Lebaron for combos.

[MuskieBait]

Yeah, CT is often overprices for many products, especially lures.

I would wait until BassPro, Sail or Lebaron has a sale.

[zippyFX]

(07-09-2014 10:18 AM)MuskieBait Wrote:  I took over with his permission and proceeded to palm the reel....

I never thought of palming the reel on lightly set drag.... Might be a better option that trying to fumble with drag when trying to fight a fish.... Or at least it will don until you have an opportunity to set the drag with little risk of loosing the fish.

[Aquaneko]

(07-09-2014 11:38 PM)zippyFX Wrote:  Don't rush it. I have found that sale price at CT is almost as good as regular price at basspro, sail or Lebaron for combos.

Well I have a lot of Can.T gift cards thus why I lean towards Can.T. Yes Can.T is overpriced on thier regular stuff as I have noticed over the last few years (I think because of the GST/PST change) they slowly bumped up thier pricings so that thier weekly sales look good with the sales.

I tend to use a K.I.S.S setup with 1-2 or sometimes 3 hooks line setup with worms or corn but also looking into proven lures that work in winter and all season.

I have seen some videos by Dave Cantebury (if you have seen the 1st and 2nd seasons of Dual Survival) and he has had http://www.youtube.com/user/wildernessoutfitters/ playlists for many years. I like his common man style and approach to his videos and while he does have a store that sells stuff he does not push his stuff on you and offers many other options to do things. Also Dave is based in Ohio so his environment/terrain pretty much mirrors Toronto. He has a series called On the waters edge.

I also follow a fellow by the name of BushCraftBartons who hails from Quebec and has an awesome channel and a seasoned woodsman.

[MRQturbo]

sail has a 15% off fishing and hunting stuff until july 20th....

[MichaelAngelo]

There's a Rapalla, I think "Magnum" series travel rod at SAIL right now for under $60. It's quite nice, 6'6" and Medium action.