For the past six months, I’ve immensely enjoyed keeping a quality travel rod in back of my car — all the time. In part due to the convenience and in part because it fits so much of the fishing I do, I’ve used my car rod combo extensively for the amount of time I’ve owned it.
I had previously carried a cheap telescopic rod combo in my car — just in case opportunities arose — but it didn’t cast well and wasn’t great for working lures or landing fish. So, what I found was that I was just driving it around. I always grabbed a different rod for a trip, and even if some chance to fish came up, it generally wasn’t suited for the task.
I’ve also tried just keeping a regular fishing rod handy in my car, but even a two-piece rod gets in the way and always seems like it’s just waiting to be broken.
My Travel Rod & Reel
My car combo consists of a DAIWA Ardito 7-6 medium-light three-piece spinning rod and a DAIWA Fuego 200 size reel. I typically keep it spooled with 6-pound mono, but 4 or 8 would also fit nicely if the situation called for going a bit lighter or heavier. The rod is rated for 4- to 15-pound test and 1/8- to 3/8-ounce lures.
The rod came with a tube, which is important. That keeps it protected no matter what other junk I’m tossing into back of my car. Three pieces keep it short enough to fit neatly in the car hatch, but it casts as smoothly as a one-piece rod, from my standpoint.
I do a lot of stream wading — whether for trout, bass or whatever chooses to bite — and quite a bit of fishing from pond banks. This combo is the perfect size for many of the lures I throw and is at least suitable for a pretty good selection of the lures I’m apt use.
I don’t claim to be a super techy gear guy, but I know what feels good and works well. The rod’s fast action makes it easily to deliver accurate casts, even with small lures, and the reel is smooth. After half a year of fishing this outfit, I’m completely happy with how both rod and reel perform — casting, working lures and landing fish.
Add a Rod to Your Car
My intent wasn’t to spin into a review, though. Although this particular travel rod combo has served me well, and I absolutely would recommend it, more important is the general principle of adding a travel rod and a small selection of lures to the stuff you keep in your car.
Because of mine, I’ve done quick fishing outings that I otherwise wouldn’t have — when I found myself near water on other types of outings or passed somewhere interesting on the way to or from somewhere. Having a rod I’m comfortable with and a few favorite lures handy makes it very simple to stop, even if it’s only to make a handful of casts and scout a spot for another time.
Beyond that, it’s one less thing to think about when I’m gathering lures and other equipment for a day on the water. Several days this summer and fall, I didn’t pack any other rods or reels. I just put that one together upon arrival.
The primary consideration in picking out a travel rod to carry in your car is an assessment of the kinds of situations you’re most apt to encounter. I’m an all-species angler and my day-to-day local efforts include a lot of fishing with small lures. Therefore, the medium light spinning outfit suits my needs perfectly. However, if I mostly fished for bass around thick cover or maybe fished in saltwater on a regular basis, I’d want a heavier rod and bigger reel.
Finally, I also mentioned handy lures. I keep that part simple. I carry an old ice cream bucket in my hatch that stays filled with a selection of soft plastics, jigheads and floats and a little box of my favorite hard baits. There’s no exact formula, and the selection varies from time to time, but if I find myself in a situation where I’d really like to make a few casts, I want to have the stuff I need to do just that!
Fishing on Foot 