OKUMAVoyager Spinning Freshwater Travel Kit, VS-605-20, Blue

Bought this to keep in my car since it seems I never have a rod with me when I happen upon a random body of water. I got to use it today for the first time and was extremely pleased. For a short, light rod the action is pretty nice. I spooled 8# fluorocarbon line on it and it worked well with a finesse dropshot rig: tiny fluke and 3/8oz weight. I landed 6 bass in a couple hours, missed 2 other bites. The rod's action is well suited for this application. The wind was blowing at a good 20mph and I was still able to get good distance on casts, even with the light weight. The rod sections stayed tight though I checked them periodically to be sure...you need to do this with any rod that isn't a one-piece setup. If the pieces wear down over time, I'll use rough sandpaper on the areas that connect--it's worked for every other piece-together rod I've owned. The reel worked fine, fairly smooth for the price and the sort of quality I've learned to expect from Okuma. I fished in some heavy hydrilla and the rod/reel handled it fine. Never felt flimsy when reeling in fish, either. At one point I fished from a bridge ~15 up from the water and had no problems bringing fish up. I recommend you keep it spooled with fluoro no larger than 8#, or 6# braid, and don't overfill the spool. It took ~5 minutes to connect the pieces and rig a dropshot. Sure beats carrying a one-piece setup in the car. The case seems heavy-duty enough for my needs. I used an X-acto knife to cut away some of the interior foam to better fit 2 small stowaways loaded with terminal tackle and a few hardbaits. The bag is generous enough to throw in several bags of soft plastics on top of everything which actually gives the reel more cushioning in the bag and will help protect it from getting beat up in the car. My only complaint is that I wish the strap on the case was longer so it could more comfortably be carried and kept across the back/chest when hiking or biking...probably not a problem for men, but women might find it a bit uncomfortable. I'll probably find a way to lengthen it myself. Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase and pleased with the quality. I'd trust this setup with fish up to 8#, provided you keep the drag loose enough.

I was looking for a practical camping/packing fishing rod and had tried the pocket fisherman (a decent little product that would get you by in a pinch) but wanted something that allowed me to actually fish. I took it to a nearby pond and strung it with some 6# line and put a 1/16th crappie jig on it and worked the brush piles along the shore. Caught 3 decent little crappie and a handful of bluegills. The light pole did really well with fish around 12-16oz and the reel handled pulling them in with ease. Excellent for the little stuff! I switched over to a 1/4oz Mepp's Black Fury spinner bait and had no issues casting 30-40yds off bank and the retrieve was nice and smooth while the rod was sensitive enough to transmit bites to my hands. In 30 minutes I had landed 4 large mouths between 3/4# to 1 1/2# with a bit of work, but the rod and reel held up with no issues. I switched to a 1/4oz popper and started working the moss beds.... this is where I got the workout at. Even with the forgiving rod and a wicked blood knot strong enough to hold under the toughest conditions, I fought a bass in the 4-5# range for a solid 2 minutes before he took my bait (the only one I had with me). I haven't tried any of the hybrid lines on this yet, but have a feeling that if employed it would yield better results than monos did and most likely would have landed the lil lunker.Pros: Compact, very light weight with plenty of power to bring in small to medium fish. The ease of casting is very good to excellent. The rod's sensitivity is very good to excellent. The retrieve is very good.Cons: Small spool equals short heavy line or long light line. I may try some 8# next time and see if it yields better results on the larger fish (provided I can keep them from running too far)Overall: Outstanding combo that breaks down into a case the size of a backgammon board and easily stows in a framed backpack with all the power you would need to land fish 3#'s and smaller all day. Very highly recommend this to anyone looking for a rugged fishing rig that you can count on in the woods for extended periods of time (we usually do 10 day hikes covering 90-120 miles)