[Alligator]

I have the Stowaway 7 4 wt. 8 ft. and it's an amazingly good rod. I generally tend toward Sage rods and love their new products, but this rod hangs with this "ritsy" crowd just fine.

I was looking for a rod to throw in my day pack for hiking or my backpack. The issues: short and very light. In today's world of ultralight hiking, the very idea of bringing a extra item is heresy, so it had to be minimal. I coupled the rod with my late father's 25-year-old Orvis Battenkill aluminum reel, which weighs nothing because it's "pre-drag", and a Rio Gold 4 wt. line that the rod was plenty fast enough to handle. ZOOM! I feel this rod could fish for pan fish, trout (esp. in mountain streams and lakes) and even modest small mouths if it had to.

I took the cloth sleeve that came with the rod, slit it about 4" down the but part so the reel could stay mounted to the rod, sewed up the slit's sides, and put a neoprene sleeve on the reel. Bingo. It's ready to go for a walk.