Airline Travel w/ Fly gear question

[houli]

What are the rules these days? Can i bring my 4 piece in case as carry-on (soft Orvis Safe Passage case)? Can i bring fly boxes w/ flies/hooks etc as carry-on?

I'm headed to FL and want to bring my 7 wt but would rather not check a bag.

Thanks.

Ryan

 

[theboz]

Four piece rod can go on carry on. So can flys and other tackle provided they fit in a carryon size package. When your flys and tackle go through the scanner they will pull them and check them in front of you. Seems Miami and FtLauderdale on return flights don't check as much.
My problem is most of my rods are 2 piece so I generally have to pay the baggage fee. Except on Jet Blue which gives you a freebie. Then my only hassle is finding the rod bazooka when I land. It's never with the other baggage. Sometimes it's at the other end of the airport.

 

[dhayden]

My experiences.. 4 piece has never been an issue in the states (and I've seen a lot of 2 peice rods on board too - at least arriving here no issues)

Hooks were always prohibited.

 

[houli]

so if i bring flies in my carry-on chances are they will confiscate or make me go back and check my fly boxes?

do NOT want to get stuck in a situation where i have to dump my flies in the trash w/ the 4 oz bottle of sunscreen.

Thanks!

 

[dhayden]

This is from TSA.. it's a little open to interpretation. Sometimes it depends on who you get asking you.

TSA: Traveling with Special Items


Fishing Rods / Poles

Fishing Rods are permitted as carry-on and checked baggage. However, please check with your air carrier to confirm that it fits within their size limitations for carry-on items. Ultimately, it is the carrier's decision as to whether or not it can be transported as carry-on baggage.


Tackle Equipment

Fishing equipment should be placed in your checked baggage. Some tackle equipment can be considered sharp and dangerous. Expensive reels or fragile tackle such as fly's should be packed in your carry-on baggage.

 

[theboz]

Never had a fly confiscated and I fly regularly. They do inspect them quite often but it's not the flys they are concerned about. If you watch the inspectors they are swabbing the boxes for chemicals and gunpowder. I spoke with one inspector who told me fishing equipment is fine as long as ther are no knives or weapons in with the tackle. He also stated that with flys and tackle boxes they show up on the scanner as so many different pieces that they like to check to make sure no contraband is mixed in with the tackle

 

[houli]

Thanks a bunch fellas. They're coming with me.

 

[brookfieldangler]

I travel quite a bit with my stuff and have always put everything in my checked baggage. Part of the reason for this is the inevitability that you are going to have to check some stuff no matter what. An example would be forceps, scissors, and knives - these are all things that we carry with us fishing.

Since all that is requiring a bag to be checked, I might as well keep it all in one place and make room for laptop along with keeping my hands free from having to carry a bunch of stuff.

Sure, you can argue that might get lost if you check it, but in my over 30 flights a year for the past 6 years, I haven't lost a checked bag yet. - knock on wood

 

[fire instructor]

in my over 30 flights a year for the past 6 years, I haven't lost a checked bag yet. - knock on wood

It doesn't matter what kind of wood, and how hard you knock, I'm afraid, my friend, that you've just doomed yourself! I'm thinking that the only thing that might help you now, is a back-yard goat sacrifice....

 

[brookfieldangler]

It doesn't matter what kind of wood, and how hard you knock, I'm afraid, my friend, that you've just doomed yourself! I'm thinking that the only thing that might help you now, is a back-yard goat sacrifice....

I do that annually just for good measure

 

[fire instructor]

I've got 12 nights in a hotel in Indy, starting with Friday night. If I go out "with the boys" every night, it'll take a month to flush the excess ETOH out of my blood.... So I've been putting plastic bags with select materials and the tools that I'll need into a small box so that I can spend a few of those hotel evenings with a couple of beers and my vice. I had to find a box strong enough to withstand Southwest's gorrilla bag-handlers, yet light enough to keep me under the 50lb bag limit!! Found a fake tupperware box at Home Depot that'll work. Maybe I can finish-up some of the flies that I'm committed to in the various swaps!

 

[whalensdad]

Flew a few weeks ago. Packed the flies and such and had no issues. Took my 4 piece and my net as carry-on. The TSA agent thought I was carrying on a golf club. I guess he thought the net was used to get the ball out of the hole.

 

[williamhj]

I've flown with my rod, no problem. I've read and heard that flies and reels are fine to carry on as well, but I check them. Dealing with TSA is one of those experiences where it doesn't matter if I'm right, what matters is that they have the power to make my life difficult and my flight will leave without me. If a snarky agent doesn't like the flies he could delay me enough to make me miss my flight or pitch the flies. My goal with TSA is to be as easy as possible and I've never had issues and found most of the agents to be great. It would just take one though...

 

[brookfieldangler]

I've flown with my rod, no problem. I've read and heard that flies and reels are fine to carry on as well, but I check them. Dealing with TSA is one of those experiences where it doesn't matter if I'm right, what matters is that they have the power to make my life difficult and my flight will leave without me. If a snarky agent doesn't like the flies he could delay me enough to make me miss my flight or pitch the flies. My goal with TSA is to be as easy as possible and I've never had issues and found most of the agents to be great. It would just take one though...

That is a great point. TSA agents are very unpredictable people, typically ignorant in many things and, as a result, you just never know what is going to alarm them. What one agent doesn't think twice about, another one sees as the most dangerous thing in the world.

Case in point: I flew to Orlando for an event and had 2 wrenches with me in my laptop bag - a 10mm and 15mm. The TSA agent(s) in Chicago paid no notice to those wrenches when I flew out there. Fast forward a few days later as I was heading home from Orlando....as my laptop bag is going through the screener, I hear "bag check". An agent puts on her rubber gloves and rifles through my case to pull out my two wrenches. She looks at both of them, puts the smaller one down, and disappears with the larger one for a minute. Upon her return, she says to me, "Sir. You can't fly with this socket, it is too big."

:doh:

"Too big?" I respond. "That socket is an inch larger than the other one. Secondly, that socket is actually a wrench." I continue. "Where are the rules about socket and wrench size?" I ask.

"Sir. You just can't carry this. I can either throw it away or check it in." she snaps back.

Naturally, I told her to keep it because I didn't feel like waiting for a wrench at baggage claim. I have a dozen more at the house and my time is valuable.

Imagine if that were a small box of flies. Do you honestly think that would ever actually make it the destination? Maybe, but maybe not.

This is why I much rather check the flies and tools rather than run the gauntlet they call the TSA security line - you just never know what some ignorant TSA agent is going to find dangerous, but I could easily see how they could conclude a box full of sharp hooks could be.

Those small items that are checked in at security or the gate tend to be the ones that get lost the most. If you don't mind losing a box of flies, then go for it. But if you are checking a bag in anyways, just throw them in there - your airport experience will be much smoother.

 

[fire instructor]

TSA agents are very unpredictable people, typically ignorant in many things and, as a result, you just never know what is going to alarm them. What one agent doesn't think twice about, another one sees as the most dangerous thing int he world.

LOL! I was at a Conference in San Diego last November, where reknown Risk Management expert Gordon Graham was speaking.... He was talking about limiting Organizational Risk, and one of the rules in his talk was "Don't hire stupid people." He then talked about the screening, interviewing, background check process that we should use to hire/promote employees to ensure that we were getting the best available, and minimizing organizational risk...

At the end of the talk, he reminded us the "the stupid people will always find jobs... The one's that can't find employment at a local fast food shop, can always go to work for TSA!" The crowd reacted as you might expect, with laughter and clappping.... That is, except the 2 or 3 TSA guys that were sitting a couple of tables over from me....

 

[brookfieldangler]

That is, except the 2 or 3 TSA guys that were sitting a couple of tables over from me....

HA! I'd hate to be the one sitting at their table

 

[depenner]

That is a great point. TSA agents are very unpredictable people, typically ignorant in many things and, as a result, you just never know what is going to alarm them. What one agent doesn't think twice about, another one sees as the most dangerous thing in the world.

Case in point: I flew to Orlando for an event and had 2 wrenches with me in my laptop bag - a 10mm and 15mm. The TSA agent(s) in Chicago paid no notice to those wrenches when I flew out there. Fast forward a few days later as I was heading home from Orlando....as my laptop bag is going through the screener, I hear "bag check". An agent puts on her rubber gloves and rifles through my case to pull out my two wrenches. She looks at both of them, puts the smaller one down, and disappears with the larger one for a minute. Upon her return, she says to me, "Sir. You can't fly with this socket, it is too big."

:doh:

"Too big?" I respond. "That socket is an inch larger than the other one. Secondly, that socket is actually a wrench." I continue. "Where are the rules about socket and wrench size?" I ask.

"Sir. You just can't carry this. I can either throw it away or check it in." she snaps back.

Naturally, I told her to keep it because I didn't feel like waiting for a wrench at baggage claim. I have a dozen more at the house and my time is valuable.

Imagine if that were a small box of flies. Do you honestly think that would ever actually make it the destination? Maybe, but maybe not.

This is why I much rather check the flies and tools rather than run the gauntlet they call the TSA security line - you just never know what some ignorant TSA agent is going to find dangerous, but I could easily see how they could conclude a box full of sharp hooks could be.

Those small items that are checked in at security or the gate tend to be the ones that get lost the most. If you don't mind losing a box of flies, then go for it. But if you are checking a bag in anyways, just throw them in there - your airport experience will be much smoother.

A few years back my wife and were flying home from visiting my folks in Vancouver (BC, not WA). My wife is an avid knitter and always carries her gear when we travel. We clear security and are boarding the plane. This was at the time they were still doing random plane side checks. As I get on the plane I notice Liz being pulled aside. I know she doesn't have scissors or anything sharp, so just head to my seat. Fifteen-twenty minutes go by, the plane is basically loaded, and no Liz. Starting to get worried (partly because she isn't on board; partly because I know she is going to annoyed that I didn't wait for her). As I'm starting to get up to find a steward, here comes Liz--livid, and without knitting. At the plane-side check they pulled out her knitting and were going through the bag. Liz uses wooden circular needles (two "sticks" connected with monofilament or stainless wire). The security person looks at the needles and asks "Why are they black?" Liz answers "They're ebony." Blank stare, followed by "But why are they black?" Liz, "Ebony is black." This was then followed with "You can't take them on board, they're too sharp." So off she went to do plane-side baggage check.

Now these things are about as sharp as your pinky. But when it comes to arguing with security, you're never going to win. The only redeeming part was she was so annoyed with the security person, she was only slightly peeved that I went on board without her.

david

 

[gutz1]

Flies and most gear is just fine to carry-on. Nippers, forceps, and even a pair of scissors is ok as long as the scissor blade is less than 4 inches long. I just take all of the 'questionable' items (forceps, etc) out of my bag and send them through separate so TSA doesn't make a mess of my carry-on.
For the two piece rod cases, it's really just hit or miss with the airline gate agent. Some will let you carry it on, some will make you gate check it. Either way, just give your self a little extra time before security. If you do end up having to check it, at least it's worth trying to save $25. Oh, and don't forget to take your floatant and other liquids out before security.

 

[swirlchaser]

I'm still scared from my recent separation from my 6wt combo that was checked in. I still can't talk about it. I would carry everything on with you.