Airplane travel and your rod...

[gregorykicks]

I'm heading to Colorado Saturday with my family and will be fishing one day. I have a 4-piece rod, but it's still kinda big for a suitcase. What do you suggest? Carry-on or check? I can get a cardboard tube to wrap the case in for stickers and such.

 

[BigCliff]

Safest option: ship it via FedEx. The FedEx "Tube" (actually triangular) with easily accept a 4 pc rod, and the tube is free. 2day is MUCH cheaper than overnight, 3day air cheaper still. (AKA "Express Saver")

Next safest, carry it on. I doubt you'll have any trouble carrying it on board, but its been a good while since I've flown with one.

 

[gearguy]

carry it. I wouldn't let it leave my sight.

 

[devon flyfisher]

In the UK i know we have problems on domestic flights, they consider a fishing rod could be used as a weapon, fishing fly line can be used to tie people up and hooks are considered a sharp object!
But still at the end of the day safety is paramount.
I have always managed to get my 4pc in a suitcase when i fly to the states, i suggest you buy a bigger case.
The only worry i have is unpacking my case at the destination to find the Sage missing from the case!
Richard

 

[Pocono]

I would definitely suggest that you hand carry it on the plane with you. Checking a single 4 piece rod; unless you "crate" it, is just asking for trouble. I do a lot of flying and the handling that luggage gets; at the hands of those who load and unload planes; is rough, at best. I'd buy an aluminum rod tube at your local fly shop (not expensive) and simply carry it with the rod through security. I recently carried 3 rods to the Yucatan in tubes inside a Fishpond rod bag and had no problems; same thing last Fall going to the Paradise Valley in Montana. I'll be headed to Chilean Patagonia next February and you can bet that I will definitely be hand carrying my rods.

Another alternative is to get luggage that has space for your rods. Most of the major gear suppliers make them. Again, in this category, I like the Fishpond luggage; the 35" roller bag holds an absolute ton of fishing gear. I consider them to be second best to hand carry and way, way ahead of checking a single 4 piece rod.

Good luck!

 

[shorthaul]

My first choice is to ship it ahead by UPS or FedEx. 2nd choice is just to take 4 pc rods and put the rod tubes in the middle of my large clothing duffle. I can fit 3 rods in there and they are cushioned by the clothing. I carry my camera and reels.

 

[Red Owl]

I really haven't done a lot of exotic fly fishing trips but the question raises an interesing point as far as rods, waders, equipment, etc. What do most of you do who take comercial airlines to areas to fly fish( Colorado, Alaska, Labrador, etc)? Ship ahead of schedule, something else? Thanks.

 

[MBWCC]

I really haven't done a lot of exotic fly fishing trips but the question raises an interesing point as far as rods, waders, equipment, etc. What do most of you do who take comercial airlines to areas to fly fish( Colorado, Alaska, Labrador, etc)? Ship ahead of schedule, something else? Thanks.

I travel quite a bit for business. I have a wheeled duffel bag that is my fishing gear bag which travels with me on virtually every business trip. The duffel holds 3-4 rod tubes, reels, 1-2 pairs of wading boots, 1-2 pairs of waders, vest(s), tippet spools, fly cases, tools, etc., and still comes in just under the standard 50# baggage limit.

When I first started doing this (fly gear on nearly all business trips) I would carryon my fly rod(s), but I quickly discovered that it was nothing but a hassle, and that it was much easier to simply check the entire mess. My fly rods live in the typical cloth covered plastic tubes which have never had a problem with the baggage handlers. The only issue I had was one flight when the duffel went missing for 2-3 days. I had taken pictures of all the gear and I started a spreadsheet to determine the replacement value--the total quickly topped $3k. The bag returned so I never determined the airlines' response to a >$3k missing baggage claim, but it was a concern.

 

[gregorykicks]

Thanks for all your suggestions! I've read on Southwest.com and it says I can carry it on, so that's what I'll do.
I'm going fishing 1/2 day on Wed (4hrs on water) so I hope to bring back some pictures for you guys.

 

[Fly2Fish]

Gregorykicks, you've probably already left on your trip, but for others who may be interested, I have carried on Southwest a double rod-reel case big enough to hold a four-piece ten-footer and had absolutely no problem. This was so even when I was also carrying on a rather large (for carry-on) duffel bag.

My wife & I are taking Delta to Wyoming in September, and I'd be curious if anyone has had any experiences carrying on flyrods with them. Checking their "Special Baggage" rules seems to indicate it's okay, but it's not clear if the reference refers to carry-on baggage as well as checked. Would hate to check my Sage rods and arrive without them, the whole purpose of the trip.

 

[troutdoorsman]

I just flew United a couple weeks ago and a brought a Sage double tube rod holder with a 9.5 ft 8 wt. I was very nervous about checking it because of it's size but it came through ok. I would definitely reccommend carry on if it's small enough though.

 

[Pocono]

I also travel a lot (too much, sometimes!) and carry-on rods have never been a problem for me on Continental, USAir, British Air, Air France and Japan Airlines (JAL). So, that's a pretty good sampling of the major carriers; both domestic and international.

 

[A. Blair]

Amazing!!!!
I cannot believe all the good experiences with fly rods on aircraft. Mine is just the opposite. My aluminum cased rod was confiscated when an arrogant security checker claimed it "looked menacing" and took it. I was threatened with arrest by an equally arrogant police officer when I objected and wanted it back . I also had called the airline to check if it was permissable to carry it on the plane and was told it was just fine. However, no one from the airline would help me get it back. They all played dumb. I was lucky that I knew an executive in that airport administration who came and retrieved it for me. I demanded my money back for my ticket and drove to Montana which I shall do from now on. It's not worth the increase in blood pressure.

 

[Frank Whiton]

Hi to all,

I think one of the best rod carry on is this Fishpond Voyager. It comes in two sizes but I like the small one that accepts 33" rod pieces. You can carry 3 or 4 rods depending on the diameter of the rod tubes. I would carry my rods, reels, spare spools and some leaders but no flies unless you are willing to get them confiscated. This is a out-of-site out-of-mind carrier. You don't have aluminum tubes exposed and it fits in most overhead racks. If your luggage is lost in flight you would still be able to fish.

Frank

Fishpond Voyager

 

[troutdoorsman]

I've never had an issue with flies either. I always have at least one stuck in my hat and I've been on a few flights and through security and had them comment on how cool they were. Never had one taken away.

 

[gregorykicks]

Well, the plane ride was quite uneventful thankfully. No one said anything at anytime about carrying my rod.

Sadly, I went to go fishing on Wed, and my guide said that the water was way too high right now, like 3x more than normal. He said he fished 8 hours on Sunday at the spot he wanted to take me to and caught 2 fish. He said he'd be willing to take me out, but said we'd likely be stuck fishing a hole that someone just stepped out of, and that on Sunday he could see fish, but they were all hunkered down conserving energy and weren't biting. He offered my deposit back and everything, which was more than I expected. He also gave me an opportunity to ride four-wheelers for way less than the ride cost, which was nice.

He said if I come back in September he could take me to a private stretch of the Arkansas river where a bad day would be 10-12 fish in 4hrs. Anywho, this guy knew his stuff and was a super guy, and said he was excited about getting to take someone out who knew what he was doing.

Here's his website if anyone is interested. I know If I get to come back I'll use this guy. Rocky Mtn Trout Hunters

 

[Pocono]

Hi to all,

I think one of the best rod carry on is this Fishpond Voyager. It comes in two sizes but I like the small one that accepts 33" rod pieces. You can carry 3 or 4 rods depending on the diameter of the rod tubes. I would carry my rods, reels, spare spools and some leaders but no flies unless you are willing to get them confiscated. This is a out-of-site out-of-mind carrier. You don't have aluminum tubes exposed and it fits in most overhead racks. If your luggage is lost in flight you would still be able to fish.

Frank

Fishpond Voyager

Frank,

That's exactly what I use; the bottom one of the two bags in your picture. Perfect, I think, for 3 rods. When my wife and I travel to fish we both carry one of them; two rods/bag. Easy to carry, light and protective. I use it as a carry-on and, again, have never had any problems with airport security. It goes through the scanners just fine. No one has even asked me to open up the bag or the rod tubes. Perhaps that's just luck, but it seems to be pretty consistent in my case.

Im still struggling with the comment from ABlair, but perhaps the "covering" of the bag is less visibly threatening than an open aluminum tube. Admittedly, it's expensive camouflage, but it works for me for carry-on, which is how I want to travel with my rods whenever possible.

 

[racine]

I just got back last Saturday from 10 days in Colorado as well. I brought 3 rods, all of them 4-5 pc. No hassles this time, not even from that TSA NAZI in NOLA that delayed me last March. I've had luggage go AWOL for 3 days before at O'Haire and ENOLA so the only rod in there was my cheapest one. The Sage and Winston came as carry on in my Orvis Fishing Daypack along with my fly boxes, reels, vitamins, trip itinerary, fishing jacket and a few sundries. The wading staff(controversial), landing net, wading boots, etc. went into my big duffel. Flying into Wyoming last year, I brought my 2 piece 9' Sage with no problems coming and going but it had to sit up front out of sight. Between my 3-5wts, I'm covered for trout.
As far as fishing goes, I also found highwater and speaking to 3 different flyshops/outfitters, only one sounded optimistic. I fished the Eagle for 3 days and found it slow but productive enough to be memorable. Memorable in that I caught mostly bigger browns, a serendipitous alternate to the ubiquitous bows I usually get. I flew United back nonstop and found they did not have a station to Xray your backs then lock. The checkins just went down the conveyor to TSA. Other airlines weigh, tag, and direct you to a nearby Xray machine where you can hang to unlock your bags. Needless to say they cut the lock off my golf bag but not the duffel. Nothing lost or broken but the convenience of 4 and 5 pc rods beats the double sticks any day. Hope you had fun. I had great 50-70degree sunny days the entire time, except of course the one day on the golf course when it blew.
Sorry this got long winded but I hope it helps anyway...
Racine