Telescopic Fishing Rod Review – Shakespeare Telescoping Spinning Rod
One of the problems with fishing is having to carry large awkward equipment around with you. This is fine when you are going for an afternoon out close to home – but what if you want to wet a line after work or you have a long trek to the fishing hole?
Shakespeare has come up with a great solution to this problem with their Travel Mate series of telescopic fishing rods. Now you can get a fishing rod that can easily be stored in your backpack or suitcase for use whenever you need it.
Set yourself up with a small tackle box with your favourite soft plastic lures and you can have a fishing setup ready whenever you feel like. It is a popular solution for those who work home from the office and feel like a bit of relaxation before heading home. With one of these telescopic rods you will always be ready.
So the Shakespeare Telescoping Spinning Rod sounds good in theory, but is it any good at catching fish? Let’s take a look at the key features to see what it offers.
The Travel Mate rods come in 3 different models.
The TM46SPT is a 4’6” ultralight telescopic spinning rod that collapses down to a tiny 13.5 inches. The reel is attached with a twist-lock seat.
Next is the TM46SCT, a 4’6” ultralight telescopic casting rod. It is also only 13.5 inches when collapsed with the twist-lock reel seat.
For those after a rod with a bit more strength for targeting medium fish, the TM66SPT is available at 6’6”. It collapses down to still only 15inches and uses a conventional reel seat for handling the larger sized fish.
Product Features
- Super Portable.
- Lightweight yet strong construction.
- Graphite reel seats.
- Reusable rod tube for safe storage and protection.
User Comments and Reviews
It is understandable to be a bit sceptical over the functionality and reliability of a telescopic rod so here are some reviews from people who have bought and used the Shakespeare Travel Mate rods to get an idea of how they go in the real world.
“Great for tight spots, compact for storage on the go. Perfect little rod to have around for those spur of the moment fishing adventures”- Outdoorsman – Amazon.com
“The Shakespeare Travel Mate rod is maybe the best cheap pack rod. It goes together tight, it is straight and true with decent action, has a graphite reel seat that does not scratch a reel, and has no real faults” - Demeter – Amazon.com
“I used this rod on a recent trip to Belize where it was used to catch several species of fish. Used with 10# braided line it performed great. It casts light lures very well and has the sensitivity and ‘backbone’ to handle practically any reef fish” – Donald W. Conrad – Amazon.com
“Unlike all telescopic rods, this one is a sensitive enough to be fished with. It has a decent quality, and the only warning I have for the future buyers is to assemble it tightly, otherwise it may fall apart during a strong cast. It happened to me once, but I was lucky having strong braided line, so I did not lose a fallen piece in the river. After I snugged it in more tightly, I never had a problem with it.” – D. Pavlon – Amazon.com
Where to Purchase
If you are looking for a telescopic fishing rod, the Shakespeare Travel Mate telescoping series is one of the best you can get. It is very affordable and a worthy investment for anyone who does a lot of travelling or likes to carry a rod with them to go fishing whenever an opportunity presents itself.
You can purchase the Shakespeare rods from Amazon.com.
- Click here for the 4’6” Ultralight Action Travel Mate Rod from only $12.50.
- Click here for the 6’6” Medium Action Travel Mate Rod from only $14.53.
