Written by 7:52 amFood, Hunting

Best Portable Fishing Rods Buyer’s Guide & Reviews

Image of a man holding a fishing rod on a lake

The last thing you want your survival gear to be is cumbersome. Sometimes you need heavy duty gear which by nature is not easy to move around. But most of the time you want easy to transport equipment. This is why things like survival knives, survival backpacks and survival fishing rods come in all shapes and sizes.

On this list are the 10 easiest to carry fishing rods, which still hold their own. Each of these has been tested and can actually catch fish. After all, there is no point in making something smaller if it’s going to become much less effective. Telescopic rods are perfect for travelling as you can rig the rod up before you even leave the house and it will always be ready at a second’s notice. Traditional 2 piece rods require you to remove the reel and tackle every time you want to move.

Top 10 Portable Fishing Rods

1. Pocket Pen Fishing Rod

This is one of the most compact fishing rods available and is so short you can fit it into your pocket! It’s just longer than a normal pen; has a closed length of 8 inches. And extends to over 3 ft long, making it around half the size of a normal fishing rod. You might be surprised to hear that this is actually capable of catching fish. While this isn’t going to be a suitable long term solution, it does provide a pocket size way to catch yourself something to eat.

This comes with a fibreglass and aluminium alloy rod, reel some fishing line and some fishing lures. So everything you need to get started.

Image of a fishing rod, with blue handle, yellow reel, and accessories above it

2. Magreel Telescopic Fishing Pole

This next rod is an excellent value fishing rod. This rod has a closed length of 16 inches, making it twice as long as the previous when closed. However, this rod is also twice as long when fully opened. This makes it much better suited to larger bodies of water and larger fish. This telescopic rod is essentially just like a normal fishing rod, but for travelling. I know a lot of people who carry these in cars or in backpacks.

This is one of the best portable fishing rods you can buy. If you are looking for something to keep in a backpack then this is the one i would recommend. Then if you are ever in a situation you need or want to fish, you will always have a rod with you.

This is a photo of a fishing rod in gold and black color, with hands holding the handle and the reel, on a white background.

3. Sougayilang Telescopic Fishing Pole

This is the best performing rod on the list which is reflected in the price. This rod has enough action for longer casts whilst remaining stiff enough to get the job done. Closed this rod sits just over 16 inches but can extend to 6ft.

This telescopic rod is made from carbon fibre with corrosion-resistant guide rings. The hollow frame aluminium spool is extremely lightweight which really makes it more comfortable to fish for longer periods of time. It is great to throw in your car or keep in your backpack so if you ever come across a spot and feel like fishing you can!

Image of the Fishing Rod Combos with Telescopic Fishing Pole with accessories such as string and baits neat it.

4. KastKing Blackhawk II

Kastking is one of the most reputable brands in the angling world and this rod upholds that reputation. Closed this rod is around 22 inches long and extends to nearly 7ft. There are longer models if you feel like this won’t match your fishing goals. The rod is made from carbon fibre and has a fast to medium action. You will need to have your own reel though, which is fine because this is one of the more affordable, high-quality telescopic rods on this list.

The line guides are made from corrosions resistant stainless steel whilst the reel seat is made from graphite. The handle is really great too and is really comfortable when you are using this reel for longer periods of time.

This would be a really great rod if you needed a portable rod for kayak fishing.

This is an image of a fishing rod, black color, with holes of different sizes as the guide for line

5. WHISTYTWIG Telescopic Fishing Rod

This lightweight telescopic rod is made by WHISTYTWIG which is a relatively small brand. The closed length is just shorter than 20 inches whilst extended it reaches 7 ft. This is another carbon fibre rod with a durable graphite reel seat which means it’s strong enough to hold its own for most fish in rivers and ponds.

The great thing with this rod is that it has an extendable handle which makes this rod even more portable whilst remaining comfortable and easy to use. This rod performed great when fitted with a 10lb braid and 15lb leader spinning reel and exceeded the stated weight capacity for fish. So it really does prove the strength.

 

An image of the Telescopic Fishing Rod with word "TELESPEED" written on it, rod in black color.

6. Goture Fishing Pole

One of the cheapest and smallest telescopic rods on this list is the Goture Telescopic Fishing Pole. Closed this rod is 23 inches long and extended is 7ft. So the length is pretty standard. The reel seat is made from a high strength ABS plastic. Which isn’t as good as the graphite reel seats you find on other rods. However, does mean that this is an exceptionally light rod. This would be another great pick for kayak fishing.

A close-up of a black and red fishing pole with guide rings seen

7. Bassdash Alien

Bassdash has more than 20 years experience manufacturing fishing gear and this rod shows their experience. The alien range of telescopic rods is extremely affordable.

These rods are made from carbon fibre and are the strongest of all the rods on this list. This rod has a collapsed length of 15.4 inches and extends to 6ft. It would be best to pair this fast action rod with a 1000-2500 size reel and is perfect for rivers and lakes. This would be a great rod for a beginner since these rods are so cheap.

Image of the multi-colored fishing pole, five pieces.

8. SeaKnight Sange II

SeaKnight is another Chinese made brand, but whilst this may put some people off, this means the products are very affordable. The build materials are comparable to any of the others on this list and looking at the specifications you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between this and the rods which are twice the price.

The Sange 2 is a lightweight telescopic fishing rod made from durable carbon fibre. The 7ft model collapses to 22 inches making it perfect for pretty much all backpacks.

 

A photo close-up of a fishing rod in black color on a white background.

Conclusion

Being able to successfully catch fish in a survival situation is such a valuable tool. Telescopic rods make it easy to always carry a method of catching fish with you. They are perfect for travelling as you can rig the rod up before you even leave the house and it will always be ready at a second’s notice. Traditional 2 piece rods require you to remove the reel and tackle every time you want to move.

More Tips Choosing The Right Portable Fishing Rod

Finding the right rod to suit your needs is an important and sometimes confusing decision. If you want to know what we would look for when we are choosing a rod then read our guide below. This will make deciding which rod you want much easier.

Rod Type

Fishing rods come in many styles. On this list we have covered telescopic rods which are spin rods. Conventional reels won’t work on these rods so you will want to make sure you are using a spinning reel. The good thing is 95% of anglers use a spinning reel so this shouldn’t be an issue.

2 of the rods on this list are “pen rods” this is just an ultra-portable version of the telescopic fishing rod. Usually, these will be similar length to a pen and be able to fit into your pocket as opposed to the telescopic rods which should fit into most backpacks.

Material

Most rods will be made from either carbon fibre or stainless steel. Just ensure that the rod you choose suits the fish you are targeting. The rods on this list will be suitable for almost all varieties of fish in rivers and lakes. However, if you are targeting larger fish you will want to avoid the pen rods.

Length

You will want to consider both the collapsed length and extended length. The pen rods will collapse to around 8 inches whilst the telescopic rods will collapse to around 22 inches. Measure your backpack or space you want to carry the rod and buy what length works accordingly.

In terms of extended length, the length won’t make too much difference if you are buying this as a spare or a travel rod. 6-7ft would be a great length unless you are planning to fish from the shore, either pier or beach. If this is the case then you will want a rod 10ft + so you can cast an appropriate distance.

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