Toadfish Travel Rod - Travel Spinning Rod Review
Gage Gordon
Does anyone else get serious FOMO when you see a fishable body of water and have no rod? For years I would waste time daydreaming when traveling or on vacation. Imagining all the fish that I could be pulling out, with no gear.
Finally, I decided to stop this feeling and buy something that I could travel with. I wanted something that could handle a variety of species, large and small, regardless of where I went. What I discovered is for conventional casting or spinning gear there are limited options. Many of them are expensive, limited to one power and action, or too long for overhead bins.
This is where my search took a turn. Having heard of Toadfish Outfitters for other products, I decided to give their Stowaway Travel Rod a shot. Especially with the bold claim of being 4 rods in one package!
Find it online: Toadfish Outfitters Stowaway Travel Spinning Rod – Medium/Medium Heavy
Specs:
ROD CONFIGURATIONS: 4
LINE: 8-20LB BRAID
LURE: 1/8-3/4oz
GUIDE COUNT: 7 Kigan Guides + Tip Guide
REAR GRIP LENGTH: 11.5 Inches
FULL GRIP LENGTH: 15.5 Inches
POWER: Medium & Medium Heavy
ACTION: Moderate Fast & Fast
About Toadfish
Before we get into the rod itself, let’s talk about Toadfish Outfitters. With the population and human impact on the coast increasing, Toadfish wanted give back. The South Carolina based company got its start with a promise to help clean the oceans waters with their Put ‘Em Back movement.
The company makes a variety of products almost solely around the fishing industry. You may have seen items like their non-tipping can koozie (which is awesome for the boat!) or their foldable cutting board. With every product purchase, the company helps to replant new and existing oyster beds along the east coast. This directly aids in the cleaning of the waters from dirt and chemicals for the benefit of the entire ecosystem.
Pre-Fishing Impressions
The Rod
When the rod arrived, I was very impressed both with the shipping speed and the packaging from Toadfish. The rod tube itself was surprisingly well constructed. So much in fact that I ran a few tests on that itself.
I will warn you the first time you unscrew the top on the tube it will squeal something awful. My advice is to take some silicone lubricant and work some into the threads. This not only prevents the squealing but makes it easier to use.
I immediately pulled everything apart and began to inspect each piece for defects. First thing I inspect is the guides with a cotton ball by running it around the inside. If there are any cracks or defects, they will catch the cotton and you will want to contact Toadfish for a replacement. This is important with any rod you buy since the guides are what is constantly in contact with your line and can cause line frays and breaks. When it is time to buy any rod, I usually stick a few cotton balls in my pocket and do this in the stores as well.
The next item on my run through was test fitting all the pieces. Toadfish went with a tried-and-true spigot ferrule system on this rod, and I really like it.
For those that are not familiar, this is the same way that most fly-fishing outfits are built, and they can last you a long time if treated correctly.
To properly attach each piece of the rod, align them so that the guides are around 90 degrees turn from each other (or the reel seat). Then slowly push the ends together and gently rotate them until they are in the proper position. This rotation will help to keep them together.
The two ends are not supposed to touch! There is supposed to a space between so do not be alarmed when you feel tension and it is not completely together.
This is the one area that I feel Toadfish could have done better. Most spigot ferrule rods have alignment dots to make sure that everything is in proper alignment when setting up. This rod does not, you will have to look down the guides to ensure that everything is straight.
The Rod Tube
This tube is excellent and alone could easily be $35 or more. That led my curiosity to wonder how effective is this tube? I did what any logical person does and threw it off my roof onto the driveway. Rolled it out of the car. I even smacked it against a tree, and it held up!
So now how does it work in the water? Well having access to a pool, I decided a controlled test was in order.
The case floated much better than I anticipated. Not only that, but everything was dry minus a few drops of water collecting inside. Since I left it out there for an hour, I was ok with that.
Using the Rod
The best thing about this setup is that now I don’t have to worry or find space when travelling. My wife and I have three dogs so space can be limited as it is. This setup allows me to have one smallish tube, a small bag with my reel and tackle, and unlimited possibilities.
Weighing a hair over 3 lbs, it is also great to add to a hiking bag or backpack if you want to make a longer trek on foot.
Fishing Impressions
I tried the rod with two different reels; a Penn Conflict II 3000 with 20 pound braided line and Penn Battle II 2500 with 10 pound braid.
Both reels were excellent, casting without any wind knots with either setup. I throw artificial lures and plugs for both freshwater and saltwater fishing. I will say the rod did seem a little heavy after working a topwater for 3 hours straight, but that can be true of most outfits.
The rods work amazing when throwing over ¼ oz lures. There were instances that I wanted to throw some smaller swimbaits on a 1/8 oz jighead and just couldn’t reach my target.
Having put this rod through several different species of fish and techniques, I can say it handles a fight well. While the M/MH is a higher power than I normally fish, I was able to feel everything transmitted through the rod.
While fishing for trout and redfish in Florida I hooked into this massive Gafftopsail Catfish. It put up a great fight and the rod handled the fight superb.
Final Thoughts
I absolutely love this rod. I can honestly say that it has exceeded my expectations and needs for a great travel rod. I can throw everything that I want on this setup except for light tackle finesse techniques.
I am going to try and get my hands on their ML/M version of the Stowaway and see how the two compares. The only things that I would ask Toadfish to consider are adding an alignment dot on each ferrule connection and then making this in a casting reel option.
For a great all-around traditional fishing setup that can go where you go, I would say look no further. Not only do you get 4 great options in one package, but the price is very good at that.