I recently sailed a 40 ft catamaran around the Florida Keys and wanted to do some occasional fishing.
We took the dinghy out to the #18 red marker just south of the Boca Grande channel, tied off, chummed with some shrimp and began fishing. We had stripped off the flimsy looking mono that came with the reels and replaced with 8.b test Spider mono. We used a swivel to some 30lb test leader and no weight. We baited with whole shrimp hooked from the tail up through the body.
Within 10 minutes we caught and landed 3 yellowtail jacks that were easily 8 to 10 lbs each. The fight was excellent with the fish peeling off drag from time to time. The rod was bent almost double as we turned the fish and wound down. Pretty good stuff for a telescopic device. The drag worked perfectly and was smooth. It was a good 5 minute fight as we gained back line only to lose it again with with furious runs by the jack. .....very fun..... With the last fish a 7 ft. shark actually chased the hooked fish up to the inflatable dinghy and that's when we felt it was time to go.....
This maybe isn't a rod to win a bass tourny with..... but for something to throw into your suitcase and take on vacation..... it's pretty good. Definitely switch out the line with your own and you are good to go. Shakespeare Medium Action Travel Mate Telescopic Kit Combo (6-Feet 6-Inch)
I bought this rod and reel to give to my grandson for our first fishing trip together. It turned out to be more then I expected and the case it comes in is just so practial alowing it to hold the rod,reel along with a few split shots,hooks,some clips,a lure or two.If need be It would also fit a little live bait in a plastic bag inside the carrying case. Making it easy to walk to your fishing spot carrying everything in the case. The case has a handle and measures about 16"x10" stepped shape and weighs in at (2 lbs.6 oz Thats case rod and reel)
Telescopic rod has pros and cons of any telescopic rod - will collapse by itself if you leave joints TAD loose, and might be difficult to collapse if you pull out sections very tight (especially on sea).
Reel: I used it on sea for fishing (trolling) from a kayak, and after 3 weeks all the screws got rusty. It didn't stop working, but the steel is not quite of outdoor quality - will corrode in fresh water too, only slower.
Overall the combo is usable, I don't complain, especially since got an open-box item for $18 - can't beat the price!
I got this rod for my husband for Father's Day since we are going to stay at a cabin. He loves it! It's surprising how compact it is and how long it gets. It seems sturdy too. The only thing was that we were sent a BLUE reel. Honestly, I prefer the blue so it was a nice surprise (our son's pole is blue and he loves that they match)... but I imagine some people might expect and prefer the red so I thought it was worth mentioning. I'd still recommend it! It's a very handsome blue.
I bought this Shakespeare kit because I wanted to be able to fish when traveling. This rig is light weight, compact and has storage compartments for lures,spinners etc. Best of all the rod is telescopic and gives you medium action. Good price and good service. They now call me "Gone Fish-in".
I bought this because I'm in the Navy and I move around a lot, so I needed something compact, yet still of good value.
It comes nicely packaged in a kit box. I found it surprising how small the box is, you wouldn't suspect a 6'6" pole out of the rod.
The quality of the rod seems sturdy and of decent quality. It's lightweight and I don't think you'd have to worry about rough handling. My boyfriend man handles anything he touches and my rod was still fine :-) yay!
I haven't used it yet since I'm out at sea, but once I get back to land, you betcha I'll be out on the water.
this is the most sturdy fishing rod i have ever used. this ro is also so portable you can fit it into a tackle box. the reel is very smooth to. i would recomend this for eneyone who whants a sturdy rod.
I have not had a chance to use the pole yet, I hope to soon and after I do I will update this post. First I would like to mention the pole looks and feels great. It seems to be of good construction. The carrying case is nice but I have one complaint ... the reel needs to be removed before placing it in the case. It think this was a bad decision just because it gets annoying to remove the reel to store it in the case. This is a small complaint but lets see how the rod performs ... stay tuned!
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