The Fenwick Methods Travel Series

Lets face it, as anglers we are always coveting random bodies of water to fish.  The unexplored waters where big and uneducated quarry are readily available to be caught by a skillful angler. Here in South Florida we reside in a land of endless “fishy” looking water.  From as far back as I can remember, its always been common that on any given day of the week I’ll see random anglers on the side of the road conquering an interesting looking fishing hole.  Even more commonplace is to find someone out on the beach, pier, or inlet casting for their preferred quarry.  The end result of this common place angling mindset is that many anglers, like my self, will keep a rod or 2 in their car or truck in preparation to tackle whatever random body of water may be calling them at a moments notice.  While its not always practical to carry a few full length rods around I’ve managed to compensate by using an older 6’6″ MH travel rod I keep under the back seat of my pickup.  This older travel rod is a serviceable solution but not always up to the task at hand.

Enter the new Fenwick Methods Travel Series.  At ICAST 2013  Fenwick product manager Casey Davidson introduced the game changing Methods travel series.  Bringing modularity, portability, and quality to the table these 5 piece rod sets allow an angler to pack the right tool for the job in one travel case. Offered in 4 different models. 2 spinning (6’8″ ML/M & 7’0″ M/MH)  and 2 casting (6’6″ M/MH, 7’4″ MH/H) these rods feature Fenwick’s Dual Power Blank Technology.  This effectively allows the angler to select the rods application and power and create up to 4 different rods to custom fit the anglers needs for the current situation.

 

Each Method rod set comes in its own triangular shaped rod tube for travel

The rod kit itself consists of 5 pieces which you can join together 3 pieces at a time to create 4 different rods. (This particular rod is a 7’4″ casting):

(1) Butt End which includes the grip and reel seat and serves as the “base” for construction of the rod
(2) Midsection pieces which will determine the action of the rod you want. For this rod the mid sections include a”Fast” and “Moderate Fast” blank.
(2) Tip sections are then added to the butt end and the mid piece you select to create the power you want.  In this case “Medium Heavy” or “Heavy”.

Thus, the effective permutations I could end up with this particular 7’4″ rod are:
Fast Action & Medium Heavy Power ( ~6.18 oz  weight)
Fast Action & Heavy Power ( ~6.27 oz weight)
Moderate Fast Action & Medium Heavy Power ( ~6.06 oz weight)
Moderate Fast Action & Heavy Power ( ~6.14 oz weight)

What does this mean to you as an angler? It allows you to have a better tool for the job at hand regardless of where your random fishing adventure takes you.  For example I’ve used the rod as a “Fast” action “Heavy” power rod for throwing some of my favorite soft plastics like Senkos, Skinny Dippers, and Gambler Big EZs.  However, I’ve also used the rod as a “Moderate Fast” action “Medium Heavy” power to fish traps, slash baits, and hair jigs with great success.

 

 

A 10-17 3/8-1.25  and a 12-25 5/8-2oz rod all in one tube.  Awesome!

 

Unlike standard sleeve type ferrule design,  Spigot ferrules are lower in over profile and  have a small gap between sections when fully engaged.

 

TAC cork handle facilitates slip free grip when wet.

 

Rubber end cap seals off the butt end and keeps the rod from slipping when putting the rod down on smooth surfaces.

On the water thoughts:

After roughly 10 months of shoreline, pier, canoe, canal, pond, lake, inshore, and light offshore use; I have to say that this is a pretty versatile stick.  I’ve had it paired it up with a 2nd gen Revo premier, Daiwa t3 Ballistic, Daiwa Pluton, and currently have it mated to a Shimano Calcutta 400 TE.  All of these reels felt perfectly adequate when mounted to the rod.  While this particular rod is never really my first choice for technique specific applications (I am probably way too picky for certain techniques) I have found that its nice to have it fill a niche amongst the rest of whatever arsenal I have picked out that day.  From tossing traps to large mouth bass from the shoreline, to flinging hair jigs inshore to schooling blues and Spanish mackerels the moderate fast action medium heavy configuration is probably my favorite.  The heaviest configuration is serviceable for light flipping duty, however I’m too much of a stickler for sensitivity to have this rod answer the call for continuous duty.

I manged to get a little rambunctious on one offshore trip with some 65lb braid on the Calcutta 400TE and tied on a 3.5 oz bomber vertical jig to toy with some schoolie bonito.  The heavy action of the rod fared well but I couldn’t help feel a little under gunned during the fight. Regardless, the rod held up fine and much like all my gear I’d rather have this rod go out in a blaze of glory than just collect dust in the garage. For now this 7’4″ rod has been relegated to the moderate fast action heavy configuration to work small 2oz squid jigs and toss small cut bait duty for the past few weeks.

All in all, I’ve had some fun with this rod and certainly appreciate its well thought out versatility.  The Fenwick Methods Travel Series certainly fills a void in the travel rod market and offers great performance versatility in an affordable package.

Pros:

• 4 Rod configurations in one tube for one price (~$149.95 MSRP)
• Spigot ferrules give an even deflection over the length under load unlike traditional multi-piece designs.
• Triangular rod tube mitigates propensity for rolling around my backseat while adding some directional crush resistance.
• TAC grips provide good traction when wet.

Cons:

• Could use a rod sock or sleeve to organize the individual pieces within the tube during travel
• Heavy power configurations may be a little tip heavy for the pickiest anglers

G.C.

You can find the Fenwick methods rod series at Bass Pro Shops