Keith Lusher 12.18.23
Travel rods. They’re not exactly on the short list of priorities when it comes to must-have items for fishermen. I’ll admit that it took me 36 years to purchase my first travel rod. I did it after making a trip to Florida. I missed out on the chance to fish a pond full of bass that surrounded my family’s hotel. That was a long four days. From the fourth floor, I could see just about everything in that pond and counted over 20 bass in the pond. It was after that trip that I purchased my first travel rod. Needless to say, I went through a total of three of them until I settled on a real keeper: The St. Croix Triumph Travel Spinning Rod.
Let’s start with the specs. The Triumph Travel Rod is a 4-piece rod that measures 7 feet long. The rod comes with a nylon carrying case that is padded. The case is 2 feet long which makes it easy to pack and take anywhere, even into a plane or underneath a car seat.
The blank is made of SCII Mid-modulus graphite, a higher-quality strand of graphite, which is rare with most travel rods. This rod can bend back on itself which is typical of a “Croix.
Another thing I love about this rod is that the rod has great backbone, however, the tip is soft enough to finesse fish. The upper 12 inches of this rod is very flexible and then the backbone kicks in and provides the strength.
Let’s move to the handle. While I’m not a huge fan of cork handles, I will say that the handle is made of high-quality cork which is soft, but firm. I have used this rod all day without my hand aching or falling asleep which seems to happen more as I get older.
St. Croix also spared no expense with the guides. The guides are Performance SS304 stainless steel Sea Guide Atlas guides, which are ultra-smooth and high-quality guides that lead to less line-whip and smoother casts. When compared to the other guides that I’ve experienced with travel rods, there was a big difference in the Sea Guides when compared to the ones made of cheaper material.
The company also backs their product up with a 5-year warranty which is tops in the travel rod industry.
If you’re looking to purchase a travel rod, the St. Croix Triumph Travel Spinning Rod is the way to go. I’ve had mine for nearly 7 years and have zero complaints. It’s strong, compact, and very versatile. I highly recommend the St. Croix Triumph Travel Rod for those in search of a quality lifetime travel rod. Get this rod and don’t look back!
