EOW XPEDITE Portable Telescopic Fishing Rods, Spinning & Casting, 24T Carbon Blanks & Solid Carbon Tip, Cork Handle, Travel Rod, Short Collapsible Rods

In years past, telescoping fishing rods used to be so whippy they could only be considered a slow-to-ultra-slow action. So I was surprised when a recent Outdoor Life (or Field & Stream - I can't remember which) article reviewing travel rods recommended a telescoping rod and stated it had decent enough action to be usable for more than just an occasional rod while traveling. The article didn't review this EOW rod and didn't actually provide an Amazon link to the correct product, but in reviewing a selection of travel rods here on Amazon, I found the natural cork and neutral brown rod much more appealing than the garrulous colored Chinese brands with artificial sponge handles. Plus it had decent enough reviews and an appealing enough price to be worth a shot. So I bought the 7'6" version prior to a recent vacation to use surf fishing in Southeast Asia.The package with the extra equipment seemed like a good deal for not much more money, but it only came in the shorter rod lengths and I valued the extra length of the 7'6" rod more than the accessories. To my surprise, the 7'6" rod came in a nice box with a spool of 20lb braided line. I haven't used it yet, since I normally prefer Sufix 832 braided line, which I used with this rod, but it seems of reasonable quality for a four-strand braided line.The rod was of very good quality with no noticeable functional or cosmetic defects. It came with a plastic tip cover that covered all the tops of the sections including the line guides, plus a nylon fabric bag that, unfortunately, does not provide the security of an actual case. With the tip cover in its bag, it has a retracted travel length of 17.25" and fit easily in a 19" hard-sided carryon suitcase (the more compact size that meets smaller airlines' carryon requirements). To give more protection to the rod while it was in my suitcase, I bought a pack of flexible cutting board sheets, rolled one up, and slipped in in the nylon bag to provide some rigidity and security during transit.All telescopic rods tend to be a bit thicker in the first section above the handle than a typical rod of its weight, to accommodate all of the subsequent sections that slide into the first one and this one starts off looking like a medium-heavy or even heavy powered rod for the lower 30 inches or so. It extends easily enough, thinning out toward the tip and stayed securely extended, never collapsing under use. I would characterize the power of this rod as a medium to medium-heavy powered rod. While I did not have a bite the one time I have thus far used it, I suspect it could readily handle a 12lb, maybe a 20lb fish.. Surprisingly, it had more rigidity than I expected from a telescoping rod and I would say that the rod is a fast action, bending mostly at the top 1/3 rather than throughout its length.I mounted a Daiwa Regal in 3000-size on the rod and it was a good fit size-wise for this rod. If you have a spare 2000 through 4000-size reel around, it should work fine with this rod, but if you are buying a new reel specifically to use on this rod, I would go with a 3000-sized reel. I spooled my Daiwa with 15lb Sufix 832 ocean camo braid and that seemed to work well with this rod. Aside from the extra effort of extending the individual sections and aligning the line guides, it functioned every bit the same as a typical one or two-piece spinning rod. I got good casting distance and when I snagged a spoon on a rock, the rod was plenty strong to resolve the situation with the line breaking. I had no trouble casting lures in the 1/4 to 5/8 oz. weight range, including Heddon Spook Juniors, and would be comfortable casting lures up to 1.0 oz. I don't typically use live bait, so I'm not sure how well this rod would do with heavier lead weights one would usually use with a live bait setup. It's not a 10' surf rod you would use to propel a 2-3 oz. weight out to maximum distances, though.Last year I bought an Uglystik four-piece 6'6" travel spinning rod that seemed like it would be a good all-around rod for traveling, albeit it bit short for maximizing casting distance, especially for surf fishing. However, the tip end piece of the rod simply would not stay attached to the other sections and continuously flew off the rod, ending up 30-40 feet out in the water. I discovered that many other people had the exact same problem with this rod so it was an obvious product defect, not just an isolated issue with an unexpected occasional lemon. I contacted Shakespeare/Uglystik customer service not once or twice, but three times and asked them to provide a solution under warranty to this defect that rendered the rod unusable. Uglystik categorically refused to respond. This EOW rod is of higher quality than the Uglystik and cost less, so I would recommend it very highly.I recognize that a single three-hour use of this rod is a less-than-desirable product test length. Unlike most people who post a review somewhat (or often completely) prematurely under the pretext of coming back to update the review if their experience with the product changes, I've been writing detailed product reviews on Amazon for more than 15 years and I actually do update my reviews as warranted. I can heartily recommend this travel rod as far as I have used it, but if under further use I encounter problems, I actually will come back and update the review accordingly.EDIT 12/31/24. I fished for several hours this morning in the Gulf in Florida and found that the rod had a plus and a minus. First, I found the rod just did not cast as well as I had hoped with lighter lures. I got pretty good distance with a half ounce Mirrolure lipless jerkbait, but it was less than typical casting distance with a 7 foot two-piece, medium-heavy rod throwing a 5/8 ounce Heddon Spook, shorter by at least 20 to 30 feet. Light lures such as a 1/4 ounce. Yo Zuri jerk bait really did not cast very well at all. To get decent distance I would recommend a minimum of half an ounce lure.However, I did catch a 20 inch snook and the rod had no trouble handling a tough fighting fish. I think the rod could easily handle up to about a 15-20 pound freshwater fish and a somewhat smaller ocean fish, which fight harder. I still recommend the rod.

Nice rod for spin casting.

The quality of this rod is good for the price. I did have to do a small repair to the reel locking ring. it came unglued. I was going to pair this with an ultralight reel and use it for panfish but its too stiff to make that a fun combo. I ended up putting a bait caster on it and its fun but a little stiff on the action.

I like this this pole and will install President spin cast on it!

I haven't used this rod yet, but it seems to be a decent enough rod for the small amount of $$$. I'm sure it would be fine for stocker trout, small basss, panfish, etc. But my intent is to put it up against pink salmon this summer, and if it survives that, silver salmon the following month. I'm always up for trying new things.The rod extends as it should, with all sections snugging up nicely. The quality seems okay, but with all low end rods, the eyes are suspect with me until they've proven themselves. Often times low end materials are used in low end eyes on low end rods, leading to premature breakage or grooves cut into the top eyelet. I'm also concerned about the tip section, which is very thin compared to other rods I own. But that's understandable considering the rod's telescoping nature. A plastic eye cover is included for protection, along with a sleeve.Because of these concerns I plan on using 8-strand 20 lb braid, which is softer and less abrasive than 4-strand braid. I also plan to initially use a lighter drag setting on the reel, which will place less stress on the rod. Once and if I gain confidence in this rod, I'll adjust the drag accordingly.As for portability, these are second to none. I also own 2 other EOW telescoping rods (blue blanks, 1 spinning, 1 casting), and store/transport them with reels attached in a 20" plastic Plano tool box, along with a couple small boxes of spinners and other terminal gear. I can toss this in a pickup, car, or RV underneath storage and have available anywhere.I'm absolutely convinced that if I do everything right, these rods are capable of handling pink and coho salmon. I've already landed fast, strong, drag-squealing silver salmon up to 12 lbs with ultralight setups with 4 lb. mono, so these should be up to the task, right? I get to test that theory in a few months, and will update with both good/bad as necessary.

Perfect for traveling!! Sturdy and great quality

I was expecting a stiffer rod to help fling those lures/bait out but this is NOT that. I suppose it is a decent rod for it's intended "travel" purpose. Just don't expect to aim and hit a specific spot. The lag and softness of the tip will have you using this rod as a last resort. I am used to solid graphite/carbon fiber...not even expensive ones but I can't say I appreciate this pole very much. It could use a bit more of the blue pill, if you catch my drift.

I have 4 of these, and they are great. They are not the most sensitive rod, but I doubt I lost any fish because of that. Since I can walk to my local river It is so handy to carry these in a backpack pre rigged and walk form spot to spot and only need a minute to extend and start fishing, I caught an 18 inch small mouth on one and it had no difficulties, the only thing I dont like is the orange tip, but 2 minutes and a black marker fixed that.