Top 7 Best Backpacking Fishing Poles of 2023 (Ranked and Reviewed)

While hiking around the mountains, you often go past stunning rivers and lakes that are full of fish.

It would be a huge shame not to try and catch them but at the same time, who wants to carry all that extra weight? Enter the world of backpacking fishing rods. 

After considering all the options our top picks were…

The best backpacking fishing pole is light, packs up small, and is super portable.

They provide a means of catching fish without adding much extra weight to your pack and will slot in easily, instead of being awkward to carry. 

Backpacking fishing poles come in quite a few different types. Join us as we look at a range of them in this review so that you can find the best backpacking fishing rods for your needs.

The Best From The Review

Picking a fishing rod isn’t easy at the best of times. Here are our top three choices from the lineup, each one in its own category.

This is so you can have a variety to choose from depending on your needs.

Our Best Backpacking Fishing Rods

Here are all the top reels we reviewed.

We’ve lined out our top picks for backpacking rods and pitted them against each other.

Each one’s a winner in its own right and they all have their different strengths…

What Are Backpacking Fishing Poles?

Backpacking fishing poles are fishing rods that break down or collapse down to a very small size for easy transportation. Your best 7 weight fly rod might be great to always have with you but it might be a bit bulky and heavy to carry around.

They are usually fly fishing rods or spinning rods that come in 4-5 pieces or spinning rods that are telescopic. They are also usually rod and reel combos, so you won’t have to go around buying or handling separate pieces.

Being telescopic or in 4 pieces, they are only 2-3 feet long when stored and will slot perfectly on the side of your backpack.

Usually, a travel fishing rod such as these comes with a travel case too, ensuring your gear gets there safely. 

Why Own A Backpacking Fishing Pole? 

The best waters, where often the biggest fish lie, are usually the most remote.

Getting to these amazing, uncrowded fishing nirvana spots can take up to a few days of hiking, and the best rod to take with you is a backpacking fishing rod. 

Also, if you love to travel to fish and want to explore the world while fishing, the only rods that will fit in your check-in bags are backpacking fishing rods. So you’re going to have to own one. 

What’s The Difference Between A Telescopic & Breakdown Backpacking Fishing Pole? 

Breakdown Rod

A breakdown rod can be any type of rod, spinning or even a fly fishing rod.

The rod comes in 4-5 pieces, and once all parts are assembled, you end up with a full-length rod.

These rods are very easy to put together and take apart, simply slot the pieces into each other tightly to start fishing and when you’re done, just pull them apart gently. 

They are more reliable than telescopic fishing rods, and this is because telescopic fishing rods tend to come undone and move around a lot, whereas breakdown rods hold their structure better. 

Telescopic Rod

Also known as telescoping rods, these types of rods are already assembled.

Each piece of the rod sits inside the next to give its compact design.

To open these rods you simply pull the top until it reaches its full length and then twist each section to ensure it doesn’t collapse. 

To store these rods, twist the sections again and let the rod slowly collapse into itself. Their convenient construction is also what makes them a bit of a challenge when it comes to rod maintenance.

Although they are simple to assemble, they can sometimes be a little unreliable and collapse without warning, far from ideal especially if it happens when you’re trying to land the catch of a lifetime.

TIP

A little tip is to constantly check their tightness and tighten them as needed before they collapse, thus avoiding any big fish stores that were lost instead of landed. 

What’s The Best Fishing Pole To Take Backpacking?

Choosing the right travel rod fishing is going to make or break your backpacking fishing experience.

No one wants to get all that way to new waters and end up having the wrong rod with them. It’ll drive you nuts, believe me, I’ve been there. 

We’ll discuss three types of rods in the review; fly rods, spinning rods, and telescopic rods (that are also used for spinning), and here is how to choose. 

Now the choice between fly and spinning is yours.

Spinning is a far more effective way to explore an area to see what fish and how many are there, but there is nothing quite like fly fishing.

Fly Or Spinning Rod? 

Fly fishing takes time to master but once you have the hang of it, it is a beautiful way to catch fish.

The connection you have with nature is quite amazing, and the experience is immersive, the more immersive, the better a fly fisherman you’ll be.

The tackle you need will also be a bit lighter overall, as flies don’t weigh anywhere near what a spinning lure does. 

Preference

I would always choose a fly rod, but spinning is the way to go if you’ve never fly fished before. Spinning gear is far more easy to use and more effective, so you’ll be able to cook some fresh fish on the campfire and enjoy your fishing time more. 

Speaking of cooking, some of the best pontoon grills I’ve reviewed make cooking on a boat a piece of cake (or fish!). Some of them are too big, but a few might be choice pickings to take on a backpacking fishing trip.

TIP

The choice between telescoping or breakdown spinning rods is simple in my eyes, always go for the breakdown, as there is far less to go wrong than with the former.

How To Choose The Best Backpacking Fishing Pole? 

There are a few choices to make first before we get into the details of what features your rod should have. The first are quite big choices. 

As I mentioned above, this is a personal choice.

I own both travel fly rod and spinning poles, so those options exist too.

If you haven’t fly fished, then stick to spinning for the reasons we already mentioned. 

Go For Middle Ground 

Once you have decided between fly or spinning, you want to pick a backpacking fishing rod that isn’t too light, too heavy, too stiff, too bendy, too long, or too short.

You want the middle ground all-around rod…

This means the rod will be super versatile and manage a lot of different fishing situations and species, and therefore you’ll only need to own one. 

Length, Power & Action of A Spinning Rod 

To find the ultimate middle ground, spinning rods should be 6-8ft in length, with a light or medium power, and a medium or fast action.

This combination creates a stiff and strong rod that catches larger fish while being soft enough for you to enjoy fighting small fish. 

The length and action ensures you’ll be casting as far as you might need to while also being sensitive enough to feel subtle bites. 

Weight & Length Of a Fly Rod

A fly rods weight determines how heavy and powerful it is. To find the middle ground, you’ll want to choose a 5/6 weight rod.

This will have enough power for you to cast a good distance and handle the pull of most freshwater and smaller saltwater species.

The length is chosen for you by the manufacturer and most 5/6 weight rods are around 9 feet long, the ideal length for a beginner. 

You can get shorter and lighter fly rods that are a lot more delicate to fish with and make catching small fish like bass, trout and crappie a lot of fun.

But you might find it harder casting with them. I travel with a 4wt fly rod that’s about 8.5 ft long, and I find this perfect for most freshwater situations, catching trout up to 14lbs with it. If you’re looking for options, here’s my review of the best travel fly rod.

How Heavy Is The Rod?

When looking for a backpacking rod, the weight of the rod is going to have an impact in two ways. 

One is that you are going to be carrying this rod with you until you get to the angling grounds.

For some this might entail a 6 day camping hike around the mountains where any extra weight in your backpack is something to be avoided. You already have all your camping gear, and lugging around heavy rods just don’t make sense.

Now imagine you’ve hiked for eight hours, got to some fishy spots where your excitement is bursting, only to find your arm gets really tired from casting a heavy pole. Doesn’t sound too fun does it? 

TIP

My advice is to pick your top three fishing poles following the feature guidance above and then make your decision based on weight. This way you’ll have the lightest version of a rod that does everything you need it to do in terms of casting for, hooking, and fighting fish.

Conclusion

Let’s see a quick recap of the top three picks…

Top Pick

If you’re looking for a telescoping pole with quality that’s also affordable, then the Plusino combo is the one to go for.

You get a great rod that fishes well, is durable and packs down small, with a pretty good reel too. 

Top Value

If you’re backpacking on a budget, then look no further than the Okuma Voyager.

The rod is light, has a nice cork handle, is durable, good for casting, and fun to fish with.

You also get a pretty good reel, all for an incredible price. It’s also an ideal choice for beginners or someone just starting their fishing career. 

Editor’s Pick

If it was me, I’d pick the St Croix Triumph.

It’s the most expensive in the review but, to me, is also the best backpacking fishing rod around thanks to its quality.

When you stumble upon that fish of a lifetime out in the backcountry, this is the rod you’ll want to be holding.

If find yourself still needing something to carry all your gear, consider investing in a fishing barrow.