I have been travelling to fish a lot more the last few years and just traveling more in general. When I travel without my fishing gear, I almost wish I had thrown a rod in the car or bag on a plane because I see some good looking water every where we go. I recently got some high-end swimbait travel rods from F5 Custom Rods, and the quality was so much better than I remembered on 2-piece rods of old that it started me on a search for some good conventional travel rods.
The first ones I ordered were the new Genesis Travel Series rods from Ark. They have been very eye-opening to me on how good travel rods are nowadays.
Quality Design
When I last bought a 2-piece rod, Reagan was president, Bruce Willis was saving Nakatomi Plaza, and a gallon of gas was $0.95. I know I sound like my father (happy 65th birthday Dad). And generally, speaking, my experience with 2-piece rods was less than favorable. So I wasn’t sure what to expect when I received a couple of new Ark Genesis 2-piece travel rods.
My first impression was, this is a much better rod than I had seen in a conventional 2-piece rod before. The blanks were a much thinner diameter but they felt more solid in my hand than many 1-piece rods. The quality was noticeably much improved over 2-piece rods of yesteryear.
Improved rod feruls
Anglers find the obvious point of failure on any 2-piece fishing rod at the joining of the two sections. These rod ferrules, if not formed properly, overlapped inadequately or stressed against unlike materials will weather poorly and eventually fail.
The Ark Genesis features rod ferrules that are solid, joining in the right area of the blank so as not to weaken the connection. The result is a 2-piece travel rod that feels like a 1-piece rod when fishing. No slipping, twisting or otherwise faults in performance on this joint.
Good keeper and foregrip
The Ark Genesis rods feature quality components from reel seat, grips, forenuts, hook keepers, guides, inserts and 40T-HM Carbon blanks. The aluminum forenut locks down tight and keeps your reel secured and solid in the custom reel seat during your fishing.
Sleek and thin
The styling of the Ark Genesis rod screams high quality, and I like the grey with charcoal accents and Portuguese cork grip. You have direct contact with the blank on the back of the reel seat and the rods have been pleasantly surprising in terms of sensitivity for a travel rod.
Dense but light
I also like that the Ark Genesis rods feel solid in your hand but aren’t heavy or clunky like a lot of the old 2-piece rods I fished with in my younger years. The rods balance very well with low-profile baitcasters. I think you won’t like them as much with larger reels. But with a low profile like the 13 Fishing Concept A2 pictured here, the rod is compact, light and balanced.
Good Mod-Fast action
I really like the Mod Fast action coupled with the Medium Heavy power of the 762MHRC model. It was a 7-foot, 6-inch MH rod that fished more like a smaller rod. The taper appears mostly in the top section so you won’t compromise ferrules at the joint.
But I flipped some with it. I drug carolina rigs with. I fished some swim jigs on it and a frog as well. It’s a fun rod that will be in my truck on every trip from now on.
Awesome travel case
I love that these Ark Genesis Rods come in a travel pouch to keep your rods padded and protected while you travel. I’d have no problem carrying these on with me on a plane. The 762 is a little too big for a suitcase. But the smaller 6-foot, 8-inch MH or M rods are much smaller and would fit in a larger suitcase. But my rods traveled easily with me on several trips this year with the family in the trunk of a car.
Solid travel rods
The Ark Genesis rods give anglers a higher-end 2-piece travel rod for spur of the moment or long awaited fishing trips. Also makes going on a quick afternoon trip with a buddy easy. I find myself caught at work without my gear a lot when I get called to go jump in a boat. Now I can just keep a go bag ready all the time in my truck and be ready to stop and fish.
I see bodies of the water all the time on my travels, and wish I had packed a rod to make a few casts on a lunch hour or after my business for the day. Now I have that option.
You have a 6-foot, 8-inch MH or M to choose from as well as a 7-foot, 6-inch MH option.
Good experience with Ark Genesis Travel Rods
I fished the Ark Genesis travel rods heavily in July and August as we were travelling a bit to see family we had not seen in a while. I fished frogs, toads, swim jigs, Chatterbaits, small swimbaits, jigs, spinnerbaits, Texas rigs and Carolina rigs. While I wouldn’t get super carried away with heavy lures with these rods as they are rated for between 1/8 to 1 ounce depending on which rod you choose.
But get one and be confident it will handle most any spur of the moment fishing opportunity that comes your way.
You can find the Ark Genesis 2-Piece Travel Rods at Tacklewarehouse.com.
