I sure do love taking the day off and heading out to the water to get in some fishing. There is nothing quite as relaxing as enjoying nature and bringing in some monsters. Fresh air, sunshine, and lots of excitement can be had on the shore of your local pond, lake, river, or stream. I enjoy almost every aspect of fishing.
No matter what type of fishing you enjoy, there is probably lots of gear to bring with you. Some of the best fishing you can find is in wilderness areas where nobody else fishes. Unfortunately, transporting your rods, nets, and tackle boxes can be a mess. Even when I fish alone I like to have at least two rods so I can passively fish while I actively cast and retrieve on the other rod. The net has to come along as I have lost too many monster bass because I tried to bring them in without a net. Everything in your tackle box has to come including the floats, pliers, clippers, live bait, stringers, weights, lures, hooks, and spools of line.
For most of my life, I just tolerated the plethora of gear needed for a fishing trip. Until about eight years ago, I did not have fishing waters close enough to just go without planning in advance. Every fishing trip was at least a full day since we had to drive to get there. When you put any planning into a fishing trip, bringing the gear isn’t as big of a deal.
However, we moved onto a property with a primo bass pond and everything changed. I could now just hop out to do a little fishing on my lunch break because the pond was only about 40 yards from my home. No planning was required, and I got to really target fish during the best possible lighting and weather conditions. However, it quickly became tedious to bring all of this gear just to fish for 20 or 30 minutes. I became more of an opportunistic angler, so I would head back if I didn’t see some action fairly soon.
You might do the same thing and stop to wet a line on the way home from work. If you have a truck you can keep your fishing gear in the back for times like these. However, you may not have the room for all of that gear. You may also have money invested in your gear and would be concerned about someone stealing it. I would love to keep all of this gear in my vehicle, but I have to worry about car seats, groceries, and everything else I transport these days.
I quickly found that there are a few small and portable fishing devices that can help you eliminate a lot of this gear. Don’t misunderstand me. You will not quite have the same arsenal or effectiveness when you downsize. However, it can make fishing more convenient so you can get out there more often. I have been surprised by these gadgets and have started using them almost every time I fish. In this article, we will discuss a few different portable fishing options and the advantages of each for the pop-up fishing trip.
The Pocket Fisherman
The first portable fishing option I ever tried was the Pocket Fisherman. Many of you are already familiar with this product. My father said he had one just like mine when he was growing up 50 years ago. When I first bought this product I assumed that it was a waste of money, but that has not been my experience. Despite being made of entirely plastic, it has really held up well. I have had mine for about six years and it has never had an issue mechanically or otherwise.
Here’s the basic idea. You have a fairly normal spin casting reel attached to a handle. Then in place of the standard long but flexible rod, you have two really short but flexible rods. Each of these rods will bend to help support the weight on the line, and the design works surprisingly well. I have brought in several five-pound fish with the pocket fisherman, and it handled just fine.
The total setup length is about 18 inches, but it folds in half so it can be only about nine inches long. This is perfect for the glove box of your car, and it is easy to fit in a hiking pack. It has a lanyard to attach to your belt if you like, and it is light enough that it doesn’t bounce around much. In addition to being compact, the handle is hollow to store several lures, hooks, weights, and floats. You can open up the casing to remove the reel if you want to work on it. This design even lets you adjust drag for the weight of the fish you are targeting.
I have only seen two issues with this product in the dozens of times I have used it. There is a nut that holds the reel handle on the rest of the mechanism that tends to come loose over time. I’m sure there is something I could apply to keep it from coming off or a locking nut I could use, but it really doesn’t bother me that much.
The other is that the lengths of your casts are shorter and they tend to be less accurate. If I get out there and cast for about 30 minutes, I can get in the zone and be really accurate with this rig. However, when I’m out of practice it is tough to get my lure exactly where I want it. If you use this rod a lot, you can be fairly accurate out to about 30 feet.
Out of our three portable fishing options, this is the one I use the most. The Pocket Fisherman is great for pulling over to see if the fish are biting really quickly. I also like to bring it as a backup in case I lose the lure on my other rod. This way I can just switch rods and keep fishing without losing any prime minutes tying on a new lure. When you only have 30 or 40 minutes to fish, you really cannot afford to waste any time.
Telescoping Fishing Rods
We started my son out on a one-piece kid’s Spiderman fishing rod and reel when he was two years old. Then when he turned six I wanted to upgrade him to something that would get him some better distance. I found a telescopic fishing rod that was easy for him to use and easy for me to carry and store. This is a medium thickness, medium weight fishing rod with a built-in spin casting reel. When you break it down, the whole setup is about ten inches long.
Again, this rod has a standard reel with a drag adjustment. However, the casting release is a trigger instead of a thumb button. I find this is much easier for my son to use than a standard thumb button release. The rod is fiberglass while the handle and reel are made of cast aluminum. The longer rod gives you more accuracy and distance than you would have with the Pocket Fisherman. There is a spot for lures so its overall performance was initially a bit better than the competition.
With the materials used for its construction, I assume that this rod and reel would last longer than the plastic Pocket Fisherman. That has not been the case. Two of the eyelets on the rod have come loose, and often the rod will not stay fully extended. Thankfully my son is patient and doesn’t know any better, so he just keeps casting and keeps catching fish. He caught three bass last week on this rig.
Pocket Fishing Kits
You can purchase all kinds of portable fishing kits to replace rods and reels completely. These kits are typically designed to be as small as possible, and often will fit in your pocket. Many people use these kits for survival purposes, but they work just fine for a casual trip to the pond. You can also make your own pocket fishing kit and load it into a mint tin.
You can design your pocket fishing kit specifically to your needs, but there are a few basics that everyone should have. You will need a reel of fishing line at least 30 feet long. This does not allow for any broken lines, so you are better off taking twice as much line as you need to cast. I like to use a 10 lb test line as it has enough weight to handle big fish and it is a little rigid which helps with handlining. You should have hooks of different sizes, and I like to have a couple of treble hooks. These are great for snagging fish or just increasing your odds of catching one.
You may also want weights and floats to help you get your baited hook to the proper depth. I always have a few lures as well in case I cannot find live bait. I keep some plastic worms, a couple of rooster tails, and a few spoons. You can bring other lures if you like, but often they will take up more space and tangle up with the rest of your gear. Remember that all of this must fit in your mint tin, but this actually gives you more space for storage than our other two portable fishing options.
To use your pocket fishing kit, you will be handlining. This is just like fishing with a rod and reel, except without the rod and reel. You are best to wrap your line around a smooth bottle or rock so that it can easily come off as you throw your line. You want at least four feet of slack that you will hold with your right hand while holding the spool in your left hand.
For this to work you will need to have some weight on your line. Either choose heavier lures or add some weights to make your lure easier to throw accurately. You will want to start swinging your line around in your right hand in an underhand motion. When you are ready to cast your line, open your hand and point your arm directly at where you want it to land. If you are holding your spool properly, the line should release giving your lure plenty of distance. Be sure you attached the end of your line to something so you don’t accidentally cast out your entire line.
As you reel back in, use your right hand to give the line little tugs creating movement. Then use your right hand to wrap the line back around your spool in your left hand. This prevents tangles and will also keep you from cutting your hand on the line. If you get a bite and set the hook, you can use the spool to reel in your fish and collect your meal. Pocket fishing kits are very portable and allow you to bring lots of gear. The biggest downside is just that you cannot cast as far or as accurately as you can with the other two options we listed.
These days I wake up every morning and plan out my day. I check my email, check my texts, look for appointments, check the weather, and then check the fishing forecast. If it looks like we are going to have good fishing at some point, I will try to get out there for at least a few casts to see if they are biting. If they are active, I can sometimes catch half a dozen keepers in less than an hour.
In order to be able to enjoy fishing like this, I need to have flexibility with my schedule and with my gear. I usually keep my pocket fisherman in my vehicle and keep my son’s telescopic rod close by in the garage. The pocket fishing kit is more of a backup plan in my gear, but it still absolutely serves its purpose. I love that these portable fishing setups let me fish on a break, or a hiking trip, on a camping trip, or on an actual fishing trip if I need a backup rod.
The most important fact I can state about these rigs is that they are not just gadgets. Lots of survival gear sells because of the gimmick. I’m sure many people received a Pocket Fisherman as a gift thinking it was some kind of joke. These portable options are no joke. They serve a real purpose, and I use them almost every week. If you take the time to try one out, I’m guessing you probably will too.