Flying with Rods & Reels Question

[rebelfly]

I am flying to Arizona in February and am going to do some fishing. Anyone know the rules on flying with fly rods & reels? What can I carry on and what has to be checked into baggage? How do you pack to protect the gear? Any hints and tips will help. Thanks.

[flybinder]

Over the years, I've flown often to various fishing locations and have learned a few things the hard way...........like getting to my destination with THREE RODS BROKEN, out of three, that I'd "thought" I'd packed well enough..............
So, the last several times I've flown with rods, I've done the following................
Rods in PVC tubes, NOT factory made rod cases. MAKE SURE the PVC pipe you choose os "Schedule 40", PVC, no lighter. (PVC pipe comes in various "schedules", and "40" is the heaviest, before going to "Schedule 80", which is gray in color and not really needed).
Make your own screw on caps, on one end of the tube and a cemented on cap, for the other end. ANY hardware store, if you give them the dimensions of what you're putting into the pipe, can sell you the proper sized fittings. (For a 9' x 2pc. x 5wt.Powell rod, I used 2-1/2" PVC)
I carry 2 reels with me, in carry on luggage and 2, identically lined and set up reels, I pack in my luggage, with my vest and flies.
Aluminum factory rod tubes ARE NOT strong enough for airline baggage handler's abuse. Neither are, 99% of the canvas, or, nylon covered "Fly rod travel cases", sold by box stores and fly shops. If you want your prized rods to arrive in the same number of pieces that the factory made them to be, build your rod case so after it's done, you can STAND ON IT AND BOUNCE UP AND DOWN and you'll have a good chance your rods will make it!!
Also, add a 2" thick, piece of foam rubber, to the inside of the PVC glue on cap. Make the tube large enough, that IF you have a factory, aluminum tube, it will fit inside the PVC tube.
Just .42 worth from one that's been there, done that!

[BH Spey]

I've been on about 24 flights since last May WITH my fly boxes, hemostats, nippers etc in my chest pack IN my CARRY-ON luggage along with my rod and reel, waders etc. It has been pretty much trouble free as far as I've been concerned. - I'll only check luggage if I am going to be gone 5 days or longer!

Good Luck!

[Normand]

i flew from hartford to bozeman and had no problems carrying on two 4 piece rods in their cordura covered rod tubes. i checked all of my other gear and had absolutely no problems.

i also flew to england and packed a 4 piece rod and all of my gear in my checked luggage and had no problems.

flying with 4 piece rods may be easier than 2 piece rods. they do fit better in the overhead bins.

dont always believe what the TSA website says about what can be carried on. one grumpy TSA agent is all it takes for you to check everything, even if you have printed out the page from the TSA website that says so.

some folks will get away with aluminum rod tubes some wont.

[Joe Valencic]

I carry all of my flies and reels in a small Cabelas tote bag, and my rods are all 4 to 7-piece rods that fit in the overhead bins. I've not had any problem with TSA in the last three years. I figured it was easier if I put everything together, just in case there are questions. The rods are bundled with long strips of Velcro to be easier to handle as well. If I'm taking a small fly tying kit with things like bodkins, I put that in my checked baggage, along with my vest and waders. I carry-on only those things which have high value or would be a royal pain to replace (i.e. 5 boxes of hand tied flies), and the rest gets checked.

I asked myself the following question one day; "If you could only have one fly box with you on a trip, what would be in that box?" I took a new fly box that fit into a vest pocket, and proceeded to fill it with the desired flies. It took about two hours as I put every fly in groups of 4 flies, and then started culling those that I knew to be less productive. In the end I had a box that would cover 95% of my freshwater fly fishing, and I still carry that box in my vest today. One of these days I'm going to assemble a box just for trout and one for panfish. These would be terrific for one-day trips where you don't need a fly shop's worth of flies along with you when heading out for a single species.

Enjoy your trip!

Joe

Joe

[Orthoman]

Last year, on a trip to Chile, I carried on boots, waders, rods, and reels. Flies were checked in baggage. It is a hassle to carry all of that stuff; however, these were things I absolutely had to have with me. I assumed the flies would make it with the luggage and if not the guides would have flies. There was a small period of times that the Chilean's were confiscating flies for bird flu concerns but that is no longer the case.

One of our group had a small pair of scissors for tying flies in his carry on baggage . He made it all the way down ok but on the way back, the chilean authorities yanked him out of line and scrutinized him for awhile -- eventually letting him go.

I am surprised that the TSA lets you carry on flies; however, it is laughable that they would be dangerous enough to use to hijack a plane. Having had several flies stuck in my head and elsewhere over the years, I don't think it was a grave enough danger to warrant an all out ban on carrying them on an airplane.

[jcampbell]

I think those before me have pretty much answered your concerns. The only thing I would add is that the ticket people will tell you that fishing lures have to be checked. However, I have had no problem with flies in carry-on luggage. I think they might be referring to large casting lures. However, it might just depends on the individual TSA security person on the lure issue. Follows Joe's guidance on this.

Also, I would not try carrying on a two piece rod and plan on putting it in the overhead if some of your flight will be on commuter planes. Just not enough room. You'll end up having to put it in the belly of the plane which puts you back in the crushing category mentioned earlier. In short, most TSA folks are sportsman friendly.

Have a great trip!!

[Joe Valencic]

I am surprised that the TSA lets you carry on flies; however, it is laughable that they would be dangerous enough to use to hijack a plane. Having had several flies stuck in my head and elsewhere over the years, I don't think it was a grave enough danger to warrant an all out ban on carrying them on an airplane.

I would guess that TSA believes in the stereotype that flyfishers are ladies & gentlemen, and pose no threat to air travel. The worse you can expect from us is the non-stop stories of "the one that got away."

Joe

[Beaver]

I've only had a couple of problems. A guy at LAX would'nt let me carry on a PVC pipe rod case saying I could hit someone over the head w/ it. My friend carried on his canvas covered PVC rod case w/ reel no problem. I guess it doesn't hurt as bad covered with canvas. The guy in Idaho almost took a small needle nose plier to crimp barbs down. He let me slide but said don't bring it again. So my suggestion is don't expect consistency wherever you go. What may be good one place is bad someplace else. Good luck.

[flybinder]

Rebelfly'
Sorry, I wasn't as specific as I could/should have been.....................
When I answered your question, at first, I ASSUMED, (my mistake, perhaps), that you'd be taking along a rod(s), like 9' 2-piece, and CHECKING THEM. I should have asked, if you're taking 3-4-piece rods, which is usually a "carry on board-store overhead" situation.
"IF" you do check them, "AND" they're 9'-2 piece rods, I'll still suggest the PVC tubes. Also, I forgot to mention something that again I've learned the hard way over the years of traveling with fly gear...................... put your name, address, phone number, dog's name, dog's picture, any identifying info you can think of................. INSIDE your gear, as well as, tagged on the outside.
I almost lost 2 Billy Pates, going to Belize, because the OUTSIDE tag got "mysteriously" ripped off, my travel reel case. Having my ID, inside, when I went to "lost baggage claim", saved my reels.