Any Problems Travelling on Airplane with Fly Fishing Gear?

[HickoryShad]

Has anyone had any bad experiences recently with travelling with their Fly Fishing Gear on an airplane?
I have heard different stories on aluminum rod tubes, vests with scissors or forceps removed but the fly boxes were okay.

I would like to take my rods, fly vest, and reels on the plane with me as if they were to get lost......or "disappear" then I am out several thousand dollars.

Joe

[Normand]

shipping by UPS in advance of your trip is one of the better options. it eliminates most of the "guess" work and cranky "TSA and airline" workers who got up on the wrong side of the bed.

i did fly from connecticut to montana and checked most of my fly fishing equipment and carried on my 4 pc fly rods with no problems. but that was about 5 years ago and i'm sure things have changed since then. i wouldnt bother printing out the the list of things that are safe for flying and shoving them in the face of a TSA worker. it wont get those items on the plane.

my fly rods were in the original cordura covered rod tubes and not in aluminum ones. maybe that made a difference. i dont know. i also was not beligerent with any TSA or airline workers.

[ScottP]

Just got back from out West. All my rod tubes now are PVC so I can't say how TSA will deal with aluminum (although I did see a few in the terminals at Bozeman and Denver), but you'll probably want to make sure you don't try to carry on a 9' 2pc. Reels were no problem. Flies? who knows? - if you read TSA's rules you'd think you could bring flies in carry-on but I've seen folks get turned back at Dulles and BWI even when they presented a printed copy of the rules, while a guy in the next line over walked through with no problem. No rhyme or reason to their actions so I just pack them in checked luggage to avoid the hassle, although I understand the concern over losing that kind of investment - I'd hate to think how many hours I've put into filling my fly boxes. Normand's suggesting of mailing is good if you have an adress you can mail to, although I've had issues with UPS/USPS as well - a rod I shipped back from Montana a few years ago spent the better part of a week in Duluth before I could convince them that it's final destination was actually Virginia.

Regards,
Scott

[anglerdave]

I flew to Key West this past February and had no problems. My 4 pc rod was in a factory pvc covered rod tube. In my carry on I had a pair of 6" needle nose pliers and a pair of combo scissors forceps. They took out the needle nose pliers and measured them to make sure they were not longer than 6". I think TSA and most airlines have seen enough fishing/fly fishing rods, that it is no big deal to them.

Dave

[Orthoman]

I am flyingg to Alaska in September so I am also interested in the answers to this question.

I have flown to South America before and carried on my rod, reels and waders and the rest went into my luggage. Had no problems.

Not sure what to expect going north with the carry ons. I am sure they are accustomed to fishing gear in Alaska.

[wizard]

Went to Colorado from NY last year...no problem. Took the gear on as a carry on.

[jburge]

FWIW, I recently (July 4) flew from California to Florida with no checked baggage at all. I put my reel and flies in my carry-on and hand-carried my 3wt in a rod sock. Never got questioned and never had a problem. Technically, and I checked, flies are allowed in your carry-on by TSA. I did make sure however, to not have any kind of nippers or hemo's with me at all. It was a small price to pay for the convenience.

John