Flying with Rods & Reels Question

[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.

[Guy]

This topic has been bantered around just every fishing bulletin board on the web. The hard and fast rule is there are really no hard and fast rules regarding permissable carry on items when it comes to fishing gear. That said, concensus seems to show that most domestic flights within the lower 48 states will allow rods and reel on as carry on. Flights that involve travel outside of the lower 48 states is where most of the issues regarding permisable carry on fishing gear orginate now,,,,, particularily when the flight departs from a non USA airport.

Here in Canada, it seems to be the exception to carry on any kind of fishing gear. So much of this stuff is at the descretion of not only airport securty, but also airline staff. Even if security will allow it, the airline often will not.

Rebelfly, for your Arizona flight you shouldn't have any issues if you check your flies and carry on your reels and travel rods.

Tight lines!

Guy

[Max]

What fishing stuff is allowed as carry-on is dependant on the airport and the TSA security person. I have had so many problems at the NYC airports with pack rods, reels, flies, tying equipment, etc., etc. that I have given up.
It either goes UPS insured for it true value a few days before the flight or in the checked luggage.

[Lake Erie High Ball]

I worked a 90 day detail at the airport and watched TSA change their rules as to what they would allow through the checkpoints on daily and sometimes hourly bases and all for good reasons. Without going into much detail, things changed as threat levels went up or down and as new Intel became / becomes available.

Now having said that it surprises me, with the training I have, as to what they let through at checkpoints and you should be glad that I'm not in charge.

TSA has a very daunting and un-thanking task to see that we fly safe. It is a job that has been invented out of necessity as a result of 9-11. For some reason I try to think of this as I wait in line to do the TSA hokey pokey, then I don't feel so put out.

Always check with your airline as to what to pack and what can be carried on; but that is subject to change.

[jeffnles1]

My son and I flew to Yellowstone this summer. We carried our rods onto the plane in one of these http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...set=ISO-8859-1 combination rod/reel cases. Nobody at the airports along the way even so much as gave us a sideways glance.

I didn't bring fly boxes or other things on the plane, but the rods and reels in the above cases offered no problems at all.

On the way home, I had picked up a new rod while out west and brought it back in it's aluminum tube. I just took a couple strips of velcro and strapped the Cabela's tube and the rod's aluminum tube to lash the together. Nobody in any of the airports even blinked an eye.

Hope this helps.

Jeff

[nb_ken]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]I worked a 90 day detail at the airport and watched TSA change their rules as to what they would allow through the checkpoints on daily and sometimes hourly bases and all for good reasons. Without going into much detail, things changed as threat levels went up or down and as new Intel became / becomes available.

I honestly believe they make a concious effort to make sure that nobody will know exactly what the rules are at any given moment. If a bad guy knows what the rules are, he'll have an easier time knowing how to appear in compliance. If he knows that a certain piece of luggage or a certain item will never arouse suspicion, that's where the contraband is going to go. On the other hand, they know that just because something got through twice with no problems doesn't mean it will be allowed the third or fouth time. Uncertainty makes for discomfort. Discomfort makes people nervous. They want to keep the bad guys a little uncomfortable and a little nervous. Makes them easier to spot.

If it makes you and me a little uncomfortable too, that's the price we pay for security.

[racine]

I used to carry my 2 piece rods on trips but the last time was 2006. I've gotten to carrying my 3/4/5 wt rods on a fishing daypack along with flies, waders, jacket and sometimes my vest. This last time to Yellowstone, I put my 4 wt in my checkin along with my vest/fly boxes/wading shoes then had to contend with a lost bag in Wyoming. Fortunately United delivered my bag to the hotel 3 hrs later though I missed a half day of fishing without my flies, vest, wading staff, shoes and clothes. Sometime soon I'll switch to having all 4 or 5 pc rods and maybe a bigger pack to carry all my fishing stuff except my shoes. I did see someone in Jackson Hole get off the plane with a 2 piece rod tube so it may still be okay though that may count as one(1) piece of carry on. Next time I'm bagging the laptop and just carrying 2 carryons and 1 check in.