I’ve never flown. And yes, I’m scared to. 
but we’re discussing making a trip some time in the future. It got me to wondering, how do you pack up and fly with your fishing gear? I assume you can’t carry your rod on as a carry-on . I’m guessing it’d be to long? Anyway I just got curious.
Thanks,
hNt
I carry on my 4pc rods all the time and have no problems (9’ 2pc rods probably won’t make it any more), although I was asked what was in the tubes in Bozeman of all places (new TSA recruit, obviously not from the area); reels, too. As far as flies go, I can offer no logic as to TSA’s stated policy (apparently they’re supposed to allow them in carry-on) - my neighbor had some in his carry-on and got through no problem, while our friend, in the next line over was treated like he was carrying a couple bricks of C4 instead of some boxes of streamers and nymphs. You can print out TSA policy and show it to those clowns and it won’t make any difference; if they decide to screw with you, they’ll slow roll you and you could miss your flight. Dulles and BWI are the 2 airports where I’ve seen this so I’ve learned to prepare accordingly; I always put my flies in my checked luggage (fly tying stuff, too).
Enjoy the flight - don’t buy the food and don’t look out the windows and you should be fine.
Regards,
Scott
I also carry on my 4 pc rods without any problems. I pack my reels, fly boxes and other items in my carry on bag. Again no problems. The only thing that I get checked on is a pair of 6" stainless needle nose pliers. The last time I flew to Florida, I just took them out of the bag and put them in the bin with my cell phone, etc.
Dave
HNT, don’t worry about the flight. The dangerous part is driving to the airport and away from the departure point. If you suffer from motion sickness get you MD to write you a prescription for a Transderm patch. Height has alway bothered me but I have flown around in helicopters with no doors at over 1,000 ft. with no worries. I would recommend you sitting where you can look out the windows, the USA is too beautiful not to look at it from above. Besides you can lean your head against the cabin wall and nap. I have been lead to believe you are not exactly petite. So an aisle seat would be a better choice, an exit row will give you a few extra inches of knee room.
Not to answer your question but to add to the thread - Amtrak is great about fishing gear. Also they only have one charge for a room/sleeper. You pay one fee and everyone pays the coach fare. Not too bad actually. I traveled alone last summer and it was still a pretty good deal.
i have experienced both ends of the TSA spectrum. My recommendation: carry your 4 piece rods in carry on (they get exercised over longer), put everything else (everything else!) in checked luggage. Imagine getting to TSA just on time and as they are calling your flight is boarding, TSA decides you can’t bring on your flies. Your choices are miss the flight or sacrifice the flies (forever!) to TSA. Denver and Baltimore are the worst. Houston and Dallas, New Orleans and Orlando are okay. Smaller airports (Aspen, Gunnison, Little Rock) don’t seem to care about flies. Forceps and nippers are practically a guarantee to get confiscated (happened twice – shame on me). A hook sharpening file was also confiscated. Saltwater flies get the most attention because of size.
I fly all the time with gear. The TSA may hassle you with some of the carry ons. That is one reason I check most all of my luggage. Do not use metal tubes if all possible! If taking more than one rod, and it will not fit in the luggage, use a rod carrier. You can make one with PVC so as to fit several rods in socks. This way you will not need to deal with the limit your carry ons. There are also some good multi-rod carriers on the market. Fish pond has a good rolling duffle made for gear travel. Madison River has one on closeout. Get to the airport early and have a relaxing time.
Another option is to UPS, FedX, or mail your gear to the destination.
Uncle jesse does 6’4" amd way to close to 300 pounds count as petite? Lol
I measured my rod tube. It’s 32" long, the way I understood the rules a carry-on can only be 22" long and you’re only allowed one. Can I take rod tube and a carry-on bag? That’d sure make this trip easier.
Thanks again,
hNt
That’s just about fully grown, if you have the option an aisle exit row seat, assuming your riding back in the steerage section of the plane and not in business class or better, will make you more comfortable. AirTran, which I guess will be going away soon, has an affordable upgrade of $25 for business class, larger seat and more leg room.
I’ve have not had any problems carrying on 4 piece fly rods, fly reels, or fly boxes over the past few years in a variety of airports. I make sure that the rod case that I take is not metal.
Just about all airlines allow 1 carry on and one “personal item”, and for lots of folks that don’t want to pay for checked baggage, that personal item is just another bag (we can all thank the airlines for adding this extra bit of tension to the boarding process). Your 32" tube would fit in any overhead I’ve ever seen; the only issue may be when you board the plane - last ones on usually get the dregs when it comes to overhead storage. At least on United, window seats board 1st, aisle seats last.
Regards,
Scott
In the past i have sent all the rods on ahead by UPS to our destination (within the us). We call the hotel and know ahead of time whether we have rods to fish with or whether to bring a spare on the plane.
I carry on a PVC 4" case that holds six 3-piece rods. It’s 43" long. The way I read the regs is that I can have a tube 45" long. Only had one argument with a hostess, but had the reg size and tube size written on the bottom of the case. End of argument. Have flown all over the world with the case. I carry on the reels, but check the saltwater flies. My fishing partner was able to carry on his flies to the Bahamas but had to check them on the way back. Guess the Bahamanian TSA guy was having a bad day…
have flown nationally and internationally with fishing gear and will echo all that has been said. it does help to be a petite senior female with a grandmotherly smile. once the two-piece rod case (50-odd inches long) was questioned by the TSA, but her issue was whether it was a pool cue. pool cue bad, fly rod good, apparently. Delta and American have coat closets at the door for First Class, and that long case fits nicely, using your sweetest smile.
except to Canada, tuck a reel in your other carry-on. i’m told Canada won’t allow that much string into the cabin…
oh, that 22-inch limit is on rectangular items. longer skinny things fit nicely into the overhead. only trouble is they roll to the back of the shelf, and someone taller has to snake it out of there for me!
I have a 30" rolling duffle & I put my 4 pc rods in the bottom of that along with my flies tools etc. I’ve carried longer rods in tubes & once they took the longer cases at the gate & put them in the planes belly, like they do with strollers etc.& they gave them to me when we deplaned. I’ve been all over the US & even to Chile with my gear & the only problem i ever had was at Newark NJ. I had a inflatable PFD with 2 cans of CO2 in my carry on & they wanted to take it until I showed them the copy of the list of allowable items that someone on THIS forum (thank you) said to bring along & they let me keep it. Other than that I have pins in my shoulder & wrist that sometimes trip the alarm & I have to take off my shirt & get wanded…
Good to hear. Planning to take the new 8’ TFO 4 weight to FL soon. About the pat downs: The new body scanners are great to get my metal hip through security. The pat down in Denver last summer was pretty invigorating!
From the TSA website: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1188.shtm
I’M GOING TO PRINT THIS PAGE AND TAKE IT WITH ME TRAVELING.
“Fishing Rods are permitted as carry-on and checked baggage. However, please check with your air carrier to confirm that it fits within their size limitations for carry-on items. Ultimately, it is the carrier’s decision as to whether or not it can be transported as carry-on baggage.”
“Fishing equipment should be placed in your checked baggage. Some tackle equipment can be considered sharp and dangerous. Expensive reels or fragile tackle such as fly’s should be packed in your carry-on baggage.”
The list of prohibited items is another good print and carry and, curiously, allows most fly tying scissors:
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm#5
Good to hear. Planning to take the new 8’ TFO 4 weight to FL soon. About the pat downs: The new body scanners are great to get my metal hip through security. The pat down in Denver last summer was pretty invigorating!
It was stated but not clear…if your rods are in a metal tube, find an alternative. Security will consider the metal tubes as potential weapons.
One other option that I used to use when traveling to Alaska is to ship my rods via UPS or FedEx to my hotel. Most hotels will handle this quite well if notified in advance. I then usually check the rest of my gear. Alaska Airlines lost my gear bag once. They disputed my $2500.00 claim over lost equipment but eventually relented and also threw in a free round trip to Anchorage.