Hey there! I’m looking for a compact and lightweight rod to take with me while hiking and backpacking. It will be used almost certainly only for panfish, most likely catch and release. This is something that will probably be used only a dozen times a year, so I’d prefer to spend less that 50 dollars. I’d also like it to fit either inside a backpack, or comfortably attach to it.
Thanks!
This is 9 months late but if you’re still interested and haven’t bought a backpacking rod yet, you might want to consider getting into tenkara, a Japanese art of fishing that’s sort of a combination of fly fishing and classic cane fishing. Tenkara set ups have no reel and use a relatively short line. Modern rods are usually telescoping, super compact, and light weight. They are great for going after trout in mountain streams and creeks. You can use either western flies or Japanese Kebari flies.