The primary objective of this particular tackle testing venture was to find myself a weight 8 fly fishing rod that I could easily fit into a suitcase for a planned trip to Thailand targeting big Barramundi. I have been taking fishing gear abroad for years, and know that if there is anything likely either to get lost, get damaged, turn up late, or draw unwanted attention from third world airport authorities, it's a rod tube. Nowadays thank goodness, most tackle manufacturers have cottoned on to the idea of the multi section travel rod. I must confess though that when I first heard of the concept several years ago, despite the obvious advantages, I was concerned that the rods themselves may not be as strong as the more traditional versions, and that their action might be compromised by having so many joints. I would not have been surprised to have experienced 'flat spots' in the action at the joints. But I am very pleased to report that this has proved not to be the case. In fact, multi section travels rods feel no different than their more traditional two piece relatives, which not only makes for an easier time at the airport, but also allows those less fortunate than myself to 'smuggle' fishing tackle into the suit case without perhaps incurring the wrath of either a partner or the wife.

The second part of my quest was to find a fly reel with a good braking system that could be used to play big hard running fish without getting your fingers battered trying to grab the handle with the spool in full flight, or burning the palm of your hand in an attempt to slow it down sufficiently to be in with a chance at preserving at least some backing on the spool. What I eventually came up with was an outfit of contrasts. On the one hand it was perfectly balanced in terms of looks and feel. On the other however, it could not have been further removed in terms of cost. Both items came from Swedish tackle manufacturer Fladen through Fladen Fishing UK, the rod being the 9 foot graphite Vantage 4 piece AFTMA 8, which if you shop around on-line I have seen for as little as £23, paired to a Maxximus # 8/9 reel which takes a full weight forward 8 line plus 150 yards of backing and retails at close on £100. As an outfit, considering what you are getting, it is absolutely excellent value for money. But even in what we know are economically difficult times, it doesn't always make economic sense for cost to be the only consideration. Low cost items are fine if they perform well. If they don't, it isn't a case of money saved, but money wasted if in the end you have to go out and replace it because it isn't up to the job. So in that respect, I wanted to be sure the Vantage rod in particular would be up to the job of the Barramundi before setting foot on the plane to Bangkok.

Obviously I wasn't going to be able to fish for Barramundi. But there are other ways of handing out compatible punishment to an outfit over here. First off I decided to see how the pairing would cope under load, and for that I took it out to sea with a heavy mono leader tipped with wire and a 6/0 hook baited with mackerel using a downrigger. The idea of a downrigger is to beat the tide using a heavy ball weight with a line attachment clip which, when a fish takes hold, allows the line to be pulled free leaving you to play it with no lead on the end other in the same way you would had you been fly fishing properly. I've done this many times in the past and boated some quite sizeable Tope, though I must say that when a Thornback Ray suctions itself to the bottom, then you see some really alarming curves in the rod, the end of which often completely disappears into the water, and in that respect the Vantage Fly Rod was well up to the job, even hauling the ball weight up on one occasion when it became tangled and failed to release. The Maxximus reel too was equally up to the job. The drag needs to be backed right off to get line off it for dropping down or casting. Once that job it done, you adjust the tension to suit, then use the lever to ease back or apply more drag as required. This does not however affect the cranking of the reel as the drag only works when line is exiting the spool, not coming back on.

We also put the outfit through its paces in a typical large reservoir fly fishing scenario to see how the two would pair up in terms of balance when working a fly. Despite the physical nature of the reel which is made from machined aluminium and weighs in at 190 gms, the fact that I had to concentrate on thinking about the balance tells its own story. Had it been anything other than spot on, I would have noticed straight away without having to remind myself. It felt good. Very good in fact, though the action of the rod was a little softer than the one I normally use, which is no bad thing when playing a lively fish on a light leader, as this will put a bit of extra cushion into the outfit and will help protect the leader. I normally deliberately look for rods with a stiffer action for putting out a light fly out into a strong face wind. But that's just a personal thing. Otherwise, the rod comes with stainless steel snake eyes which I personally prefer as they don't corrode and have nothing in them to break, and the reel body is anodised to protect it from salt water corrosion. The Maxximus also comes with a spares kit and a neoprene case which looks very much the part. On the subject of retail presentation, if I had one criticism, it's the fact that the rod unfortunately comes in a single sleeve see through plastic carrying bag. Okay, so it is a budget rod, and providing it with a cloth multi sleeve bag and/or a carrying tube would ratchet up the price. But the plastic bag actually makes it look cheap, which is a pity, as regardless of the price this is a nice rod to use and most certainly up to the job.