Emmrod Fishing Pole Review for 2021: Survival Gear

I do a lot of hiking in the back-country of Colorado and come across a lot of small streams and lakes.  I always thought it would be great to have a small, lightweight rod and reel to fish for trout while I’m exploring.  My wait is over.

Forge Survival Supply recently decided to pick up the line of Emmrod Compact Fishing Poles on the advice of a reader of Survival Cache, who is a big fan of the Emmrod poles.  I decided to try the Emmrod compact fishing system for myself, specifically the Spinning Packrod.  The rod comes in two pieces; the handle and reel seat, and the rod tip section.  Disassembled it is 14″ in length and assembled it is 23″ long.  The rod has an aluminum tubing skeleton with a cork grip and reel seat.  The tip is made of stainless steel with a 6 coil spring rated for fish up to 10 lbs.  Interchangeable tip sections are available, so you can match the action of the tip to the size of fish you are fishing for!

POLE	DETAILS
Recommended	Emmrod Fishing Pole	Carbon fiber wrapped Double track lock Stainless steel polished wire ring	Check Price on Amazon.com

Emmrod Fishing Pole Review

Putting It Together

Tip sections range from 2 lb fish up to 150 lb fish.  To assemble the rod you “Simply” slide the tip section into the end of the handle section and push in until the rod stops.  Then rotate it 90 degrees and release.  The rod is now locked in place.  I say “Simply”, because it is not that easy to do.  It actually takes a bit of strength to push in and rotate.  To disassemble, just reverse the process.  After doing it a few times you get the hang of it and it becomes less awkward.  You can put the tip section in two different positions depending on the reel you plan on using.  With the tip-top facing down you can use a spin casting reel and with the tip-top facing up you can use a bait casting reel.

This Packrod comes with the reel of your choice.  I prefer a spin casting reel.  The reel is made by Shakespeare.  It has an on/off anti-reverse switch, a multi-disc drag system and a right or left hand retrieve, allowing you to position the handle on either side of the reel.  It also comes with line already attached to the spool.  Although, I am not sure what (lbs) test the line is that it comes with the packrod, it seemed sufficient for the fishing I was doing.

Does It Work?

When casting with a lure, it casts nicely and everything seemed to work just fine.  I tried setting it up two ways; one with the fishing line going through the coils, and the other with the fishing line NOT going through the coils and only through the tip-top.  Both ways had the same results.  Sometimes the fishing line would wrap around a couple of the coils in the rod tip section when casting.  Not enough to affect the function of the rod, but something to be aware of.

I did not catch any fish on the two back country fishing trips in which I tried this rod.  So, I’m not sure how the action is, YET, but that’s how it goes sometimes.  Like my father-n-law always says “The fishing was great, but the catching wasn’t so hot!”  I will continue my search for trout and the Emmrod will be there when I do.  With it’s compact size and weight there is no doubt that the Emmrod can find its way into your Bug Out Bag.

More information is available at Emmrod’s Website (Click Here)

All Photos by the SurvivalCache.com Team

Joel Jefferson

Joel is one of the original founders of SurvivalCache.com. After college, he joined the USMC where he served as an (0302) Marine Infantry Officer. Joel is an avid outdoorsman and spends much of his free time in the mountains. Joel’s hobby is researching survival gear & weapons as well as prepping. Read his full interview here.