As the editor-in-chief of a fishing publication, I’ve spent plenty of time flying with fishing equipment. It’s usually not a big deal. Usually.
There’s the occasional hiccup with the TSA, and it makes sense most of the time. You wouldn’t want a passenger onboard with a 10/0 hook they could potentially use as a weapon.
If I’m traveling with anything I think might be considered “scary,” I’ll make sure to check it. Pliers can sometimes be an issue. I’ve learned that anything larger than seven inches is not welcome onboard, though that’s up to the agent’s discretion. I’ll stash those in a checked bag when I can, just to avoid any potential issues.
But I recently encountered a new wrinkle. When traveling to Florida to visit my sister, I grabbed a travel rod and a handful of tackle to try my luck in the canals near her apartment.
We wanted to travel light as it was a short trip, so we just packed a carry-on bag for each member of our family. My son and wife had a small backpack, their personal item, and I had the travel rod that I was counting as my personal item.
Previously, I’ve travelled with full-size seven-foot sticks, which the flight attendants graciously stored in the cabin, just as you walk in. On flights to Alaska, that entire cubby is stuffed with rods. I’ve had half a dozen fly rod tubes duct-taped together and stashed by my feet. So I didn’t think twice about the single two-foot long, three-inch wide tube I brought on this trip.
As we arrived to the airport, we were stopped by gate agents as we walked in. They wanted to check our bags to ensure that they fit in the carry-on compartments, which is fine. It’s good that someone is policing that, as people trying to stuff oversized bags into the overhead compartment can delay flights.
We gladly placed our bags into the cubby to verify the size. Seemingly to the dismay of the gate agents, they all fit. We tried to be on our way, but not so fast — the shiny metal cylinder caught her eye.
“What is that?” the gate agent asked.
“It’s a fishing rod,” I explained. “I was counting it as my personal item.”
“You can’t bring that aboard,” said another agent.
“Is that your rule, or a federal regulation?” I asked, though I suspected I already knew the answer. Rules change frequently, so I checked the night before. The TSA website said rods were permitted in the cabin.
“It’s the FAA. You can’t bring fishing rods onboard,” she replied.
At that moment, I politely informed her that I had just checked the regulations that morning; unless it changed since then, it was up to the airline’s policies.
After some back and forth, she relented, and admitted it was the airline’s policy. I offered to stash it under the seat, or give it to the flight attendant to stick in the cabinet as I had done countless times before.
In a past life, I dated a flight attendant. We used her buddy passes whenever possible, criss-crossing the continental United States, rods in tow. At that time, we had a pair of his-and-hers two-piece St. Croix spinning rods that we kept in a PVC tube I constructed.
At minimum, this had to be four inches wide by 38 inches long. I suppose there were privileges afforded us by the nature of her job, but no one ever said anything about the rod tube. And we were always flying standby. The plane was usually filled to capacity.
I politely recounted this to the gate agent, as well as all the other times that I had traveled with rods, but she was firm. This rod had to be checked if it was going to come with me, to the tune of $75.
The gate agent took my card, and handed it to the baggage handler next to her, who was somewhat bewildered by the whole situation. I guess he thought it was as ridiculous as I did.
Obviously, I wasn’t happy about the charge. I had tried to travel light by only taking carry-ons, which we paid about $35 each to take along. I could have fit all of my family’s belongings in one checked bag, including the rod tube, and saved some money.
If there’s a lesson here, I guess it’s to call ahead to the airport you’re flying out of to be sure you can take a rod with you. I didn’t see anything on the website that would have indicated I couldn’t take a rod as a carry-on, so speaking directly to the gate agent is probably your best bet.
And here’s to you, Allegiant Air. May the $150 you wrangled from me go toward a bonus for your employees. I could have bought a decent stick and stashed it at my sister’s for future use.
To help you avoid a similar kerfuffle, I researched the policies of a few different airlines. Delta has a clear policy outlined on their website, stating “Fishing poles up to 115 linear inches (length + width + height) (292 cm) are allowed as checked baggage as long as they are contained safely. Fishing poles meeting the carry-on standard (22in x 14in x 9in) are allowed as carry-on baggage.”
United also has some guidance published on their website, stating that you can bring fishing equipment as a checked bag if it’s packed securely. If you’re flying on United itself, you can bring rods up to 115 total inches (length + width + height). If you’re flying on United Express, the regional brand of United Airlines, permitted dimensions are cut down to 80 total inches (length + width + height). There’s nothing on their site about smaller tubes being carried on, so double check with the airline before hitting the airport or stash it in a bag if possible.
Southwest Airlines says a “fishing rod and/or fishing tackle box” to be substituted for a checked bag, and they “allow one fishing rod container and one tackle box to count as one checked item, even if they are packed and tagged separately.” But note that “fishing equipment over 115 inches in total dimensions cannot be checked as baggage.” Again, no note about carry-ons, so call ahead.
Take a look at your carrier’s website for info about flying with fishing equipment before your next trip. If you don’t see anything about your specific situation noted there, give them a shout.
There can also be some issues when you cross international borders. Rules can vary wildly from country to country, so while you might be able to easily fly somewhere with fishing equipment in a carry-on, it doesn’t always mean you can travel back. To avoid any potential issues, put everything in checked luggage. With some careful maneuvering, you’ll be surprised how much stuff you can fit in the average-sized suitcase.
Taxes and fees can sometimes pop up in foreign countries as well. My wife and I went to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, some years back. Of course, I took my rods with me to chase roosterfish and whatever else I could get to bite. We made it into Mexico with no problem, but when we tried to leave they attempted to charge me taxes on my fishing equipment, maybe some sort of import fee? I’m not sure exactly what the situation was, but they eventually relented. Just be aware that this can happen.
To avoid any headaches, make sure to give yourself plenty of time at the airport. Just because you skated through on the way there doesn’t mean you’ll be as lucky on the way back. Having a time buffer will allow you to circle back the baggage check if something isn’t permitted on this leg of your trip for whatever reason. There’s tales of fly anglers having to discard their fly line and backing at security, which is expensive and can ruin a trip if you can’t find replacements on the other end.
Go fly the friendly skies, and catch fish in a new location. Just don’t make the same mistakes I did.
