Voyager Signature Series Travel Rods | Keeping it Fresh!
As everyone knows, Okuma has been a huge player in the travel rod market for many years. With series like the Nomad, SST and Citrix travel rods, they really have had you covered for many years. In my previous article about the Voyager Travel Rods, I focused on the Saltwater Boat Rods. In this article, I’ll take a look at the multi-piece Voyager Signature Series Freshwater Travel Rods.
If you aren’t familiar with the Voyager Travel Rods by Okuma, they are a pretty comprehensive series of rods that cover Surf, Boat and Freshwater applications. These are all multi-piece rods that come in a nice, padded case, perfect for your travel needs. The Voyager Signature Series Freshwater Travel Rods are all 4-piece rods.
Voyager Signature Series Freshwater Travel Rods Review
As mentioned above, in this review, I will focus on the Freshwater Travel Rods in the Voyager Signature Series lineup. The exact model I will be reviewing is the 7-foot 5-inch Heavy action rod. I will walk us through component by component and section by section of the rod to give us a full feel for the complete rod.
Lets unzip the included protective travel bag and begin.
From Bottom to Top
In doing my fishing rod reviews, I always like to start at the bottom end of the rod and work my way to the very tip and go component by component.
The first thing you’ll notice on these rods is the Okuma logo prominently displays at the very butt of the rod. It feels like they use a soft touch, rubberized material to prevent sliding on the deck when standing upright. There is a nice decoration ring, compressed cork, then right into a contoured butt section for ease in casting. I can tell you, that if you are a two handed caster that likes to place their hand on the very end of the rod, this is very nice.
Working up the blank you will notice that these rods feature a split butt design with a nice section of exposed blank, right into another contoured section of cork.
Remain Seated Please
Okuma spares no expense when it comes to the reel seat that they use on the Voyager Signature Series Travel Rods. On the freshwater rods, they use a Fuji minimalistic reel seat that provides great feel.
There is a bit of exposed blank both above and below the reel seat giving you a nice connection between your hand and the blank to add more feel to the rod.
Lock It Down!
One really nice feature of this particular series of rods is the double locking reel seat design that Fuji uses. In the image below, you can see the custom machined aluminum double locking rings that connect right to a small stainless section over carbon wrap. Just a nice detail, and overall, it really does lock your reel into place.
Voyager Travel Rods Guides
Another key component on every rod is the guides. Reducing line twist, preventing digging and keeping everything straight and running, are only a couple of the functions of the guides on your rods. On the Voyager Signature Series Travel Rods, Okuma uses SeaGuide XO/XQ 316-Grade Stainless Steel angled guide frames that help in the elimination of line twist.
In this image you can get a feel for the angle that these guide frames possess.
These SeaGuide guides also utilize Zirconium inserts designed specifically for braided super lines.
The tips on these rods also feature Zirconium inserts for extra durability.
Making the Connection
In taking a paragraph from my last article on the boat rods, just like their predecessor, the Voyager Signature Freshwater rods all come standard with European Spigot Ferrule connections. These are long connections, that go deeply into the next section. With the European Spigot Ferrule connections, you have a true one-piece feel, and these rods do feel just like a one-piece boat rod.
One thing to note on the ferrule connections, is that they don’t slide all the way up to the next section of blank area, leaving what looks odd to the eye. This small space is actually correct and allows for expansion and contraction of the blank. So turn the other cheek as your rod is good to go.
Another cool feature of the Voyager Signature Series Freshwater Travel Rods is the dot alignment system. As you can see in the image below, there is a dot on each section of the rod that when aligned, keep your rod all straight and ready to go.
Nobody Wants to get Blanked!
The Voyager Signature Series Travel Rods are well built. They all feature light and responsive 30/40 ton carbon fiber blanks. These rods are very responsive and sensitive. In the images below you can get a feel for the carbon wrapping on the blanks that goes up through the first section above the grip.
Conclusion
I absolutely think that Okuma has hit it out of the park once again with the new Voyager Signature Series Freshwater Travel rods. There are currently 5-total models in the lineup with three of those being spinning, and two casting models.
If you are looking for some great travel rods, be sure to give them a look. They do come with a roughly $200 price tag, but they are well built, with great components.
Check out the full range of Okuma Voyager Travel Rods at Okuma Fishing Tackle USA.
Thank you for stopping by to check out the Voyager Signature Series Freshwater Travel Rods.
See you on the water!
