Voyager Signature Series Travel Rods Are Ready To Travel. Are you?
Okuma has been a major player in the Travel Rod market for some time. The main stay in the Okuma lineup for a long time was the Nomad Travel Rod family. Last year in 2021, Okuma sold the Nomad name to the Nomad Bait Company and had to come up with a new family of travel rods. It was time for a refresh anyway, so with that comes the new Okuma Voyager Signature Series Travel Rods.
As an angler, I loved the Nomad Travel Rods. My rods had been to more places than most of the people I know. I had everything from the inshore rods, swimbait rods, boat rods and surf rods. I get out and travel, and they were the perfect companion for the angler on the go. That all said, the new Voyager Signature rods are very nice, and a definite upgrade from the previous family.
The new Okuma Voyager Signature series of travel rods consists of five distinct families. Freshwater, Telescopic, A Travel Kit, Surf and Boat Rods.
The Freshwater family of rods is a high end set that feature spinning and casting and has five total models. The Telescopic rod is a single model that is lightweight and perfect for hikers. The Travel Kit is a compact 5pc rod with a 20-size spinning reel, also perfect for packing. The Surf Rods come in three different 4pc models that are great for walking the beach. And the final family is the Boat Rod series, consisting of five total models. See the full travel line up at Okuma.
Voyager Signature Series Boat Rod Review
In this product review, I will focus on the Voyager Signature Series Boat rods. The model I will be reviewing is the 7-foot, 3-pc M/MH 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.
Bottoms Up!
In taking a full look at rods I always like to start at the bottom and work my way up. The Voyager Boat Rods all feature a FUJI gimbal that locks nicely in rod holders or into the cup of a belt harness. They aren’t super hard and shouldn’t slide around on the deck of a boat either. The FUJI gimbal have nice decorative silver aluminum rings built in that give it nice flash.
Get a Grip
The grips on the Voyager Boat rods are comprised of a TPE material. The fore and rear grip are both made with a tapered TPE material for comfort and durability. They are very comfortable in your hand giving you a great grip to really pull on big fish.
Take a Seat
One downside of the old Nomad rods that I found annoying was the ALPS aluminum reel seats. They just felt bulky on the travel rods, and certainly not needed. The new Voyager Boat rods are constructed of a screw up FUJI DPS reel seat with aluminum rings to really lock in your reel. These feel lighter, and just sit nicely in your hand for all day casting and winding comfort.
Looking for a Guide?
The Voyager Signature Boat rods all have FUJI Tangle Free guide frames with FazLite inserts. I like these guides and inserts and have had zero issues with digging and cutting. I fish a lot of braided line, and the FazLite feels smooth on the cast.
The tip guide on the Voyager Signature Boat rod is also FUJI with the FazLite insert. They are durable, but like all guides with inserts, don’t wind a swivel up into it.
Love Connection
Just like their predecessor, the Voyager Signature Boat 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.
Get a Grip….Again!
One unique feature to these rods is the gnarled, rough patch that is just above the first connection. Some times these rods can get jammed down tight, and this small grip section really helps to pull the rods apart, even when your rods or hands are wet and slippery.
Voyager Signature Series Boat Rods – A Unique Feature
One really cool feature that was also present in the older models is the two-piece tip section. Each of these rods comes with two tips. In the model that I am reviewing, the VBS-C-703M-MH, it comes with both a Medium and Medium Heavy tip action. The thought behind this is that if you are traveling, you might be able to bring two reels, and one rod. Perhaps have a 20lb and a 40lb set up ready to go, and you can basically use the same rod to cover both. The Medium has a bit more “tip” to it, meaning it is lighter and has a bit more action than the Medium Heavy.
You obviously don’t have to bring both tips when you when you travel, but why not? The thing that breaks the most in most rods is the tip, or top section. Might as well have a back-up with you.
Don’t Get Blanked
One really nice upgrade for the Voyage Signature Series Boat Rods is that they now feature Okuma’s UFR Tip technology. This is a tip reinforcing technology that utilizes longitudinal fibers to really make them stronger on lifting.
The Conclusion
My overall conclusion is that these are awesome travel rods. I fished the Nomad extensively, and have transitioned into the Voyager Signature Series rods since they were introduced. Coming in at over 3.5 ounces lighter than the predecessor, these rods are light in weight and strong. I’m excited to continue to put the hammer to more fish with these in the near future.
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 Boat Rods.
See you on the water!
