KastKing Blackhawk II Telescopic Fishing Rods, Graphite Rod Blanks & Durable Solid Glass Tip, Floating Guides, 1pc Fishing Rod Performance, Comfortable EVA Handle, Newly Designed Travel Rod

I'm headed to Washington in a few days and I wanted a travel rod that can collapse small enough to fit in my luggage, while being durable enough to last more than one trip. After reading a lot of reviews and checking out travel rods at local tackle shops, I decided on the Kast King Blackhawk based on reviews and comments from the tackle shop folks. Upon receiving the Blackhawk, I was not disappointed.First impression is that the build quality far exceeds other Amazon travel rods that are a few bucks cheaper. I had purchased another rod by Plusino for a lot less money and returned it the day I got it. Save yourself the hassle and just buy the Blackhawk. The eyelets are epoxied on the rod just like other high quality rods, the seat holds my Penn Battle II 3000 perfectly solid. No wobble. Finally, the color scheme is nice and clean, no over the top chrome or bright rainbow colors. Just a nice clean look.Fishing with the rod was a pleasure. On a test run, the rod did feel pretty close to a one piece rod. I didn't hear any creaking or snapping sounds. The rod flexed and handled surf perch like a normal 2 piece rod. From what I can tell, I don't think this rod will have any problem landing bigger fish on my Washington trip.Like they say, pay once, cry once. If you need a travel rod that collapses and extends to 8', I honestly feel there aren't any other options worth considering. Sure the Blackhawk is a lot more than other cheaper rods on Amazon, but I definitely think it's worth the extra money. If fishing is your thing, then spend the extra dough and get the Blackhawk.Update: I just returned from my trip to WA. I used the Blackhawk everyday for 6 out of 7 days and here’s what I think.+ excellent performance - I was casting Buzzbomb and other lures way farther than I thought I could. It was kind of crazy, but I felt it it could cast better than a similar 2 pc Okuma rod I use for surf fishing.+ being telescopic makes traveling with it a breeze+ reel seat is solid. My reel did not wobble or come loose at any point.+ sensitive, yet easily handled 2-4lb steelheads all day.- line guides (eyelets) tend to rotate alittle after some use. You have to readjust the guides throughout the day.- not the rod’s fault, but getting even a tiny bit of sand inside the rod makes it extremely difficult to collapse/expand the rod. Be sure to wipe down the rod before putting it away.Overall, I’m extremely happy with the Blackhawk.

I was very disappointed with this rod. I am an avid fisherman and fish multiple times a week. I have been looking at this rod for a while and I bought one for an upcoming vacation for it's portability. It came well packaged and out of the box it looked and felt nice. I fished with it for 2 days on vacation throwing gulps for flounder and I caught a nice croaker and a small flounder. The next day I got snagged while fishing off of a pier and tried to wiggle it loose and the rod broke into 3 prices. I checked into the warranty and it doesn't seem like it is much of a warranty. You have to pay to 20 to ship it and if they determine it is your fault they will replace it for half the cost. For this rod that is basically purchasing it again. I have other kastking rods and reels and use them every time I fish but I cannot recommend this rod. UPDATE I got the rod replaced by Amazon and didn't fish with it over the winter. I caught a 5 lb carp on it that was foul hooked and it seemed to handle it well. I kept it in my vehicle so I could fish whenever and kept it in the protective sleeve. Today I went fishing and when I was stringing me rod it came apart in two peices. I am considering switching to a different brand because I have had quality issues with several rods this brand and the way the warranty reads it makes it seem like it is your fault.

Compact and durable so far

This thing is pretty sweet looking. Can't wait to try it out this weekend. Gonna be perfect for the bicycle fishing setup I'm building.

Purchased the MH 7'0" rod. I've only used this for a few days - it has been hard to put down. Between casting on the new rod with practice plugs... I had a chance to break it out at two local ponds this morning and in the afternoon - casting off the banks. I've been looking for a rod that fit better in small 2003 Camry without barring off a good section of trunk space, and this fit the bill!Caught a nice 3.92 lb largemouth bass this morning. The rod has great action, and I never had any concerns about the rod segments becoming loose and collapsing. Caught a half pound largemouth and a small pickerel in the afternoon, but my phone died.My only other rods to compare are: Cabela Fish Eagle 7'0" med, and Ugly Stik Gx2 7'0" med.Setup: Shimano Stradic 4000, 12lb Seguar red label.Pros:- Compact, the size is more convenient than having a two-piece setup up. I have a small 10L backpack that I fit this and an attached reel into (as well as a small waterproof tackle box, scale, and pliers), but a small length will stick out.- Sleek looks, plenty of compliments.- No need to fully break down the rod and lure setup every time. The protective cover can secure wacky-rigged soft plastic worm bait with a 2/0 hook. The plastic/elastic rubbery strap allows for slight adjustment to the rod and small lures.- A solid number of eyelets, casting feels smooth (the Blackhawk II and Fish Eagle both fed line more smoothly than the Gx2 that had one less eyelet and generally larger eyelets.- Great build quality, no visual defects.- Reel seat feels absolutely locked in (better visual build and feel than the Gx2, and a little more secure feeling than the Fish Eagle)- Casts light spinnerbaits (1/4oz) and weightless wacky and trigs well.Cons:- Straight eyelet Alightment and tight-full rod extension can be a small hassle to get consistently.- After pulling the rod to full length, casting and catching fish would cause the segments to slightly loosen and slightly twist eyelets off-center. Although the rod would "loosen," the segments NEVER collapsed. This is just a pet peeve of mine, no real noticeable harm is done to casting distance and accuracy.- The protective cap doesn't cover the first eyelet.What more would I want in this rod?- I wish the rod had a gold line running down the all the guides eyelets onspine of the rod for alignment. It doesn't have the line on the eyelets near the tip.- An improved rod cover that would house all of the eyelets and a lure.- Simpler hook keeper loop as opposed to the clip styled keeper.All rods will do the job... If you're really craving a good quality telescopic travel rod, go for it! The Blackhawk II won't hurt your wallet as much as some nicer travel rods. Either way, I'll still be using my two-piece rods on longer days, but for short trips before or after work, I'll break out this setup.

This rod is the perfect travel rod and would recommend it to everyone. Don't buy the cheap rods :)

Hi I received my purchase and had some rather disappointing findings.1) the guides are not straight, please refer to picture.2) I don't know what is it but it seems like there is a manufacturing issue, please refer to the picture with the part circled.

Quality is reasonable. Like the length and weight of this rod. Great travel rod for light weight fishing.