The Telescopic Combo That Lives in My Truck for Spur-of-the-Moment Stops

The rod I reach for most is not the one I planned to use. It is a PLUSINNO telescopic combo I bought this fall, mostly because I was tired of driving past a pond and having nothing in the truck. I am 58, retired from HVAC, and I fish Lake Norman and the Catawba River a few mornings a week. I have a wall rack full of rods in the garage. This one stays behind the seat.

I did not buy it to replace anything. I bought it for the ten minutes between errands, the creek that looks good when the water is low, the trip out of town where there might be a public bank. The PLUSINNO is a 1.8-meter rod, just under six feet, medium heavy, carbon fiber, with a 3000-size spinning reel. It collapses down and goes behind the seat of my truck. That is the whole job.

The first time I used it, I was on the bank at a neighborhood pond with my grandson Tyler. He had his own rod. I tied on a small jig, cast past the grass line, and worked it back. The rod is medium heavy, so it is not a finesse tool. It is a general-purpose stick. For a pond with bass and bluegill, that is fine. The reel has a 5.2 gear ratio and a collapsible handle that switches left or right.

What I like is the lack of ceremony. I do not have to plan a trip. I do not have to load a rod tube. I pull the rod out, extend it, put it together, and fish. The rod is not magic. It just removes the excuse.

I have had it about two months. That is not long enough to tell you how it holds up over years. I can tell you it has ridden in the truck through heat and rain, been put away wet once, and still works. The sections still line up and the reel still turns.

Two months behind my truck seat, the PLUSINNO has been wet more often than the rods hanging in my garage.

The reel is a 3000-size spinning reel with a 5.2 gear ratio. The listing says the handle is CNC machine cut and collapsible, and it is left or right interchangeable. I set mine for left-hand retrieve because that is what I learned. The reel lists a line weight of 10 pounds and is made for monofilament. I spooled it with 10-pound mono. It is not a baitcaster. You are not going to pitch into heavy cover with it.

Where it falls short is the same place every telescopic rod falls short. It is not as stiff as a one-piece rod. The medium heavy action is more of a suggestion than a rule. When I set the hook on a bass, I can feel the rod load deeper than my two-piece rods. That is not a deal breaker. It just means I fish it with a little more patience. The PLUSINNO is not the rod I would choose for a tournament. It is the rod I choose when I might not fish at all.

The listing says no lures and no line are included. That is accurate. You will need to spool it and tie something on. I keep a small box in the truck with a few jigs, some hooks, and a couple of soft plastics. The rod has a 1.8-meter length and weighs 267 grams according to the specs. It is light enough to hold for an hour. The reel is ambidextrous, so Tyler can use it if he wants, though he still prefers his own push-button.

I have caught bass and bluegill on it. I have also been skunked. The rod does not change that. What it changes is how often I fish. Before, a quick stop meant looking at the water and driving on. Now I keep a little tackle bag behind the seat and I stop. That is the real benefit. More casts, not better casts.

If you are hard on gear, this is not the rod to leave in the bed of a truck. It goes behind the seat. It goes in a travel bag. It fits in a car trunk, a boat, or a backpack, which is what the listing says and what I have found. I rinse the reel with fresh water after every trip, same as my others, and put a drop of oil on it once a month. The rod has not given me a reason to baby it beyond that.

What I'd Tell You If We Were Sitting at My Kitchen Table

If we were sitting at my kitchen table, I would tell you this: buy it for the truck, not for the trophy. The PLUSINNO is a 1.8-meter carbon fiber rod with a 3000-size spinning reel, a 5.2 gear ratio, and a handle you can set left or right. It is medium heavy, it weighs 267 grams, and it collapses down to ride behind the seat. It will not feel like your best rod. It will feel like the rod you actually have with you. That is worth something. I would also tell you to spool it before you leave the house, because there is no line in the box. And I would tell you not to expect it to fix bad habits. It is a tool, not a shortcut. Two months in, I am glad it is behind the seat. If you keep driving past good water, you probably will be too.