12ft "Secret Weapon" Crab Snare/Surf No Excuses Travel Rod, 5-Piece Heavy Action

1st time trying it at Ocean Beach SF. For a 12 foot 5 pc travel rod it held up pretty well with a 10oz lure and caught some keepers. So far so good durability wise ...convenience of a 12ft travel surf rod AAA+++. Awesome solid carrying case, one thing I would upgrade is a longer adjustable strap for the case.

Just Opened my package :) 5 pc rod breaks down to fit the case that's just shy of 3 ft long at ~2' 10½" x 4½" diameter. Feels solid and the quality control seems very good. The eyes are smooth and beefy! Seems like a quality finish (enamel?), will stand up to getting beat up in travels or day to day use. I'm surprised at the 12oz rating and will start off gentle with this one. I'm thinking pieces is a lot for each connection to bare, but have faith in Matt's product testing! It seems like each connection point has extra reinforcement wrapping. I'll be taking this out next weekend to crab snare. I usually use 10oz and up on the beach surf. I will also try casting lures for stripers to see how it handles. I feel like I'll get a shorter rod for surf casting for fish later on. This 12 footer, even without the reel put on, seems a little heavy to be casting constantly all day. Ideally, a rod I'll keep in my car to get wet spontaneously! Plus I can get my back seat back in my Civic! So glad this will stow in my trunk!

Really like the travel case. I can take it anywhere without getting it damage going through the secret spots.

These rods are great! I can't wait to test them out.

Love my new 12ft rod! It’s so convenient. Love that it can break down to fit in my car. The case is outstanding. Excellent product. I highly recommend it.

This was a gift for my husband and he loves it! The quality and the length. We have not had a chance to get out and try it yet, but we can't wait.

I just took my SECRET WEAPON No Excuses rod out for a test run. Thanks to my wife for the amazing Christmas gift! I had talked to Matt's about wanting his other no excuses rod but I wanted to be able to effectively crab snare fish too. Matts says, (I am in the finishing stages of developing a rod that will be the perfect rod for what you need. Its almost ready and might be worth waiting for.) Man am I glad I shared that conversation with my wife. We are currently dealing with king tides here in Oregon but I wanted to test it anyway. Absolutely love this rod. I can't wait to hoist some fat ling or the likes of that over the rocks. Enjoy safer fishing, not having to climb down to the water line for bigger fish. Plus, crab snaring. Thank you Matts for always keeping your amazing products affordable!!

Used the rod for crab snaring and it was satisfying to cast with such a long rod. The rod was very stiff which made it easy to pull up over the ledge of cliffs. The best part was that the rod can be easily dissembled into the carrying case, that made it easy for carrying.

Legit product. As someone who often flys out to their desired fishing destinations...this is a game changer. No longer am I the individual who knows in the back of my mind I'm 100% over the check in luggage linear dimensions and hoping for the best . This rod has a substantially better action than my 4 piece craptastic Amazon specials. Don't hesitate. Worst case scenario you're at least supporting a homie.

Its durability for a 5 piece rod is impressive. No complaints what's so ever. Thankyou!

I love the 12 foot fishing pole. Easy to store and travel with. Thanks

The SECRET WEAPON Far exceeded my expectations. I used it on the Pacifica Pier for crab snaring. WoW, It held up casting my 14oz snares without any problems. Used it for a full day of snaring and didn’t get tired of casting for 8 1/2 hours on the pier. I paired the rod with an 8000 surf reel and 80lbs test braid. Great Day on the pier. Caught a total of 16 crabs but only 7 keepers (all males). Female and shorties were caught and released. Awesome Rod Thanks Matts

Beautiful build, both how it comes together and its action. I will be visiting the CA Central Coast soon and cannot wait to reach out into a pocket and tie into halibut & surf perch. I am grateful for the experience and wish you, Matts, continued success in 2026. Much thanks. -jerry

Really good casted my crab trap like nothing Just annoying to try to line up the rings Every time would love if it had like some dots that you can easily line up to have it the straightest possible

Great design, easy to transport, holds up to the test and delivers. Very convenient when you are on the go!

1st time crabbing. The 12ft rod held up pretty well. Unfortunately didn't catch any.

The pole works great for crabbing and is very compact, however the reel seat is weak. When tightening it onto the reel it will slip the threads leading to a loose connection. Bring zip ties with you to secure it if the threads fail.

Great portability just wish that there were some type of markings to line up all rod sections for easier and faster set up.

Have not use it yet but from the looks and feel of it, it’s looks fantastic and feel great. I believe it will go great when I use it for crabbing this coming summer here in WA. Let you know more when I put it in action.

Nice it was what I expected

The 12' travel rod is everything I wanted. Plenty strong to cast crab snares or heavy sinkers for surf, inshore, bay or river fishing. Pairs nicely with my heavy surf reel. Great travel case as well for tucking away in the trunk.

Great little (well big) travel rod. Wish there was either a side caddy (hardcased) or even a reel spot in the cap or side to have a true all in one item. Does have the ability to wrench stuff out of the water, did a few tests on some weights but will need to get out and actually use it once the weather cleans up a little more.

After received this 12’ Rod it is same quality as my other 8’ and 9’4” Rod! Is my best Christmas gift for my self! I will try it next year Jan To May for shore line fishing for Rod cod, Ling and Cab……

I love my new pole!!!!!

Perfect design to be able to fit into a small car. Thx Matts

Haven’t use it yet but it looks sturdy and appropriate for my intended purposes.

I paired it with a penn spinfisher 7 6500 and it feels a little to big but would recommend a 6000 or 8000 reel

I haven't used it yet due to weather conditions in northern Cali but I opened and assembled the rod and it's solid! It feels great.