I’ve spent so much time fishing with ultralight and telescopic gear that I had almost forgotten what it was like to use a rod with enough backbone for a real hook set. That changed when I picked up the SeaChaser 2.1-meter telescopic fishing rod from Wish. I’ve tested plenty of cheap fishing rods over the years, and most come with some obvious compromises. Some are flimsy, some have questionable guides, and some are better suited for decoration than actually catching fish. This one, however, surprised me.
The original plan for this fishing trip was to test a roughly $11 fishing kit I bought on eBay. The kit came with a telescopic rod, reel, tackle box, lures, hooks, and other basic fishing gear. The problem was that I had already reviewed the exact same rod after purchasing one from Wish. Still, for about $11.99, the complete kit seemed worth trying.
The rod itself is usable, but definitely not something I would recommend as a serious fishing setup. Then I received another telescopic rod I had ordered from Wish. This one was a 2.1-meter SeaChaser, and it cost around $20. Right out of the package, it looked and felt different. The build quality was noticeably better than the other inexpensive telescopic rods I had tested. The guides were much nicer, the rod felt solid. The bindings holding the guides in place were the same as big name brand rods, not just a ring slipped over the ferrule and glued in place. I immediately started thinking this might become my everyday-carry fishing rod.
One of the first things I noticed about the SeaChaser was the quality of the guides. The rod uses guides with metal inserts, rather than the cheap plastic inserts found on many budget telescopic rods. That may not sound like a huge deal, but with inexpensive gear, small details like that can make a big difference. The biggest advantage compared to the plastic inserts is line life: plastic will wear and start fraying your line in no time at all.
The first guide is relatively small for a spinning rod, but that’s understandable on a telescopic blank. A larger guide would add bulk and hurt portability. Another nice feature is the built-in hook rest—something you don’t even find on a lot of more expensive rods. And the rod has a surprising amount of backbone.
I decided to test both setups during the same trip. The inexpensive kit included a small Baihui 200 reel, some swimbaits and grubs, jig heads, tiny EWG hooks, spoons, and small worms that might as well just be used while fly fishing. The reel was about as cheap as a spinning reel gets, and I’ve reviewed the same thing before under a different name.
It even came pre-spooled, so I tried it as-is. The included line felt thick and made casting harder; the rod clearly wanted a thinner, lighter line—especially because the guides weren’t great. Still, at $11.99 for a whole kit, expectations were low and it was worth a try.
I headed to the river near the old mill in San Antonio’s Southtown. There isn’t much structure, so fish stack on concrete features and vegetation. It was brutally hot—heat index around 115—so shade mattered as much as finding fish. The concrete cutouts along the bank, designed for reeds, now sit mostly empty and create shallow shelves (1–2 ft next to 3–4 ft water) that draw fish.
I hooked a good red-ear sunfish and the cheap reel twisted, torqued, bent, and nearly locked up while fighting it. The rod did its job. The tackle did its job. The reel did not. Verdict: the rod and tackle get a pass; the reel is a hard no. Ironically, the best part of the reel was the push-button folding handle—great for packing—but that doesn’t make up for the failure under load. I’ll likely salvage the handle for a better reel.
After ditching the combo, I paired the SeaChaser with a Quantum Throttle and started with a weightless slim-stick. Bites came, but fish wanted something faster. Swapping to a 3-inch Throw Away Baits Ripper immediately helped—heavier, longer casts, and better accuracy.
The SeaChaser’s length added distance, though the handle and reel seat position made my grip a bit farther forward than usual, which felt slightly awkward. Typical for telescopic rods where the seat sits close to the rod-butt, making them a bit off-balanced. Not a dealbreaker, the rod still cast accurately across the river.
Working around vegetation and concrete cutouts, I finally got a bass to chase the Ripper out of an opening and crush it. Hookset felt a touch awkward because of the length and grip, but there was plenty of power behind it. Another bite came soon after; I lost that one due to a small hook on a larger bait. After re-rigging, the next fish stuck, and that’s when it hit me: this thing actually has backbone.
I’m not calling the SeaChaser the best rod I’ve ever used—that would be silly for a ~$20 telescopic rod. But it’s one of the best inexpensive telescopic rods I’ve personally tested. It collapses to bag-friendly size, extends to a legit 2.1 m (6’11”), casts well, has decent guides, includes a hook rest, and—most importantly—has enough backbone to drive a hook and fight a fish.
For $11.99, the other kit gives you a usable rod, some truly fishable tackle, and a reel I wouldn’t trust. If you go the ultra-cheap route, I’d buy the rod without the reel and pair it with a better budget reel—something like a Zebco Stinger or even a Dock Demon from Academy or Walmart will outperform the bargain-bin special by a mile.
After catching fish on it, the SeaChaser earned a spot in my everyday rotation. It’s portable, inexpensive, surprisingly well-built, and has real backbone. For around $20, that’s a lot to ask from a telescopic rod—and this one delivers.
The rod: Highly recommended for an inexpensive telescopic setup.
The $11 combo reel: Not recommended.