as far as i know, gander mountain labled rods are still built on fenwick blanks. i have a large collection of gander brand rods as well as st croix and fenwick.

based on my setups, most of my topwater fishing is done on my baitcaster which is a 6'6" gander 'vortex' rod ($19.99 on sale quite often and VERY much worth it) with sufix 832 braid. (832, IMO is thr best braid and ive used/use them all)

the gander vortex rods are currently on sale now. the baitcaster version is 6'6" medium heavy action with a fast tip, one piece. great crank/spinnerbait rod. (i like a bit longer for trolling) the spinning version is 6'6" medium action fast tip, again one piece.  great jigging rod and excellent for live bait and slip floats (not in the Q!) i own and love BOTH versions.

as for carrying them on portages, i have golf club tubes (thin walled plastic pipes) built into brackets made of cedar that have velcro on them. they weigh only ounces. they velcro inside my canoe and hold the rods inside. they act as a holster of sorts. i find taking my 2 piece rods apart for portaging a hastle, so if you own a canoe and dont mind sticking a little velcro on the inside of the hull, i would use 1 piece rods. leftover velcro can be used to secure your plano trays to the front and rear deck lids as well ;)