G,
As most have said on here, its not worth taking the risk, especially on such a valuable trip ( time and money concerned ) to have some "otherwise" customs or security officer take issue with what you are carrying is just not worth it...
I've also found that the Middle East airlines are far more lenient in terms of weight restrictions/allowances than others... if you are used to Etihad/Emirates/Qatar airlines, be prepared for a little bit of a wake up on the other airlines... certainly here in SA it seems every airline employee recently got raked over the coals and got told that there is a ZERO Tolerance policy in place in terms of overweight etc... gone are the days of getting away with 2 or 3 kilos extra here and there... I had a client get charged R 1400 for being 1 kilo overweight on his way back to Germany... yip, 1 kilo! Personally I've also had 4 flights recently where before I would for sure have not had to pay for the extra couple kilos, and now been charged for everything....
So pack well, and pack carefully...
All lures and terminals in check in luggage... Spinning reels without spools in your hand luggage... Overheads, Flyreels and Spinning spools in your Check in... Take all your rods out of their rod socks, strap them all together and wrap them in your fishing shirts/shorts etc and put them in the rod tube, this will save you space in your main check in luggage for tackle....
You're gonna have an epic trip mate!