Why We Don’t Use Leaders in Tenkara
Say that 10 times fast! A while ago, I wrote a post about a titanium line I got from Tenkara Times (click here for that review). In case you missed the memo, titanium lines slice through wind like a lightsaber through butter making them an excellent choice when the gales make it nearly impossible to cast with conventional lines.
Last month, the company updated their line with a new titanium alloy that is 30% lighter than their original. The lighter weight still cuts through the wind, but allows you to make a more delicate presentation. Some anglers consider thicker diameter titanium lines to be almost too powerful, so this new line would be a good option when delicacy is an issue.
When casting, there is a noticeable difference between this new incarnation and the original. You can definitely tell it’s lighter and doesn’t overpower slower rods the way a thicker diameter does. It feels more like casting a light fluorocarbon level line to me but still has the unique smooth turnover that is titanium’s signature.
Whereas the original line was blackish in color, this new alloy is a lighter gray color…and…still impossible to see. That’s why there is a 2′ section of hi-vis yellow fluorocarbon at the end for strike detection. The Achilles heel of titanium is that it’s just so thin, there’s really no way to make it hi-vis, so an indicator section is about the only option.
Since it’s only 0.006″ (0.155 mm) in diameter, the company recommends grabbing the line by this indicator section to avoid cutting your hand. It’s also the reason they only offer the line in 11′ and 13′ lengths (to eliminate having to hand line long sections of the titanium part). While I can see this being an issue for larger fish, I normally catch fish in the 6″-12″ range and have no concerns about cutting my hand on the line with fish that size. But it is very, very thin, so if a large fish decided to make a last-minute escape attempt, I could understand the concern.
All the other components of the line appear to be the same as the previous design. The indicator section comes with a loop at the end, and there is a another loop at the other for a girth hitch connection to the rod. And both attachments are sealed over with a bead of adhesive to prevent getting poked by the sharp ends of the titanium wire.
If you’re interested in trying a titanium line for yourself, click here to go to their titanium line page.
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Just bought one, we have some really windy days here in the spring and fall, I would love to have a line that cuts through instead on the windier days that makes most lines hard to use. Excited to give them a try. I am also interested to see how they perform on cold winter days.
I picked up the older style from Chris at TenBum a few months ago. He provides a line that is 30′ so you can custom cut to your desired reach, plus he gives you pretty good recommendations as to how to tie in indicators, glue the knots, etc.
That’s not to take anything away from these guys – quite the contrary: it’s a lot of work (and materials and expense) to do it yourself, whereas these are ready-to-fish. Plus, they are apparently thinner in diameter, which could make all the difference in the world on a lighter action rod.
I don’t recall the Knot2Kinky Ti leader diameter off the top of my head, but if you’ve got a live one on the end, you definitely want to be careful handing in the line… I usually am wearing Buff gloves anyway, so it is only an issue if my fingertips catch some of the line. I can only imagine that this would be more of an issue with a wire of thinner diameter.
I like the red tint in their glue, however… I can see that as being almost an indicator in itself! I used UV Knot Sense from Loon, as per Chris, but it is clear. I’ve got Amnesia indicator sections, however, and those are pretty vivid on both the 17′ and 12′ lines I tied.
Love Ti lines on a breezy day… can’t recommend them enough no matter the source!
Hi Michael. I’ve also tried the line from Chris and really like it. But I haven’t found a solution for the tippet and Lilian connections I’m happy with. The packaging says it’s knottable but it doesn’t cinch up and I don’t like that. Plus, it leaves sharp ends. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stabbed myself with it. Titanium in general is just a pain to work with so out do laziness I prefer the ready-to-fish lines. And you’re right, that bead of adhesive does serve as a pretty good strike indicator.
Jason, I just tied loops in either end with whatever knot was suggested on the packaging, glued the knot, snipped the tag and added another bit of glue over that last little bit of metal… no splinter-stabs! I put a length of dacron backing for my girth hitch-to-lilian and at the other end make a loop-to-loop connection to the indicator line. After that, it’s business as usual.
No, the wire doesn’t cinch up tight, but I help it along by gripping the standing and tag ends on either side of the knot with some forceps and pull it down as close as I can before adding the glue. It’s a little disconcerting to see what looks like an open knot inside the glue, but I’ve never had one of the knots in the Ti line come loose, including a couple of snags where I’ve had to pull the line and break off the tippet. I do hit that glue with a pretty strong UV light rather than relying on the sun, so maybe the glue is a bit more cured?
I wouldn’t want to try to build that line out on the banks, but at home with all the equipment, materials and a nice space to work, each line took about 10 minutes to construct.
Do you know if they add a dye to the glue, or does it just come that way?
Hi Michael,
I don’t know if they add dye to it or not. Can you tell me which kind of glue you’re using? I’m curious. I’ve tried just folding the line over itself like the Tenkara Times line appears to do and then gluing it over but can’t seem to replicate it. I have a love-hate relationship with titanium line. It’s great to cast-but a bitch to work with.
Wow, so this stuff’s 1/10th the diameter of 5x tippet? Anyone know its breaking strength?
Hi Albert, it’s not 1/10th the diameter of 5X. I made a mistake and accidentally wrote that it was 0.015 mm but it’s actually 0.155 mm so it’s about the same diameter as 5X. I’ve updated the post with the correction. As for breaking strength, I don’t know what the test is but I don’t think it’s a concern. Very strong stuff and it stretches too. Sorry about the mixup.
Loon’s UV Knot Sense. I didn’t know until I bought it that you need a UV light to cure the glue (hence the name), but I had purchased some putty called Bio Strike, also by Loon, and it came packaged with a tiny UV light (powered by watch batteries) so I wasn’t out of luck.
You can get a much stronger, multi-led UV light online for $5 that runs on much easier to find AAA’s. You can also just let it sit in sunlight and it will eventually cure, but it only takes 20-30 seconds to harden up under the flashlight.
None of that stuff comes in the sweet gyotaku packaging, though! That’s really classy. In fact, I just ordered an original from Kirby (thanks for introducing us to him in your write-up, Jason!)
Damn I tried to order it and it’s sold out already. Any other vendor in the US carry the newer line.
D, don’t know. Maybe Chris at Tenkara Bum can get it?
Don’t know if this post will reactivate this thread but I’m in catch up mode being comparatively new to Tenkara and this blog. What my thought is, would the density of Ti line be suited well to fishing deeper with minnow imitators, nymphs and the like? Using it with fluro leader should make this a more aggressive sinking rig. Or so this novice would assume.
A note to Adam- My only weather fear is that I’d never fish a golf course water hazard during a storm using a nine iron for a Tenkara rod. ;-D
Hey Colin,
I think it sinks faster than fluorocarbon (in part because it’s also thinner and puts up less resistance) but not sure how well it could cast larger streamers. Titanium is a poor conductor of electricity. I’d be more worried about the conductivity of the rod.
Here is something that no one has mentioned so far: T-fishing stilwaters on windy days, where the lack of visibility of the titanium line would not be a problem because the strikes are determined by feel rather than by sight.
More recently, Spirit River has brought out Tungsten Thread for fly tying in two diameters – X-Fine for tying tiny nymphs down to a size 28, and the Fine for tying sizes 12 thru 20, at a cost of $4.85 a spool of either size Tungsten Thread. It appears to be furnished on a standard sized thread spool.