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Tenkara Tanuki Pocket Ninja

June 17, 20204 CommentsTenkara RodsBy Jason Klass

Tanuki Tenkara Pocket Ninja

My experience with fly fishing gear (and gear in general) is that whenever something tries to be two things at once, it’s usually not good at either of them. Think fly/spin combos. I’ve never seen one that was both a good fly rod AND a good spin rod. It seems that there is always some compromise. So when my friend Luong Tam at Tenkara Tanuki told me he was coming out with a “micro” tenkara rod, I honestly wasn’t too excited. My first thought was that trying to make a tenkara rod so compact with so many segments would compromise the action. I was wrong.

The Tanuki Pocket Ninja is every bit a “real” tenkara rod. In fact, if you blindfolded me and let me cast it without telling me I was fishing a micro rod, I wouldn’t even know until you took the blindfold off and let me collapse it. The action is soft, but smooth and the rod is incredibly light in the hand with a gossamer swing weight.

Manufacturer’s Specs

Length: 11’0″ / 335 cm
Collapsed Length: 13″/ 33 cm
Weight: 2.1 oz / 60 gram without end cap
Action: Slow

Hardware

The Pocket Ninja doesn’t have a cork or foam grip. The flared butt end of the rod serves as the grip just like many Japanese fixed-line rods. Some are adamantly opposed to this style grip (as I used to be), but over the years, I’ve fished several rods with this style of handle and have come to accept them. Some even argue that the direct connection to the blank improves sensitivity.  At any rate, I found the grip to be comfortable and it features a matte finish to be non-slip.

Tanuki Tenkara Pocket Ninja

The rod plug and lilian are pretty standard with a spare loop of lilian in the plug for repair and visibility if dropped.

Tanuki Tenkara Pocket Ninja

Tanuki Tenkara Pocket Ninja

And the end cap Is not only knurled but also has a coin slot to really tighten it down, plus an internal rubber cushion to protect the segments while in transport.

Tanuki Tenkara Pocket Ninja

The Pocket Ninja comes with a rod sock and a simple plastic tube, but you can also buy a more robust carbon fiber tube which you can see at the bottom of the picture below.

Tanuki Tenkara Pocket Ninja

A Design Victory

This rod took Luong over 4 years to develop and it shows in the impeccable design with his signature attention to detail. Every single millimeter of it speaks quality. What most people might not appreciate though is how difficult it is to create a rod with so many short segments that still has a soft action and good flex. Basically, the more segments you have, the stiffer the rod gets. Somehow (and I don’t know enough about rod design to know how), he managed to pull it off. I suppose that’s why it took 4 years.

Tanuki Tenkara Pocket Ninja

With the Pocket Ninja, now there’s no excuse to not have a rod with you at all times. It will fit in your glove box, backpack, or purse! And you won’t have to feel like you’re compromising compactness for action. It’s a “real” rod–just in a really small package. Get one here and you’ll always be prepared to hit that unexpected fishing opportunity when it presents itself!

fly rods for backpackingmicro tenkara rodtanuki pocket ninjatravel tenkara rodsultra-compact tenkara rods
About the author

Jason Klass

Jason is an avid fly angler and backpacker. As a former fly fishing guide originally from Western New York, he moved to Colorado and became an early adopter of tenkara which perfectly suited the small, high altitude streams and lakes there. He has not fished a Western-style fly rod for trout since.

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4 Comments
  1. June 17, 2020 at 4:44 pm
    Jayms Ramirez

    Thanks for the review on Pocket Ninja. I picked one up during Winter and I love it! I travel a lot for work and it is a joy to have with me at all times. I love the flex and design! I really like the handle, and it does add some extra sensitivity. It handles large fish quite well!! Great job Luong!!!!

  2. June 17, 2020 at 4:48 pm
    Jayms Ramirez

    ..

  3. June 17, 2020 at 5:02 pm
    Jason Klass

    That is one beautiful fish Jayms! Thank you for posting that!

  4. October 26, 2020 at 2:31 am
    Luong

    @Jayms Nice Catch on the snow 325.

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About Me

Jason Klass is a former fly fishing guide & casting instructor based in Colorado. He was an early adopter of tenkara in the West and has been fishing the method for a variety of species since 2009. Read more >>

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