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…
At the 2019 Tenkara Summit today, Tenkara USA made a pretty big announcement: the reissue and redesign of their discontinued Ebisu rod. The Ebisu was a favorite among many early adopters of tenkara in the West because of its soft 5:5 action and many lamented its demise. But I think many will be glad to…
When my friend Luong Tam of Tenkara Tanuki first told me he was designing a new rod called the “Ninja”, I have to admit I wasn’t exactly excited. I was already a fan of his Snow 325 and other rods I had cast at trade shows and didn’t see how he could really improve on…
I remember back in maybe 2011 or 2012, there was a quite lengthy debate online regarding tenkara rod handles. It started when people began using fixed-line rods such as Keiryu and Seiryu rods for tenkara. Many of those rods didn’t have what would be considered a “grip” (the handle of the rod was just the…
If you follow this blog or my tenkara Facebook page, you’ve probably seen pictures of me holding one of four rods in my trip reports: The Oni Type I, the Tenkara USA Ito, the Oni Type III, and more recently, the Tanuki Snow 325. That’s because these are my four favorites–each with its own unique…
In an industry full of “me too” companies, Zen Tenkara has always stood out in my mind as one that isn’t afraid to stray from the pack, break with convention, and do their own thing. Owner Karin Miller’s tagline is “Defining American Tenkara”, and whichever side of the whole “what is and isn’t tenkara” debate…
For those of you who are familiar with so-called “universal rod caps”, you know they’re worth having a few on hand for when you inevitably lose your rod plugs to the same vortex that also devours guitar picks and socks. If you’re not, then you’ll be happy you read this. “Universal rod caps” are exactly…
Ever since the 2017 Denver Fly Fishing Show when I first cast a Tanuki rod, I’ve wanted one. Though I had corresponded with the company’s owner, Luong Tam, over the years, it was the first time we’d met in person and I got a glimpse into his unique and sharply honed tenkara rod design theory.…
I recently had a chance to try out the newly designed NIRVANA 400 tenkara rod from DRAGONtail Tenkara and have nothing but good things to say about it. I’ve known the company and its owner, Brent Auger, for several years now and have always been impressed by how they’ve consistently put out tenkara gear that…
I’ll admit it. I’ve been keeping a secret from you. I’ve had this rod for several months and am just now getting around to writing a review of it. It wasn’t on purpose. Life just gets in the way sometimes. But if anything, it’s give me a chance to really put through its paces and…
Back when I started tenkara fishing, there were really only a handful of rods available in the U.S. It was easy to differentiate them because there just weren’t that many choices. And it was nearly impossible to get rods directly from Japan because of the exorbitant prices, slow shipping times, and language barrier. Fast forward…
Zoom rods are becoming more and more popular in tenkara these days due to their versatility and their ability to “dial in” the action to one’s liking. They’re versatile because they can adjust from one to two or three different lengths allowing you to reign in the rod tip in tighter quarters, and then “zoom”…
I come from a place where tight streams are the norm and fighting against riparian vegetation is just something you accept. But since I’ve moved to Colorado (15 years ago), that hasn’t really been a challenge for me. There are plenty of streams that offer you all the casting space in the world due to…
When I first heard about the new Suzume tenkara rod from Zen Fly Fishing, my first thought was, “arrgh, here comes another ‘me too’ rod”. I really had no interest in trying another one but I got the opportunity to test one out with the company’s owner Karin Miller on a recent trip to Rocky…
I recently got to test the new 245/206 CM tenkara rod from Esoteric Tackle. And before you ask, yes, I confirmed with the owner that the rod doesn’t have an official name and is only referred to by the specs which is baffling to me, but that’s their prerogative. Despite being nameless, this is a…
When I first heard that Chris Stewart of Tenkara Bum teamed up with Japanese rod maker Suntech to design a new rod, I was really excited. Chris has been fishing tenkara longer than pretty much any American angler I know and through his vast store inventory over the years, has gained an intimate knowledge of…
The Tenkara no Oni Type I has long been my favorite tenkara rod. It’s incredibly light in the hand and has an action that suits my casting style perfectly. I’ve been fishing the original model with the straight foam handle (not the current models) for a couple of years now, but ever since I heard…
On his excellent blog, Tom Davis posted a picture of an X-ray of the handle of an Oni rod. The X-ray appears to show some kind of insert near the butt. This sparked much speculation that the Oni rods are only so light in the hand because there is weight added to the butt of…
If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ll know that I’m a pretty big fan of rods from Tenkara Times. I’ve reviewed several of their models and am consistently impressed with their action and quality of workmanship. I’ve recently been testing their new “Try 360” rod for a while now and am happy to…
Tenkara Centre UK just released a new tenkara rod named the Hayase (which means “swift current” in Japanese). The new rod is the flagship premium rod in the company’s lineup and in addition to being constructed of higher modulus graphite for added strength and accuracy, also features some hardware upgrades that set it apart from…
French company Tenkara Pyrenees recently announced that they are now offering personalized tenkara rods, allowing you to choose different graphics on the rod blank and tube. Each rod is also individually numbered and can feature your name, making it unique. The blanks are manufactured by a well-established Japanese tenkara rod maker and customized by a…
Tenkara USA has just released two new rods that are a complete departure from any design they’ve done in the past. So much so, that when I first laid eyes on them after opening the package, I had to double check the sender’s address to make sure they weren’t from a different company! Forget everything…
Ever since Tenkara Rod Company launched their wildly successful Kickstarter campaign, I’ve been eager to get their rods on the water. Today, I finally got the chance to field test their two initial rod offerings: the Sawtooth and the Teton. Here is my side-by-side comparison from unboxing to stream. The Sawtooth Open Length: 12ft (360 cm)…
Right out of the box, I knew the new Try 390 rod from Tenkara Times was a winner. For one thing, I’ve reviewed several of their rods already and upon initial inspection, the overall quality seemed in keeping with the attention to detail and consistency I’ve come to expect from them. But it wasn’t until…
I’m no stranger to Tenkara Centre UK rods. I’ve reviewed their Masu and Seiryu rods so when I had the chance to try out their new Hamon rod, the expectations were already set. In my experience, their rods feature crisp actions and consistently high quality components. And the Hamon did not disappoint. Action [wpcol_1half id=””…
Having already tested rods from Tenkara Times such as the 1st Step and Next, I was already familiar with their quality before receiving their their Motive Rod. In my experience, Tenkara Times makes very good rods with actions I like. And the Motive is no exception. Here is my review… Action The Motive is the longest rod Tenkara Times makes…
After several months of patiently waiting, my Oni tenkara rod has finally arrived! For those of you who don’t know what an “Oni” rod is, it’s the rod designed and used by Masami Sakakibara (a.k.a. “Tenkara no Oni”), who is widely considered to be the best tenkara caster in the world. He is notorious for…
When I first heard Tenkara USA was redesigning their Ayu rod, it was a little disconcerting. I’ve seen it too many times before: a company has an excellent product—one that everybody likes. Then, they redesign it and it becomes pedestrian. I’m not sure what leads gear companies to do this but after a few casts,…
The Seiryu is actually the second rod I’ve field tested from Tenkara Centre UK. I recently viewed their new Masu rod and while it’s a great rod with a specific niche action and a lot of nice finishing touches, I think of the Seiryu more as an all purpose workhorse. Specs Length: 360cm…
Not too long ago, I reviewed the Tenkara Times 1st Step rod. Overall, I really liked the rod even though it was a littler stiffer action than I generally prefer. But recently, I was able to test another rod in their lineup: the Next rod. With a 5:5 action, this rod was a little more…
