Tenkara vs Tanago

[Fly Goddess]

Finally I got on here. "Out of the box" didn"t even come close last weekend.


I wrote '"Smile Maker" in Chris' Micro Story section. That was the first time out with that 5ft rod. This year will be a blast whether using small flies or a dab of bait. There is always those bully bluegills under docks with the small fry.


I was catching last years small gills at a fair pace under the dock when I had my first "Oh sh*t" fishing moment. You know, that moment right after the hookup that you suddenly realize you may not get this fish in. That happened twice last Saturday. The culprit was a gill not much longer than my palm. It bent the rod enough to make that 7x tippet so tight the wind made line sing. Now that was a blast...I did get them in.


Don't have many non muddy creeks around here for minnows and the like but little bluegill are everywhere. It will never matter if I have a bad outing with my tenkara or fly rod gear, I can always find small gills and with that tanago rod I'm assured of leaving the water with a smile.


Dennis

Welcome Dennis. Look forward to hearing more from you and these sweet little rods.

[Tanago53]

It was a Daiwa Hinata 5' tanago rod I got from Chris at TenkaraBum. I will say this about these type rods, and I believe Chris will say the same thing, these rods aren't for casting so different length rods are for reach away from you or distance you are above the water to handle the line length. This 5ft one is perfect for where I fish now. Micro fishing may not be for everyone but trout fishermen can count the different trout they can catch on one hand not more than 2 hands. Same for the sunfish, but the number of Darters and Minnows in a given region is unreal and their colors make the Rainbow, Redbreast and Pumpkinseed pale beside some of them. Oh to spend a month down in the Ozarks.

Dennis

[CM_Stewart]

Duskystripe shiner
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Carmine Shiner
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Bigeye Shiner
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Please click on the photos. The thumbnails really don't do them justice.

I was in the Ozarks for a few days last month (tying at the Sowbug Roundup) and caught a few micros. Unfortunately, the only darter I caught was a female, and she's as drab as a hen pheasant. Still, the fish are everywhere, they're fun to catch and some of them are really pretty.

You start out trying to catch anything, and the challenge is to identify what you've caught. Then progressively, the challenge becomes to find and catch different species that live in your general area, and then to catch specific species that you haven't yet caught. And then it's to catch the fish that you know are there but you haven't yet figured out how to catch. It is not unlike a trout angler going from wanting to catch ANY fish, to wanting to catch lots of fish, to wanting to catch big fish, to wanting to catch challenging fish.

It seems I can't get the Daiwa Hinata anymore. I do have tanago rods from Nissin and Shimotsuke, though.

[Paul Arnold]

I've started doing some micro fishing, catching Shiners from a little crick. At least I think they are shiners. The little fellows are moderately skittish, and thus I can't use a fish-at-my-feet size rod. I'm currently using a Soyokaze 27, which feels like an Ugly Stick when I'm bringing in my minnows.

I feel as if I'm reverting to my childhood when I used bread balls to poach goldfish from the little bathtub-sized, backyard pond of the widow woman next door.

[Paul Arnold]

I should probably add that the goldfish poaching was strictly Catch & Release. I was not a mean little boy, just one who lacked any better place to fish.

[HOSSCOOPER]

That's a nice little shiner there. One of these days I'll get a tanago rod and go for it. In the mean time what can you use to fish with? do you really need a tanago rod?

[Paul Arnold]

Hosscooper -- If you are in luck, Chris will respond to your query as to what rod to use and whether you need to use a tenago/micro rod. All that I can contribute is that the relative stiffness of the Soyokaze 27 in micro fishing dilutes the enjoyment of taking micro fish on a micro-fish rod. ~Paul

[CM_Stewart]

Hosscooper, you do not need a tanago rod or microfishing rod. A lot of the people who go for micros use an ultralight spinning rod. (1) because thay's what they already have and (b) it's more about the catch than the fight. Somehow, there's something about an insanely small rod to go after insanely small fish that just adds to the insanity, though. You DO need micro hooks, though, to go for the really little ones.

Paul, "relative stiffness of the Soyokaze" is a bit like "jumbo shrimp". The tanago rods are stiffer. Best you could do is a to get a 20SR grip to put on your 27SR, but it isn't necessary. The bendy parts are the same.