What new rod.

[SCBob]

Hi I am new to this forum. been a tenkara fisherman for about 4 years, fisherman for about 60 years. I have a 12" Iwana and a Amago and I am thinking of another rod. What are good rods, other than TUSA rods?

[CM_Stewart]

Any of the rods from Japanese companies are good rods. Daiwa and Shimano are considered to be the best but Nissin and Shimotsuke also make very nice rods. Depending on your specific intended use, a seiryu or keiryu rod might be a better choice than a tenkara rod, which also makes Suntech a possibility. Which rod is really a more important question than which manufacturer, but that depends on where you fish (stream or lake, brushy and overgrown or open, width of streams), what you fish for (small wild trout, 18-20" trout, bluegills, carp, etc), what you like in a rod (full flex, mid flex, tip flex), what line you prefer (level or furled), your budget (under $100 to over $300) and whether you want an "all around" rod or a specialty rod for a specific purpose.

[sagefisher]

CM, That is getting as complicated as regular fly rods. Larry ---sagefisher---

[jd_smith]

I think they're all good points. A blind man doesn't play hide and seek and expect to win.

[CM_Stewart]

Larry, why would it be any different? You can approach fly fishing and tenkara pretty much the same way. Fly fishing can be very simple. You can fish in most places with three patterns (elk hair caddis, pheasant tail nymph and black woolly bugger) and expect to catch fish without even thinking of matching the hatch. Sometimes you won't catch as many as the guy who has 10 fly boxes in his vest, but sometimes you'll catch more. You can fish in most places with just one rod - a mid level 9' 6wt and a simple double taper line. It might be a bit light for steelhead or stripers and overkill on 5" brookies, but you could do it. When I was a kid that was the "all around" fly rod and line. I don't think it was at all expected 50 years ago that the average guy would have a closet full of fly rods. He might have one or maybe two.

That is the aura of simplicity that has been nurtured for tenkara (mostly for marketing reasons). Sure, you can buy one rod and do all your fishing with it. However, just as there are many situations for which a more specialized fly rod would really be appreciated, so it is with tenkara fishing. Fishing the small, overgrown streams in the Smokies is not at all like fishing the Madison in Montana. It really does make sense to have different rods for those two locations. Similarly, for guys who have decided they really like fishing with tenkara style rods, it really does make sense to have a different rod for the 5" brookies than the one they go brownlining for carp with.

Over the past couple years there have been several posts on various forums and blogs bemoaning that tenkara isn't "simple" any more. Tenkara is still as simple as it ever was. Now there are just more choices. You can still buy an "all around" middle price Chinese made rod, but the point is that you no longer have to.

[Paul Arnold]

Well reasoned and well stated, Chris. I emphatically agree on all points. Your use of "brownlining" sent me to Google, however. A new word for me. That kind of fishing fits right in with your earlier observation, "If it swims and has fins, it is worth catching." Did I get that right?

[SCBob]

Thanks Chris for your reply, I am looking for a rod to fish for warmwater panfish, maybe trout once or twice a year. Been thinking about a Shimano or Daiwa.

[CM_Stewart]

Thanks Chris for your reply, I am looking for a rod to fish for warmwater panfish, maybe trout once or twice a year. Been thinking about a Shimano or Daiwa.

One of my absolute favorite rods is the Daiwa Enshou LL41SF http://www.tenkarabum.com/daiwa-tenkara-rods.html. It is 13.5' long, weighs 2.9 ounces and is one of the smoothest casting rods I've ever found. Although it would be ideal with panfish, it would also be able to handle modest sized bass. If you fish streams where a 13.5' rod would be too long, the same model also comes in a 12' length (LL36SF). Shimano has two nice 12' rods as well. The LLS36NX is a premium rod that is as good an "all around" rod as you'll be able to find http://www.tenkarabum.com/shimano-lls36nx.html, and their LLS36NB is probably the nicest rod you could find for under $200http://www.tenkarabum.com/shimano-lls36-nb.html .

I wouldn't rule out Nissin and Suntech, though. I really like the Nissin Air Stage 390 http://www.tenkarabum.com/nissin-air-stage-390.html (which I don't currently have in stock) and also the Suntech Kurenai HM39R http://www.tenkarabum.com/suntech-kurenai.html, which I do. Both of these rods are seiryu rods, designed specifically for smaller fish. They are wonderfully light and responsive, and are both made in Japan.

Of course, there are always the Nissin SP rods, which I only half jokingly call the Special Panfish rods. http://www.tenkarabum.com/nissin-sp.html

[CM_Stewart]

Well reasoned and well stated, Chris. I emphatically agree on all points. Your use of "brownlining" sent me to Google, however. A new word for me. That kind of fishing fits right in with your earlier observation, "If it swims and has fins, it is worth catching." Did I get that right?

That's pretty much the way I feel, although I haven't spent nearly enough time going for fish other than traditional game fish. Some of the fish I see posted on facebook, particularly the smaller salt water fish (be a bit of a drive for you) are just stunning. I need to fish for a wider variety of fish this year.

[HOSSCOOPER]

Hey T-bum price has always been ab issue with me. Is there a Japanese made cheap rod? under $100 say for pan fish? I do small streams and ponds for wamrwater fish. I have a fountainhead 330 that I enjoy, but I do like softer/ full flex actions though maybe not too soft.