Larry, I fully agree that there are always fish that are beyond the distance that you can test no matter what kind of rod that you are using. In the context of fishing for trout in a small stream, being able to shoot an extra three or four feet beyond the 25 foot reach that a Tenkara rod and line has seemed make a big difference to me.

After fishing with the Tenkara rod small streams, I think that my 7 foot 3 weight fiberglass rod has fewer compromises than my Tenkara rod on small streams in most cases where I am limited to one rod. The Tenkara rod, by the way, is fantastic for fishing small terrestrial flies in skinny Wisconsin Driftless meadow streams in late summer and early fall. Some of those streams are a just a few feet wide and have grass growing over the bank. With the Tenkara rod, I can guide small hopper flies into just the right spot while on my knees.