gzacckey,

I haven't fished the 6:4 yet so I can't compare them yet.

The two streams I fish the most are fairly small. In many spots on the stream I can wade along one bank and fish the other bank, and there are very few spots where I could not fish either bank by wading midstream. They are not terribly brushy, but there are trees and brush along the shores, and overhanging tree limbs that occasionally catch my rod tip as I play a fish. Heres I comment I made on another board with a pic from one of the streams: http://www.tenkarausa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=14 If the streams you will be fishing are pretty tight, the 11 foot model might be best for you. I don't have that one so I can't comment on it.

Obviously, with no reel, you cannot let a fish run. If it's big enough to break your tippet, it will. My biggest was a 17 1/2" that luckily chose to stay in a relatively small pool. A 15" fish will get your heart pumping, because you're not sure you'll be able to land it, but so far I haven't had problems doing so. The rods are supple enough that they protect light tippets very well. I only fish 6x (more on that later), but as a fish tries to run, the tension from the rod very gradually gets heavier and heavier, and because the rod is so long the tension is from above. It pulls the fish's head up and brings them to the surface. Even the browns seem to jump a lot. When was the last time you caught a fish you weren't sure you'd be able to land?

pszy22,

Yes, you can come up with a less refined version from Cabela's, and before I got my first tenkara rod that is just what I did. I started with a telescopic fiberglass pole like the one in your link. It was heavy and the action was such that it just couldn't cast a light line (the rod tip kept wiggling at the end of the cast, killing the line's momentum). They also have a graphite one, which I thought was fine until I got a real tenkara rod. They're just not the same. They're also not nearly as strong. I hooked the biggest trout of my life on a Cabela's pole, with 6.4# test tippet, and it broke the rod (that's why I went to 6x). There's a post on the Tenkara USA forum from a guy who caught a carp on his brand new tenkara rod, with 8# test tippet, and ended up breaking the line as he tried to drag the carp onto the shore. Ever try to break 8# test line with a steady pull? That's a strong rod (it also comes with a lifetime warranty, which the Cabela's doesn't have). Look, I'm all for saving pennies, but this is case where you really do get what you pay for.

I have no financial interest in Tenkara USA. I just love tenkara fishing. I have a couple of the Tenkara USA rods and I think they are good value for the money. I got here on a long path of trial and error, because at the time nobody sold tenkara rods in the US. Now they do, and I am just trying to let people learn from my trials (and errors).