PDA

View Full Version : New tenkara rod for backpackers



CM_Stewart
11-21-2009, 07:39 AM
In collaboration with Backpacking Light, Tenkara USA has designed a tenkara rod specifically for the backpacking community. At 9' 10" extended and only 16" collapsed it is enough shorter than the existing tenkara rods on the market that the difference will be appreciated by anglers fishing small, brushy creeks and the ultralight backpacker for whom every inch and every ounce counts. The new rod, named Hane (Japanese for "feather") weighs 2.7 ounces, about on par with the lightest tenkara rods available. The action is 7:3, which should make crisp, accurate casts close in, but which ought to provide enough muscle to handle a longer line if you need a little extra reach on a pond or larger pool. You'd probably want to carry several lines of different lengths.

I'm not a backpacker, and the streams I fish aren't so brushy that I would need a rod that short, so I do not think I'll be getting one, but for some anglers it might be just what they are looking for.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin ... g_rod.html (http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/backpacking_light_hane_tenkara_fly_fishing_rod.htm l)

adam
11-21-2009, 08:20 AM
Hey, that's really cool.

I am gearing up for some backpacking this next season and am aiming for a light pack, less than 20lbs for a couple of nights and all food and water. I'll be carrying a tent, sleeping bag, pad etc.

The ultra-light backpackers will be stoked to have this rod but the difference in weight vs. the couple of feet in reach?

I'll be sticking with the Ebisu and a short pack fry rod.

CM_Stewart
11-21-2009, 09:55 PM
The 11' Iwana is 2.5 ounces, so you save .2 ounce and get an extra foot. The 12' Iwana is the same weight as the Hane at 2.7 ounces, but two feet longer. Of course, both the Iwanas are longer when collapsed than the Hane, which might make a difference in packing, and for some streams, two feet longer is two feet too long. I have fished tenkara-style with a 10 foot rod, and the 9' 10" length of the Hane is definitely as short as I'd ever want to go.

I guess it depends on how tight the stream is and how constrained your pack is. I suppose it might also depend on the price, which has not yet been announced.

adam
11-22-2009, 12:07 PM
...of course not, Ryan is a businessman like Daniel. They are checking demand with "in-stock reminders" with e-mail, they get a survey of demand. The Japanese (Chinese or Korean) manufacture will make what you want, or have already made it and just need someone to buy and market it.

That's the process.

The ultra-light backpackers are so focused on details, ultra-focused. Gram conscious. They are tailor marketing and I can't fault them at all, that is their business. But for those of us who backpack and fish, our Ebisu or any other tenkarausa.com rod is really not far off the mark seeing that you can shorten a couple of sections if you find it necessary.



The part I find interesting is that all of a sudden, Ryan "develops" a backpacking tenkara rod, dig a little deeper and it's "co-developing" and look at the big picture and it's marketing.



I'm really glad that this rod is being developed, I want choices, options and such and the rods will just get better and better so I am really happy this is starting to take off.



Tenkara is so simple, in the hands of a dedicated fly fisher, you will have true experts, many many of them very soon. I know of at least five people that I would bank on being just as good as Daniel or yourself very quickly. It is not hard at all, simple, easy to understand and master. Daniel or you or anyone does not get to decide if you are a master, you do.

Tenkara is open for discussion as far as I am concerned, it's not closed and defined by others.

It is not difficult at all and there is no hype for me in practicing it.


It is just fun.


It's almost as easy as when we were children, when we lifted our first cane pole. To a fly fisherman, it is that easy.

If I had money to burn, I would buy the rod only on the aspect that it is the shortest rod offered and some of the streams I fish are pretty tight. But as a specialized fly fisher of small streams, I'm not going to limit myself to one rod for it all, I'll take a tenkara rod AND a petite pack fly rod so I'm not compromising.

JB in SC
11-22-2009, 07:40 PM
I wonder how the 7:3 action works out in the shorter rod. More precise with fly placement?

CM_Stewart
11-23-2009, 07:33 AM
The part I find interesting is that all of a sudden, Ryan "develops" a backpacking tenkara rod, dig a little deeper and it's "co-developing" and look at the big picture and it's marketing.



There's really less here than meets the eye. It's not "marketing" nearly so much as shoddy reporting. Had I taken the time to learn the facts before I made my initial report, there would have been no all of a sudden changes in wording.

And I have no doubt whatsoever that others - many others - will soon become better tenkara anglers than Daniel or me. Probably, they're better anglers already and will need only a short time to understand the differences between tenkara and Western fly fishing, and explore the possibilities that the long rod and light line open up. A more inquisitive mind, more stream time, lots of things could make someone much better, and fairly soon, too.

Perhaps you still misunderstand my attempts to describe tenkara. It is what it is and has been developed and refined over hundreds of years. I am not so much trying to define it as trying to prevent people who haven't tried it from defining it by telling others who haven't tried it that it's just dapping or glorified cane pole fishing, or that any fly angler worth his salt has done it for years with his 7' 4 weight rod (without even knowing it).

adam
11-23-2009, 08:09 AM
Chris, you are good.

Nothing was pointed at you, it wasn't pointed at anyone, there is no point.

I never backed down from what I wrote at Tenkarausa.com because I don't see cane pole fishing as a glorified fishing technique or lessened to a juvenile experience, nothing like that. How could something so much fun and innocent be negative? I see tenkara in that light, very much like cane pole fishing when we were kids.

It is my take that once you understood what I wrote, we were good.

I enjoy everything that you write, I've learned a lot from you.

CM_Stewart
11-23-2009, 06:00 PM
Yeah, we're good. Sometimes I think we must be on a different wavelength or something because it does take me a while to understand what you really mean. (Best not to comment before my second cup of coffee I guess.)

adam
11-23-2009, 07:06 PM
That would be a normal response Chris.

I write fast and sometimes a thought or two ahead of the topic.

My apologies in advance.

wrknapp
01-28-2010, 10:32 PM
You guys are funny. I've been reading both your posts for a long time. It seems I just got diverted to washingtonflyfishing.com because I lived around Seattle for almost 40 years and just drifted away from small stream fishing for a few years. Now that I have a Tenkara rod and live in Warm Springs, VA with lots of small streams, I'll be more than just an occasional participant. Your both good.

Randy

PS. Adam, a few years back in your spiritual meanderings I suggested you read CS Lewis's MERE CHRISTIANITY. If your still looking around I now also recommend THE SHACK by William P. Young.

mikeytwoshoes
01-28-2010, 10:52 PM
HAH! I read mere christianity every morning to my wife as she drove to work a few years back.
very interesting read.

adam
01-29-2010, 06:23 AM
PS. Adam, a few years back in your spiritual meanderings I suggested you read CS Lewis's MERE CHRISTIANITY. If your still looking around I now also recommend THE SHACK by William P. Young.

Cool.

I have a ton of stuff to study, I'm organizing my thoughts, I will get back to you soon on the direction of my study...

Softouch333
01-29-2010, 06:56 AM
Well, just sold my Hane. (Thanks to smallstreams by the way) so thought I'd post why:

Certainly a good looking rod and the 16 inch collapsed package is impressively small. I only fished it once and landed a couple 14 inch fat hatchery bows. Plenty of backbone and I didn't feel it stressed the rod. Surprisingly I didn't miss the length but I was fishing 10-12 foot wide water. So I think it could be a very effective brushy stream rod and is capable of throwing very accurately.

So what made me give up on it after one outing? Feel. This is a very stiff rod. The minute I started to cast it, I felt I had to muscle it. I had a Ayu that I had fished from small streams to large alpine lakes. In addition had backpacked with it everywhere, and strapped along side my tent poles its 20 inch length was just not a problem, so the package size is not that important to me. The Hane just didn't load easily. I ended up using the heaviest furled leader I had to cast with the Hane. The bow and arrow cast which I use a lot on small streams just did not work as well either. Just not the delicate presentation I have enjoyed nor the effortless casting stoke. I am much happier with my 11 foot Iwana (thanks JB) and the smooth cast.

Every rod of course is a compromise and the Hane was designed to to cover a larger fish in a smaller package. But it does not feel particularly lively to me. If someone ends up with only the Hane to judge tenkara, I am afraid their impression may be limiting. Others may have a different impression of this rod and it certainly is appealing to many anglers with both subscription sold out in less than 24 hours. Daniel and Ryan definitely have a hot product.

Mostyn
02-17-2010, 06:25 AM
Hi Adam, Chris, and Soft-touch,

I've enjoyed reading this thread; and as the Tenkara Style of Fly Fishing is very much in it's infancy here in the UK, it's good to get some knowledge of the method! Adam, in one of you posts on this thread, you stated that it is possible to shorten the butt sections a couple of times, when fishing an overgrown small stream! would this affect the action and or the strength of the Tenkara Rod, Say a Tenkara USA Iwana? That's the model I'm considering!

Chris, can you explain or maybe provide some photos or diagrams on some of the casting techniques? Bow N Arrow? and any other method that could be used on a : Tree and Bushy lined Stream, with very limited room for casting? Also, when playing a fish; would it be good practise to shorten the rod sections to allow the angler to lift the rod and land his catch?

Soft-touch, I liked your Truthful and reasoned explanation of why the Iwana may be more suitable then the Hane!

I too like a softer actioned rod! Thanks!

Regards

Mostyn

adam
02-17-2010, 09:21 AM
http://www.grassart.net/images/wingit.jpg
Headwater fishing in Arizona

I do not advocate the use of "compressing" a tenkara rod down for tight quarters casting. As a matter of fact, I would probably skip a section if I had to do that but given the chance at a good section, I might do it. The above is a fly rod adventure where I broke the rod in half and used the tip for a little flik cast into a bucket.

For tenkara, I am not targeting tight mountain valley streams, that is best for a short fly rod.

I am zeroing in on a 11' Tenkara rod that packs up to 14" It has eleven sections, is a thinner diameter butt section than normal, has a shaped cork grip (not circular cross section) and is made for headwaters. This is only one rod in a series of tenkara rods and is not a Tenkarausa.com model. If I purchase the rod, I will review it. I am also looking at a Shimano at a similar length...

Anyway, the rod will flex differently when compressed or shortened due to the new butt section not having as much "wood" as the full butt.

er, or something like that.

terry
02-17-2010, 09:56 AM
Adam, out curiosity, how do these rods your looking at compare to tenkarausa's rods in price?

I don't see me buying another tenkara rod unless its shorter than anything tenkarausa is offering. I also don't see me spending more than $200 on one.

CM_Stewart
02-17-2010, 12:43 PM
Chris, can you explain or maybe provide some photos or diagrams on some of the casting techniques? Bow N Arrow? and any other method that could be used on a : Tree and Bushy lined Stream, with very limited room for casting? Also, when playing a fish; would it be good practise to shorten the rod sections to allow the angler to lift the rod and land his catch?

I would suggest you watch all the videos on the Tenkara USA site. http://www.tenkarausa.com/video.php I think all your questions are addressed. Somewhere on the site there is a line drawing illustrating the "standard" tenkara cast, but it would also be good to watch Dr. Ishigaki's casting in the videos.


I too like a softer actioned rod!

With your interest in small brushy streams and a softer actioned rod, the 11' Iwana might be ideal for you. If you get a chance to fish with Simon Hayes, it will feel very similar to his 12' Iwana.

CM_Stewart
03-09-2010, 09:08 AM
Well, I hadn't expected to buy a Hane, but when Softouch333 wanted to sell his, what else could I do?

Anyway, intitial thoughts posted here:Tenkara Fishing Blog (http://www.tenkarabum.com/Tenkara-fishing-blog.html)

Bottom line is that the rod is stiffer than I like, but if you ever need to cast a heavier line in tight quarters - either because you are fishing bushy flies or in the wind, this rod will do it well.