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bark-eater
12-22-2009, 03:27 PM
Allfishingbuy.com will be selling Tenkara rods this spring. I called the owner an asked if he could get some from Japan. And he said yes: http://www.allfishingbuy.com/Tenkara-Rods.htm

adam
12-22-2009, 05:39 PM
I've seen many of his telescopic offerings on eBay and then you posted the link. I looked around and saw that he had a place for tenkara but no poles...

Glad you asked as I am interested in other poles from Japan.

I enjoy being able to make choices.

Thanks.

LMarshall
12-23-2009, 07:33 AM
This looks interesting, that site seems to have a lot of choices for telescopic rods, inexpensive too. I'm curious how they'll price their tenkara rods, the 28ft (8.6m) telescopic carbon pole is only $93.57 :shock: Being a cyclist and fly fisherman I've gotten used to the idea that quality carbon gear comes at steep a premium.

Anybody know the story on this business? Are they a US based importer of Japanese gear, or a Japanese business catering to the international anglophone market?

CM_Stewart
12-23-2009, 09:00 AM
From poking around on his site, it looks like it's a small family business.

It will be interesting to see what he gets in, though from his return policy it seems if you buy something you have to decide whether you like it before you even unwrap it, let alone use it for a while, and I didn't see anything about a breakage guarantee. Returns and replacements cost money, so maybe that's one way he can offer low prices. I don't think he or Daniel are getting rich off of this - or even trying to - so I would guess in both cases you pretty much are going to get what you pay for.

LMarshall
12-23-2009, 10:15 AM
I'd be a little wary of that return policy, but at least most of his stuff is cheap enough that most customers can probably absorb the loss if a product doesn't work out for them (although it sucks for anyone when that happens, buyer beware).


I don't think he or Daniel are getting rich off of this - or even trying to - so I would guess in both cases you pretty much are going to get what you pay for.

My thoughts as well. It takes a lot of carbon fiber to make a 28ft rod; that price just strikes me as far too low for a quality piece of carbon gear of that size, but you never know, I'm not a materials scientist. Although I'd imagine that manufacturing carbon fishing rods is less complicated than carbon bicycle components, and probably doesn't require the same materials (grade, modulus of fibers, resins, etc.).

bark-eater
12-24-2009, 05:31 PM
All these poles come from somewhere. I've seen no mention of who manufactures the Tenkara poles. For those who own them, Is there a manufacturers name on the poles? I have a cousin who is fluent in Japanese. If I can get a manufacturers name for the Allfishingbuy poles a 6 pack and googlejapan might shed some light on what we call quality. I don't know what a life time warranty is really worth. If you could buy 2 poles for $150 or one with a warranty I would put my $75 down. Up around a 2:3 cost ratio I might lean towards the warranty. just speculation of course.

adam
12-24-2009, 05:53 PM
Korea and Japan market and mass produce carbon graphite rods.

The Koreans have been doing this for many years, I know, I've seen them at trade shows selling to big names in the fly fishing industry, I was an insider at the time.

The guy who made the OCLV carbon fiber bike that Lance used to win so many times, taught me to snowsurf back in the late 70's and the boards he made back then were foam core, p-tex bottom, shaped, 70's, a snow surfboard but like today's modern snowboards.

But I agree, the Tenkarausa.com rod is not all that expensive compared to other "tools"

*snicker*

Even at 75% mark up, the price is palatable compared to high end graphite fly rods.

I support Daniel by buying his products.

Anyway, I am working with a gentlemen to find a premium Tenkara rod independent of Tenkarausa or the link above.


It is a part of me to find the best equipment and learn from it in everything that I do, hang gliding, racing, fishing, computers, people.

dynamicron
01-21-2010, 06:18 PM
first off, hello! my first post on this forum.

i am not a fisherman, but am very much looking forward to becoming one. tenkara had me intrigued the first time i read about it....mountain streams...backpacking...catching fish...eating well...how beautiful would that be?

$140+ at tenkarausa is a decent deterrent for impulsive purchases (which might be a good thing). don't get me wrong, i think it is great what daniel is doing with tenkarausa, and, as far as i can tell, their rods are lovely. but an expense like that i really have to sit on. would like to see options from different merchants.

i am certainly interested in the results of adam's endeavor into the tenkara supply world as well as the prices of the rods at allfishingbuy. by the way, how do the allfishingbuy 12ft carbon fiber rods (http://www.allfishingbuy.com/Fishing-Pole-3.6.htm) differ from their tenkara rods (apart from the grip)?

currently i am trying to find out were i could actually go to give my future tenkara rod a 'spin' for its money. despite my hiking here in san diego county i cannot really tell where i could go to fish tenkara style. i know lakes in the area but streams? will certainly pay more attention to the water level in creeks now that i have small stream fishing on my radar. any tips on how to go about finding such streams? what resources should i use?

thanks and cheers!

CM_Stewart
01-22-2010, 06:28 PM
bark-eater,

The only name visible on the Tenkara USA rods is Tenkara USA. I'm sure the rods are made for them (they don't own their own factory), but that is the same situation for many if not most of the name brand fly rods. Adam can fill us in more, but my impression is that very few of the name brand fly rods actually make their own rods - and on the ones that don't, you'll never see the name of the company that actually made the rods.

dynamicron,

To find some streams in your area and to give a tenkara rod a spin, why not register on the Tenkara USA forum. There a quite a few California anglers (not sure what part of California) and from time to time they try to put together a group to go fishing. http://www.tenkarausa.com/forum/

I can't answer your question on how the allfishingbuy 12' rods are different from the Tenkara USA rods. It looks like allfishingbuy has 12 or 14 different 12' models, including the "hera" rods. I would assume they are all different from each other (otherwise, why carry more than one model?) just as the three different 12' Tenkara USA rods are quite a bit different from each other. I only know one person who has both a Tenkara USA rod and an allfishingbuy rod (one of the hera rods) and the allfishingbuy rod was considerably stiffer. Of course, the hera rods are designed to catch crucian carp which are considerably larger than the small Japanese trout that tenkara rods were designed for.

Don't discount the importance of the grip, though. I have fished with a cheap rod that did not have a cork grip, and after a day of casting it like I would a tenkara rod ended up with a blister. I don't know if you would have the same problem with one of allfishingbuy's carbon pole rods, but that type of rod was not designed for repeated one-handed casting (keiryu fishing uses a two-handed cast). Allfishingbuy now has a picture of a tenkara rod on it's site http://www.allfishingbuy.com/Tenkara-Rods.htm, and it has a tenkara-style grip. If you want to try one of their rods for tenkara fishing, I would certainly recommend you get their tenkara rod rather than one of their other rods (carbon pole rods or hera rods).

adam
01-22-2010, 09:59 PM
Great answer.

You will learn from his words, always ring true.

dynamicron
01-22-2010, 11:47 PM
cm_stewart,

thanks for the suggestion with the tenkarausa forum. i actually had already registered with them a week or two before i found smallstreams. i should make myself visible there as well i suppose--have only been reading up so far. it is good to get some opinion outside of the tenkarausa fan base, though. i do not mean that in any disrespectful way towards the good people on there!! it is just nice to get some outside opinion.

wondering what the collapsed length of a 12' allfishingbuy tenkara rod will be. web site states 60-120 cm which gives us at least 23.6". hmm... collapsed length is of interest to me since i intend to take the rod backpacking. not as much as to opt for the bachpackinglight hane, though (should it be ever available again).

adam, may i ask how your search for "a premium Tenkara rod independent of Tenkarausa" is coming along? were you successful?

cheers!

CM_Stewart
01-23-2010, 09:17 AM
dynamicron,

Understand completely. As the tenkara market matures, there will be other websites as well. To find where to fish in California and possibly get a chance to try out someone's rod, Tenkara USA's forum is the best place to ask. For discussions on rods from other companies, I suppose this is the best place to ask.

No way to know yet what the collapsed length of the allfishingbuy tenkara rods will be until they actually get them in stock and give a complete description. There can be a big difference from one rod to the next. For example, Shimano carries two models of tenkara rod in Japan (none in the US), and one collapses to about 49 cm, the other to 89 cm. If you're curious, the MSRP for the Shimano rods ranges from the yen equivalent of $237 to $375.

3creeks
01-24-2010, 12:05 AM
first off, hello! my first post on this forum.

i am not a fisherman, but am very much looking forward to becoming one. tenkara had me intrigued the first time i read about it....mountain streams...backpacking...catching fish...eating well...how beautiful would that be?

$140+ at tenkarausa is a decent deterrent for impulsive purchases (which might be a good thing). don't get me wrong, i think it is great what daniel is doing with tenkarausa, and, as far as i can tell, their rods are lovely. but an expense like that i really have to sit on. would like to see options from different merchants.

i am certainly interested in the results of adam's endeavor into the tenkara supply world as well as the prices of the rods at allfishingbuy. by the way, how do the allfishingbuy 12ft carbon fiber rods (http://www.allfishingbuy.com/Fishing-Pole-3.6.htm) differ from their tenkara rods (apart from the grip)?

currently i am trying to find out were i could actually go to give my future tenkara rod a 'spin' for its money. despite my hiking here in san diego county i cannot really tell where i could go to fish tenkara style. i know lakes in the area but streams? will certainly pay more attention to the water level in creeks now that i have small stream fishing on my radar. any tips on how to go about finding such streams? what resources should i use?

thanks and cheers!

If you think $140 is expensive for a fishing rod, don't get into flyfishing! :o :shock: I don't know how far you're willing to drive but there are some small streams in LA county that hold wild trout.

dynamicron
01-24-2010, 04:42 AM
If you think $140 is expensive for a fishing rod, don't get into flyfishing! :o :shock: I don't know how far you're willing to drive but there are some small streams in LA county that hold wild trout.

well, what can i say?! in my opinion, $140 is a lot of money, no matter how you look at it. i am happy for everybody who can spend that amount without giving it too much thought!!

i am going to take an introduction to fly fishing tomorrow with the local fly fishing peeps. they are offering free workshops at a local lake. should be fun and informative! hope that the rain will leave us alone until monday... i am sure that they will have insight into where to fish in the area.

cheers!

adam
01-24-2010, 04:40 PM
C'mon guys, one person's $100 is another person's toilet paper.

Considering that most top end rods go for $600+ and


Look, this web site is for free, a magazine will cost you $6 per month and is quickly outdated and static.

Ahh, were was I going with this?



Tenkara rods in Japan can and are very expensive, Tenkarausa.com rods are reasonably priced in comparison and in comparison with fly rods, they are dirt cheap.

In the return department, I will probably be hard pressed to find a better performing rod for the price and take the price away, I can't see too much improvement in quality, period.

Don't get me wrong about finding other importers, I am in NO WAY against Tenkarausa.com rods, I own and operate one, I just want to see what is out there.

Love you guys too.

dynamicron
01-24-2010, 05:52 PM
so i had a good time today with the local fly fishing club. experienced gentleman gave me one-on-one instructions on the basics. after one hour and a half of casting i came to realize how advantageous a light-weight tenkara rod should be. the 12' iwana is #1 on my list now.

cheers!

3creeks
01-25-2010, 10:27 AM
If you think $140 is expensive for a fishing rod, don't get into flyfishing! :o :shock: I don't know how far you're willing to drive but there are some small streams in LA county that hold wild trout.

well, what can i say?! in my opinion, $140 is a lot of money, no matter how you look at it. i am happy for everybody who can spend that amount without giving it too much thought!!

i am going to take an introduction to fly fishing tomorrow with the local fly fishing peeps. they are offering free workshops at a local lake. should be fun and informative! hope that the rain will leave us alone until monday... i am sure that they will have insight into where to fish in the area.

cheers!

My point was that traditional flyrods are priced out of this world in comparison. Not whether $140 is a lot of money or not. Prepare yourself for sticker shock at every turn, then.

dynamicron
01-25-2010, 01:42 PM
My point was that traditional flyrods are priced out of this world in comparison. Not whether $140 is a lot of money or not. Prepare yourself for sticker shock at every turn, then.

yea, i figured that much after checking the prices of some of the well-known travel fly rods on sierra trading post. crazy stuff... but let's not talk about money anymore, it's rather depressing.

the gentleman at the fly fishing intro workshop yesterday could only point me to one or two streams in the 'area.' i remember that he mentioned hot creek up in bishop. that must be more than six hours away... :shock: oh well, so i ordered the fly fishing california book by ken hanley and another fishing book specific to southern cali (the definitive guide to fishing in southern california by chris shaffer). got them used so it didn't break the bank either :clap:

still need to say hello on tenkarausa.

cheers!

gusstrand
01-25-2010, 03:59 PM
dynamicron - the best thing you could do is to hook up with someone here on smallstreams in your local area - and fish with them. While classes do have value, they are generally mass produced and meant to get your money... Not dissing them (I used to teach the Orvis class in another life) but "experience with the experienced" is your best teacher.

Ironically, that whole Orvis class is also now on Youtube.

Start here, and follow them in order: Orvis Fly Fishing School #1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2SgcCw6I8M) (Dang, Rosenbauer looks young... LOL.)

dynamicron
01-25-2010, 04:39 PM
gstrand, thanks for the advice. will check out the youtube videos later tonight. certainly a good resource!

the fly fishing workshop that i went to was actually free. every sunday the local fly fishing club here in san diego offers free instructions to the general public at a local lake. they provide the gear and everything. experienced gentleman showed me the very basics so that i could at least get an idea of how to cast. props to them!!

gusstrand
01-25-2010, 05:03 PM
Free is the best price. :) Go to the next one and ask the gent if he'd be willing to show you the ropes on-stream! :)

LMarshall
01-25-2010, 08:50 PM
still need to say hello on tenkarausa.

cheers!

I'll look forward to seeing you over there, post about your first tenkara trout!

You'll find TenkaraUSA to be a really pleasant company to do business with. Daniel is a genuinely nice guy who will go out of his way to help you out. If you're worried about money, not sure you'll like tenkara, or find you don't like it, they have a flexible return policy (http://www.tenkarausa.com/guarantee.php) and a good product guarantee.

dynamicron
01-25-2010, 09:41 PM
Free is the best price. :) Go to the next one and ask the gent if he'd be willing to show you the ropes on-stream! :)

well, you know what, i am not sure if that gentleman goes fishing anywhere else but the local still waters anymore. first, he wasn't really aware of any streams in the area so i assume that still waters are his main interest (or there aren't any streams here :shock: --i surely need those books to come in...). if i would have to guess i would say that he is in his 70s and happy with meeting his fishing buddies every sunday at the lake.

dynamicron
01-25-2010, 09:46 PM
I'll look forward to seeing you over there, post about your first tenkara trout!

You'll find TenkaraUSA to be a really pleasant company to do business with. Daniel is a genuinely nice guy who will go out of his way to help you out. If you're worried about money, not sure you'll like tenkara, or find you don't like it, they have a flexible return policy (http://www.tenkarausa.com/guarantee.php) and a good product guarantee.

thanks, lmarshall, that's a nice thing to say!

will certainly post a picture of my first catch on the tenkarausa forum. by the way, did daniel mention that there will be another type of rod available soon? i have the feeling that i read that somewhere a few days back but can't find his post anymore. wondering what kind of rod that might be...

LMarshall
01-25-2010, 10:46 PM
thanks, lmarshall, that's a nice thing to say!

will certainly post a picture of my first catch on the tenkarausa forum. by the way, did daniel mention that there will be another type of rod available soon? i have the feeling that i read that somewhere a few days back but can't find his post anymore. wondering what kind of rod that might be...

I remember reading that post too. It sounded like they were going to offer a new rod to replace the 6:4 Ayu (the 5:5 Ayu will remain the product line up). I'd speculate that the new rod will be targeted at anglers who also want to fish bigger streams/rivers with their tenkara tackle. It'll likely be 13 ft long, with a stiffer 6:4 or 7:3 action. Personally I'd be interested to see a 14 or 15 ft tenkara rod on the market.

Here's Daniel's post on it: http://www.tenkarausa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=142&start=20

adam
01-25-2010, 11:33 PM
I'll look forward to seeing you over there, post about your first tenkara trout!

You'll find TenkaraUSA to be a really pleasant company to do business with. Daniel is a genuinely nice guy who will go out of his way to help you out. If you're worried about money, not sure you'll like tenkara, or find you don't like it, they have a flexible return policy (http://www.tenkarausa.com/guarantee.php) and a good product guarantee.

I agree with what LMarshall says here.

This is good advice.

Orvis has stood the test of time, TenkaraUSA has not but I do see a comparison...

dynamicron
01-26-2010, 12:15 AM
Here's Daniel's post on it: http://www.tenkarausa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=142&start=20

that's it, thanks! didn't remember if it would add another option for me next to the yamame and the iwana. i am glad that it won't. over-analyzing the whole purchase the way it is :crazy: . as it stands, the 12' iwana is still my first choice.

LMarshall
01-26-2010, 12:33 AM
that's it, thanks! didn't remember if it would add another option for me next to the yamame and the iwana. i am glad that it won't. over-analyzing the whole purchase the way it is :crazy: . as it stands, the 12' iwana is still my first choice.

No problem!

I have the 12' Iwana, although I haven't tried the other rods, I have a feeling you'll be happy with it. I'll let others chime in on how the two Yamame and Iwana compare.

CM_Stewart
01-26-2010, 07:10 AM
I remember when word leaked that a new "backpacking" rod was about to be released, and a lot of us were trying to guess what it would be like. I don't think anyone guessed quite right. There's just no way to know. A new rod would add a new option, and if you lived in the great white north, I would certainly wait until it was released. (Tenkara rods are just a bit too long for ice fishing.) In sunny southern California, though, you can fish now so I don't know if I'd wait or not. Maybe send Daniel an email and ask when it is expected to be available (though he may be able to nail it down to the specific date). I think it would have to be relatively soon or he wouldn't have mentioned it, though.

All that said, it sounds like you have already done your homework on the different rods, and the 12 foot Iwana is a great choice as long as you're not going to be going after those big California largemouths. Great all-around length (the Ayu really is a bit too long for small brushy streams, and the 11 foot Iwana seems just a bit short on larger rivers or even medium sized ponds). It casts beautifully, weighs almost nothing and makes a 9 incher feel like a serious fish. You'll love it.

dynamicron
01-26-2010, 11:26 PM
All that said, it sounds like you have already done your homework on the different rods, and the 12 foot Iwana is a great choice as long as you're not going to be going after those big California largemouths. Great all-around length (the Ayu really is a bit too long for small brushy streams, and the 11 foot Iwana seems just a bit short on larger rivers or even medium sized ponds). It casts beautifully, weighs almost nothing and makes a 9 incher feel like a serious fish. You'll love it.

my dear wife just revealed to me that she would like to buy me the iwana as gift for my birthday next month. now that's a nice surprise! got to love my woman. happy hubby through and through :D

dynamicron
01-28-2010, 05:29 AM
and as of yesterday, my order for the 12' iwana is submitted and the order is currently being processed. woot! :sunny:

adam
01-28-2010, 08:40 AM
I looked around in the Tenkarausa.com forums and could not find any of your posts.

They are much better suited for learning the technique than we are. A much larger community...

I highly suggest that you visit there to learn how to fish this way.

dynamicron
01-28-2010, 03:42 PM
I looked around in the Tenkarausa.com forums and could not find any of your posts.

They are much better suited for learning the technique than we are. A much larger community...

I highly suggest that you visit there to learn how to fish this way.

thanks for the advice. as mentioned before, i am a already on tenkarausa. unfortunately, i ended up using a different user name there (mswobodzinski). i tried to change it to dynamicron after my first post but that didn't work.

cheers!

gusstrand
01-28-2010, 03:46 PM
So funny... usernames... I have two that I've use all over the interweb since, well, I think about 1995. I'm not very creative.

I have been reading yours as dyna-micron... or... dynamic-ron... or... :crazy:

dynamicron
01-28-2010, 04:06 PM
oh, yes, that silly user name :oops: for whatever reason i have always used names that had some element of 'micro' in it. must stem from childhood experiences playing with some toys. :think:

pcg
01-28-2010, 04:42 PM
Yes, CM's the master. Good advise.

gusstrand
01-28-2010, 05:06 PM
oh, yes, that silly user name :oops: for whatever reason i have always used names that had some element of 'micro' in it. must stem from childhood experiences playing with some toys. :think:

I have a Micronaut on my dresser... Am I dating myself?

mikeytwoshoes
01-28-2010, 05:37 PM
oh, yes, that silly user name :oops: for whatever reason i have always used names that had some element of 'micro' in it. must stem from childhood experiences playing with some toys. :think:

microdot?

Gentleshepherd
01-28-2010, 06:11 PM
I still like my Yamame and Ebisu that I purchased rom Daniel at TenkaraUSA. He is a great guy to deal with and very knowledgeable in Tenkara. They also have agreat website with a lot of insight in to Tenkara Fly Fishing. They currently are bring ing in a new crop of flies for use. www.tenkarausa.com (http://www.tenkarausa.com)

dynamicron
01-28-2010, 06:18 PM
oh, yes, that silly user name :oops: for whatever reason i have always used names that had some element of 'micro' in it. must stem from childhood experiences playing with some toys. :think:

microdot?

more like micro machines. and now that i have looked them up on wikipedia, i want them back! :problem:

wrknapp
01-28-2010, 09:16 PM
I hope this is the right place to discuss this issue. I have kept my mouth shut on TenkaraUSA for several reasons: 1) I feel a deep personal self-imposed moral obligation to Daniel via CM Stewart for they introduced me to this type of fly fishing and I am very,very greatful 2) Daniel has spent a lot of time, effort, and money in developing a sucessful import business introducing a new kind of small stream fly fishing to most Americans and most others outside of Japan. I don't think it appropriate to walk into a flyshop and stand at the counter in front of the proprietor and tell his customers about someone elses competing products down the street 3) Daniel thus far has tried to keep TenkaraUSA products and techniques pure, simple, and dedicated to the kind of smallstream fishing it was derived from 4) though similar in many respects pole fishing is more general in nature and more adaptable to other traditional forms of pole fishing.

That said, let me start by saying that I have one TenkaraUSA rod : the 13' Ayu 5:5 and one Hane 9'10" Tenkara rod developed in a co-effort between TenkaraUSA.com and Backpackinglight.com for customers of Backpackinglight.com. I also have 3 rods from Igor (another importer of largely Japanese designed carbon rods that are made in China) of allfishingbuy.com and two other telescoping carbon poles purchased on eBay.com from yet another importer. The latter were very inexpensive and have not been tested yet but they are very similar to all the other poles including those of TenkaraUSA. I have the folowing poles/rods from Allfishingbuy: the carbon pole #Pole-A1-53-1-3608 (12 footer); the Hera #Hera-B1-914-2-3604 (12 footer); and the Hera #Hera-B1-905-2-6306 (21 footer). I purchased the first to compare it to TenkaraUSA rods and was pleasantly surprised. It appears to be of similar quality but does not have a cork handle. I used as is at first but have since wrapped a handle out of emergency plumbing tape (the kind that stretches and bonds to itself). This rod is a much faster action than my Ayu (most of the flex is in the top 2 or 3 sections and my guess is that it is an 8:2) in action. It has plenty of backbone and lifting power so that I can lift palm sized bluegill and smaller bass (say 12 inchers) over the tops of pondside cattails. It will probably take over my Ayu for most pond fishing for bluegill and other sunfishes and the occasional bass because of its increased lifting strength. I have cast level lines of 15 to 17lb mono or fluorocarbon as well as hand tied tapered mono leaders, 10ft bonefish furled leaders testing at 12lbs at the tippet end, floating light level 3 wt fly lines, etc. They all work effectively in different conditions. This rod will handle larger and heavier poppers and flies than my Ayu. If you go to the "Castomers Catch Gallery" at allfishingbuy.com there is a picture of me with a 21" puppy drum/redfish that I caught with my 12 foot Hera rod on an 11' tapered mono leader starting at 30lb and ending in 12lb Maxima Chameleon with about 4' of 10lb Maxima Chameleon tippet. I was using a 1/8 oz leadhead jig that I had tied like a chartreuse woolly bugger. The rod had no problem with this fish though I did not lift it out of the water as my nephew netted it for me. I also taped on a handle on this rod. I have also landed schoolie stripers of about 20'' with this rod underneath a bridge at night. If I had it to do over I would have gotten a 15 footer instead of the 12 footer for these light saltwater applications. This rod probably has more like a 9:1 action and the cast is more of a "chuck and duck." My other Hera is the longest offered at 21 feet. I purchased it for big river fishing for bull trout and steelhead and off the beach saltwater fishing. I may take it to some bigger freshwater bass waters. I have made up several different lines including taking a thinner fast sinking shooting head I used on my 8wt and cutting it down to 20 feet and then adding about 6 feet of 12 to 15lb tippet. With this combo I went down to my favorite Chesapeake Bay inlet one night and landed 4 stripers to 22 inches right off the beach. This is not a trout rod but will fling out big flies like 2/0 Clousers into the wind. It is a two handed rod and with lighter flies a spey cast works great. The handle is large enough not to need building up and has some kind of non slip coating. I think Igor's rods are great and I suspect his Tenkara rods will be the blue collar version of TenkaraUSA.

Igor told me he will put pricing on his site for his first offering of Tenkara rods when his first shipment comes in from Shimano. I asked him about the funky looking metal sleeve attaching the lillian (string) to the end of the Tenkara rods and he was assured by Shimano that they work fine and do not increase the chances for tip breakage.

Igor is very honest and accomodating and will replace broken sections at cost plus at about the same rate as Daniel but he does not keep a big inventory so you have to wait on him to order the replacement part. He just sells too many kinds and styles and lengths of rods to maintain a parts inventory. I tested this when I broke a rod tip in the dark one night in some brush. I think his rods are very reasonable and his service great. I feel the same way about Daniel at TenkaraUSA.

I will probably have another TenkaraUSA rod or two and will probably have more from Allfishingbuy as well. Telescopic pole fishing is very addictive whether its small stream Tenkara fishing or pole fishing in the surf, lake or big river. I think for now now both Daniel and Igor are filling the void, but I suspect that others will join the fray as this concept catches on in this country and becomes more mainstream. This is not just a passing fad.

Randy

adam
01-28-2010, 09:40 PM
Yeahooo, nice one Randy.

That was respectable.



I'm saving for a premium Tenkara rod...

I'll report my experiences soon enough.

pcg
01-28-2010, 10:12 PM
Keep these reports coming. Great stuff to share!

troutrageous1
01-28-2010, 10:28 PM
Generally new around here, have done a little lurking, but not a whole lot of posting...a few of you may recognize my "handle" from the Tenkarausa forum.

Really appreciate all of the passion and openness regarding this equipment. I agree with some of the previous posts...competition is good and is what promotes innovation. Looking forward to seeing the full line (hopefully with some better pics) once allfishingbuy puts them up for sale. Will still probably stay loyal to Daniel & TUSA since his borderline evangelism is what got me interested in this style of fly fishing, but if the rods from others bring something different to the table (like an 8 or 9 foot versions possibly better suited to bushy PA creeks & streams) and prove to be more than just lower priced "me too" product, would have to admit that it would be hard to resist sampling.

LMarshall
01-28-2010, 11:15 PM
Thanks for that review Randy. Well done.

I'm also curious to see what allfishingbuy.com is going to have available.

rsetina
01-29-2010, 02:06 AM
thanks, lmarshall, that's a nice thing to say!

will certainly post a picture of my first catch on the tenkarausa forum. by the way, did daniel mention that there will be another type of rod available soon? i have the feeling that i read that somewhere a few days back but can't find his post anymore. wondering what kind of rod that might be...

I remember reading that post too. It sounded like they were going to offer a new rod to replace the 6:4 Ayu (the 5:5 Ayu will remain the product line up). I'd speculate that the new rod will be targeted at anglers who also want to fish bigger streams/rivers with their tenkara tackle. It'll likely be 13 ft long, with a stiffer 6:4 or 7:3 action. Personally I'd be interested to see a 14 or 15 ft tenkara rod on the market.

Here's Daniel's post on it: http://www.tenkarausa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=142&start=20

I mentioned that to Daniel through a post after fishing Hot Creek in Bishop CA and not being able to reach the opposite bank by about 2 to 3 feet. A 15 foot rod would have been ideal. I for one would buy a longer rod if and when he comes out with one.

Softouch333
01-29-2010, 06:31 AM
Igor told me he will put pricing on his site for his first offering of Tenkara rods when his first shipment comes in from Shimano. I asked him about the funky looking metal sleeve attaching the lillian (string) to the end of the Tenkara rods and he was assured by Shimano that they work fine and do not increase the chances for tip breakage.



Randy

Randy, does Shimano make his rods?

wrknapp
01-29-2010, 10:49 AM
I don't know who makes all his rod offerings. I suspect it is more than one manufacture or maybe just more than one distributer. He just mentioned Shimano to me when I asked him a question about the picture of the tip. By the way, if you click on the picture, all the new Tenkara offerings come up including a 9 footer which may appeal to those who prefer shorter, lighter rods. We'll see.

Randy

dynamicron
01-29-2010, 03:30 PM
randy,

thanks for the overview on the allfishingbuy rods! good stuff. for a moment i was worried that i might have made a mistake by rushing into a purchase with tenkarausa instead of waiting until igor's tenkara rod become available. as i read "I have kept my mouth shut on TenkaraUSA for several reasons" i thought 'oh oohhh' and my face most likely looked like this :shock:, lol. came across your post about two minutes after receiving my shipping confirmation from daniel... having said that, your post is very informative and i am glad to hear that you enjoy both your allfishingbuy and tenkarausa rods!!

looking forward to reviews of igor's tenkara rods.

thanks and cheers!

CM_Stewart
01-29-2010, 07:18 PM
Randy,

Nice review. I knew you had Allfishingbuy rods, but I hadn't realized they were as fast as you describe. 8:2 and 9:1 :o are pretty fast indeed! I wonder if all his carbon poles are that fast? And 22" stripers off the beach with a 21' pole - wow! Pretty soon you'll be going after steelhead! (If you do, I want to go too!)

I agree that pole fishing is not a passing fad. I don't know how long allfishingbuy has been around (I guess I never searched using the right terms when I was first getting interested in this type of fishing), but I think Tenkara USA has kind of gotten the ball rolling. And like a snowball going downhill it's only going to get bigger. Nearly all the forums and internet chatter are about fly fishing, but watching some of Shimano TV's videos of guys using long poles for bait fishing, that looks like it would be a lot of fun, too - and the long rods would have the same advantages for bait fishing as they do for fly fishing. The keiryu rods (carbon poles) appear to be a lot beefier than the tenkara rods, and will handle larger fish. From your experience, it sounds like with a little experimentation you can find a line that will allow them to cast a large saltwater fly as well. Big largemouths, carp and pike are all fair game, then, as well as stripers and bluefish (wouldn't that be a hoot?).

I'm glad you mentioned that clicking on the tenkara rod picture on the Allfishingbuy site would show details of the various rods. I was curious about what he was going to carry. I'll be very curious about his prices, too. Based on the prices of his other rods, I bet you're right about his rods being the blue collar version. That would be very good if it would keep people who are understandably trying to find a "poor man's tenkara" from buying the Cabela's Panfish Poles. They were reasonable when they were all you could buy. They aren't anymore.

Competition is good. We'll all benefit from more choices. I'll probably have to buy one myself.


dynamicron,

You did not make a mistake buying a 12' Iwana. You're going to love the rod. The Allfishingbuy rods may be nice, but I can't imagine they would be better. The Iwana is a really fine rod.


troutrageous1,

Nine feet's awfully short for a tenkara rod. When I first started playing with fixed line fishing, I tried tying a line to the tip guide of my 9' flyrod. It works, but you have to use a line quite a bit longer than the rod to be able to fish far enough away that you don't spook the fish -- or you have to be stealthy as a heron. When you hook a fish you have to hand line it in and if you hook a big fish it will be hard to get it into the net without breaking the tippet. You also lose a lot of the ability to keep line off the water. The stream would have to be very brushy indeed for me to want to fish a 9' rod, but I haven't seen the streams you want to fish. It may be that you have to go that short, but it seems you'd be giving up a lot. I fished with a 10' Cabela's pole quite a bit one summer. After getting used to 12' and 13' tenkara rods, I tried it again and was really surprised at how short it seemed. Of course, if the stream was so brushy that the choice was a 9' tenkara rod or a 7' fly rod, I'd take the 9' tenkara rod any day!

Tight lines, all,
Chris

troutrageous1
01-29-2010, 08:59 PM
@CM
As always, appreciate your knowledge and input on the subject. Definite food for thought. Thanks again.

wrknapp
01-29-2010, 11:15 PM
Guys,

I reread my email from Igor at allfishingbuy and he said the new Tenkara rods use "Shimano technology" so I'm now thinking someone else is actually making the rods. That would be in keeping if he plans to hold the price down. I suspect they will be made in China. He also said it would be about a month before they will be available. It looks like they will have fewer sections which will also hold down costs. This leads me to believe he will be selling a good no frills serviceable rod and not a premium rod. That would also be in keeping with the rest of his inventory. Time will tell.

Randy

Softouch333
01-30-2010, 12:59 PM
Shimano and Daiwa both have produced premium tenkara rods but they are pricey. Thanks for the clarification, Randy. Look forward to some reviews.

adam
01-30-2010, 07:28 PM
I'm going to offer this to all of you.

I have not broken many graphite rods, exactly one while fishing. A Tenkara rod seems like fragile, like I may break a tip at one point by carrying or collapsing. Daniel is on the spot, right here and now and will support the rod. Buy a rod from Japan and you may lose the ability to maintain that rod completely.

Tenkarausa & Daniel, although they are the only game in town are the only game in town as far as I'm concerned.

Those Igor rods have foam grips.


I don't fish rods with foam grips, not even a rod you have given me.


I am a not cheap but I'm not going to waste my money on something I won't like or love.


I will still look for inroads to other Tenkara rods from Japan, I can't stand a monopoly, competition breeds performance and for me, if you can't fish a rod because it is broken then there is no competition.

Think about that.

wrknapp
01-30-2010, 08:01 PM
If you look at Daniel's new spare parts menu at TenkaraUSA , you could order the top three sections ahead of time and have rod with two tips and not even have to wait if you have a bad day. I have an extra set for my Ayu and I am ordering extras from Igor at allfishingbuy. Parts to all these rods are very inexpensive because they require little or no labor.

I'm not to keen on a rod with foam handles either, but cost and function are more important to me than esthetics. That's why I unloaded all my bamboo and high end reels years ago. Of course I have some regrets like the 3'' 2 screw original Hardy St George with the rose agate line guide I sold to a buddy years ago for $150. I hear they are closer to a grand now.

Randy

adam
01-30-2010, 09:16 PM
Yikes, I hate it when that happens.

flyfishwithme
02-02-2010, 02:31 AM
I will still look for inroads to other Tenkara rods from Japan, I can't stand a monopoly, competition breeds performance and for me, if you can't fish a rod because it is broken then there is no competition.

Think about that.

Let me know if you find any, I have been looking for a month now and have not yet located anybody.

pszy22
02-04-2010, 05:48 AM
deleted

CM_Stewart
02-04-2010, 07:52 AM
Another option that has been touched on in the past has been the use of "panfish poles". My (and my wife's) first exposure to "tenkara" style fishing was using a South Bend 12' Black Beauty that I bought at my local Walmart for $15.


That's about the same way I started. I had initially gotten interested in "tenkara" style fishing through soft hackle flies. The North Country style of fly, called spiders across the pond and soft hackles here, are so sparse, spare, even austere that they really appeal to me. I learned, though, that to get the most out of them, I had to be able to fish them upstream, and that would require a rod longer than my 8' fly rod. I didn't have the cash or the interest to buy a new 10' rod/reel/line combo, but in my soft hackle studies I had come across The Angler and the Loop Rod by David Webster. http://www.archive.org/details/anglerloop-rod00websrich. He was a professional fisherman, and well after reels had become standard gear for fly fishing, he still used a loop rod about 13 1/2 feet long, no reel, and horsehair line tied to the tip. He caught buckets of trout! Obviously, a loop rod works. I didn't have the ash, hickory and lancewood he used, but I could buy a 13' Shakespeare fiberglass telescopic crappie rod for about $12. Like pzy22, I furled a line and I was in business.

Damn thing wouldn't cast well at all. I knew I wanted a very light line to fish spiders, but the fiberglass pole needed a heavy line to cast. I'm not sure which crappie pole I bought next, but I went through four telescopic poles, two 12' crappie rods (complete with unused guides and reel seats) , two cane poles and even tried tying the line to the tip guide of a 9' fly rod. Then I got a real tenkara rod. Old and well used, at least (at last) it was the real thing. The only crappie rods that were even close were the Cabela's Graphite Panfish Poles. I even once recommended them, back before there was even one tenkara importer. Now that there is, I can no longer recommend them. Besides, the 10' one is the only rod I've ever broken on a fish - and it was the biggest trout I've ever hooked in my life. You do get what you pay for, or at least, you do pay for what you get.

On the one hand, pszy22's right. For $15 you can give it a shot, if you decide tenkara's not for you, you haven't lost much. On the other hand, if you don't quite like it, you still won't know whether you would have liked a real tenkara rod. My point is that you can try tenkara with a real rod and a real line - matched to the rod, and if you don't like it you can return it and get your money back. You might be out some money for postage, but at least you've dated the girl of your dreams and not her homely cousin.

terry
02-04-2010, 08:25 AM
but at least you've dated the girl of your dreams and not her homely cousin.

Thats a great line. I am going to use that.

pszy22
02-04-2010, 08:42 AM
deleted

adam
02-04-2010, 09:12 AM
Ahh, we are in much the same boat except I have fished a 10-weight that felt like a 1-weight in casting, only my muscles really suffered the differences. Both had nearly same flex profile, cast lines nearly the same, the ten just took a lot more muscle.

Get it?

Opinions are one thing, advice is another and out and out demands that you should make practice are even further out.

A good tenkara rod will tell you how to fish it, and that will be tenkara style.

You can fish a crappe pole tenkara style but you will have to tell the rod how to do it. If you are new to it, and learning, the rod will own you instead of the other way around.

That's about as best as I can put it.


Tenkara is a style of fishing that is learned from others or from a tenkara rod.

pszy22
02-04-2010, 12:44 PM
deleted

gusstrand
02-04-2010, 01:47 PM
All in the spirit of healthy discussion and debate. You'll get used to it. :)

adam
02-04-2010, 02:05 PM
Gus, can you try to let things work out before you equalize?

I'm not offended and hope not to offend.

I wrote what I wrote, I don't know what part needs explaining if there is any reason to explain...

gusstrand
02-04-2010, 02:19 PM
No worries, not trying to equalize. (Gracefully bowing and inching backwards...)

Leaving now... :oops: