New Tenkara Importer

[dynamicron]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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 (Dang, Rosenbauer looks young... LOL.)

[dynamicron]

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!!