November 18, 2012

"One Rod Philosophy" Tenkara?




Warning, a lot sarcasm to follow:



Recently there was a short but provocative post on Troutrageous! regarding the use of one rod in tenkara, sort of like using only one fly. I too, for some time now,  have been thinking about this paradox: that it is perfectly fine to change your tenkara rod to match your local conditions, yet not change your fly if it is not doing its job -- that is, catching fish.  

If you've been following my blog you will know that I am not a tenkara purist. I am more of a "Ten Colors" tenkara guy, or as others would say a "tenkara as a tool" guy. I don't speak Japanese; I don't desire to (I'd love to learn Spanish though). I don't do martial arts, but I admire those who do (I can't even touch my toes!). I have no desire to travel to Japan, but I'd love to go back to the UK and fish the Yorkshire Dales. And finally, I don't like sushi, but I love a good, juicy burger. Well, guess what, I change my flies when I want to! So there!! Does this make me a tenkara troll -- wielding a club instead of a rod? Does it make me any less of a fisherman?





The Snob
Some say that if your tenkara fishing your are not fly fishing, you are dapping. No reel, rod guides, or double haul then no fly fishing. Some others say, no "one fly philosophy" then no tenkara. Others say fish the way you like: one fly - change flies, level line - furled line - PVC line, dries - nymphs - sakasa kebari - streamers - poppers, tenkara rods - keiryu rod - seiryu rods, blah - Blah - BLAH. I could just scream! Shouldn't this avocation just be fun and enjoyable no matter what you do?!






from Here
 OK! Enough.....Deep breaths.....Calm thoughts.....curl fingers and chant "Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm".  I'm better now. Sorry about that. Now back to my original thought: what IF you had to choose only one rod for tenkara? Instead of having a "box" of rods you had only one, what would it be?

I suppose that should be an easy question, right? It depends on what waters (type, size, gradient) you predominantly fish. What species of fish you generally target. What size of fish you almost universally catch. What rod action you prefer, and so forth. Yeah, really easy. Hah!

For me, I guess IF I had to choose just one rod to go with my "one fly" then I'd likely, probably, possibly choose the Tenkara USA Iwana 12 foot.

from T-USA


Why? Well, it seems to have a nice, relaxed "middle of the road" action that is effective for different types and lengths of lines. It casts, dare I say, different flies (light, heavy, dry, subsurface) well. Its price is reasonable. It's easy to get. It has replacement parts readily available. It's light in weight; under that holy 80 gm goal (if a rod is over 80 gm and certainly over 90 gm I think it's too heavy, at least for me). Its collapsed length is relatively compact and its extended length is just about the sweet spot for the various types of waters I fish. And, its fit and finish is about as good as it gets. Oh, I forgot, it has a life-time warranty and $11.36 USD of its purchase price goes to conservation efforts.

In choosing the Iwana 12 foot I want you to understand that I have other rods that I like better, but the availability of both rod and replacement parts is questionable, while you can get the Iwana pretty much at any time. Also, no other rod that I own has such a good warranty.

Does the Iwana have any downsides? Yes, it has a cork handle. I am not a cork handle guy, but the Iwana 12 foot is such a great all around rod that I can over look the cork handle.

Now, before you go out and shout that Teton Tenkara is a Tenkara USA groupie I must interrupt and say that I am not.  I like many of their products, but I don't care for some. I like many other brands of rods including Daiwa (with cork and without), Shimotsuke, Nissin, and even some from AllFishingBuy. I am waiting for a Shimano to come, and you can bet that I will continue to try other rods from other companies and vendors. I am not a groupie. I try to avoid the herd mentality. I don't have a favorite team or even a professional sport. I don't have a favorite band or singer; I don't even have a favorite genre of music (however I know what I don't like!). I try to avoid being a brand slave.

So. That's said. All I have to say now is GO FISH! Use what ever rod you want (tenkara, keiryu, seiryu). Be brave and change your fly if you feel the need. Try a rod without a cork handle. Heck, use a dry fly with your tenkara rod every once and a while and feel the rush of being a rebel! When you've done this come back and we can start a support group like Tenkara Rebels Anonymous (TRA). We can introduce ourselves by saying "Hi, my name is __(your name here)__and I'm a tenkara rebel". We'll sing Kumbaya and eat Smores.

What would be your "one rod" IF you had to choose?








18 comments:

  1. That is a good post.
    Interestingly I can assure you I never intended or expected for people to end up trying to many tenkara rods. I thought most people would get only one rod, but in the end we're all a bit of gear-heads.
    I have the Ito as my one rod, very versatile and I like its softness. And, indeed if I'm not testing rods I'm a one rod guy.
    Thanks,
    Daniel

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    1. Hi Daniel,

      Yes, I agree that a lot of us are gear-heads; I am for sure! Some of it might be that compared to western rods, tenkara rods are generally just so beautifully affordable! That, of course is a good thing!!

      As for the Ito -- it would be a good choice for many as their "one rod" , no doubt.

      Thanks for your comment.

      -Tom

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  2. I agree that the Iwana 12 ft is a great choice. But for me, it would be the Ito because the length is adjustable so it gives you a little extra reach when you need it.

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    1. Hi Jason,

      Thanks for your comment. As I mentioned to Daniel, the Ito is a good rod for the "one rod". It has many features that are hard to beat.

      -Tom

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  3. Tom, sarcasm apart, very nice writing.
    To my needs and fishing environment a one rod aproach makes more sense than the one fly.

    Till now i've fished a few but the perfect rod (if it does exist)
    has not been in my hands yet.

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    Replies
    1. I agree. I'm not sure I've fished the perfect rod either!

      -Tom

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  4. Your article is very informative, especially since I haven't had lunch yet today. Thanks for the great burger review site!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. If you get to Mike's have a Mike's Special for me. That's my favorite burger! A fied egg on top -- excellent!!

      -Tom

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  5. I thoroughly enjoyed the venting session. Even though I don't fish, it made me think whether I would use only one rod or not. I'm a gear head, so the answer is no. You're hilarious dad!

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    Replies
    1. You need to fish, Jess! You did tenkara and saw that it was very fun!

      -Dad

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  6. I call myself "the Tenkara Ambassador," because I am thrilled with the way a tenkara rod has simplified my fishing. Currently I own only one tenkara rod, the 12' Iwana. It has proven a completely satisfactory rod for fishing my home spring creek and for fishing western mountain freestone streams. All that being said, I have never fished a sakasa kebari fly in the year and a half I have been solely fishing tenkara. Why? I'm just a 95% dry fly angler. Five percent of the time I may drop a nymph off the dry. I did, however, just yesterday fish the Bakassa Kebari, a fly I "invented" with a reverse-reverse hackle (a sakasa kebari tied "ass backwards," hence the name. On the second cast I caught a rainbow and continued to catch fish on this fly as long as I fished it. By and large, trout are not that particular if the fly is presented properly, although I still believe there are times when fly selection gives one a little "edge."

    I know at some point, I will purchase a short tenkara rod for tight little brook trout trickles in Appalachia and New England.

    If you'd like to see a picture of the Bakassa Kebari, feel free to visit my blog: www.tenkaraambassador.com.

    ReplyDelete
  7. good all round choice for the US. I'd select the shorter version for all round in Australia, as most smaller water is generally not much more closed in. the action of the iwana is perfection, the best model of any tenkara rod I know, and I own way too many (all of the TUSA models, a dozen daiwa's, several shimanos, and other alternatives).

    I still like playing around with other rods, and will choose a rod to suit conditions. But frankly, I'd be happy tieing a piece of mono to a bendy stick and fishing it, so tenkara rods (any sort) with FC are a plus plus plus.

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    Replies
    1. I hear ya about owning way too many rods! Some of the other rods I have I like better than the Iwana, but its price, availability and warranty push it to the top, in my book. Ironically I don't fish with it that often because I am mostly fishing my other rods!

      -Tom

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  8. I've had the opportunity to fish with more different rods than most anglers. I would not choose to fish with only one if I had a choice. The range of available rods is as wide as the range of fishing locations and conditions, and any rod that is extremely well suited for one is not that well suited for others. If I had to choose only one, it would be the Daiwa Rinfu 35. (In a sense, it really is a "one rod" because I was never able to buy another one - hopefully I can next spring).

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    Replies
    1. I agree that there is likely no "one rod" since there is no "one water". I too fish large rivers and small or micro streams. I too fish both dries and subsurface. My waters are both wide open so a long rod is great, and tunnel tight so a short rod is needed.

      I'd love to try the Rinfu 35! If you like it, I'm sure I'd like it too!!!

      -Tom

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  9. Hola…a mí sí me gustaría probar una vara Tenkara cualquier modelo…..ja,ja,me explico,me apasiona esta técnica pero sólo he podido practicar algo parecido,por dos razones,una que en mi país no se consiguen estas cañas -Uruguay-Sudamérica-y la otra es que por la situación económica personal no puedo comprarlas en el exterior y además trabas aduaneras.Aún así,ïmprovisé con una caña telescópica de pesca de cebo,construí una línea trenzada con monofilamento y pesco peces chicos y medianos con mosca en los arroyos de mi localidad:Por eso lo de Tenkara “improvisado”,pero no pierdo las esperanzas de algún día hacerlo con una verdadera caña Tenkara…saludos…..

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  10. Great piece. My favorite is the one in my hand. I like my Ito (caught fish in Japan and around Western US), ONI, Nissin, Sakura, Shimano... I have a few friends that make great rods. Some I like better than others but Masami taught me to not be so restrictive. So in that, my favorite is the one I am fishing with at the time. My favorite changes, looking for good rods, when you type something and press publish, it begins to get old...

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