If you have followed this blog for any length of time you will know that I use spool cards for my line control. I like that they are very thin and do not encumber my small chest pack. I make my own spool cards out of polystyrene sheeting. They are easy to make and very inexpensive.
However, some folks would rather purchase than make certain items. Spool cards may be one of those items. So I thought I'd review a commercially available spool card for those of you who might be interested.
The spools I highlight here are made by Yamawa. They are available in Japan. They come is 70, 130 and 160 mm diameters. Colors are blue, red, green and black. I have not seen a US supplier yet, but if enough people are interested in them I suspect we could entice Chris Stewart to get them for us. Chris is the "all things Japanese tenkara" supplier for us in the US.
The Yamawa spool cards are reinforced plastic and are circular in overall shape. They have small tabs cut into the plastic. These tabs can be pulled out, and it is onto these that the line is wound. There is also a center hole and a thin foam ring for anchoring your fly.
I find these spool cards easy to use and modestly inexpensive. They're not as inexpensive as making your own, but they're not that expensive either. Two packs of four 70 mm spools was $8.50 USD. With shipping from Japan, the total was $16.50 USD.
Winding the line onto the Yamawa Haste Spool is a little more difficult and slower than with a regular spool, as it is easy to miss a tab or two. I also found that winding the line onto the Yamawa cards to be slower than winding them onto my homemade ones. But if you're not in a hurry it works well and the overall appearance is neat and clean.
I'm sticking with my homemade cards, but these spool cards are an acceptable alternative. If you are interested in getting some of these Yamawa Haste Spools you can get them from Tenkara-Ya or ask Chris at TenkaraBum.
However, some folks would rather purchase than make certain items. Spool cards may be one of those items. So I thought I'd review a commercially available spool card for those of you who might be interested.
The spools I highlight here are made by Yamawa. They are available in Japan. They come is 70, 130 and 160 mm diameters. Colors are blue, red, green and black. I have not seen a US supplier yet, but if enough people are interested in them I suspect we could entice Chris Stewart to get them for us. Chris is the "all things Japanese tenkara" supplier for us in the US.
The Yamawa spool cards are reinforced plastic and are circular in overall shape. They have small tabs cut into the plastic. These tabs can be pulled out, and it is onto these that the line is wound. There is also a center hole and a thin foam ring for anchoring your fly.
I find these spool cards easy to use and modestly inexpensive. They're not as inexpensive as making your own, but they're not that expensive either. Two packs of four 70 mm spools was $8.50 USD. With shipping from Japan, the total was $16.50 USD.
Winding the line onto the Yamawa Haste Spool is a little more difficult and slower than with a regular spool, as it is easy to miss a tab or two. I also found that winding the line onto the Yamawa cards to be slower than winding them onto my homemade ones. But if you're not in a hurry it works well and the overall appearance is neat and clean.
I'm sticking with my homemade cards, but these spool cards are an acceptable alternative. If you are interested in getting some of these Yamawa Haste Spools you can get them from Tenkara-Ya or ask Chris at TenkaraBum.
Nice product! I would try those. In the mean time, if you would post a template for the ones you make, I think I would enjoy making my own too.
ReplyDeleteNice to have the info and your explainations of their use and benefits. My slow, old and often cold fingers would like your "personal" version.
ReplyDelete