August 26, 2017

DRAGONtail Talon Tenkara Rod -- review

DRAGONtail Tenkara recently released a new rod designed to be even more compact and mobile than their other tenkara rods. This new offering is called the Talon, and is a great addition to their tenkara rod line up. Brent Auger of DRAGONtail offered to loan me one of the rods to test out. I, of course, said yes and put the rod to the test.

The Talon is a compact rod that is overall dark charcoal in color, matte in finish, but with some dark blue accents on some of the segments.





The handle is black EVA foam and is camel shaped. The curves are subtle and the rod is easy to hold in many different configurations.

The butt cap is blue anodized metal, has an air hole and coin slot. The tip plug is wooden with rubber insert.




The lilian is dark brown, and attached to the to tip section via a well done micro swivel. The rod can be completely disassembled for drying and cleaning.

Here are some measurements:

Fully extended: 332 cm
Nested: 43.5 cm
Weight (without tip cap):75.9 g
CCS: 18 pennies
RFI: 5.4






The Talon is advertised as a great rod for backpacking, due to it's compact nested length. I, therefore, decided to take it on a hike and fish it in a small back country stream.




I fished the Talon with a nine foot #3.5 level fluorocarbon line. It cast this line very easily, and I'm sure that the Talon could cast a #3 line or a heavier furled just as well. The action is smooth and ever so slightly tip flex.

I caught typical size trout from the back country stream. Both cutthroats and brookies were hooked and landed. Since they were small, the Talon had no issues subduing them. It also did a great job of keeping them out of the underwater snags, due to its quick response time.




Conclusion: I like this rod. It is a nice addition to the DRAGONtail line up and would be a great rod for hiking, biking, fishing a small stream, or just has to have as a back up rod. It's got a very nice action and excellent balance. If you need a 3.3 m rod, check this one out!

Disclaimer: My opinion regarding this rod is just that, my opinion. Your opinion may differ.  Also, your rod may not have the same length, issues, or functionality as my rod. There are variations between rods, even in the same production run. No description can fully tell you how a rod feels or fishes. For this, you must personally hold, cast, and fish the rod then make up your own mind. 
I receive advertising revenue from DRAGONtail Tenkara, but this does not imply a favorable review of their products. I was loaned this rod and returned it after the review.






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