I recently have been testing a prototype small creek rod that was loaned to me by a company that makes tenkara rods. It's an interesting rod, in that can be fished at 240, 290 and 340 cm. That's quite a spread!
Most of my small creeks can be fished with a 240 or 270 cm rod. But on frequent occasion I'll come across a beaver pond or open section, in which a longer rod would be nice to have. When I fish, I only carry one rod, so the thought of a rod that would extend from 240 to 340 cm is quite attractive.
I tested the prototype rod on a small creek that has trout ranging from 4 inches to 14 inches. That range will test any small creek rod. It has some slow pools and areas of high gradient flow. The creek also has spots of tight canopy and areas of open sky. It has log jams and incredible numbers of underwater snags. It's a great creek on which to test a rod to see if it can pass a series of practical challenges. This rod is nice, but I think it needs some tweaking.
Here's the video:
Most of my small creeks can be fished with a 240 or 270 cm rod. But on frequent occasion I'll come across a beaver pond or open section, in which a longer rod would be nice to have. When I fish, I only carry one rod, so the thought of a rod that would extend from 240 to 340 cm is quite attractive.
I tested the prototype rod on a small creek that has trout ranging from 4 inches to 14 inches. That range will test any small creek rod. It has some slow pools and areas of high gradient flow. The creek also has spots of tight canopy and areas of open sky. It has log jams and incredible numbers of underwater snags. It's a great creek on which to test a rod to see if it can pass a series of practical challenges. This rod is nice, but I think it needs some tweaking.
Here's the video:
Hi Tom. I’m an avid reader of your blog and greatly appreciate all of your thoughtful reviews and insights on Tenkara. I’m in my 3rd season of Tenkara fishing and am self taught and your blog has really helped me progress in this wonderful sport. Your commitment to publishing data on the RFI of rods is an invaluable resource when a hands on, retail experience, is really not possible in the US. Which leads me to my question. I was hoping you had RFI data on the Tanuki 325 rod. I’m sure it’s a wonderful rod but would love to know a bit more about it before committing to that price tag. Thank you again. Look forward to your next post.
ReplyDeleteThank you for following the blog! Unfortunately I have never seen the Tanuki 325. I have measured his 275, 375 and 405, but not that one. Sorry. Like you, I'm sure it is a wonderful rod, but I don't have any data.
DeleteHi Tom,
ReplyDeleteOn a multi length rod like this do you change lines when you change lengths?
Like the above poster I enjoy your blog a lot.
bill
Bill, thank you also for following the blog. As far as lines, I typically choose a line that matches either the shortest rod length or mid between the short and middle rod lengths. It depends on the stream. For this stream I used a 240 cm line (including tippet).
DeleteG'Day Tom,
ReplyDeleteThat stream and fish gave that new rod a decent workout. It seemed to handle it well.
Tomorrow I'll be trying out a zoom rod that a friend sent me as a birthday present. It fishes at 8, 9 and ten feet, similar to this rod that you tested.
Always enjoy your videos, especially the choice of music.
Cheers,
Steve.
Thanks, Steve. Have fun fishing!
DeleteHi Tom. Out of curiosity, what were the attributes of this rod that you felt needed more design work? Visually, it looked pretty good as far as casting and handling the fish were concerned. Of course that has nothing to do with how the rod feels in your hand....Karl
ReplyDeleteThe bending characteristics. It needs to be a little softer in the upper mid sections, to bring down the rod flex index. It's got a nice slightly stiffer tip, so hook sets are fast, but I'd like to see it load better with a short line.
DeleteHey Tom, I like the fact that the zoom range is so wide. Do you know when the rod will be unveiled?
ReplyDelete