How to Test a Tenkara Rod

[@jaquesdaniels2964]

The recovery test is a good one, I just had 30 minutes casting a 150 euro rod I bought as a first rod.Its not bad but its on the stiff side, anyway, what you get if the rod recovery is bad, is a western tackle "tuck cast" which is fine when you mean to do it, but not when you don't. Overall, the rod casts fairly well and will do me ok-I'm an experienced fly caster-for starters, its intended o be a back up system to my euro nymphing set up-I give the flat runs a miss, but intend to put a dry/emerger onto them with the tenkara. I found side casting, switch casting, tucked loop and "shepherds crook" casts all worked ok, I would advise caution on the switch casts, just put a couple of inches on the water as I'm not sure how much the fine tips will stand.I also stuck on 20 feet or so of 20lb maxima, and it put it out ok. As to the price of your rods, personally I would say the price is worth it as you get a rod put together with knowledge-thats what you pay for -some anglers can fish effectively with a broom handle-sadly, I'm not one of em so I need good kit to cover my shortcomings. BTW, the reason I mentioned all the show off casts, is because some of the streams I fish are well treed, so no back casts possible but from this mornings thrashings, I'm a bit more confident I can cover some of the flat stretches.

[@TyJee28]

Guys, great information. More please. Good point about not letting your tight grip result in a wrong evaluation of the tip recovery tests. I would guess the quality of the joint fit also affects how closely the extended rod length matches the specified length of the rod. I am a little surprised there was no discussion of the center of gravity of the extended rod, the balance of the rod felt in the hand, and the amount of torque or effort needed to make the casting stroke. Thinner rod blanks have lower air resistance. Easier to whip through the air. I believe, the larger effect on the needed amount of rotational torque of the rod is set by the design and materials of the rod blank. A ball park measure of that is Rod Moment. RM = rod weight(kg) x distance from butt end of the rod to the balance point of the extended rod (cm). From my experience - A rod with a larger RM will be more tiring to cast for long periods, and it will feel more tip heavy, especially if the balance point distance is longer. RM < 5 for a 3.6m rod is good. Adding a little weight to the butt end, to counter balance the weight of the rod forward of the balance point, may make the rod feel very slightly less tip heavy, but the RM or torque needed to rotate the rod will not change. The shorter distance to the balance point will be off set by the added weight. However, a rod with excellent linear and circular recovery with a higher RM may be a better choice than a rod with lower RM with poorer recovery. Any thoughts about grip length, or shape ? D Lastly, guys, if you wan to show off a black rod, please wear lighter colored shirts. Next time. ;- )

[@MrPanfish999]

Another great "top of the line" video! Excellent.

[@PastTheDirtRoad]

Great job gentlemen. I really enjoyed this.

[@inkjob12]

Love to hear from you what some good Western Company rods are. Any rods here in the USA that are with looking at?....between Amazon and Bay there are rod manufactures by the hundreds...Any worth checking out?...ALSO...your thoughts on the rods that can be used to fish 3 different lengths? Thanks

[@Adwrigh]

Do you by chance have a list of your favorite rods? I'm am experienced fly fisher and would like to get in to Tenkara. Do you by chance have a favorite rod company/s as well?

[@DiscoverTenkara]

There are loads of western tenkara brands offering Chinese made rods at pretty reasonable prices but for us, they all lack the high end feel achieved by Japanese tenkara rod manufacturers. We’re just in the process of launching our own rods which are made in Japan - we understand they’re not for everyone as they are built with no compromises and the price reflects that. Are you based in the USA? If so you should try and talk to Chris Stewart at Tenkara Bum - he carries a massive range of Japanese made rods to suit all budgets and he’ll be stocking our new “Karasu” rods too.

[@Adwrigh]

Wow thanks for your fast reply! I was looking at Tenkara USA or Tenkara Rod Co. but now you've got me interested in your rod! Where can I find out more about it and when it will be launched. I live in the USA near Pittsburgh.

[@DiscoverTenkara]

Chris Stewart at Tenkara Bum has tested and reviewd both our rods here: www.tenkarabum.com/karasu.html

[@DiscoverTenkara]

Jason Klass of Tenkara Talk has also done a review too: tenkaratalk.com/2017/07/discover-tenkara-karasu-rod/