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Ultra-Ultralight Tenkara

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#21 ·
Freestone said:
Jim, I saw the rod at a tradeshow but it can be ordered here: http://www.tenkararodco.com/collections/frontpage/products/the-mini-sawtooth-package

Josh, since on a Tenkara rod you have to pull the whole thing out anyway, it doesn't seem more fiddly or take more time unlike assembling a traditional rod. The tip is very, very fine so I know I will have to be careful. However, what I like about Tenkara rods is that you can buy replacement sections pretty inexpensively ($9.00 for the top 2 sections). They are easy to replace yourself and I plan on having the top 2 tip sections on hand - just in case. The rods really aren't that fragile but it is nice to know that on a trip, I could do the replacement if I needed to.
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Thank you for the info Sue. But as usual it is just a tad bit high for a rod. I guess that I'm just one of the old cheap old men.
 
#23 ·
Thank you for the information and awesome photos! I saw an add and read up on them awhile back, but I do not know anyone that has one. So now you have converted me :) And excellent ingenuity on your part :) Very cool!
 
#25 ·
For those of you that like a deal or are thrifty like me, look at the Tenkara rod kits from, Tenkara Customs. if you can mix 5 minute epoxy you can build their rod, and they have replacement rod parts available. myself , I won't buy a rod that doesn't have a replacement part option, I will admit to breaking a number of these rods by stupid stunts & showboating bigger fish than I should have been fishing a tenkara rod for.
 
#26 ·
Winning the Internet again! By my count, you typed the drinking word 5 times in your post. I need a similar kit...you building them for others?
 
#27 ·
I used to fish tiny Reecer Creek in Eastern WA while irrigating. I just tied a fly on a $10 kids spinning outfit and caught fish to my heart's content. Unfortunately, that was in the days of catch and keep. Anyway, you don't need anything fancy to catch fish although I am a Tenkara supporter.
 
#28 ·
Freestone said:
Last year, I picked up a Tenkara rod. I had fun with it but at 12' long (the Tenkara USA Iwana), it was a bit long for some small creeks. So after reading about The Tenkara Rod Co's new mini-rods, when I saw one in person, I had to have one. I just bought the Mini Sawtooth and it weighs in at a mere 1.1 oz.! It is too cute for words! It collapses down to 10" yet telescopes to 9', a much better length for some of the tiny creeks I like to fish.

View attachment 109732

Since I now have a teeny, tiny rod, I had to put a teeny, tiny fishing kit together. I wanted to be able to fit a whole kit inside the rod tube for travel.

I started out by making a tiny fly wallet. I then wound some tippet on a plastic sewing machine bobbin. I also found some pretty light nippers and lastly, used tiny a plastic tube for some Tenkara flies that would get crushed in the fly wallet. Come summer, I'll have to figure out something for some dry flies and I'll possibly squeeze some floatant into a 1" x 1" plastic bag or a tiny vial.

View attachment 109734

The Mini Sawtooth came with a line holder system that allows you to store and carry the line on the rod. It has some ingenious flip-over plastic clips and 4 o-rings to attach them. However, with it installed, you can't fit the rod back in the rod sock or rod tube. But, I wanted to store the line on the rod. Hmm, what to do...

Off to my sewing box I went and came up with a system that is low profile - and much lighter than the standard clip/o'ring system. Best of all, with the line attached, the rod fits in the rod sock and rod tube now! Can anyone guess what these tiny hooks are supposed to be used for, LOL?! I attached them using stretchy cord from Beadalon which is normally used for making necklaces, but I use it for tying.

View attachment 109735

With the rod in the tube, I can fit it in a purse or carry-on for travel. I travel a lot for work, and while I don't often get to fish, I always bring a rod just in case. My other Tenkara rod and most of my pack rods won't fit in a carry-on. Now my whole fishing kit/rod tube fits in a carry-on or purse and weighs almost nothing!

View attachment 109736

Best of all, this system is perfect for ultralight backpacking as I don't need to pack the rod tube. I had an old ExOfficio lightweight nylon pouch that I can fit my fishing kit into (I also added a light threader). Between the kit and the rod, I bet the whole thing weighs only about 1.5 oz!

For backpacking, I may replace the nippers with a pair of itty-bitty Streamworks Micro Scissor-Forceps. They are as light as the nippers but more functional. Unfortunately for travel, they won't fit in the rod tube and TSA probably wouldn't allow them anyway.

View attachment 109737

Here's a comparison of the rods and kits. The Mini rod is shorter than the handle on the standard-sized rod!

View attachment 109738

View attachment 109740

I can't wait to try out this rod and my new mini fishing kit! Summer can't get here fast enough!

Image
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You rocked this post so hard - just set the "best 2016 gear post" bar really really high. New tenkara outfit here I come.....
 
#29 ·
I always take a tenkara rod with me when I go climbing, except when I actually want to get some climbing in.

Has anyone tried one of the $10 rods on Amazon?
 
#30 ·
Sue, your write-up on that rod was just excellent. Well actually, it was better than excellent and shamed many of the equipment reviews I have read over the years. My first thought was to invite you over this summer to fish some little streams with me but then I thought of the streams themselves and Tenkara is a non starter. Local streams are so brushy that sometimes the only way you can tell where they are is by the sound. I have tried fishing them over the years with a 7'6'' 2wt but the rod was just too long to do anything with.

If only I had one of those rods 50 years ago when I spent all that time in the Sierra! There are hundreds of great streams up there, many that run between the 4,000 or so lakes in the high country and being mostly above timberline would be easy to access with Tenkara. But around here I am at a loss for places I could fish it. Most of my stream fishing nowadays is confined to the NFCDA or the St Joe. Both carry fish that would be problematic with Tenkara with the CDA having the larger fish to deal with. I'd like to try it anyway and just take my chances with some of those bigger cutthroats.

This year I am going to try the local streams again but go way shorter on the rod. To test I put a little Orvis Battenkill strung with a 3wt DT on a 5' Kunnan Ultra Lite spinning rod from back in the 80's. I took it out in the snow and made a lot of cast with it to see how it would perform at close range. Using a 5' leader it was remarkably accurate and would effortlessly push out 35' of line as well. More than enough at close range. So now I need to think about finding a shorty fly rod under 6' but if that isn't readily doable just get an ultra lite spinning blank and build it into a fly rod.

So come on over anyway, I think I have a place you can use your new rods. My local lake is very weedy and the long Tenkara rod might be just the ticket for hooking some of those fish down in the salad. Landing them might be another matter though..
 
#32 ·
freestoneangler said:
Way too minimalist for me. If I went fly fishing with only those items, I'd feel naked. Cool ideas though.
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You normally sound so confident. What makes you insecure about this one? Size? Bra strap hardware? Fear of needing a man purse?
 
#35 ·
IveofIone said:
Sue, your write-up on that rod was just excellent. Well actually, it was better than excellent and shamed many of the equipment reviews I have read over the years. My first thought was to invite you over this summer to fish some little streams with me but then I thought of the streams themselves and Tenkara is a non starter. Local streams are so brushy that sometimes the only way you can tell where they are is by the sound. I have tried fishing them over the years with a 7'6'' 2wt but the rod was just too long to do anything with.

If only I had one of those rods 50 years ago when I spent all that time in the Sierra! There are hundreds of great streams up there, many that run between the 4,000 or so lakes in the high country and being mostly above timberline would be easy to access with Tenkara. But around here I am at a loss for places I could fish it. Most of my stream fishing nowadays is confined to the NFCDA or the St Joe. Both carry fish that would be problematic with Tenkara with the CDA having the larger fish to deal with. I'd like to try it anyway and just take my chances with some of those bigger cutthroats.

This year I am going to try the local streams again but go way shorter on the rod. To test I put a little Orvis Battenkill strung with a 3wt DT on a 5' Kunnan Ultra Lite spinning rod from back in the 80's. I took it out in the snow and made a lot of cast with it to see how it would perform at close range. Using a 5' leader it was remarkably accurate and would effortlessly push out 35' of line as well. More than enough at close range. So now I need to think about finding a shorty fly rod under 6' but if that isn't readily doable just get an ultra lite spinning blank and build it into a fly rod.

So come on over anyway, I think I have a place you can use your new rods. My local lake is very weedy and the long Tenkara rod might be just the ticket for hooking some of those fish down in the salad. Landing them might be another matter though..
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Ive, check out the j. Austin Forbes website, they have micro rods that are way to expensive , but it's given me an idea! I plan to get a rod tip from a broken two piece rod and make my own, the reel seat I will have to make myself but I noticed that on one of the rods they appear to use compression rings from plumbing fittings for slip rings. I'm pretty sure a guy with some skills and a old rod tip could make a micro rod in very little time.
 
Discussion starter · #36 ·
Ive, thank you for the kind words! I hope can take you up on your long-standing invitation.

I have been eyeing the Redington practice rod for tiny brushy creeks. It is 50" long and unlike the yarn/rope practice rods, this one has guides and casts real line. If only I could put a reel seat on it.

I also have to top 4 sections of a 5pc, 5wt that I've been saving to make a short rod, although I worry it is a bit fast. However, with a handle and the top 3 sections, it would be about 5'. I'll have to bring it over, Ive, and maybe we can make something from it.

Image
 
#39 · (Edited)
Old Man said:
Just asking, but where did you pick it up at and what did you pay for it. All of those rods I have seen on the internet cost anywhere from $130.00 to $250.00 Maybe I'll stick to a willow stick and string.
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Which means, OMJ-sama...that you were a Tenkara practitioner when the sport was pure and truly simple. As was I. A switch cut streamside, with some mono and a fly, caught me plenty of skinny water fish as a youngster.
 
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