ben bell

hi steve..nice rod..the classic twist thread reminds me of my very two first rods..Herters kits both with the same thread..it may have been called classic twist also..it was used alot..did you use gudebrod,s version or is this Pro wraps tiger thread? thanks..just wondering, do rods this long become a real chore to cast when the wind is blowing?

i never was a movie or TV fan..i spent my time making my own movies(memories).

whenever i see someone spey or skagit casting they are standing in the water, never in a boat or even a kick boat..my kick boat would look like a pin cushion holder in no time.lol. tthese old legs would not have a chance in the water..but it does look like a fun way to fish..oh, and i only weigh 130#-wet, not enough to stay anchored.lol.

hi Steve.. i don,t know how much you use the two hander but when i did i never went back. what a difference..everything is so much easier and no aches and pains.

i made this telescopic fly/spin rod from a cabelas panfish rod many years ago. it,s still in one piece, so to speak.lol. it fits easily into the pouch of my kick boat being only 17" long when collapsed and is 7' when extended..i use 4wt. line, just right for bluegills. the spin rod is 6' long

don,t go this alone.. i was lucky to have two older friends tha took me fishing with fly rods for bass..they even tyed their deer hair bass bugs and man did they catch fish..join a club, what ever it takes..befriend someone who fishes this way..good luck.

there are flies with furled bodies..you can say a furled leader is a just a very long fly body both made the same way..lol.

in the all twisted up video by william tedrick he uses 50# power pro braided line but you can use much thinner lines on the same set up..i don,t use a long board but two hooks screwed into the top of a door jam and bring two yarns up and around each hook and down to my twisting device which is a conair hair pigtailer to twist up each end of the yarn..then i unhook one strand and put it on the other hook and strand..release the twisting tool from my grip and let the furling start..furling automatically happens to form the leader which is about 4' long..then i put a shorb loop in each end.. tedrick also shows how to make this loop..furling is another word for pig tailing on itself.

Poopdeck, you are a true furler.lol. that,s why the makers of twisted leaders can make them so much easier and faster, they have eliminated the furling step which is more involved but like you say makes a better performing leader..

thanks Fisherboy..i just wanted to get an idea about your tapered leaders. i,ve seen this method before for regular fly fishing not tenkara..right now my line is just 25# bright orange flyline backing which casts really well and is easy to see..for my bass bugging rods i made tapered leaders from 50# power pro and they really turn over big hair bugs..in fact i even made some from 80 power pro..if you care to make these go to google " fish tales all twisted up", for a good video..they wear like steel..thanks again.

Fisherboy, i see you make your own furled leaders for the tenkara rod..can you recommend a good video for doing this, thanks..or can anyone suggest a video..

fisherboy, do you think going down to a 4# tippet may be a better option..you may lose the fish but at least still have a rod in one piece..so to speak. what concerns me about pointing a telescopic rod at a large fish is that the tip section can be pulled free from the joint. or better yet, use flies tied on a light wire debarbed hook..OOPS! debarbed is a bad word to Mike....one more thought..maybe a piece ductape will keep the joint secure enough that the tip section will not pull out or even get too tight..it,s worth a try.

Devil Fish- just two clumps of moose hair with tips pulled back between flared butts which form the fins and tied off to make a tail..

thanks again my friend... google "tenkara rod stuck tip" for a short video using a rubber band to safely unstick tip sections..also be very careful with how much pressure you apply with just your fingers..it is really easy to snap the tip section and don,t use any twisting action..it,s very abrasive and causes premature wear. one more thing..it,s a good idea to have a tip replacement handy..you can purchase them at tenkaracustoms.com..only $10,they actually send the last two sections because the joint is factory fitted...check with your friend who gave the rod but i,m pretty sure that,s where he got the blank.

hi fisherboy..another quetion about your tenkara..at the end of the day did you have any joints stick together making it difficult to collapse the rod..i would think after catching a fish like that you might have a problem especially with the tip section..thanks.

some more of the devils work.

good info fisherboy..i know the company your friend got the rod kit from. i built their 60/40 rod and now think i may get the 80/20 rod after seeing what you caught on it..that,s one nice catty on a tenkara..if i had a pond with cats like that i,d be using a med/hvy spin rod with some nice fat nightcrawlers..i don,t think i would have the nerve to use a tenkara on them..you had your hands loaded with that one. thanks.

hi fisherboy..by looking at the butt diameter of your rod, my guess is that you have an 80/20 action rod which has good power..enough to handle a good catfish.no? also, what did the catty bite on,oh and what pound test was your tippet, thanks. and if you don,t answer all these questions i,ll put a hex on your tenkara rod. lol.

hi Swamp Fly..i got around my line problems by going to ceramic guides from butt to tip..what a difference in fish fighting. it,s so much smoother in line pay out when hooked up to a nice fish..no wire trying to dig into the line, any kind of line..but they are heavier and make the rod a little less crisper or slower which never bothered me, i mean it,s still better than bamboo which still catches a lot of fish..but i see a lot of respected rod builders using all Minama guides,so for my next build i,m going to try them but i still have to use ceramic on the first three guides because they contain the largest spacing and the most line sag occurs between them. just some things you may want to consider. just wondering, what,s your favorite swamp fly?..mosquito? lol. thanks.

don,t most fly lines get softer in high heat and don,t wire guides love digging into softer lines especially when locked up to a nice fish? just a thought.

Good stuff, thanks Steve.

good point about line slap, especially wet line..you mentioned using minamas for #8 only lines or less, what guide style do you like for larger lines?.Thanks..

ok..that,s right it was recoils, thanks..yes, it seems like all of a sudden rod builders were using minamas..anything is better than snakes just to eliminate one wrap.lol. sounds good..i will give them a try..thanks

hi Steve..nice work..looks like minama guides are really catching on..those look like #6? i have yet to try them..some say they are a little noisy..how do you like them?

another thing about mop-flies, i bet they hold scent very well..put a drop of Dr. whatever on it and hang on..