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Fisherboy0301

Tenkara is just for little fish...

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...said everone who hasn't tried it! Its a blast! And if tenkara is cane pole fishing, then fly fishing is spin fishing! The catfish are a challenge even on my 7wt.

Bass_Tenkara.jpg

Catfish_tenkara.jpg

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Not sure how you managed to land a catfish with your Tenkara & not break the tip.

 

What model and make is your rod?

 

The cats I've caught on my fly rods have fought like demons possessed.

 

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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.

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Thanks everyone! The rod is stronger than it looks! It was bent close to double several times in the fight, and is perfectly fine.

 

This was given to me by a man who actually made it. Its blank so I don't know the model but I know its a 12' 8:2 rod. It has the backbone to catch these cats and yet is still fun for little bass. I'm using a hand furled line I made with hi vis 25lb mono. 3' four strand furl, 3' 3 strand furl, 3' two strand furl, and 3' single strand. Fishing a "tippet" of 6lb mono (light line so I can break off a fish if need be to save the rod).

 

Now to catch a grass carp on it!!! just kidding of course... though I have seen anglers on youtube fishing for "tenkara carp"

 

 

Can't wait to try it for trout next weekend in NC!

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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.

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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.

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Ben, I stopped after that fish, and yes the tip section was extremely difficult to get collapsed. Especially with wet hands. But I eventually got it. :)

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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.

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Obviously it is not cane pole fishing, aren't the rods now made of graphite? However the videos Ive seen and the descriptions of use follow pretty much exactly cane pole methods for active fishing. ('Course one can just sit and wait with a cane pole, if you want to)

I had never touched a fly rod till I was about 25 years old, always reading and hearing things that made it sound mystical and gave the impression of having to join a cult of some sort to use one; then one day I bought one at a pawn shop and got a book from the public library and soon I was "fly fishing". The first thing I discovered was fly fishing is is largely cane pole fishing with fancy equipment and expensive accessories.

40+ years later I'm still fly rod fishing even when I use bait, and I still think in cane pole methods.

 

If the fish is quite heavy and you fear for your rod, can you just walk up the bank keeping the rod straight to land the fish or will that put too much stress on the telescoping joints? (cane pole strategy, but we had the line run from the tip back to the grip area, so that the force would be anchored in straight line to the grip)

 

Ben asked what the cat took on, I'd like to know as well, because I've never taken a cat fish on a fly.

 

Did the Japanese always use graphite for their rods or did they develop that method with rods made of wood or cane?

 

Thanks for the post, nice fish.

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The fists tenkara rods were bamboo as far as I know. I hooked and lost a couple on black buggers and leeches but this one took a brown bucktail/chartruese saddle hacke streamer.

 

Now I do know some work is being done on creating the first blanks in the USA, (all made in japan and assembled here as of now) and they are made of fiberglass. So we shall see i guess.

 

 

 

I was using a 6lb tippet to protect the rod tip. I had on waders so if i feared the rod would break i had two options : A) Walk towards the fish to relieve some pressure and B) Point the rod at the fish to break the tippet, rather lose the fly than the rod.

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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.

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Maybe a 4lb tippet would be better but 6lb or 6x were my choices so I chose 6lb haha.

 

 

Duct tape leaves sticky residue and that would be bad in the telescoping part. I am using a furled mono line I made and it has lots of stretch and shock absorption.

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"..is that the tip section can be pulled free from the joint."

 

This what I wondered when I first read about these rods. I'd love to try one out.

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