Fishing under a low canopy

[Paul G]

You can collapse any telescopic tenkara rod (e.g. a TUSA Iwana) and just hold your index finger across the two joints. Feels a little weird at first, but works perfectly well and this is what I was referring to above.

Lockable zoom rods would be a more comfortable option as well.

[myotis]

Thanks again Paul, that's what I was doing to cast, but was concerned about using the rod like that with a fish on it.

So good to know.

Cheers,

Graham

[custheyder]

Just a word of caution about playing a fish on a collapsed rod...

The levering action at the end of the last none collapsed section is greatly increased and if it's a big fish fighting hard there is a chance of snapping the last inch or so off the end of the section where the last joint is secured.

If the rod is bending all the way to your hand then a breakage is moments away. Please be careful about fishing a shortened rod especially a softer 5:5.

Cust.

[Paul G]

Wise words,

I was making a (not always safe) connection between very small and overgrown venues and a smaller average size of fish.

It would also probably be good practice to manoeuvre into a position whereby the rod can be extended to full length as soon as practically possible - especially if you get into a bigger specimen.

[myotis]

Thanks Daniel and Paul,

I think that personally, I would always want to get the rod extended as soon as I could, but I suspect that as Paul suggests the sorts of places I was talking about you would be lucky/unlucky to get a big fish on.

Graham

[gary]

Sept 10, 2012 10:48:36 GMT custheyder said:

Perhaps I do! I'm working on something that I think will be a great benefit to those of us that sometimes fish in tight corners of the river systems.Chris is right though, there are shorter rods about but like you I don't really want to carry a number of rods, although there are some excellent packs about to do just that. Give me a month or two and I think I'll have a solution you'll find suitable.

Hi Cust

any further forward with your solution here?

I have been fishing very small and heavily overgrown streams over the last couple of weeks, along with Dee and Peter, both of whom are very experienced in such situations as that is the only fishing they do. Dee has 8 Tenkara rods (yeah, eight) and I've watched him with interest using a 9' T rod to great effect - mainly with a shorter leader and tippet. There are, however, quite a few situations on these brooks where the T rod just cannot get to. Step in Peter, with his 9' #0 Sage rood/reel combo. He can stick the rod over the likely spot and use the reel to lower the fly into position, and do a line strike when required. I believe Dee (skateboarddave on the forum) now has one of the 8/9/10' Zoom Rods from Ebay, and I'm hoping to go out with him next weekend to see how it fairs.

I am definitely in the market for a more flexible T rod, and I can see the advantages of the 'zoom' feature. As you know, I broke the top two sections of my Eso 410 trying to fish (albeit very clumsily) a tight spot on a stream...

I have changed one thing on my 12' which has made a huge difference, as has been mentioned in earlier posts on this thread. Shorten the length of the leader. Simple, but very effective and so easy to control the fly on small waters. to that end, I've ordered one of your level lines, and have also ordered a set of 3 furled leaders for only £4.50 off Ebay, a 36", a 42" and a 60" in Fire Orange www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Furled-Tapered-Leader-x3-pick-n-mix-36in-42in-60in-in-4-colours-mono-you-pick-/300799873740?pt=UK_SportingGoods_FishingAcces_RL&hash=item460911d2cc

It is fun experimenting to see what works best

Tight lines

Gary

[custheyder]

The solution has stalled at the moment, but I am not beaten yet and will work on a solution. I do feel that once you get to a rod that is the length of a western rod you may as well use a western set up because you lose all the line handling advantages of the longer rod of Tenkara. Also, the flex required in such a short rod to cast level lines would make the rod almost impossible to control a large fish without giving line. The longer rod has room for some backbone when needed. That's just my feeling or very short "Tenkara" rods.

[gary]

Thanks for getting back on this one Cust. I'll hold back on the shorter rod, as I'm really interested in what you come up with for this situation.
Tight lines

Gary