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Post by mspaddler on Nov 29, 2013 8:57:56 GMT
Black Friday sale at Tenkara USA. Iwana & Ito on sale at great prices until Sunday evening. Good prices on these rods if you need to add a rod to your collection. www.tenkarausa.com/index.php?cPath=22
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Post by springerman on Nov 29, 2013 20:10:44 GMT
Dave, I thought the ESO 410 7.3 was easy to cast and accurate as well. Nice rod. Hope to get some good fish this winter to give it a proper test.
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Post by daves on Dec 2, 2013 17:01:00 GMT
The ESO 410 7:3 got a proper test today. I located another huge grayling on Driffield Beck & third cast it took my Sparkle Braid San Juan Worm. It proved to be 48cm long & weighed 3lb 3oz. The ESO 410 7:3 rod performed flawlessly!!!!!
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Post by springerman on Dec 2, 2013 17:08:49 GMT
Dave, Well done. Sounds like a superb fish. Love the flies. I will try some. Tight lines, Ian.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2013 11:13:59 GMT
Is it allowed to discuss French rods on this UK forum? Tenkara Pyrenee (http://www.tenkara.fr/english/tenkara-rods/) claims to be selling Japanese premium rods. Has anyone in here tried any of their rods? I have bought their Aventure 400 7:3, but since it is my only 7:3 rod I find it hard to make a review 'cause I can't compare it to anything. It is now my #1 rod choice when I go for bigger fish. Too bad one can't afford all the great rods you're telling about. /Stefan
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Post by custheyder on Dec 3, 2013 14:07:39 GMT
Hi Stefan. I think you will find Esoteric Tackle rods (ESO-TENKARA) they are cheaper than the Tenkara Pyrenee rods even after postage. Every effort has been made to keep the postage down to a manageable level and I have sold a number of rods into France and other European countries.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2013 14:32:28 GMT
Hi Daniel. I have a 6:4 rod from esoteric, but the point is the comparison between the different makes. I know yours are cheaper, but are they as good as the premium rods from France? Or are the equal or even better? And not only in comparison with your rods, but also all other rods. I'm looking for a review from someone.. /Stefan
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Post by daves on Dec 3, 2013 17:43:23 GMT
HI Stefan.
I've thoroughly tried out quite a number of Tenkara rods including those by Tenkara USA, Tenkara Centre UK, Nissin, Esoteric Tackle & Tenkara Times. I've also briefly played with several others. There is no doubting that some of the Premium rods from Japan are wonderfully light & handle extremely well. Many of them are not really designed to cope with big fish (16" plus) but are a delight when fishing for Tenkara sized fish with Sakasa Kebari flies, dry flies & small nymphs. The only Tenkara Times rods that I've used are the TRY 360 6:4 & the 390 7:3, both of which are as light as the premium Japanese rods & both of which are great for Tenkara sized fish with 6x or 7x tippet.
The Esoteric Rod range are very well made & from my extensive testing will all cope with a wide range of fish sizes. I've had brownies to over 3lb 8oz on the ESO 410 6:4 & grayling to over 3lb. Whilst not as light as some of the premium rods none of the ESO rods feel heavy in the hand & all are very precise casters with the light level lines that I choose to use (2 & 3 weight on the Japanese scale).
As I've tried to point out in this thread, there are a lot of very good Tenkara rods available. When it comes to the crunch personal preference is the final decider.
My favourite rods at the moment are:
For overgrown, heavily wooded brooks: Tenkara Centre UK's 8' Issui & Tenkara USA's 9' & 11' Iwana For light tippets & fish to about 16"max: Tenkara Times TRY 360 6:4 & TRY 390 7:3 & Nissin's Pro Spec 2 Way 330 to 360 7:3 For general fishing where fish over 16" might crop up: Esoteric Tackle's ESO 360 6:4, Tenkara USA's 360 Iwana, Tenkara Centre UK's 13' Hamon For big rivers & big fish: Esoteric Tackle's ESO 410 6:4 or 7:3, Tenkara USA's 13' 6" Amago
Maybe some of the other Forum members will give us their opinions?
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Post by dbl on Dec 3, 2013 21:08:15 GMT
I believe Tenkara USA has decided to stop stocking the 9' handle for the Iwana?
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Post by flatsghost on Dec 4, 2013 9:27:02 GMT
I would agree totally with Dave's points; to me it must come down to personal preference whoever is reviewing them and for whatever purpose. I do not believe that the decision should be price driven as we all know that many products in this world are vastly overpriced but not necessarily any better. I would say that lightness is not everything as you need strength and durability to take into account as well. Stefan, try some of the various products out and see what suits you. Perhaps one of PG/JP's instructional days might afford you chance to compare a range of rods. For the record I have a 410 6:4 and 390 7:3 from Esoteric which are both great and also a 10' 'Tanago' from Joel at Tungsten beads for smaller streams. They suit me just fine but not necessarily other people..... Good luck Glyn
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2013 9:43:19 GMT
Hi Glyn. Thanks for your advice. I have rods of 3 different brands, esoteric among them. My problem is that I don't think I have experience/knowledge enough to evaluate the french rod. The question I want answered is roughly: Is it worth the higher price i paid for it. Therefore I wanted to know if anyone in here have fished with their rods so I could have another view, another voice, on the rod. I have fished it, I like it. It's light and still strong. I had no problem controlling a 2.2 lb trout with it. No problem casting. But still, someone else's view on the rod would be nice. /Stefan
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Post by custheyder on Dec 4, 2013 10:17:30 GMT
When Tenkara Pyrenee first appeared on the market they advertised there rods as being made with Nissin blanks. If that is still the case then a comparison between Nissin and other rods would probably still be valid for the Tenkara Pyrenee rods. However, and it is a big one, not all rods from the same factories are created equal or have the same power curve and characteristics so they might be totally different to other Nissin rods. It depends on how much input Tenkara Pyrenee have had in the design of the rod.
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Post by daves on Feb 10, 2014 15:30:36 GMT
Interesting times!!! Competition is strong & there are an increasing number of really nice rods becoming available to us Tenkara addicts. I've recently been playing with 2 very nice but very different rods, a Tenkara Times Motive 390 which is well suited to bigger fish, bigger rivers & long lines & Tenkara USA's new triple zoom Sato which is a very versatile, light, general purpose rod, well suited to those who fish streams with open areas but also wooded, more constricted sections of river. The Tenkara Times Motive is the usual matt steel grey blank with subdued purple detail on the top of most sections. It is 390cm long (just under 13') & weighs in at 97g with 2 EZ clips attached (more or less par for the course for a typical 13' rod). Whilst it is not particularly light it does not feel over-heavy in the hand, but it has not got that wonderful, weightless feel of the Tenkara Times Try series rods. The tip is hollow & the rod comes with a spare tip as standard. This gives a crisp, recoil-free casting stroke. Precise casting is easy with both short 3 weight lines (10' plus 3' of tippet) & long 3 & 4 weight lines (21' plus 3' of tippet). The new 2014 model will I am informed have a top quality cork handle which is a similar shape to those on the Try series, a gourd shape which I like a lot. As for fish handling, I've caught a good number of rainbows up to 2lb 8oz from my local small still water (using 5x tippet) & it had no difficulty handling them, soaking up all their plunges, yet when I used it on my local small river for grayling up to 12" it did not significantly overpower them. If you're looking for a rod capable of landing big fish (0ver 40cm, 16") then the Motive is well worth a look. In my opinion this is a rod for 5x & 6x tippets: I'd be a bit reticent about using tippet as light as 7x. The Tenkara USA Sato is a gloss black, unground, blank with red detail on the top of the segments. It can be zoomed between 10' 8", 11' 8" & 12' 6" (slightly shorter than the quoted 10' 8", 11' 10" & 12' 9"). The weight is 76g with 2 EZ keepers & it feels very light in the hand, particularly at the two shorter lengths. The gourd shaped handle suits me very well. The cork is good quality & I particularly like the slot to store the end cap securely in the butt cap, plus the provision of 2 end caps. Handling is very good at all 3 lengths with 3 weight lines from 9' to 18' (plus 3' of tippet) (I've not tested heavier or longer lines yet). It also handles fish well & I have had quite a few grayling up to 13", plus rainbows to 16" & a few OSS brownies to 12". I would feel confident using it with 6x or 7x tippet in most situations. Another very nice rod just to confuse the potential buyer!!!!! At the BFFI I had a brief waggle of Tenkara Centre UK's new, as they describe it, premium 12' rod. The Hayase I am informed weighs in at 69g & it feels very light in the hand. The handle is very high quality cork with the usual Tenkara Centre UK composite cork at the ends for durability & cosmetics. The blank is matt black. The action seems crisp, but I've not had a chance to do more than waggle one. I don't envy new buyers with such a choice of great rods from Esoteric Tackle, Tenkara Times, Tenkara Centre UK, Tenkara USA & the Japanese suppliers. In the end it comes down to what the individual likes action-wise for the waters they fish & their individual casting preferences, plus each person's aesthetic preferences. In my personal top 6 rods I have rods from all of the suppliers mentioned.
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