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Post by myotis on Sept 7, 2012 14:16:00 GMT
Warning -This has a long introduction.
I was lucky enough to get an invite to go fishing on the upper Taw, in Devon earlier this week.
The instructions were that it was impossible to use any rod longer than 8ft, and it needed to be a 3wt.
My host was very polite when I produced my Iwana, and said not to worry I could use his rod. I did actually have an 8ft 4wt with me but wanted to try out the Iwana. I have never fished, tenkara or Western in a river where the canopy completely enclosed the river.
I did fish his, exceptionally nice, rod and reel, but most of the time I used the Iwana. Although I used the Iwana most of the time, I actually got caught up in foliage more often with the 8ft rod than I did with my 12ft Iwana.
It was easier to keep track of where the fixed length line was going, and only a minimal amount of rod movement would roll the line over and under bankside vegetation. At the one spot I got stuck for room, I just collapsed the rod a bit. It wasn't that difficult, and my host said afterward that he had been watching me very closely and that I was casting just as if I had a "proper" rod.
However, I was very aware that should I have caught a decent fish, there wasn't anywhere to put the rod. The canopy was too low to lift the rod vertical, and too narrow to stretch the rod out horizontally. As it so happens I didn't catch anything, but it did make wonder how people deal with this. Being able to cast isn't much use if you then can't play the fish.
Graham
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Post by cm_stewart on Sept 7, 2012 16:59:14 GMT
Just to let you know, there are shorter rods for situations just like that - short enough that you can actually play a fish should you hook one. You might not want to use one everywhere, but if you want to do tenkara fishing in a spot that is too tight for an 11' or 12' rod they will allow you to do so.
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Post by myotis on Sept 7, 2012 17:20:33 GMT
Just to let you know, there are shorter rods for situations just like that - short enough that you can actually play a fish should you hook one. You might not want to use one everywhere, but if you want to do tenkara fishing in a spot that is too tight for an 11' or 12' rod they will allow you to do so. Thanks Chris, I now know my way around your web site, as well as I know my way around my own house, so well aware of the shorter options. I also have the extra handle for the Iwana, which I would consider using the next time. I suppose the point I was making/asking was that just because you can cast your Tenkara rod, doesn't mean you can effectively fish with it. Unless there was some trick I was missing. Graham
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2012 8:07:37 GMT
I think I'll need a shorter rod for next season. I was fishing the burn behind my mothers house the other day and it was very difficult due to a lack of space for both casting and playing fish. I managed to land a few trout but a lot also slipped the hook as I was compromised. I tried closing down a section on the rod but in the situation I found myself it wasn't enough. I also shortened the furled line I was fishing by around 3' which helped a great deal.
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Post by myotis on Sept 9, 2012 8:30:36 GMT
I managed to land a few trout but a lot also slipped the hook as I was compromised. Yep, I think this would have been my problem as well, had I actually caught anything. My problem continues to be missing takes - maybe its old age But I agree a shorter rod/leader seems to be the way, but that compromises you when you get to the more open areas. Is the "simplicity" of Tenkara developing into a "Tactical fishing vest" approach with quick release clips holding rods of different lengths ready for instant action as conditions change. I'm only joking, but the ease of carrying a Tenkara rod, and the speed of extending and collapsing it, does make the idea of carrying two rods something that is difficult not to think about. Graham,
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Post by tenkaracz on Sept 9, 2012 12:01:52 GMT
I'm only joking, but the ease of carrying a Tenkara rod, and the speed of extending and collapsing it, does make the idea of carrying two rods something that is difficult not to think about. Graham, I'm not joking; I always take two rods - 330 and 390 - to the river, which is visited for the first time and to some familiar rivers too. I think that will not reveal the truth, if I will note that best fish live in spots where no one can catch it .
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Post by myotis on Sept 9, 2012 12:39:13 GMT
I'm not joking; I always take two rods - 330 and 390 - to the river, which is visited for the first time and to some familiar rivers too. I think that will not reveal the truth, if I will note that best fish live in spots where no one can catch it I wasn't joking about carrying two rods, just the idea of a tactical weapons waistcoat with a selection of multiple rods, each with a quick release system for instant deployment. Two rods seem a good idea and a second Tenkara rod is easy to carry and quick to put into operation. I just feel a little uncomfortable about balancing the simplicity of a Tenkara approach, with the carrying of two rods. No real need to feel that way, I just do. That isn't to say I won't do it. Graham
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Post by custheyder on Sept 10, 2012 8:29:06 GMT
To every problem there is a solution.
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Post by myotis on Sept 10, 2012 9:16:26 GMT
To every problem there is a solution. You obviously lead a charmed life :-) Graham
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Post by custheyder on Sept 10, 2012 10:48:36 GMT
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.
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Post by myotis on Sept 10, 2012 11:58:22 GMT
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. I do have the "short" handle for the Iwana, but never tried it, as it means dismantling the rod and stiffens it up a fair bit. Graham
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Post by tenkaracz on Sept 11, 2012 7:29:00 GMT
To my mind, the best solution will be 330-390 rod with zoom function, based on Shimano tenkara rods concept: stiff hollow tip and all sections are flexible. You can cast short lines almost without backcast, by short and forced wrist movement. This feature is useless for open waters but very useful for strongly overgrowned streams, where you do not have space for normal backcast. Also this rod action is good for lob casts, roll casts and bow&arrow casts. Unfortunately, this kind of rod action less suitable to play big fish, because the rod bends too much. I search for the compromise now.
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Post by myotis on Sept 11, 2012 8:14:55 GMT
To my mind, the best solution will be 330-390 rod with zoom function, based on Shimano tenkara rods concept: stiff hollow tip and all sections are flexible. You can cast short lines almost without backcast, by short and forced wrist movement. This feature is useless for open waters but very useful for strongly overgrowned streams, where you do not have space for normal backcast. Also this rod action is good for lob casts, roll casts and bow&arrow casts. Unfortunately, this kind of rod action less suitable to play big fish, because the rod bends too much. I search for the compromise now. The advantages of a good zoom rod (also see the Daiwa Sagiri on Chris's web site www.tenkarabum.com/daiwa-sagiri.html) are attractive, but my problem in this case wasn't casting it was knowing what to do with the rod when playing a fish, because the foliage seriously restricted where you could put the rod tip. What I felt I wanted was something about 3.3m that I could drop to 2.5m for playing the fish or less important, for when the vegetation made casting difficult, I just partially collapsed the rod to let me cast. But equally there were wider and more open stretches where something longer than the Iwana would have been nice. To go back to the two rod idea I do wonder if one of Chris's Tanago rods (leaving aside arguments about what is and isn't a Tenkara rod) used in conjunction with a zooming rod as you described might be a way of covering the variability you often find in smaller rivers/streams. Graham
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Post by Paul G on Sept 11, 2012 18:13:55 GMT
Two things that may help: If you use a shorter line than you would normally do (say around 5 to 7 feet with perhaps 3ft of tippet), this helps avoid snagging the rod tip whilst "tracking" the flies. Secondly, shorten down the rod to cast in very tight spots (and look to see if there are any gaps in the canopy that you can manoeuvre into to actually land a fish). If no such spots available - you'll need to strike (low and sideways is best) and as soon as the fish comes towards you - draw the rod back parallel to the water (still collapsed if necessary) and grab the main line. Depending on how "sensitive" you can be with your hand-lining (i.e. ready to give line again if necessary) will determine how many fish you land without the hook falling out. Rather than carrying two rods when fishing a heavily vegetated stream - I carry two lines. A short one and a slightly longer one (each on their own cast holder). I fish the "normal" length line through all the spots that are amenable to it (usually upstream). I then cherry pick the super tight spots on the way back to the car - after having changed to the shorter line. Simples.
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Post by myotis on Sept 11, 2012 18:45:08 GMT
Thanks Paul,
The key words in your post are "still collapsed" , which I assume also means "can be collapsed" for a collapsed rod to play the fish, would resolve my problem. A shorter line would also help, of course.
I had got it into my head that you couldn't play a fish unless the rod was fully extended.
Cheers,
Graham
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