Tenkara rods

[Wanderer]

Hi I am thinking of buying a tenkara rod. Does anyone have any direct feedback on the manufacturers and the quality. By direct you have fished yours or borrowed a friends, I am looking at Tenkara usa, Tenkara rod company or dragon tail. Is there a greta deal difference between them? Are any made in the USA?

[Wildman]

I have fished several Tenkara USA rods and own a Rhodo...that adjusts from 8’10”/ 9’9”/10’6”. I am very pleased with it and have caught some very nice fish. Well made...comes with a soft and metal rod case.
The company has a number of rods....some that are fixed and some that adjust even more then mine. I have fished a 12 ft and enjoyed it just as much.

Tenkarausa is a company that is very responsive to the customer and are always willing to answer questions. Takes a very short time to get used to how quickly they set up and in my case...collapse down to move up or down stream. You can have several different types of fly lines and lengths and change them in seconds. I fish with a flyline...tippet ring and then tippet. Dry, nymph or wet flies are all very easy and fun. I will buy a longer collapsible down the road.

Very happy with my TenkaraUSA Rhodo which I bought when they were having a sale.

[Baughb]

I bought one a few years ago from Tenkara USA and it is the 13' model. I believe I got a quality piece of fishing gear and I do enjoy using it when the conditions are right. Considering how many bits of gear that I have that almost never gets used... I enjoy this from time to time.

[tomsakai]

I have a T USA Sato rod and really like it. Also have a couple other T USA rods but haven't had a chance to use them yet. It seems to me that one of (maybe the most important) factors to consider is after sale service. Tenkara rods are somewhat fragile; much more so than normal fly rods. When you break one you'll want a manufacturer with a good replacement policy. I've had good service from T USA. Most all "popularly priced" rods are from China; you can buy (more expensive) Japanese rods on the tenkarabum site. You might pm rsetina; Rick know a lot about Tenkara.

[RSetina]

Tom told me you were asking about Tenkara rods so I thought I'd give you my two cents. My wife and I have been fishing TenkaraUSA rods since 2009 when Daniel had just started his company. We own, just guessing, 10 rods from them. If Daniel made it, we probably have it. I broke my Ito a while back and received the replacement part within a week. Tom said service is important. TUSA has outstanding service run by TJ.

I've not fished any other brands, because I found that TenkaraUSA rods do the trick. Daniel made several trips to Japan for advice from the masters there, about design, rod lengths, etc. and he makes some fine fly rods. You can't go wrong with his Tenkara rods.

As for which rods you should buy, I'd suggest buying the Ito, or one of the telescoping rods, Sato or Rhodo, if you're looking for a shorter rod. The long rods are usually what you're looking for in a Tenkara Rod, but Daniel had been asked to design some shorter rods, and for a while resisted because he wanted to stay true to the long rod tradition of 11 feet or longer. When he came out with the Rhodo and Sato, they were well received by the Tenkara community. If you have any question feel free to ask.

[Bstallings]

I purchased the Sato combo from Orvis while visiting NYC. Used the $25 off coupon offer appearing in most fly fishing magazines. While visiting Yosemite this week, I fished the rod for the 1st time on the Merced River below Happy Isles using the grizzly hackled Kabari fly. Did very well w/ lots of strikes hooking about 25%. Did not get any to the net as I haven't got the fish landing technique down yet. Rod cast very well & was a lot of fun when bent. I would recommend the Sato rod or any other Tenkara USA rods. Combo contains everything you need to get started.

[Wanderer]

I am trying not to spend to much on a rod budget constraints and all. I keep seeing they company called maxcatch which advertises nice looking rods for 1/2 the price of som of the other well known names. If I can afford it Usually buy something well known but I can't right now. So does anyone know any thing about this company? I am always suspicious of on any name that i like max this extreme that or well you get the drift>>>> lol

so anyone know any thing? MY budget is right about 100

[RSetina]

Looking at the Maxcatch webpage I clicked on the contact us link. They are located in China. I don't know what shipping from there will cost you, but that would be something to consider in the cost of the rod. Many good products that go though a quality control department come from China, but for $50 to $60 I wonder how good of a product they produce. The saying, You get what you pay for, could apply here, unless someone has used one of these rods and can say they are a good product.

[Wanderer]

exactly my thoughts save a bit risk a poor product or score a deal