New To Tenkara? What Rod Should You Buy?

While many of us are drawn to tenkara because of its simplicity, for someone who is looking to get their first tenkara setup, it can be hard to know what to buy. What gear do you need? What rod or line should you buy? What flies should you use? When it comes to gear, you really only need a rod, a line, and a fly. But with so many rod companies out there, and all the different rods they offer, it can be hard to choose. This article is for those looking to get set up with their first tenkara rod.

When it comes down to it, any rod that you choose for your first rod will be the right rod. We’re here to encourage people to get out in nature and fish, and if purchasing the $10 rod off Amazon is what it takes, then throw it in the cart and hit that checkout button! The important thing is that you’re out there fishing, and having fun doing it. We all have to start somewhere, and your first rod doesn’t have to be an expensive rod.

So what did we start with? To share a bit of insight, we have the tenkara setups that we learned on…

Amanda says “When I started, I had a DRAGONtail Mizuchi ZX340, a furled line, and I used a killer bug.”

The first setup I owned was an Iwana with a furled line from TenkaraUSA, and some sakasa kebari sold by DRAGONtail. But, my first few times fishing with a tenkara rod I used a DRAGONtail Hydra ZX390 with Amnesia line and an Elk Hair Caddis fly. This was the setup that a friend had leant me.

So what should you look for in a rod? The general rule of thumb is to use the longest rod that you can get away with for the waters that you fish. With that being said, a 12 foot or 360cm rod will fit most applications. If you live in an area where the streams may have a lot of overhead cover you may want to consider going with a shorter rod. For this, Amanda suggests a rod around 10 feet or 320cm. Having the shorter length will help to maneuver the rod around when space is limited.

What about lines for your tenkara rod? For a casting line, both Amanda and I would suggest a furled line. These lines are often made of multiple strands of material braided or twisted together. This allows them to be soft and very easy to cast, especially when learning. As far as the length for the line goes, look for a line as close to the length of your rod as possible. Along with the casting line, you’ll also need some tippet. This is the clear section of line that connects your fly to the casting line. A spool of 5X tippet will do in most situations.

When it comes to flies, really any fly will do. You don’t have to fish kebari. The first fish I caught on a tenkara rod was with the Elk Hair Caddis mentioned above. I didn’t really know what I was doing with it, but it still caught fish.

Aside from a rod, a line, and some flies, a couple other things that you should carry with you are a pair of forceps and a set of nippers. These are essential tools for fishing, and will come in handy when you need to remove the hook from a fish’ mouth, and cut your tippet when you tie on new flies.

Now that we’ve covered the components of the setup and some suggestions for what types of lines and flies to use, what rod should you go with? As I mentioned at the start of the article, you could always go with the cheapest option you find on Amazon, but buying a rod from a small business may offer a little higher quality, as well as a warranty. So what rod and setups would we recommend?

For the majority of anglers out there, we recommend the DRAGONtail Shadowfire 365 with the 11.5’ Furled Line Starter Kit

If you will be fishing primarily in areas with lots of tree cover, you may want a shorter rod. In that case, we would recommend the DRAGONtail Kaida ZX320 with the 10’ Furled Line Starter Kit

There are a couple reasons why we suggest these two rods from DRAGONtail. The first is that we think DRAGONtail is the perfect cross between price and quality; along with that, their customer service is excellent. The second reason is because either one of these rods should cover most situations that a beginning angler may find themselves in. There’s a lot to learn when getting started, and you shouldn’t spend too much time worrying about your gear. The best way to learn is to get out there and fish!

Before you go!

Brent from DRAGONtail Tenkara has generously offered our readers 15% off their first order. Use the code “heritagetenkara” at checkout when shopping at dragontailtenkara.com!