One gentle flick of the wrist, and the light line soars forward, dropping the kebari precisely on target. A native brook trout rockets to the surface and crushes it, turning for safety in the rocks below. The angler feels the rod flex all the way down to the grip as the fish connects and runs, moving it deftly to hand after a spirited fight. 

High-flex tenkara rods offer a refined fishing experience that is ideal for fishing lines and flies with traditional Japanese tenkara techniques. They also make any small to medium fish a sportier pursuit.  

What is High-Flex and why offer a 5:5 action? 

​What are we talking about when we say "5:5, high-flex"?

Typically, manufacturers rate the action of a Tenkara rod with a ratio, like 5:5, 6:4, and 7:3. The first number is the amount of sections that are stiffer; the second number is the amount of sections that are more flexible. This also gives you a general idea of where the rod flexes - a 6:4 is most flexible 60% up the rod length. Badger Tenkara rod specifications give a ratio and general description such as "medium-flex". 

With most medium or low-flex actions, the rod bends further out towards the tip. The angler feels the "tug" of the fish further out away from them, because that is where the rod is loading and flexing. 

With a high-flex, 5:5 action the angler can usually feel the rod "flexing" all the way down into the grip. Paired with proper line tension, a high-flex action casts and fishes some techniques with much greater control and feedback than less flexible actions, because - 

1) They cast light lines very well. 
2) They transmit subtle moves for delicate fly manipulations.
3) Strikes and fish fighting are felt to maximum effect. 

We spent over a year testing several designs with 5:5 actions in 2016. You see, every time that we order rods, we get a few extra in different lengths and actions to experiment with, and to get a feel for what our factory is able to produce when we ask for "different" designs. During that year, we became very confident that we could produce some exciting high-flex action rods, but we did not think there would be enough interest to support adding a high-flex model to our tenkara rod line-up.

Then we found out we might be wrong! Lots of recent  community discussions prompted us to take another look at the matter. We ran a poll to gather some feedback and get serious about a design...

We are happy to announce the dates for the 4th annual Midwest Tenkara Fest in Coon Valley Wisconsin! ​MWTF 2018 will be held May 5th and 6th at the American Legion Hall. Stay tuned for more "details" - but here are the basics:

1) Featured Presenter: We are honored to be joined by international ambassador of the world of fly fishing 
Misako Ishimura, co-author/ contributor of the book Tenkara Radically Simple, Ultralight Fly Fishing. She is recognized as one of the earliest ambassadors of tenkara to the United States and has a unique body of fly fishing knowledge to share! 

2) Film Fest: Create a tenkara or fixed line fly fishing movie to share with the world! We'll show as many submissions at the 'Fest as we can. The theme is "In the Zone", and videos must be no more than 10 minutes. 

3) Fishing-friendly schedule: We know that many people travel from all over the country to attend MWTF - and we want to make sure that you have time to fish the incredible trout streams of the Driftless! To that end:

The event will run from 3pm-10 pm on Saturday and from 9am-Noon on Sunday. We will have doors open and the event hall staffed Saturday morning from 9-11 to provide information to people who are looking for a place to fish, or need other info about the area. 

We look forward to seeing you at MWTF 2018! 

​- Matt & Mike @ Badger
 
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