Tenkara Rod Test Drive: Nirvana 400

6/24/2019

The NIRVANA 400 Tenkara rod goes to work on Driftless Trout Streams

I'm really settling into a preference for longer rods these days. I typically fish the longest rod I can get away with on the terrain I'm fishing, and in the Driftless, you've usually got enough room to fish as long a rod as you like. I've been trying as many models as I can get my hands on, and anything about 390-410 has been working well for me.

Last week I got the chance to put the Nirvana 400 tenkara rod through its paces on Driftless trout streams. It was rigged with a 13 ft #4 level line, about 5 ft of 5x tippet, and a variety of flies. All told, over 60 brown and brook trout ranging from 5-14 inches were caught. I fished it on several different kinds of water, from extremely tight to comfortably open, with current strength ranging from moderate to slow and glassy.

About the rod

Rod Specs
Fishing Length:
13 ft 1 in (399cm)
Collapsed Length: 24 in
Handle Length: 10.5 in
Sections: 8
Weight:93 grams/ 3.2 oz
CCS/RFI:19.5 pennies/4.9
Rotational Moment: 2.8

The fit and finish on the rod are excellent. I found the grip contour comfortable regardless of where it was held. While you can certainly feel the length of the rod when casting, it is well balanced and does not feel "tip heavy".

Performance

The Nirvana 400 has a fast but pleasantly smooth feel. The rod fished #4 level in gusty wind very well, and will probably throw lines down to #3 without difficulty. I am confident it will really sing with a furled or floating line. The rod has very little oscillation (it isn't wobbly when you stop moving it) and recovers to "still" very quickly. I was able to make precise casts to tight target zones and maintain positive control of fly position and line tension without issue.

The Nirvana 400 tenkara rod features a stiffer tip which makes hooksets easy. A quick and definitive upwards wrist-break produced clean sets. The power curve is firm and consistent. When I needed to muscle a trout from under a cutbank I was able to it without putting the rod into threat. When I needed to dig in my heels against a stronger run I was able to stop the fish in its tracks. I felt soldily in control of both cast and trout on all of the water I fished.

I primarily fished wet flies at random in the #12 neighborhood, but tried out a few nymphs and streamers to get the feel. The rod performed well with all of the patterns I fished.

Check out the video below to get a better feel for the Nirvana 400

WRAP-UP

The Nirvana 400 is a solid contender in the "longer tenkara rod" arena. Anglers wanting a single rod to fish a variety of styles and tackle will like the versatility and "do it all" nature of the design, especially those who regularly switch between trout and warm-water species like bass. The 400 will throw just about anything from traditional patterns to poppers without batting an eye. Anglers wanting to place precise presentations in small target zones will appreciate the fast recovery and lack of oscillation. Anglers pursuing larger fish will appreciate the firm power curve. It would take a gnarly situation to make you feel "outgunned" on this rod! Overall, the Nirvana 400 is an ultra-practical addition to your quiver, or a fine choice for your "one and only" tenkara rod.

Get your Nirvana 400 here at Dragontail Tenkara!

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Tenkara trip report: Driftless Shakedown

6/22/2019

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Early Summer Tenkara in Wisconsin's Driftless

Perfect tenkara rod water; a beautiful plunge along a limestone anchored LUNKER structure.

I've been on a "shakedown" cruise for a few weeks, getting into the rhythm of van life by wandering and fishing the Driftless. It's also been a time to "shakedown" my tenkara rod fishing style a bit before I head for the mountains. Last week I got into some some superb trout fishing along the way!

"Summertime, and the fishin' is easy..."

Not exactly. Grass that was waist high 10 days ago is now nearly above my head in most places. The banks are thick with sharp thistle bushes, poison ivy, and wild parsnip. The gnats are traveling in swarms that resemble an invading Mongol horde. Driftless springwater creeks are clear as freshly cleaned glass, and sun on the water automatically raises the difficulty level for stalking and casting alike.

Despite this, it's my favorite time of year to tenkara rod fish the Driftless. The trout are hungry and more oriented towards the surface, so I can focus on fishing wet flies. I like to target the top 6 inches of the water column. While I can drown the fly and let it sink deeper and out of sight, I usually don't. Instead, my goal is to draw a surface strike. To me, there is nothing more exciting than watching a trout appear out of nowhere and smash a fly!

TOP LEFT:

TDB "Typical Driftless Brown" pushing 14-inches. Caught in the head of the run pictured to the right.

TOP RIGHT:

The TDB pictured "top left" was holding directly below the tiny plunge at the left side head of the pool in about 6 inches of water. I put a "fly only" cast just above the plunge and let it dead drift into the target zone for a quick take. The fish made a few short runs, then did what I both expected and feared it might do - ran hard and made it under that log on the lower left bank. I countered by dropping the tip parallel to the water and down to my right. This loaded the rod at the power curve and gave me the leverage I needed. From there, I could draw the fish back out into the pool while protecting my tippet section; I put the tenkara rod to work against the fish and kept the line clear of a potential snap-off on the structure.

BOTTOM LEFT:

Stream side conditions in the Driftless are..."lush" this time of year.

BOTTOM RIGHT:

1-3 feet wide and 6 inches deep at the head. Caught two TDBs from the faster water near the bank about a foot below the plunge. Line-tight, fly only dead drifts through the target zone got the job done. If I am fishing water that I suspect may hold more than one trout, I do my best to pull the fish away from it's lie for the fight. In many cases this allows me to catch multiple fish from small target zones.

GEAR & TACTICS

Last week, I tried an experiment with fly selection. I had a couple dozen basic soft hackle kebari left over from our retail days. They are a variant of the commonly seen Takayama Kebari pattern, featuring a black, red, or white thread body, a small wrap of peacock herl, and a somewhat embarrassingly large grizzly style soft hackle. All of them are size #12. Any time I rigged a new fly last week, I simply grabbed one at random and fished it.

Over the course of 3 days of fishing I easily broke north of 60 trout to hand fishing tenkara rods. The conventional anglers I was camping with were using size #16-#20 patterns and were surprised I was having success with "big patterns". My experience is that putting a generally buggy looking meal in the right position of the water column is of more critical importance than the fly pattern being used. While there are some highly pressured fisheries that require meticulous fly pattern selection, the Driftless as a whole isn't one of them. It's much more important to "hone the zone" by targeting specific lies with appropriate presentation at depths where the fish's attention is oriented. This experience has been consistent on most waters I've fished in other regions, too.

I primarily fished the surface, catching most of my fish in the top few inches of the water. Precise tip control and definitive casting stops can produce devastatingly effective fly-only drifts with tenkara rods. Developing consistent "stop control" in the forward cast allows the angler to adjust the potential depth the fly can sink to. A shorter tip arc stops the line system from giving the fly enough slack to sink when it lands, instead producing a tensioned line that only allows the fly (or a few inches of tippet) to reach the water. The properly tensioned line grants you clean drifts, increased control over the fly, and clean hooksets.

WRAP UP, What's next?

It's been a great few weeks getting things sorted out on my home water, but now it's time to head for the Mountains! I'm launching out to fish Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee. Stay tuned this week for a "Tenkara rod test drive" and more. Catch you soon!

- Matt @ Badger

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GUEST POST: spoon fishing with tenkara rods

6/16/2019

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Badger Co-founder Mike Lutes shares his take on Tenkara rod micro spoon fishing

Even though Badger Tenkara Co-founder Mike Lutes is no longer an "official" part of the company, he's still got a lot of interesting things to share. Mike and I have always been open to a broader interpretation of tenkara rod fishing, and our natural tendency to push the limits has resulted in a lot of experimentation on the water. Check out his angle on fishing "micro spoons" on tenkara rods!
- Matt @ Badger

I couldn’t help myself. At Midwest Tenkara Fest 2018, I bought a few micro spoons from Chris Stewart, “The Tenkara Bum”. Chris has been a thought leader in the US tenkara world from beginning. If he had great things to say about the spoons, I wanted to try them. His endorsement of the spoons angered some of the tenkara purists, but I’ve never been that interested in strictly limiting my tenkara fishing to “tenkara as it defined and practiced in Japan”. So, I picked up a few of the Daiwa Vega 0.4g microspoons in colors Chris recommended.

Once the festivities wrapped up, Matt and I broke away to fish together on the Bad Axe, a river we like enough to name a rod for,but on a section we had not spent much time on. I looked down stream from our planned starting point and saw a log jam that looked promising. The approach would be tricky. I would have to climb down a steep bank from up stream section, potentially putting me in the line of sight of the fish. The angle would be less than ideal. I tried to drop my cast right up against the jam, but missed by more than a foot. Imagine my surprise when a trout shot out from the jam and crushed the spoon! Not a bad start. Or maybe that fish was just particularly eager. Later, Matt fished a promising looking run ahead of me and drew no strikes. “No fish in this run” he pronounced. I will fully admit that Matt is a better tenkara angler than I, but I still had to try. On my first cast, I had two trout chase the spoon down the run. And so it continued.

Our experience with trout in the driftless region has been that they are not typically very selective. If you put something that looks like trout food in the zone where they are feeding (on the surface, in the film, deep and so forth), you will catch at least some trout. Thus, we believe the fly angler should “hone the zone” versus “match the hatch”. However, driftless trout, and our browns in particular, typically won’t go too far out of their way to grab a fly. They tend to be very structure oriented. I’ve had scenarios where I make multiple casts to the same fish, and if I don’t get within a couple inches of the feeding lane, the fly is ignored. The only fly that I’ve fished that fish will CONSISTENTLY go out of their way to hit is the San Ron Worm. But the microspoon puts it to shame. It draws fish way out of their comfortable lies with a frequency that is hard to believe. Which leads me to what I think the real strength is to the microspoon.

The mircospoon is the best prospecting tool I have yet to find. If you are fishing a new body of water and are wondering “are their fish in that little blue line?”. Grab a spoon. Matt and I have spent so much time exploring new creeks. When we hit a creek and the fishing is slow or not happening at all, we always have to wonder, is it us? Is it the weather? Did the water temperature drop? Are their just no fish in this creek? Did another angler disturb the creek before we got there? Do we just take this creek off the list or try again another day? I believe the spoon is they best way to determine if a new body of water is worth your time to fish. Sure, you can dial it in and fish the fly of your choice once you know there are decent numbers of fish, but putting a spoon on your line will answer your questions faster and more reliably that a fly. If you like to explore new water, put a couple in your fly box.

The other great thing about the spoons is that they will often give you another chance at a fish. If you miss (or the fish misses), cast again. Last week, I had what I think was the same brook trout chase the spoon six times! I also caught my personal best crappie on a spoon after I missed him the first time.

Speaking of other species, so far I have caught brook trout, brown trout, bluegills, sunfish, crappie, perch, largemouth bass and shiners on the spoon. I haven’t chased smallmouth with them yet, but that is coming!

Now, as far as the downsides. First, they are a bit expensive, at least compared to many (certainly not all) flies, but there is no doubt in my mind they are well-worth the cost. If I am exploring a new creek, time is my most valuable asset. Having a reliable tool to assess the numbers of fish in the creek is invaluable. Think of the time you spend planning trips, driving there and the gas money you spend! Second, my hook up rate with them is not great. I draw way more strikes than solid hook ups. I’ve talked to Chris Stewart about this and he thinks it is because the fish tend to strike the spoon from the side, missing the hook. One could try to remedy the problem with a treble hook, but I think the goes against the ethos of most tenkara fisherman. I personally dislike treble hooks greatly, as I’ve removed countless numbers of them from patients in my other life as an ER doctor. I don’t see to many guys come in the ER with a single, barbless hook embedded in a hand/finger/arm/face. So,that for me is not the answer. If you handle the hooks on the spoons Chris sells, you will note they are ridiculously sharp. Turns out, the Japanese know a thing or two about sharpening metals. That being said, they are very soft, and I’ve had fish bend the hook. I thought that perhaps the soft hook was messing with my hook set, so I traded them out for a #10 Orvis Tactical Czech nymph hook, which has a very similar profile. My hook up rate greatly improved. So, that may be more of a “me” problem than a problem with the spoon itself, but it improved my hook rate. In Chris’s write up on his experience with the spoon, he writes that the fish will “hook themselves” so maybe I just need to be more patient. Chris also recommends a replacement hook for anglers who don’t like the softer hook, which I will also check out. Don’t get me wrong. While I wish my hook up rate was better, it is well worth it to me just to see the kind of fish numbers I do while fishing the spoon. I have no doubt part of the issue is “angler error”. Since you so often see the fish come after the spoon, I think I sometimes I time my hook set wrong, whether too early or too late. At times the fish will hook themselves, but if you see them darting at the spoon, it can be hard to tell if they have really taken it or are just pushing it around. I suspect I will improve my connection rate with time, but is something the spoon-naive should be aware of.

Lastly, I’d like to discuss the mechanics and tactics of microspoon fishing with tenkara rods. You should know these things are light. I have cast them with numerous rods and have no problem casting them with a variety of rods, including softer Japanese rods. They are easier to cast than some of the heavy nymphs and air-resistant streamers I also fish. They cast really nicely with #4 level line. You could probably use a lighter line than that, but I have not tried. Lightweight floating line works great, too. It is easier to hit a defined target with a spoon than a heavier nymph or streamer in my experience. There is none of the pendulum-like effect you get with heavier flies.

The Original Tenkara Bum (OTB?), suggests fishing the spoons upstream, raising the rod to keep the line tight. That strategy certainly works and gives the spoon the “wounded wobble” fish seem to love. I’ve also had good success fishing them downstream, letting them drift or swing. They won’t sink as much, for sure. You can cast, let them sink and retrieve, which also works. Regardless, fish will often take them on the drop before you have a chance to think about how you handle the retrieve. If you are fishing still water, let the spoon drop and do the “wounded wobble” on the way down. Then, switch up your retrieve. Try a steady retrieve (it will still spin) or retrieve with wrist motion to give the spoon more action. If those don’t work, try a twitch/pause like you would with a streamer, varying the speed and frequency to see what the fish like. A twitch and then sink and can be very effective, very wounded-baitfish-like.

As far as tying the spoon on, I use the non-slip mono loop knot, which works great for me. Other anglers use a microswivel or snap, which I will also try. I have not felt the need for a swivel, as I feel I still get plenty of movement with just a loop knot, but at $4.50 for a package, why not try it?

Can you buy spoons for your tenkara rod somewhere else? Maybe. Good luck, though. I looked at several sources and did not find anyone selling spoons as light as T-bum sells and the heavier ones are not at pleasant to fish. My money will continue to go to Chris, who has done so much to grow the tenkara community in the US and elsewhere.

In closing, unless fishing a spoon with a tenkara rod is too upsetting to your sensibilities, give it a try. They are a blast. I don’t think you find a better prospecting tool and it is simply fun to watch fish (sometimes multiple fish) chase the thing.

-Mike Lutes

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Tenkara Rod Fishing with friends from Indy

6/16/2019

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Tenkara rod fly fishing for Driftless trout

TRIP REPORT

The day after I made camp, I met a few tenkara rod angling friends from the Indianapolis area who were rambling the Driftless themselves. I've known Shawn for a few years now, and met his regular fishing buddy Tyler just that morning. Both are experienced warm water tenkara anglers, but come up this way whenever they get a chance to enjoy our cold trout water. Despite the stream being a bit stained, conditions were decent - mostly cloudy with rising temps. The stream we hit is a Vernon County favorite of mine (even though it ate my first Sony Action Cam a few years ago) and is usually a productive stretch. It did not disappoint on this visit!

My 13-ft rod was rigged as per usual - just short of a rod length of #4 line, 4-5 ft of 5X tippet, and a #12 Pass Lake. I planned on targeting the surface, even though I've had killer days nymphing this creek. The weather is warm and to me that means wet fly manipulations for surface action!

Shawn fished a small hopper/small nymph dropper and CLEANED UP. His deliberate, thorough drifts produced a lot of catches - even in water Tyler and I had both already worked. Slow, steady, and clean catches fish!

Tyler switched between nymph and wet patterns, I stuck to wets, and we each broke north of 20 fish to hand that morning. Shawn buried us both - I would not be surprised if he brought closer to 40 fish to hand. Nothing too big, maybe topping out around 13 inches, but plenty in hand. That is a solid run for three anglers on a mile of small creek, and that was just the morning!

Fishing slowed considerably after lunch. We drove to another "go-to" stream, but as weather started to move in, things slowed. We still pulled down a few dozen catches between us, but success was much more sporadic than it was in the morning.

Pictures

TOP LEFT: Shawn puts the stalk on a productive run. He had begun the day with a surface fly, but here he switched to nymphs and started crushing it.
TOP RIGHT: The camera is pointed straight out at eye-level...where you can see that the grass is already reaching the same height in some places. In another week it will all be that tall. What you can't see unless you expand the picture is THE GNATS. SO MANY GNATS this year. Like an Alfred Hitchcock movie. If you are hitting the water in the Driftless this summer, BRING YOUR BUGGINS!
MIDDLE LEFT: Bamboo growing along a sweet cut-bank.I liked the color gradient on the stalks.
MIDDLE RIGHT: The "TDB" = "Typical Driftless Brown".
LOWER LEFT: Excellent limestone cuts on the far bank.
LOWER RIGHT: Tyler brings a TDB up for air.

RODS

Between the three of us, we carried a about a half-dozen rods that day, a mix of models from both American and Japanese manufacturers. One of the guys brought a Dragontail/Nirvana 370z zoom tenkara rod along, a model which I hadn't yet fished. I'm glad I got to spend some time getting to know the rod. It's action is a crisp 6:4 that I find easy to control. Casting was smooth; I was able to place and manipulate the fly with precision. This would be a great rod to choose for waters where you want to cast accurate and controlled, but might get into a bigger than expected fish. At full extension, The 370z has a firm, consistent power curve. I am confident it can put the stick to a larger trout when needed, or go "gloves-off" with most smallmouth bass, ranging up to 20 inches or so. I did not fish it at the short position, but will report back when I do.

WRAP-UP

Shawn and Tyler were great company on the water and we caught a ton of fish. Summer fishing is "on" in the Driftless, so I am sticking around for another week of Wisconsin fishing before heading to Tennessee. Catch you soon!

-Matt @ Badger

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Tenkara rod rambling through the Driftless

6/12/2019

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After launching out of Madison on Monday, I headed to a Vernon County campground not too far from Viroqua, WI. Not only was I surrounded by spring-fed trout streams (see a snapshot of the WI DNR map below), but a small creek was no more than 100 ft. from my campsite! I'd fished it once a few years ago but had tough luck - the campground was full and the fish were not happy about it. I managed to catch very little that day. This day was different - the campground was nearly empty and the weather was perfect. Late afternoon was giving way to evening and I could hear the stream calling me as I got camp situated. Then I broke for the water as fast as I could!

I rigged up a Suntech Kurenai HM30R (9 ft 7 inches) with 9 ft of #3 line, about 3 ft of 5x tippet, and a #12 Pass Lake wet fly. The HMR30 weighs less than 1 ounce and makes smaller fish incredibly sporty. It's a "cult classic" rod that has earned it a reputation as a small stream "magic wand". The action is soft and dynamic...it's one of only a few rods that equate to a "point and click" casting experience.

Having slipped quietly into the stream bed, it was time to fish. The water was gin clear, with lots of good limestone structure. In some places it opened up to 10 ft but mostly the stream runs about 3 ft wide and 15 inches deep, with depth maxing out at 3 ft in just a few places. Despite being sunny, I was able to move in and out of casting positions relatively easily, staying low as I worked upstream, and close to the banks to disguise my presence. I like to try and keep my rod low as I move through water like this, and keep it over my shoulder pointed backward so I can transition directly into a cast from the stalk. Sometimes that one, first cast is all you get before the fish spook - have to make it count!

I was expecting Brook trout, but got into Browns almost immediately. The fish were active and on the feed. I fished the pass Lake in the top few inches of the water, and they would dash out of cover to nail it, usually just as it hit the film. Strangely, I only got into brook trout on the lowest sections of the stream, and only a few of them at that - the browns seem to have rule in this creek. No matter, they were plentiful, hungry, and biting in good numbers. What surprised me was that most of the fish were closer to 10 inches than 6! I even got into a couple full 12 inchers. There were several fish I had to go "two hands on the grip" for because they broke for the undercuts SO fast. The softer action on the HMR30 made these fish into serious contenders, I enjoyed a handful of fierce battles as the fish tried to bunker up in an undercut and I did my best to stop them. It was laugh-out-loud fun!

All told I had over 30 trout on the hook and brought most of them to hand - in about 4/5 mile of small water. It's hard to beat a fishing experience THAT good so close to where you stay. While I wanted more, I needed to get ready for fishing the next day- I was to link up with a few friends to fish the next morning. In the next post, we'll cover a great day of fishing with a couple friends who made a 7 hour drive one way to enjoy a few days of tenkara rod fishing in the Driftless.

Catch you soon -
Matt @ Badger

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Badger tenkara expeditions

6/8/2019

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Tenkara Rod Fishing Adventures & #Vanlife

It's time for a new adventure here at Badger Tenkara. Time to fish with friends, explore new water, and share the journey as I go. Time to "live in a van down by the river" so I can be as close to the action as possible!

Matt Foley had it right!

HERE IS THE PLAN

I'm going "van life" - moved into my 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan, and I'm going to travel the country fishing while living on the road. My focus for the "Expedition" will be on these three goals;

1 - Explore, refine, and document my personal Tenkara rod fishing style:
I want to push myself to develop a deep understanding of everything tenkara rod fishing can do, and how it works best for me. I'll use information and sources already available and synthesize that with my own personal experience. Getting on as many different kinds of water & species combinations as possible will be key, so I'll be moving around the country frequently.

2 - Explore the Tenkara rod fishing community as a whole, and fish with as many people as possible:
I want to explore where, how, and why people are fishing tenkara rods. Every angler has a unique perspective - so I want to meet as many tenkara rod anglers as I can, in person, and fish with them. From well known "tenkara fishing personalities" to "average jane & joe" anglers, we'll explore anything people are doing with tenkara rods, and get a good look at the "State of Tenkara". There is a lot of experience out there and we have much to teach each other!

3 - Share the journey:
Fishing and Traveling is more fun when you share the experience, so I am going to share it with you. You can expect lots of blog posts, videos, essays, and pictures. I'll feature content about tenkara rod fishing on the existing "BT Blog" - this will include trip reports, rod & gear reviews, tactics, and training journals. The new "Expeditions" blog will soon explore van life, outdoor gear, and non-fishing adventures that I encounter along the way.

I'm extremely excited to begin this adventure and share it with you all. Please make sure to subscribe to the BT Blog mailing list for additional information and updates (just to the right of the blog near the top). Look for posts to begin next week!

Catch you soon -
Matt @ Badger

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