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