jeremymcon
Member
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2012
- Messages
- 600
I bought a Fountainhead tenkara rod a little while back thinking that I may be able to find some use for it. I was thinking:
1. My fiance/kid brother could use it because it's simpler to cast than a fly rod, but would still give them the fun of catching a fish on a dry fly.
2. It may be fun to nymph with if I ever really wanted to czech nymph
3. It may be useful for backpacking since it's so lightweight.
Also, judging by all of the videos and promotional material online I thought maybe I'd enjoy just using it as a primary rod.
Well, I've been messing around with it for a while, and I have to say that I'm not thrilled with it. Here's why:
A. It's no fun to cast. All you do is flick the line out in front of you. Casting a fly rod is *way* more fun. I'd even say casting a spinning rod is more fun.
B. It's no fun to land fish. I just pick up the rod, grab the line, and haul them in.
C. It's not useful for most of the streams I fish with. It's long and unwieldly, and most of the trout streams I fish are dense and brushy. The length of the rod really limits what spots I can get to. Plus it's impossible to cast underneath anything since you really have to make an overhand cast to get the fly anywhere.
D. Managing the line is a nightmare. Unlike a fly line, a 15 foot piece of fluorocarbon is *not* easy to untangle. I got some of the line keepers that attach to the rod, and that helped a little, but it's still a pain. I prefer having a reel to keep line on.
I think maybe it will still be fun to have on a backpacking trip. I doubt my kid brother would be able to use it without getting the line hopelessly tangled, and my fiance isn't really interested - she says that traditional fly fishing looks more fun and more versatile.
I haven't tried it for "Czech" nymphing yet. Maybe I will. Though that style of nymphing seems like it may bore me as well since there's no actual casting involved. We'll see.
1. My fiance/kid brother could use it because it's simpler to cast than a fly rod, but would still give them the fun of catching a fish on a dry fly.
2. It may be fun to nymph with if I ever really wanted to czech nymph
3. It may be useful for backpacking since it's so lightweight.
Also, judging by all of the videos and promotional material online I thought maybe I'd enjoy just using it as a primary rod.
Well, I've been messing around with it for a while, and I have to say that I'm not thrilled with it. Here's why:
A. It's no fun to cast. All you do is flick the line out in front of you. Casting a fly rod is *way* more fun. I'd even say casting a spinning rod is more fun.
B. It's no fun to land fish. I just pick up the rod, grab the line, and haul them in.
C. It's not useful for most of the streams I fish with. It's long and unwieldly, and most of the trout streams I fish are dense and brushy. The length of the rod really limits what spots I can get to. Plus it's impossible to cast underneath anything since you really have to make an overhand cast to get the fly anywhere.
D. Managing the line is a nightmare. Unlike a fly line, a 15 foot piece of fluorocarbon is *not* easy to untangle. I got some of the line keepers that attach to the rod, and that helped a little, but it's still a pain. I prefer having a reel to keep line on.
I think maybe it will still be fun to have on a backpacking trip. I doubt my kid brother would be able to use it without getting the line hopelessly tangled, and my fiance isn't really interested - she says that traditional fly fishing looks more fun and more versatile.
I haven't tried it for "Czech" nymphing yet. Maybe I will. Though that style of nymphing seems like it may bore me as well since there's no actual casting involved. We'll see.