Esoteric Nymph Rod Development

Differences between Tenkara and Western Rods

While Esoteric Tackle has been focused on Tenkara fishing there have always been a few sneaky elements of Western fly fishing in the mix. Things like the nymphing indicators that started it all.

Developing Tenkara rods over the years has given me some insight into the whole development process as well as what works and does not work when it comes to the physics of casting. There is a distinct difference between how we cast when fly fishing and how we cast Tenkara fishing. That is not to say that Tenkara is not fly fishing. In my book it certainly is. However, for this article I'm using it only as a differential.

Fly fisher's are a broad band of people. Some waft the rod about and a soft action makes up for the lack of a firm stop. Others "stop" like they punched a concrete block. Fast action rods work best for the block punchers. Then there is a whole range in between and rods that suit them better than others.

Fly fishing relies on the weight of the line to load the rod. That's a given.

Tenkara rods use very light lines. You can use lines which do load the rod but for the most part they barely manage it. You have to rely on rod speed and firm "stops" to put the load into the rod. For me, the backcast is more important than the forward cast. Without the line speed behind, you'll not get it going forwards.

The casting stroke of Tenkara is shorter, with much less arm. A finger up the grip prevents too much wrist being involved, but wrist is a key element of the Tenkara cast.

If you waft a Tenkara rod about it's not going to play nice. It's certainly not going to deliver a loop that will penetrate the wind.

Appropriate Rivers

Not all water is Tenkara water. If the fish has a change to take off in a straight line beyond the reach of the rod and fixed line then it's not appropriate. Big rivers can be Tenkara water if it full of "pots" and holes that may have a resident fish but not much running room between them.

A wide river with big pools and opportunity for a fish to easily get out of range. Like the River Dee in Wales, is not ideal. It can be fished with a Tenkara rod, but unless you have skills in handling a hooked fish and quickly bringing it to hand, you're risking losing the fish, tackle and jamming your rod. Ethically, that  doesn't sit right with me.

Tenkara has it's place on smaller rivers and in fast head waters. It it's environment it excels. It's far more productive and effective than fly fishing.

Cross Over

Here I am, loving Tenkara, but on a big river. I want to use the techniques and tactics of Tenkara but my fly fishing gear is too heavy and too short.

I can nymph with heavy bugs under the rod tip. I can use a French Leader to fish lighter at range but it's not right. It feels counter intuitive to use a heavy reel to balance a rod. Why can't I use a light reel on an already well balanced rod? I need to use a lighter line to keep it off the water but they are a nightmare to cast.

Challenges

The challenge was to create a fly fishing rod that handles like a Tenkara rod. My experience of most western fly fishers is that they can hardly be described as "delicate". No way could I put rings and a reel seat on a Tenkara rod and call it done.

Going "super light" with high modulus carbon is not a solution. There will be too many rod breaks from simply threading the line through the rings. Yes it would be lighter but my experience of Tenkara rods is that balance and a tip that feel light, is less tiring and far more satisfying to cast than a rod 50g lighter.

This is not something the Western world is necessarily aware of. There is definitely a trend for lighter, lighter, lighter!

I tried several attempts at a telescopic rod, like a Tenkara rod. Useless. Trying to line up the rings was a nightmare. Plus it was too fragile.

A zero weight rod felt too limiting and again, you run into the delicacy issue. I was looking at a big river solution for bigger fish but still with presentation Tenkara gives me.

Balance is key. Having to balance a rod using a silly, heavy reel totally defeats the reason for a light rod in my opinion. Heavy reels make a full day nymphing with a high stick a bit of a marathon effort. Shoulders of a shot putter come to mind.

Solutions

I'd already developed a power curve that works brilliantly for Tenkara rods in a Western environment. We like our weighted nymphs. Mapping that curve onto a 2-3 weight rod, and making a few adjustments was the plan.

Slightly softer to allow for lighter lines still to be cast but with plenty at the bottom of the blank for bigger fish.

Slightly softer also allows smaller tippet diameter to be protected. Great! Sorted.

Now the balance. 12ft is a big rod by Western standards. We're talking salmon rod length. How to get the balance without making it too heavy. I had a maximum of 150g in mind. That's nothing really. Most metal reels weigh in at heavier than that.

Out goes the cork. Sorry to you lovers of cork. The EVA is a controlled material I can have in various densities from light to heavy. Getting the weight of the handle, right, vastly changes the balance of the rod. I just can't do that with cork. Moving weight to the hand to balance the tip is basically doing what the reel does, but better.

Bonus of the EVA is that in the winter it is warm to the hand.

The rod comes in close to my maximum at 146g but that's because of the heavier handle and more robust lower sections giving the backbone for bigger fish. It's all about the balance.

Finish

"Matt rods don't sell." It's well known between the manufacturers. They just don't have the appeal on the rack when you're looking at rods. Never mind that the reduced glint from a blank can make a huge difference. So I've gone half way, sort of. The rod is matt but it has a subtle colour that will still play on the rod blank when the light hits it. It won't do anything for the fishing, but hey, it feel good to cast something that looks as good as it performs.

Add in a set of weights at the very end of the rod for 10g, if you want them. Make the length more versatile by adding and removing sections for a 4 in 1 rod length and there you have it.

A fly fishing rod with a Tenkara action and length. It casts better with a Tenkara style short stroke which is less fatiguing but it is not so delicate that you're going to snap a tip every other session.

Some people know I've been working at this for years. They saw the original zoom rods. The Esoteric 4 in 1 Nymph Rod is where I ended up.