I don't detect any linear or rotational oscillation or overshoot.
Casting accuracy is excellent at the longer lengths as well. To me the rod feels well balanced at all three lengths. This gives the user a lot of options for this very useful cast.Ĭasting at the 290 and 340 lengths are smooth and well balanced. The line shoots forward with vigor, therefore your execution of the sling shot cast needs to be adjusted so not to splash the fly down too hard. Sling shot casting at 240 cm requires only a little deflection of that specially designed tip segment. Overhead casting at the 240 cm length takes practice, and practice is encouraged. Your fly shoots straight towards the target. This was designed so the rod will launch the line quickly without causing cast destroying line oscillations. The tip section is a little stiffer than the second and third (from the tip - Japanese numbering for segments). Because the rod is so short and has an RFI of 6.6 you won't feel the rod load with a 6.5' #3 line. This is desirable for my creeks as I can't move my arm much without hitting or hooking a branch. The casting stroke at 240 cm is quick with very little arm motion required. At the longer lengths the rod loads very nicely with the same line.
I chose that weight/length of line as it really tests a short rod and is what I often use on my small creeks. I can cast a 6.5 foot #3 fluorocarbon level line at the 240 cm length with ease and accuracy.
Further adjustments were made and finally Brent came up with a rod that met all of my goals.Ĭasting the rod shows that it is fast at 240 cm (as designed) and gets progressively slower as it is lengthened (again, as designed). Adjustments were made and soon other iterations of the rod were produced and tested (I made a video of fishing the third iteration). Testing ensued, both my static measurements and on stream performance. He contacted his manufacturing engineers and soon we had the first iteration of the rod in hand. We talked about these characteristics and goals, and he thought is could be doable. So, with those goals in mind I contacted Brent Auger of DRAGONtail tenkara. But it should also have great customer service and be easily and economically repaired if breakage does happen.Ĩ) be able to be completely disassembled for drying and cleaning. Also, it must have excellent non-traditional casting capabilities like flip casting and air roll casting.ħ) be robust so to handle the unique stresses of a small creek. Sling casting is mainly needed in the 240 cm length and is not quite as critical at long rod lengths. I want to launch the fly into tight places without having to pull the fly past my ear. I fully believe that rod flash and bright colors make me more visible to the trout when I'm only 8-10 feet away (in the clear waters of my home).Ħ) have great sling shot casting abilities (other name is bow and arrow cast). Hook set speed now takes a back seat as the canopy is more open allowing a larger hook set arc (and the hook set should not be too stiff so to launch small trout out into the trees).ĥ) be dull in finish and non flashy in color scheme. But in the long length it must have excellent rod loading and line control, and still maintain fish fighting power. For example, at the short length it must have a fast hook set and fish fighting control over rod loading during casting (it must cast well but that's not the top priority in the short length power to hook and control the fish is). 240 cm is about as short as I can effectively cast using the traditional overhead or side arm cast.Ģ) be able to "zoom" to a longer (not just longer, but practical and usable) length for use when the canopy opens up and a longer reach is desired (beaver ponds, meadow sections, an opening in the trees, etc).ģ) have excellent balance at all lengths, especially in the fully extended length (in other words, it shouldn't feel great in the short length and weirdly heavy at the longer length).Ĥ) have a flex action appropriate for the intended use of the desired length. I have found that shorter rods don't cast well (at least for me). It must:ġ) be no shorter than 240 cm length. Because I'm a restless (and unsatisfied) small stream angler, I've been looking for a rod that meets the following goals that would make me more efficient on my small creeks.