Why Do I Seemingly Love Every Tenkara Rod?

Why Do I Seemingly Love Every Tenkara Rod I Touch?

*Format changes based on cell phone or desktop

As of the date of this article, I have fished 46 tenkara rods in the span of three years. Though that may not be as much as other review forums, it's safe to say that's far more than the average tenkara rod owner will cast in that course of time. However this isn't a humble brag or an opportunity to boast. In fact, reviewing rods on my channel is something of an accidental evolution and one that is rather grandfathered into my routine by this point. Am I really a rod reviewer though?

The answer is a bit of yes and no. Some of the best content creators in the industry will go through some admirable steps to review a rod. This will include the RFI (rod flex index), CCS (common cents system), rod weight, and fact checked measurements in centimeters. This is not the kind of content you find on Skiddy Fishing. Instead I approach tenkara rods in layman's terms and underwhelming feedback. There are a few reasons for this:

1. I am not interested in competing with already great rod reviewers that deserve the credit and attention to their craft. Tom Davis, and Jason Klass are two that immediately come to mind when thinking of this. 
2. The stream I choose to fish a new rod with is purely a guess and coincidental. Though it seems to work out in my favor in many cases, I may accidentally pick a soft action rod to fish in tight quarters which may hinder the performance of the rod and the overall perception. Instead I like the viewer of my video to watch the rod work "itself". Did my stream match your typical home stream? If it's much different, will the rod still work for you? What makes a good experience for me may be a deal breaker for you.
3. I still perceive my average audience to be new tenkara enthusiasts and up to intermediate experience (in most cases). I like to showcase that tenkara is "simple" and an alternative, yet very affective way to fish. I am no preacher to elitists. 
   

Why do I rarely critique a tenkara rod?

After fishing 46 tenkara rods, it seems I never critique a rod heavily, or share displeasures. I recognize it's hard to see credibility in anyone who constantly share's the same generic feedback of an American Chinese import rod vs the fine wine Japanese Import. I have three major reasons why I seemingly enjoy every tenkara rod I fish.

Reason 1: I am a simple man with simple needs. I wrote a previous article about two common tenkara personalities. Those who admire the engineering of a tenkara rod and it's subtle history which I call "the preservationist". Then there are those that just want to catch fish and enjoy nature. The rod is a tool for these individuals. I call these the "adventurist". Between the two, I heavily lean to the adventurist. A bad rod on a good day of fishing can really bring out my zealous nature. 

I believe I have established well by this point that I am passionate about native fish. Particularly cutthroat trout above all. In truth, I love a good adventure. Waking up early, worrying about the conditions, gambling on whether another angler is there, wondering if I will run into predatory wildlife, etc. So again, using an unpopular rod on a day that yields me 50 fish is going to make that rod look and feel very good while the best rod on a rough day will put me in a negative headspace. 

Reason 2: I have outdated videos. Before I crossed the threshold of "let's say 15 rods", I had an early and limited experience with DRAGONtail and Wasatch Tenkara Rods. Wasatch Tenkara in particular was great with my channel. Ruben has donated the majority of his lineup to my channel. Some of these were earned through dedicated long days of talking tenkara to new customers at the International Sportsman's Expo in Salt Lake City via the WTR booth for years. I grew fond of Ruben's brand and though I do NOT lie about rod feedback in exchange of free product, I will admit that my lack of variety had diluted my ability to critique in those early days. Therefore many early videos are just simply WTR rods that gave me really good fishy days and my typical zealous nature among them.

Now I could argue that my extremely personal  relationship, friendship, and experience with WTR rods were legitimately part of the "tenkara experience" but I also started to recognize over the course of time that the natural evolution of fishing new rods consistently would eventually expose which rods I generally loved at one point and changing my opinion of them; for better or for worse! An example was the Middle Fork. I heavily preached this rod for a year and have had a change of heart. As this rod was donated to me, I passed it forward to an individual who is new to tenkara and just recently joined the military. It was a feel good opportunity to thank them for their service while passing forward something that I didn't pay for. They will appreciate this rod far more than I can at this point.

Reason 3: It's not in my nature to publicize negative remarks. Americans are knit picky and love to critique. It's really just in our nature. Tenkara companies are all in the category of small business, and it's already a niche community with limited customers. I am a customer service manager and in my industry, we can bend over backwards and bleed for a customer only for the silent praise. But in 2025, it doesn't take much to earn a paragraphed negative review for situations out of anyone's control. It's a bit extreme but it's a background of why I am the way I am. My point is, as the years and experience have passed, I have not felt inclined to update my opinions of rods I no longer favor. Instead I continue focus on the rods I still praise and give them continued spotlight.

To be fair though, when I get a personal message about my opinion on a rod, I will give my honest and deeper feedback because it's a personal exchange of info between me and one person and I am passionate about helping others pick the right rod for them if they give me a curriculum first. 

What are my qualifiers for a good tenkara rod?

My criteria for a good rod isn't limited to one feature. I don't necessarily need a tenkara rod to be the "best caster" in situations where the creek is tight and requires bow and arrow casting. Some rods are just built differently and require different scenarios than other rods. While some believe that good casting and RFI are core ingredients to a good tenkara rod, a fast action but overly responsive backbone can really hinder an experience landing fish. Therefore how the rod "feels" when the fish is "hooked" is a factor I feel is forgotten among many individuals when reviewing a tenkara rod. Do I want a rod that is going to cast Kebari better today? Do I want a full flex dry fly caster? Am I forced to fish heavy current runoff with heavy nymphs? Does it matter that I land a trophy as a priority over the delicate cast?

I am not particularly fond of revisiting the same creeks consistently to allow myself the continued experience of adventure. It's what my channel is about. My personal growth and quality fish. Sometimes I choose the wrong rod for the wrong creek. I am quick to understand that accidents can't persuade me to hate on the brand or the rod model.

In conclusion: no one asked why I seemingly love all tenkara rods, but I often reflect on my channel growth and where I am going next. Will I continue to import new rods to the channel? Of course! But I prefer the viewers to make their own decisions and the truth is all tenkara rods are capable of catching fish and I can be easily persuaded if the right combination of rod, creek, and experience line up in my favor. 

I have been challenged on why I never praise Japanese rods more often. Money. Time. and money, oh and money!... Did I mention time? That is all.