A couple of months ago, I took the DRAGONtail Ragnarok to the Provo River and dubbed it my preferred rod for rivers that size going forward. It got me thinking about where my rods hold their place when it comes to still water (ponds and lakes). Because the lakes I want to fish are barely accessible (still winter). So I chose a pond that I knew I could consistently catch stocked trout in.
The goal for this challenge was to pick rods ONLY 12' or longer. I was also not interested in zooms so each rod in the challenge was fished at it's longest length only. I used the same 3.5 level line, the same 4x Rio Tippet, and the same fly. I also caught every trout in the same location at the same pond. I recognize that all ponds are NOT created equal so this challenge is a little redundant meaning that what works for me doesn't apply to everyone but if this video answers any questions about a rod you are looking to purchase, then I am happy to have helped. My results were unexpected.
The rods in this challenge are a variety of @DRAGONtailTenkara and @wasatchtenkararods1781. They did not sponsor this video but these are the options I had to compare and contrast.
Consider using my links for your Tenkara purchases:
DRAGONtail: [ Ссылка ]
WTR: [ Ссылка ]
USE CODE skiddy10 in the checkout for 10% off your WTR purchase
T-Hunter- Although I didn't mess with "zooms" on my rods, the 12' shortest zoom is where this rod excels the most. However add some weight such as a nymph or heavier streamer and suddenly this 15 foot rod doesn't cast half bad. I found that roll casting the longest zoom is the most practical approach compared to false casting. I would use this rod on bigger lakes. The T-Hunter is also considerably better paired with furled lines, PVC fly lines, and 4.0-4.5 level lines.
Ragnarok- My favorite longer rod out of all of them! Though I get nervous of pushing 18" trout on this rod, I have no doubt it can take a beating. I just baby mine. It has a very soft action making heavier nymphs a little tricky though. I will stick with weightless flies mostly for this rod.
Akai Samurai- The EVA foam is nice for a longer day on the water but just like Ragnarok, this rod really doesn't cast heavier flies. This is a weightless fly rod built for long extension needs. I would still choose Ragnarok over this model for still water unless I needed to pack tight. Akai Samurai is basically a long length pack rod.
Hydra- WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER. This was the perfect rod for stocked trout ponds and probably the best rod for pond panfish too. Although I didn't mess with "zooms", this rod is a great weightless fly casting rod in the shorter zoom. However, the 13' was perfect for this challenge. In a recent river attempt, I didn't care too much for the 13' zoom but adding some weight such as this "pink bubble gum fly" really rounded out the swing weight this rod notably has. If you plan to fish mostly weightless flies, the Ragnarok holds more value to me. The Hellbender is also a stronger rod if you are targeting big fish with heavy flies which puts the Hyrda in a unique position. I find it's value strong suited for this pond. I will be taking the Hydra around some local ponds though to dive deeper into my experiment. YOU CAN ALSO FIND THIS ROD REFURBISHED ON DT's website occasionally.
Shadowfire- Still the best Tenkara rod under $100. No debate here. If you can only afford one rod, this is the one. YOU CAN ALSO FIND THIS ROD REFURBISHED ON DT's website occasionally.
Middle Fork- I took the Middle Fork to the Uinta's in a recent video (link at the end). I literally started with a small stream, fished a lake, then took it to a tiny creek. The Middle Fork can perhaps do it all but where I found this rod lacked was the 12' longest "zoom". This is due to my style of fishing which dominantly uses dry flies. It was daunting to cast that on a 12' zoom. However....I will admit that adding a weighted nymph to this rod really redeemed it's swing weight (think Hydra 13' weight). Middle Fork perhaps would have won this challenge if I were targeting Bass. The Wasatch rods are incredibly robust which may not be everyone's favorite for trout, but there are some BIG fish that would give MF a great run. I don't know how I feel about Hyrda and Largemouth yet...... [ Ссылка ]
—————————————————————
💰 Channel Support 💰
Would you like to support the channel?
-Email skiddyfishing@gmail.com for product donations, demos, and reviews!
-Buy Skiddy a $1 fly or coffee:
[ Ссылка ]
[ Ссылка ]
