On Thursday, April 5th, 2018, Tenkara USA made their first new rod in several years, the Hane, available for sale.
You may recall seeing the distinctively white Hane before, as it was initially sold in prototype form at the 2017 Tenkara Summit. Well, after being in the wild for a few months in the hands of “testers” it appears that Tenkara USA had reaped enough user feedback to make a few changes and go into production.
From the Tenkara USA release:
“The Hane (pronounced like “huh – nay”) is a super compact all-around tenkara rod that will quickly become your favorite adventure rod. Measuring just under 15 inches when collapsed, but extending to 10ft 10in (330cm), the Hane fits nicely inside a small daypack, making this a superb tenkara rod for backpacking, bikefishing and other adventures. Whether you are targeting trout or bass, the Hane was designed to work well in your mountain streams as well as your urban fishing outings. It’s a rod that can tag along in a variety of conditions without compromising durability.
We decided to make this rod white, a unique color among our lineup. Part of the reason for that is the idea of having a rod that will blend in well with open skies above. Whereas a black rod does a good job blending in with canopy, its movement tends to stand out when fishing ponds and open meadow streams. The tip of the rod is black.”
Here are the Hane’s specs:
Weight: 3.5 oz (100 g);
Closed length: 15″ (38cm)
Open lengths: 10’10” (330cm)*
Handle length: 8″ (20.5cm)
Segments: 12
Personally, I only had the opportunity to dry cast the Hane prototype at the Tenkara Summit and noted the rod to be very cosmetically pleasing but a bit stiffer than I’d prefer. However, the comments left on initial Facebook posts from Tenkara USA representatives indicated some small changes were made based on tester feedback to give the Hane a little bit more flex, while still maintaining the “backbone” and ruggedness needed to make this rod a true multi-purpose (& species) tool.
So is the Hane your next “adventure rod?” I guess only time will tell. If you’re interested in giving the Hane a try, they’re now available on Tenkara USA’s website with an MSRP of $150; however, several Tenkara USA dealers (should you happen to live near one) have also been mentioning on social media that they are currently in stock as well.
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Why so heavy? I know it’s because of the material makeup. But why use such heavy material. Cost?