Tenkara rods come in all shapes and sizes. One of those configurations is known as “pack rods”; rods that collapse down to a very short length making them easy to take wherever you’d like. The Tenkara USA Hane is one such rod. It is an “adventure rod” that Tenkara USA hopes gives anglers no reason to be without a tenkara rod in their travels. In this rod report we deliver both a written and video overview of the Tenkara USA Hane, as well as provide some reviews from our community.
YouTube Rod Report
Unboxing & First Impressions
In a world of overwhelmingly dull black & gray fishing rods, I find the Tenkara USA Hane to be a very attractive and distinctive rod. The beautiful pearl white paint job is extremely clean and covers 10 of the rod’s 12 sections (the top two being unpainted). Even the nicely contoured foam grip has some contrasting coloration and features etched artwork of the Tenkara USA logo as well as a Sakasa kebari. This rod is an eye catcher.
Moving away from the cosmetics, you’ll immediately notice one of the Hane’s primary selling points, the short collapsed length. A mere 15 inches long, it is shorter than other popular pack rods such as the Shimano Pack Tenkara and DRAGONtail Kaida. This rod can literally go anywhere. Toss it in a backpack, the console of your car… have rod, will travel. Heck, even the stretchy rod sock and hard rod tube (which I usually set aside) are equally short and portable.
Outside of the short length, you may also notice that the diameter of the rod blank is fairly thick. Definitely thicker than most of my other tenkara rods. I assume this is to make the Hane more rugged and durable – I mean this supposed to be an “adventure rod”. It also means the rod cap is also pretty large, so if you like to add aftermarket universal rod caps to your rod, you’ll need a large one.
Other than that, I observed that the lillian came pre-knotted, something that anglers who prefer to fully disassemble their rod for cleaning frown upon. I’m sure the knot can be untied with some effort, so take that for whatever it’s worth to you.
Measurables
Now let’s geek out with some numbers… without a rambling dialogue, I’ve got a pretty chart that does the talking.
| Characteristic | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Sections | 12 |
| Fully Extended Length | 331 cm / 10.9 feet |
| Nested Length (with cap) | 38 cm / 15.0 inches |
| Foam Grip Length | 21 cm / 8.3 inches |
| Foam Grip Circumference | 8.5 cm / 3.3 inches |
| Weight (without cap) | 102 g / 3.6 oz |
| CCS | 27 pennies |
| RFI | 8.2 / 7:3 Fast Tip Flex |
While the numbers more or less explain themselves, if your not familiar with Common Cents System (CCS) or Rod Flex Index (RFI), we’d recommend you check THIS out for additional context.
Performance
Sometimes here at Tenkara Angler we’re able to spend a lot of on stream time with a rod and give a thorough assessment of our own. My initial feedback from fishing the Tenkara USA Hane a handful of times is that the rod is a bit stiff and a touch heavy when compared to the 330 cm models I normally use. While casting isn’t completely effortless, it pairs well with furled lines as well as 3.0 and thicker level lines. I found a 12′ furled line made a great companion to cast a wide range of flies – from a weightless wet fly to a beadhead woolly bugger.
Now, some of those attributes I just described could turn an angler away, but in this case I don’t view them as negatives due to the context of what this rod is supposed to be. This is a multi-purpose rod intended to take on the abuse of travel. One that is expected to handle any and all species it encounters in both warm, cold, and possibly salt water. This is not a delicate, full flex headwaters trout rod, and is not designed as such.
While I’m still in the “getting to know you” stages with the Hane, I thought it would be appropriate to ask our community of readers for their thoughts on the rod. After all, multiple opinions are better than one. Here is some of the feedback we received from various tenkara and fixed line anglers…
Doug Geiling:
“This is my go-to tenkara rod for backpacking. It collapses down to a short enough length that I can fit it inside any pack and it’s super light. The length of the rod works for most high country situations, at least for me. The rod is very light, but just robust enough to handle some larger fish. I’ve caught trout ranging up to about 19 inches with it, which is a lot of fun on that rod. I also love the white color and clean look of the rod. My only complaint is the cheapy foam handle. I’d like it a little better if it was cork, even if it added a couple ounces. Overall, I love the Hane.”
Rachel Felsen-Richards:
“I love that my Hane rod compacts and fits in my backpack. It is very easy to use and I was surprised how quickly I learned to land the fish. I have used this rod in lakes or hiking along mountain streams with great success.”
Kevin Fricke:
“The Hane is my go to backpacking and motorcycle rod because of the small breakdown size. It is my second favorite rod after the Iwana. I love the short foam handle and the balance of the rod is great.”
Vincent Lecca:
“In the last 2 years I am spending 90% of my time tenkara fishing as I believe it is a more stealthy way of fly fishing. My rods are always packed in my car or travel bags and ready to use. The Hane is great in small rivers like the Frio River in Texas, also great on the kayaks for tight bank fishing. It is able to handle a 19” fish!”
Mike Willis:
“It is a faster action than most other Tenkara USA rods, and I have recommended many Hanes with confidence. The compact size paired with the quality of the materials put it in a higher class than the other compact rods I have tried – some of which are so stiff and clicky at the joints that they are almost unfishable.”
Additional Tenkara Angler Articles Featuring the Tenkara USA Hane:
Availability
As of writing this post, the Tenkara USA Hane is available directly from the Tenkara USA website, (as well as several of their authorized retailers) and carries an MSRP of $160. Tenkara Angler also lists the Hane in our curated Gear Shop alongside other compact sized rods should you want to get a broader view of what is currently available.
Conclusion
When it was first released in 2018, Tenkara USA billed the Hane as its “adventure rod.” A rod strong enough to handle just about whatever was thrown at it in terms of fish; while being super portable and not compromising durability or feel. It’s pretty clear that the Hane has held true to this description.
While it might not be the lightest, most sensitive, or delicate rod, it has clearly earned its fish-catching stripes with multiple species from all over the world – from trout to bass, panfish to catfish, and even those exotic looking Rio cichlids! Conveniently sized for travel, the Tenkara USA Hane can bring the fun of fixed line fly fishing wherever you’d like to take it.
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