DRAGONtail Tenkara’s Newest Rod in Action
During my recent trip to fish with visiting Japanese anglers, I got to see DRAGONtail’s latest rod put to work on the South Platte River in Colorado. We were lucky enough to get some great shots of friend of Tenkara Angler Jonathan Antunez using the Ragnarok to catch the buttery brown trout pictured below! He was kind enough to answer some questions about his experience fishing the rod.
Jonathan, are your initial thoughts on the fit, finish, and design of the rod?
First impressions of the fit and finish is that it’s a lovely rod. Cork is high quality, and comfortable. Absolutely love that there is no tip swivel. I have never found those to be a feature I appreciate. Rod is well balanced and I can fish it for hours without fatigue. Another thing that might not be so obvious is the overall length of the rod collapsed is not too short. Being able to bring the left hand to the top of the first section at a wider stance is nice for leverage.
How were you rigged and why? How did your terrain and the techniques you expected to use drive your choices?
I have been using the same 18 foot length of 3.5 Moss Green Valcan Fluorocarbon Level Line for the past 3 seasons. Sadly this level line is no longer in production so I hoard the little of it I have left. Water levels for Fall are usually very low and clear, so a line like that remains visible to me but blends in a lot with the sky. I do use the lightest tippet ring I can get at the end and about 2 to 3 feet of tippet. In this case I used 6x nylon in order to keep my fly near the surface.
During the evening hatch, most fish will accept a soft hackle but it must be very close to the top, almost dragging. At times it is advisable to set up a dropper fly. This dropper fly will hang from the main tippet at a slightly different angle that tends to make a difference. In this case though, it was unnecessary. Keep it simple when you can. I chose a size 16 Teal Bloa for my fly, tied on a light wire Partridge of Redditch L3SA Spider hook. It’s one of my confidence flies on the South Platte.
Tell us about the immediate water where you caught the fish, how were you working the water, and what technique drew the strike?
The particular spot I was fishing was familiar and I had caught fish out of that run before, but a recent flashflood had washed down a log that got jammed into what once was an uninterrupted rock drop. This introduces a bit of a challenge, because fish will tend to seek shelter in the deeper pool below the log jam, simultaneously getting the line caught and pulling free. There was also the consideration that I had anglers below me that I did not want to disturb by leading the fight into their water.
So keeping all that in mind, I realized that I would need to have a few things go right. First, I would have to be able to cross the faster current quickly if I hooked a fish. Second, I would have to keep that fish in place in the slower water behind the log and under no circumstances let him get past the log and into the run below.
How did the fight and the landing play out?
I walked into the faster water above my target and positioned myself within a few steps of the other calmer side. The Ragnarok is a smooth casting rod and accurate, so my first cast I placed a little above the sweet spot I thought a good fish could hide. Methodically, I kept cast a bit further downstream and drew the fly across the surface with a little “pon-pon” action. This rod does every manipulation technique I want, just as well as any of my Japanese rods. I decided to slow down the presentation by extending the rod out away from me and perpendicular to the river, leaving the wee wet fly to dangle and dance in place.
Finally, the enticement was too much for the fish to handle. I saw the strike and set the hook. Ragnarok does this effortlessly and with a nice decisive feel. As the fish proceeded to shake his head violently, I took the remaining steps over to the slower water just above the fish. Immediately getting into the handline phase as I proceeded to work the fish to within netting distance. This is where the fish did exactly what I suspected it would do; try to run to the log and the pool below. I managed to close the gap with a few steps and closed the rest of the distance with my long-handled net.
To close, give us your overall impression of the Rod?
I have used the Ragnarok now on several occasions and I’m very impressed by the quality of the experience it brings to my style of fishing. It’s light, has a smooth cast which effortlessly sends level lines, and it can do any manipulation with precision and finesse. The amount of quality packed into a rod of this price is really something nobody should sleep on. If you like the challenge of tackling bigger fish in bigger rivers, I highly recommend the DRAGONtail Ragnarok. It’s a rod that will remain in my immediate lineup for a very long time.
Big thanks to Jonathan for sharing his impression of the Ragnarok in action! In my limited opportunity to fish it, I’ve been impressed with its design and performance. I’m very much looking forward to spending more time with it in 2024.
Have you had the DRAGONtail Ragnarok on the water yet? What’s your impression?
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