Testing the New Tapered Nylon Line from DRAGONtail Tenkara

In May, at the Tanuki Boot Camp in Brevard, North Carolina, I was able to fish with Brent Auger of DRAGONtail Tenkara. I also got to spend several hours in the car driving from Charlotte to a Western North Carolina mountain town and pick his brain on the happenings of DRAGONtail and the like. I have corresponded with Brent online, via text, and at The Fly Fishing Show over the years as he was working them at several East coast venues. However, this was the first time I was getting to experience his fishing in person and not on YouTube!

With this time in May, I not only got to fish with Brent, but he got to fish with me! He had heard about how I have been enjoying fishing tapered nylon line. So, after we left the May tenkara event and I had used a few of DRAGONtail’s Shadowfire rods for an event I did with Nate Camp in Connecticut for Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and Connecticut’s DEEP, one rod tip was broken. I reached out to Brent for a replacement, he mentioned some new nylon tapered tenkara lines he was in the process of getting made, and asked if I would test some lines for some feedback. Of course, I said “yes” and here you are reading this review article.

The new Nylon Tapered Tenkara Line from DRAGONtail tenkara has an introductory price of only $6.99!

First Look

I received the lines in simple packaging. One line is 3.3 meters and one is 3.6 meters. They both came in “hi-vis” orange. I like the orange color because I can see it extremely well in any season I am fishing; with either green foliage in the spring and summer or the earthy brown and grey tones of fall. The line isn’t translucent and it almost has a sheen or halo to it when there is sunlight. Being able to visualize my line is key to detecting a strike when I am fishing and this line I knew would be able to be seen in even the darkest of green tunnels in the Appalachias or overcast days.

These are a tapered line, so the orange line is thicker in diameter on the end where it attaches to the lillian of the rod and thinner near where you connect the tippet. There is also a pretty large loop of string attached through a little oval in the main line that allows for a hitch knot to be used to attach to the lillian. With traditional spooled level line, there is not hoop like this initially unless you attach one yourself. I enjoy these pre-attached hoops because the hitch knot is another knot I am confident for my tenkara setup. 

Personal Additional Modifications

No tippet rings are attached to either line, but I really enjoy a tippet ring for ease of connecting tippet to main line. I like to keep the improved clinch knot as my knot of choice for this because it is the one I have been using for decades and I am confident in it. So, I did end up attaching a tippet ring to the 3.3m line and put a few over hand knots on the 3.6m line to attach my tippet with a knot that I learned for attaching my tippet. I did this because I wanted to see if I felt a difference in the lines while casting.

Another note on why I like tippet rings, I am able to use just two knots to be fully assembled and ready to fish with a tenkara rod. They are the hitch knot and improved clinch. I use the hitch knot for the main line attachment to the lillian, improved clinch for tippet ring to tippet, and another improved clinch for tippet to fly. That is all!

Field Testing

I made plans to fish a few days here in the Southeastern US in August. I was able to go to a few streams I knew would be good for open casting lanes and fishing both a 3.3 and 3.6 meter line. I wanted to make sure I was able to do some aerial mends and cast at different angles into tight spaces with rods that range from 3 and 4 meters.

At first, I ended up casting both length of lines with a rod I am confident in which is a 350cm (3.5m) rod. By “confident”, I mean that I am positive I can get tight loops and accurate casting done with this rod with several different types of lines, lengths, and material while casting weightless kebari or beadheads and I wanted to see if this line also felt accurate and deadly.

In short, when I cast the lines, it was magic. As per other tapered nylon lines, there is little to no memory dealt with while unspooling the line. By this, I mean there are no spirals left in the line when prepping your setup to fish which mean you are on the water faster. There was also no learning curve to casting this line, whether it was because I already cast tapered nylon or not, but I felt like it like belonged on the rod and the fly “blooped” in the exact place I wanted it to without much effort. I tend to be simpleminded and think that the rod is tapered so why not the line!?

Overall, on multiple length rods used over a few days of fishing with it, this line was easy to cast. On my 310cm, 350cm, 400cm rods, with either the 3.3m or 3.6m line, I was able to be accurate and precise while being supple and maintain my line off the water. I do fish tapered nylon now and I feel the line was just as accurate as a lighter and finer tapered nylon line than I am used to. It obviously is not level line, and there is some weight to is compared to level line, but I feel the transition it makes from a larger diameter near the one end to the other is very smooth and creates nice tight loops that anyone from beginner to expert tenkara angler can enjoy. And who doesn’t like a tight loops?

On these lines, I cast several hours and caught dozens fish throughout both days that I used them and I felt these lines are made for many different environments and fishing conditions. From windy days to overcast to even the ideal day of no wind and sun on your face, I am sure these lines can cut through the wind with tight loops and can be seen to detect strikes in dark and light conditions. 

In regard to the tippet ring addition to the 3.3m line, I personally just enjoy them for my own ease and comfortability of tippet attachment. In my opinion, it didn’t have any effect on my casting or catching ability or rate. So, I will be attaching another tippet ring to the 3.6m line as well.

Full Disclosure

I have never been officially asked to “test” anything. I am not the most analytical or methodical person and I either like something and it suits me and my tenkara angling practices or it doesn’t. So, I encourage you to try as many products as you can to find out your own style and get the best experience out of tenkara by finding what suits your ideal tenkara angling experiences. Not all rods are the same just as lines are not, but I hope you find as much joy in casting this line as i did if you decide to purchase this line from DRAGONtail.

I did speak to Brent about the future of these lines and he stated that they are in production at the 3.3m and 3.6m lengths for now and have just been made available for purchase from the DRAGONtail Tenkara website.  There will be a chance for different lengths of this line in the future if there appears to be an interest. I personally am interested in purchasing this line in the lengths of 4m-5m.

Also, I am happy to note that he will be including a tippet ring on these lines with the option to just snip it off if you are against using them. I appreciate Brent considering this option, and applaud his products at DRAGONtail! Keep your eyes out for these lines.  I am sure they will go fast.

---

Do you have a story to tell? A photo to share? A fly recipe that’s too good to keep secret? If you would like to contribute content to Tenkara Angler, click HERE for more details.

When you buy something using the retail links within our articles or Gear Shop, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Tenkara Angler does not accept money for editorial gear reviews. Read more about our policy.