Author: Michael Agneta

Region Fishing has recently introduced four new tenkara rods to complement their current line up of fly fishing rods, apparel, and accessories.

Owner Mark Yamasaki was drawn to tenkara a few years ago, citing a love for the simplicity and the ability to effectively fish small water, as well as the capacity to introduce new anglers to fly fishing without a lot of complexity.

The four rod Region line is as follows:

Note: All rods are currently being at an introductory price lower than what is listed below from now until May 1st…

Flat Tops – $64.99 MSRP
9’ fully extended with a durable composite handle. This is the “blue-lining” / backpacking model. It’s described as “fast action” to assist in casting line.

Bard Creek – $89.99 MSRP
12’ fully extended with a cork handle. This all-arounder is great for many different fishing applications. Range’s “favorite rod,” it’s described as perfect for someone wanting to get into tenkara fishing.

Wilson Creek Zoom – $119.99 MSRP
A convertible 10’-11’ rod that is designed for smaller creeks or ponds. It allows you to fish and adjust on lengths upon encountering brushy areas. Recommended for beaver ponds and small creeks.

Black Foot Zoom – $129.99 MSRP
A convertible 13’-14’ rod made for big rivers or lakes. This large water rod has two settings that allows for extra reach to out to pocket water currents.

Region’s line of tenkara rods are constructed using Japanese high modulus carbon fiber and a proprietary resin, which allows for an extremely lightweight rod that delivers precise presentation and extreme sensitivity. The rods carry a 2-year warranty from manufacturers defects, and repairs are “extremely reasonable.”

For more information on these rods, visit the Region Fishing website.

NOTE: The Kickstarter has ended, but these line spools are now available HERE

With over 100 “backers” in hand, you’re probably already aware of this tenkara line holder Kickstarter from NIRVANA On The Fly, but I figured it would be worth mentioning here as well, just in case there’s some that might have been on Spring Break vacation last week (like me) when the program launched.

These spools may look somewhat familiar to the discontinued Raji Leica Oni spools that were popular a few years ago and are now somewhat hard to find. While I’ve fluctuated on which line holder I preferred, I think overall, those were my favorite spools to use, they just seemed to have the best combination of low profile and ability to firmly hold the line. I’ve tried (and still use) many other solutions as well – the blue Meiho spools, generic foam wheels, Fuji EZ keepers, the Tenkara USA Keeper, handmade wooden holders, and plastic line cards – but always seem to come back around to the Leica spools.

Upon early inspection (I was sent a sample of both sizes of NIRVANA holders for review), they function much like the Leica spools, which is definitely a good thing. I won’t bore you with a ton more detail, as the video in the link above is self-explanatory, and Jason Klass did an extensive write-up over at Tenkara Talk I suggest you also check out.

As primarily a level line tenkara angler, I’m happy to see one of the options is an extra-thin, 7mm model with a very low profile. While way slimmer than other spools, it’s a bit more substantial than a plastic line card. I’ve always wanted to like plastic line cards since they are super-thin, but level lines seemed to want to wiggle off the perforated tabs.

Fortunately for you, the NIRVANA On The Fly Kickstarter is already “funded,” so you’re guaranteed to get the reward you select. At time of this post, there were still more than 20 days to act on this initial offering.

(I picked up 8 of the extra-thin line holders for personal use – $20 was just too good a deal to pass up).