Yamame Rod Review

Yamame Rod Review: The Yamame is the stiffest rod that Tenkara USA sells. However, it is still clearly a tenkara rod and has the characteristic soft tip sections. The rod is classed as a 7:3, indicating that the top 30 percent of the rod is relatively soft and the bottom 70 percent is relatively stiff. There is a smooth transition, though, between the softer part and the stiffer part of the rod.

Just one of RiverGeezer's tenkara bass

Tenkara lines are much lighter than fly lines, and the soft tip of tenkara rods is required to effectively cast a very light line.

The 7:3 Yamame will cast a light line, although not quite as easily as a 5:5 Ayu, and to do so requires a quick casting stroke with abrupt stops for both the back cast and the forward cast. On the other hand, it will easily cast a line that is really too heavy for the Ayu. A heavier line is much better if you are casting larger, more wind resistant flies or heavier weighted nymphs. Additionally, a heavier line is needed if you are fishing in much of a breeze.

I've recently become interested in pesca alla Valsesiana, an Italian technique that also uses a long rod and no reel. It uses four reverse hackle flies that are very similar to Sakasa Kebari, and I have learned from my first attempts at it that a heavier line is required to effectively turn over four flies. The Yamame will easily handle the heavier line that is required.

The size 4 TenkaraBum Hi-Vis Fluorocarbon line casts well with this rod, as does the medum weight Hi-Vis hand tied line. The Yamame is stiff enough to easily handle the size 5 Hi-Vis level line or the heavy weight Hi-Vis hand tied line, but they are just heavy enough that they are hard to hold off the water's surface, so I would recommend them only when fishing in a breeze or with large, wind resistant flies.

Tenkara fishing in Japan is primarily done with a single unweighted wet fly like a Sakasa Kebari or an Ishigaki Kebari fished only a few inches under the surface. The fishing is also for relatively small fish. In the US, and particularly in view of the surge of interest in Czech nymphing in recent years, fishing with weighted nymphs is very popular among tenkara anglers.

Yamame with the weight of 10 pennies

Fishing a weighted nymph in deeper water, particularly in any current, requires a slightly stiffer rod to set the hook. The Yamame would be a better choice than the 5:5 or 6:4 rods for fishing weighted nymphs. Still, the Yamame has a very soft tip section, and heavy nymphs in deep water and fast current are not what any tenkara rod was designed for. You can still do it, and it will still be fun, but with the soft tip you will miss some hook sets.

Because the tip sections for all tenkara rods are soft, a fish of any size is fought with the butt of the rod. (The bend of the rod quickly extends into the butt sections, so you couldn't fight a large fish with the tip even if you wanted to.) The Yamame's butt sections are stiffer than on the other Tenkara USA rods, so the rod will not bend quite as far with the same amount of pressure. That will make it just a little easier to keep a large trout out of the fast current or a bass out of a downed tree. Ultimately, it is the strength of the tippet that will determine if a fish breaks off, though.

I don't know if the Yamame is any stronger than the other rods. Tenkara rod breakage is almost entirely caused by collapsing the rod rather than by trying to muscle in too large a fish, which is the reason I'm giving away the Tip-Grip.

Even for the Yamame, Tenkara USA recommends that the tippet used should not be stronger than 5 lb breaking strength (usually 5x). If you tie good knots and periodically check your tippet for abrasion from rocks or fish teeth (you are keeping your line out of the trees, aren't you?) it is surprisingly hard to break 5x tippet in a steady pull.

Yamame's new grip

And one of RiverGeezer's tenkara trout

As a matter of personal preference, I like fishing the softer rods. However, some anglers really like the quicker casting stroke required for the Yamame, and really like the sense of precision that a quicker stroke and heavier line gives their casting. Also, if you consistently catch bigger fish or fish bigger flies, a stiffer rod like the Yamame might be the better choice. You should not think, though, that the Yamame is so stiff that it is not fun to catch smaller fish with it. A good sized bluegill or even a 9" trout will still put a very satisfying bend in the rod. If you're fishing for 6" brookies, though, you might want a different rod.

If you have any questions about the Yamame rod review, or how the Yamame compares to the other rods, please go to the contact us page.

Return from Yamame Rod Review to Tenkara Rods

Return from Yamame Rod Review to TenkaraBum Home

Follow me on Twitter