I AM NOT A SHILL!

by Les Albjerg
(Caldwell, Idaho)

Yes, I am an enthusiastic customer of TenkaraBum. Maybe I blog too much here. Several of my co-workers who I have handed out cards to have spent time on the TenkaraBum website, and I have been accused of being a shill! I am 99.9% sure that I get the same deals here that anyone else does. Chris has never asked me to write a review or promote one of his products. The only thing outside of the norm is that he has asked for some nice pictures of Steelhead caught with the Kyogi. I still haven't fulfilled that request. I have tried!

I just got my "Black Friday" rod the Daiwa Sagiri 45. This is a high value rod for the money. I am excited because my son, who has borrowed several of my rods, bought his first fixed line rod, a Daiwa Sagiri 45! I am enthusiastic when I see my son going fishing on his own because he loves fixed line fishing! His rod should be coming today or tomorrow. Mine came Monday. We spent the evening last night making up a couple of lines, getting him outiftted with tippet, a set of flies, accessories, red wiggler set-ups, as well as going over care instructions. On his suggestion we turned on the flood lights in the backyard for some casting practice! Yes, I am thrilled!

This is a very nice rod at its price point. There are several things different than other Daiwa rods. It does not have the machined rings in the butt ends like many of their other rods. As you look it over, it doesn't have the finish of a Suntech. It is a nice looking rod, but you can see where they have saved money. It does not have the Diawa "Spiral Technology" that you find in the Seiryu X rods. What it does have is a very very nice feel when casting. It has a great zoom feature. I really like the way Daiwa has put a secondary ring in the butt to capture the collapsed section when fishing at the shorter length. It feels more secure than the other zoom rods that I have that used an extension on the end plug with O-Rings. I am really glad that Chris has been able to bring this rod back. The way this zooms you really are getting two rods for the price of one!

Saturday morning is something I am looking forward to. My son John and I will be fishing our Sargiri rods together at one of the ponds. I'm thinking of going to the one by his house since I have never fished it before.

I am an enthusiastic customer of this site because only here gives me choices and an email to Chris gives informed advice. I have one major hole in my rod lineup. TenkaraBum has NINE rods that will fill that hole. That doesn't include special ordering either! The price range goes from $145.00 - $385.00. After a few emails about my fishing, Chris gave several recommendations to narrow the field. Interestingly, he never recommended any of the more expensive rods. That is customer service.

I have learned the way to overcome the disadvantage of fixed line fishing is to have a variety of rod lengths. Several times while fishing with my friend Geoff, I have pulled out a longer rod, and with my set-up I was able to get my fly out further than he could. I won't extol all the advantages of fixed line fishing here. Every time out this year, I have out fished Geoff! You need to check out the video in the middle of the write-up on "The Nissin 2-Way 450ZX" titled "Colorado River."

The only thing I get from Chris Stewart is great service and support. I believe that is true of all his customers. In the spirit of Thanksgiving and the Holiday Season - Thank you Chris, you go above and beyond!

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.