I will be away from June 4 through and including June 11. Packages will not get shipped and emails will not get answered
while I am away.
The tenkara line holder spool is one of those accessories that is very handy to have. When fly fishing small streams, it is often necessary to walk along the stream bank to get to the next spot you want to fish. With a 9 to 13' tenkara rod, it is necessary to collapse the rod if there are any trees or brush. The line holder allows you to keep the fly, tippet and line attached to the rod - and prevents the tangles you'll inevitably get if you just wrap the line around your hand.
A number of people have come up with
creative ideas for holding the line. This tenkara line holder really is a
clever design, though. The notches on one side allow you to hook your
fly in the notch and then start winding the line around the yellow foam
insert. The foam has enough give to it to allow you to wind tightly - so
the line stays put. You can slide the holder over your collapsed rod and it will stay in place, either snugged up against the grip or held by it's own weight.
If you are fishing with a dropper New Zealand style (with the tippet for the point fly tied to the hook bend of the top fly), you can wind the line on just as you would without a dropper, and the hook will not be exposed where it could catch your hand, your shirt or streamside brush. If you tie your droppers on a long tag end of your tippet knot, keep winding until you get to the dropper fly, pull the line a little snug, and just barely insert the hook point into the foam. The tension on the line against the foam will keep the fly from coming loose.
As you wrap the line around the line holder, stop winding when there is about a foot of line left (the actual amount depends on which rod you have). Catch the line between the yellow foam and the blue side plate just before bringing the line out one of the notches.
Insert the end of the collapsed rod through the hole in the center of
the spool, but make sure it is inserted though the side that has the
notches. See photo to the above. This is critical. The notch side of the holder must be toward the rod butt, not the rod tip. That traps the line and prevents it from unwinding.
If you have a cork, foam or wooden grip you can snug the holder down
onto the grip. If you have a rod with no cork, just trapping the line between
the foam and the side of the spool and then through a notch will hold it, as long as you insert the rod through the side of the spool that has the notches.
If you snug the holder against the grip with the line tight to the rod
tip, it will also keep the rod tip protected inside the collapsed
segments. Just to be safe, it is still better to carry the rod with the
grip end down. For rods whose tip plugs are fluted, like most of the
Daiwa and Nissin rods, inserting the tip plug reduces the chance of a broken tip if
a branch happens to catch your line as you are walking through the
woods. For rods that come with Fuji Rod Caps, reattach the cap to completely protect the rod tip.
People really like the Fuji EZ Keepers as a way to manage the line when they move from spot to spot, or even to keep the rod fully rigged and ready to go at a moment's notice. However, these small tenkara line holders offer some advantages, too.
First, you can easily keep a line fully rigged - with tippet and
fly or flies attached even after you have taken the line off the rod. You will find it very handy to cut lines of different lengths, so you can fish with a shorter line on smaller streams and a longer line on wider streams or lakes. With two
of the line holders you can keep both lines fully rigged and easily
switch if the stream widens out. Second, if you are fishing
multiple flies, as mentioned above, it is a bit easier to secure two or three
flies safely with the round spool than with the EZ Keepers.
If you'd like to try the pesca mosca Valsesiana technique, which utilizes a cast of four flies, having a couple of these spools allows you to tie the casts the night before and carry them fully rigged to the stream. If (should I say when?) you get a tangle, take the whole cast off and replace it with a new one that's ready to go. Trying to undo a four fly tangle could put you out of action for a long time.
Pesca mosca Valsesiana isn't quite tenkara, but the simplicity that comes from having a spare cast already tied certainly is. And if you ever get a chance to do some tenkara fishing for bluegills, you really should try it with four flies (if your state regulations will allow it). I've found it to be much more effective than with only one or even two.
Like the other tenkara accessories, these never get mentioned along with "rod, line and fly" but if you have a couple you'll be glad you do.
One very nice aspect of these tenkara line holders is that you can measure line just by wrapping it around the line holder. The circumference of the line holder is almost exactly 6". If you want to measure 12 feet of line, make 24 wraps around the line holder. You will be within a couple inches of 12'.
"Chibi Maru" Small tenkara line holders (package of two) - $10
Domestic shipping is via USPS First Class Mail (unless ordered with an item that must go via Priority Mail, and which has a higher shipping charge). Rates are $4.00 for packages that weigh under 8 ounces and $6.50 for packages that weigh over 8 ounces. The charge is added to your order automatically.
Please note: All packages are shipped via USPS. If you have a PO Box, please list ONLY the PO Box in your address, not the PO Box and your street address.
The charge for international shipping depends on the destination country, the weight of the package, the overall length of the package and the value of the package.
International purchases may be subject to import duties and taxes. I cannot keep track of all import regulations in all countries written in all languages. Understanding and paying import duties and taxes is the responsibility of the buyer.
Russia
TenkaraBum.com no longer ships to Russia.
UK
TenkaraBum.com no longer ships to the UK. The new VAT regulations are too onerous for a one-man shop that rarely ships anything to the UK anyway. I apologize.
TenkaraBum Home > Tenkara Accessories > Tenkara Line Holder
“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.
The hooks are sharp.
The coffee's hot.
The fish are slippery when wet.
Beware of the Dogma
Currently processing orders that were received June 3.