TFO Soft Hackle

by Blatt
(Natal RN Brazil)

In the hunt for the perfect tenkara rod I'm afraid I'm becoming a tenkara junkie.

The tenkara rods I got 2 or 3 years ago I bought out of curiosity with no experience and thus some did not match my needs and I sold them. Then I bought others and sold some and... Well, this is never ending!

Anyway, one of the rods I sold was the Yamame. I bought it not only because it was labeled as a big fish rod but also cause it was a fast action, would cast big flies against the wind, and featured good hook set to bony mouthed fish in my area.

But after almost two years trying to get used to its weight I gave up. It is not a bad rod, just was not working for me.

From then on I began always looking for cork handle tenkara rods that are as light as possible. No, I don't have anything against corkless rods, I just like that velvet feeling and its color.

I was about to buy a Daiwa tenkara rod when Chris wrote the TFO Soft Hackle review. After a quick info change with Chris I decided myself for the TFO.

It is shorter than the Yamame but as I fish mostly from a kayak reach is not an issue. It has a firm tip action (firmer than the Yamame) but overall it feels softer and lighter. I use a 4.5 fluorcarbon line to cast smaller flies (#8, 10, 12, etc) and a PVC running line for the bulkier ones (#8, 6, 4). Casting this rod is very pleasant and accurate even with some wind.

About fish size till now I've only caught small ones from 6 to 14 inches. The 6 inchers are a bit to small for this rod but the ones over 8" become really fun to fish for.

Overall I like this rod very much. There was just a little issue regarding the butt cap that got loose and I lost it. It was screwed very tight so I blame myself for not paying attention to it. I provided a provisional one and contacted my local TFO Dealer that is providing the original spare replacement.

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“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.


Warning:

The hooks are sharp.
The coffee's hot.
The fish are slippery when wet.

Beware of the Dogma