DRAGONtail Tenkara Shadowfire 12' Tenkara Rod Plus Complete Starter Package - Flies, Leader, Tippet, Line Holder, Storage Tube, and Rod Sock

This is my first Tenkara rod, but I've tried several other since and wow, did I ever make a good decision/choice to buy this one first. Such a great rod and overall fishing experience for a very reasonably priced rod. It's so light and so well balanced that I almost forget I'm holding/fishing it. I would literally get the same level of fatigue if I was simply holding my arm up the air with my hand empty. The rod is very strong and can handle landing a pretty big (not huge) fish. It's very flexible (every bit of a 6:4), but also very strong and doesn't feel wimpy. The cork handle is nice and high end with a great hourglass shape to it. It also has a longer lillian than most other rods I've tried. All the materials used (rod sections, cork, caps, lillian, storage tube, storage sock, etc.) all seem to be of really nice quality. I have since bought cheaper rods that I also like and are pretty close to this quality for the most part (but not everything), but I have zero regrets for buying this rod as it's still a much nicer rod at very good and reasonable price. I've also discovered that I like all DragonTail brand line, tippet, flies, etc. the best, so even on my non-DragonTail rods, I'm still using DragonTail brand accessories.

Great tenkara rod. Had only tried fly fishing before. Only issue is I live in Australia so not a lot of trout as they aren't native. Not the rods issue, but wish I could use it more.

So far im really liking this rod! First time I have done any fly fishing and I found it very intuitive to use. I did have an issue with the tip breaking but it seemed like a manufacturing defect as after a homemade repair job it still worked and I was landing fish from our local pond. I contacted Dragontail and they were super responsive and helpful, and have sent out a replacement. I am very impressed with their customer service and with the rod overall and would definitely recommend.

Took the rod out for the first time on a small river/freestone trout stream in Northern Oregon for a 2-day trip. For me, the Tenkara method keeps everything simpler overall, which I like. It took some getting used to, after 20+ years fly fishing with rods somewhere in the 7-9’ length, hence lots of unintentional whacking of overhead tree branches. 12’ seems to be plenty long: for my fishing purposes, I have difficulty thinking of a scenario where longer than 12’ would be beneficial. No lost flies, probably due to fishing higher in the water column. I found that adding split shot does not seem particularly effective, nor in the spirit of keeping things simple. This was my first time fishing furled leader. It lands softly, which is good, and floats about as well as most so-called “floating” fly lines, which was only mildly problematic when fishing dries. The furled leader is thinner and more supple than standard fly lines - took a little getting used to - seems a lighter touch and relatively slower line speed is the way to go? I found the 6:4 action perfect - I don’t need a faster rod for what I’m doing. Love how simple and light and compact it is — easy to bring along on day hikes and overnighters. The construction is solid and the graphite is plenty good quality. I was a unsure about the handle shape at first but it’s fine, granted it felt odd to hold it right in the middle, but this was hardly a problem. The three included flies are barbless, which I appreciate. Recommend wathching the informational videos on the company website. Overall, the setup worked effectively for nymphing and fishing dries.

Bought this for my first Tenkara rod, caught a few fish on a short day on the water. Rod is great! Rod will “break” down to a good size to stick to a backpack while hiking along those alpine lakes and streams. Easy to cast and feels great!