Tenryu Furaibo TF39TA

The Tenryu Furaibo TF39 and TF39TA are tenkara rods made in Japan by a small company that is not yet well known in the US. They are not the world's least expensive tenkara rods. They may be the very best.

Many tenkara anglers believe a "zoom" rod is too much of a compromise, with the rod performing well at only one of the two or three lengths. The Tenryu Furaibo TF39TA was specifically designed to perform equally well at all three lengths. People have asked me why the rod carries a high price. Part of the answer is the exacting design, materials, and manufacturing attention to detail that go into the rod. The result is an exceptional rod, but one which cannot be produced cheaply. You will not find anything like it from any of the Chinese factories that supply rods for the American or European tenkara rod companies.

The TF39TA was the first backpack-friendly rod I found that was designed for level lines. It truly is unique. Despite collapsing to a length of only 14 inches (even shorter than the Daiwa Keiryu-X) is not a stiff rod like the Keiryu-X, the Suntech Genryuko or the Sakura Kongo. Nor is it a delicate, thin-walled rod like the Nissin Pocket Mini. It has the action a tenkara angler would expect in a premium tenkara rod with a more standard 22 or 23 inch collapsed length. 

It is the only rod on the market truly designed for ardent tenkara anglers who backpack, rather than for the ardent backpacker who may want to fish a bit along the trail and who is willing to accept a relatively stiff or relatively delicate rod just because it fits in the backpack. The Tenryu Furaibo TF39TA is a rod for the tenkara angler who wants a great rod that casts well and fishes well - and also fits in the pack. This is the rod, indeed it is THE rod for all the people who have asked me for a rod for the John Muir Trail, or the Pacific Coast Trail or the Appalachian Trial. It just hasn't been available - until now.