Tenkara rods make for excellent backpacking and small stream rods. They pack up light and can be squeezed into almost any backpack. And you need significantly less gear than a typical fly rod.
Fishing a Tenkara is a breeze too, simply flick the rest to cast it out then lift up and repeat. It’s as easy as that.
But choosing a Tenkara rod for your needs is much harder. We cover our favorites below to help you make the best decision.
What are Tenkara rods?
Tenkara fly fishing means “fishing from heaven” in Japanese. Tenkara is popular in Japan and catching on fast in the United States and elsewhere.
The Tenkara style of fly fishing is perfect for smaller streams. Narrow streams are hard to fish with a normal fly rod and often a normal rod is more than you need.
It’s easy to learn and even easier to get into. Tenkara rods are excellent rods to use when fishing streams, creeks, rivers, and ponds. The rod is just as effective for fishing for trout in a clear water stream as it is for fishing for panfish in a farm pond.
We discuss the best Tenkara rods in the market below.
See which ones are the best.
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Maxcatch Tenkara Fly Fishing Rod
Maxcatch’s Tenkara fly fishing rod is light for all-day casting but strong enough to net the small creek monster you’ve been searching for.
The rod is 100% carbon fiber for durability and strength with a AAA cork handle for all-day holding without hand cramps.
DRAGONtail Hellbender
The Hellbender is made from the highest grade IM 12 carbon graphite for superior strength. At only 3.4 ounces and collapsable to 24 inches, it’s an excellent rod for backpacking.
DRAGONtail Mizuchi zx340
The Mizuchi by Dragontail makes for an excellent pack rod as the single rod can be used as an 8′, 9’6″, or 11′ fly rod.
Tenkara USA Sato
This very light rod expands to 10’8″, 11’10”, or 12’9″ from only 22.75 inches. Tenkara USA’s patent-pending “Keep Your Plug†system makes plug management a breeze. Insert the plug at the bottom of the rod and never lose a plug again.
Angler Dream Tenkara Rod
The Angler Dream rod ranges are 12/13 feet in length and made of carbon fiber. It’s strong enough to land the bulldog of your dreams but delicate enough to cast a size 30 fly into a slow-moving plunge pool.
Nirvana 400 Tenkara Rod
This rod comes in 13 feet and 1 inch long while collapsing down to 24 inches. Perfect for cold water and warm water fisheries.
Tenkara Rod Co. The White Cloud Package
The Tenkara Rod is smaller coming in at only 8 feet in length. It collapses to an impressive 18 inches which makes the rod excellent for backpacking. The shorter rod makes casting in dense cover and small streams a breeze.
Tenkara USA Hane Tenkara Rod
The Tenkara USA Hane Rod collapses down to 15 inches making it one of the best tenkara rods for traveling. This rod can be slid into your luggage or into your backpack as you strike off on a backcountry hike.
Seaquest Tenkara Rod
The Seaquest rod is only 10 feet 9 inches. And the collapsed rod is only 6 inches. This is another excellent choice for traveling and backpacking.
Tenkara USA Iwana Tenkara Rod
The Tenkara USA Iwana rod comes in at 10 feet 10 inches and collapses to 15 inches. This is another excellent rod choice for traveling.
Wetfly Backcountry Tenkara Mini
Wetfly’s Backcountry Tenkara rod collapses to 13 inches and is built for the backcountry. Wetfly comes with a case, tippet, and leader.
Tenkara USA Rhodo Tenkara Rod
Tenkara USA Rhodo allows adjustment of rod length to 8 feet 10 inches, 9 feet 9inches, or 10 feet 6 inches via the Triple Zoom.
Tenkara USA Amago Tenkara Rod
When the Tenkara USA Amago rod is fully extended it is 13 1/2 feet in length. The rod collapses down to a little over 21 inches long.
Wild Water Tenkara Fly Rod
The Wild Water Tenkara rod is 12 feet in length and collapses down to 20 ½ inches long. The rod comes with a rod case, fly box, leader, and tippet.
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Best Budget
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Wrapping It Up: Best Tenkara fly rod
There are many Tenkara rods in the market. We just covered the top and best ones out there. You honestly can’t go wrong with any of the rods we discussed above.
