It is currently 28 Mar 2024, 04:41


New Topic Add Reply
Author Message
Post 29 Mar 2011, 03:40 • #1 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19076
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
The only people who are more serious, ... nuttier ... how do you describe it?
OK, the only people who get more specialized about their fishing than us (and maybe the Brits) are the Japanese. They make rods for everything.
This is a saltwater Tetra (i.e., aquarium fish) rod, made by Takamiya.
I love the design of this rod. It has a super soft tip and plenty of backbone.
It will cast one-half gram, and protect 2-lb. test. It's a like a kokanee trolling rod on steroids.
I bought it for pier fishing with the girls for nursery seatrout - always a lot of fun. But I also believe it has the backbone to handle schoolies or a sow if one comes through the lights.
Image
It's all about the tip. They started with a super light glass blank. They left the top quarter of the rod bare for that soft tip. They added linear graphite over the bottom 3/4ths - a beautiful jade green gel coat. Then a wrap of graphite weave on the bottom quarter with a clear gel.
Image
Micro guides and all the hardware with a titanium carbide finish for saltwater.
Image
A nice spigot ferrule.
Image
I hung a new Tica Cetus SS500 ultralight reel.
Image
Leave it to the Japanese to letter their rod with Real Method Loco Move - it must mean something cool in Japanese that doesn't quite translate.
Image



Top
  
Quote
Post 11 Apr 2011, 12:33 • #2 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19076
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Don't everybody shout at once. Guys, this is a great little rod, and got its initiation pier fishing at the coast over the weekend.
OK, here it was.
We were in Corpus this weekend, and made our overdue pilgrimage to Fulton Beach to eat at Captain Benny's and fish the Fulton Beach pier (our favorite, next to S. Padre).
Captain Benny's was great, as always.
Everybody says so-and-so has the best fried seafood you've ever had.
This place really does. The oysters were perfect, so were the shrimp and grouper fillets, and hush puppies, and fries, and sweet potato fries.

The wind was horrible, beating 3' waves in 4' water. We've walked away many times with this much wind.
But my daughter wanted to go, so I agreed to fish, but they had to stay for at least one cigar. Which is exactly how long we stayed.
(I love this girl, her favorite smell is a bait shop.)

But success, even in the beating wind.
Image
She's fishing the Penn 4200SS on a Falcon 5' UL
Image
Two nursery specs for my daughter, and the first was a bit larger.

I got a half-dozen little trout on the noodle - sorry, too much trouble for photos.
But the best was 14 inches, which was a lot of fish on the little rod.
I had it loaded with a 4-lb. Japanese copolymer (sticking with the theme), Kamikaze, bought on eBay from an Aussie supplier.
Very happy with the line, the reel and the rod.
The noodle tip on the rod really made it feel like the little fish were in charge. To fish at all, we had to drop the rod tip and back feed, or the wind would lift our rig right up out of the water. When it got out to the edge of the lights, reel in and start over. The line and reel were perfect.


Top
  
Quote
Post 12 Apr 2011, 03:15 • #3 
Guide
Joined: 11/14/10
Posts: 144
Location: South Carolina
Nice set up, but where did you find the rod?


Top
  
Quote
Post 12 Apr 2011, 15:22 • #4 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19076
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
I found it on Rakuten in Japan and brokered it through noppin.com (crescent trading) - Masamichi and Shimizu
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/point/4996774015431/
Not an inexpensive rod, but I've never fished another like it.
I have crab flies I can throw with this rod and, if you know how to "give him the butt" as coined by Doc Henshall, you could catch a redfish on this rod.

With brokerage fees and shipping, it was about $175.
I liked it so much, I ordered another one so my daughter can fish one this summer, too.

I like calling it by it's Japanese name, Rokomubu.


Top
  
Quote
Post 10 Feb 2019, 09:00 • #5 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19076
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Reviving this old thread, because I've been on an internet shopping exercise for a friend on corpusfishing.
I've fished this XUL tackle now for 7 years in the salt, and grown a huge fondness for it.
They are killer for fishing tiny jigs, dock sight-fishing, and fishing a small live shrimp below a weightless mansfield mauler (cigar cork) - they cast weightless things out of sight, and the soft tips protect the lightest line with a powerful fish attached.
On a summer Estes trip with my daughter and folks 4 years ago, the canal turned black with baitfish, and at night sight-fished two big specs, 22" and 23" on this XUL tackle. I was fishing 4-lb Kamikaze copolymer searched from Australia, but Seaguar fluoro or mono would work fine.

Reviewing my old Noppin purchases, those links are dead, and more searching found the fancy NorieS (S for salt) version first listed without price in Japan, and then in Australian pro shops for $500 - yeah, not in that market.
But I've been finding some real world options, in particular on ebay

listed light to lightest
2-6-lb test 7'6" (classic stupid Japan name, looks like a perfect rod)
https://www.ebay.com/p/PRO-Marine-76l-Trick-Hunter-MEBARU-Rockfish-Solid-Tip-Model-Lure-Rod/2168031281?iid=163499250628&chn=ps
1-5-lb test 7'
https://www.ebay.com/p/Major-Craft-18-Solpara-Light-Game-Rockfish-Solid-Model-Spx-s702ul-Spinning-Rod/5024977835?iid=382598671459&chn=ps
1-5-lb test 7'3"
https://www.ebay.com/p/Major-Craft-18-Solpara-Light-Game-Rockfish-Solid-Model-Spx-s732ul-Spinning-Rod/18024973984?iid=372475970224&chn=ps

also found Tackle Warehouse imports Daimiki in light spinning, but not UL
4-8-lb test 6'6"
https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Damiki_Angel_EX_Spinning_Rods_2-Piece/descpage-DEXC.html

Japan XUL rods are also big in Europe, and found this vendor in the UK, but chasing his ebay stock shows he only has the 7'3" in stock.
https://www.tronixfishing.com/product/h ... evolution/
also found two rods reviewed - though owning a couple of these rods, he was wrong about one thing - the tip is not solid carbon, it's solid glass.
http://schogskyandhutch.blogspot.com/20 ... sh-73.html
also note he takes it river fishing after browns
http://schogskyandhutch.blogspot.com/20 ... g-lrf.html


Top
  
Quote
Post 10 Feb 2019, 18:42 • #6 
Master Guide
Joined: 01/11/17
Posts: 436
Location: Missouri Ozarks
Japanese rods are very intriguing. Your Takamiya RF76S appears to have a lot of R&D in its design from the fiberglass and graphite composition to the micro guides. Checked out the Kamikaze copolymer line you mentioned. Looks great. May try some of the 6lb for walleye this summer. Thanks for the info on these interesting rods. Great night pics from Corpus.


Top
  
Quote
Post 11 Feb 2019, 09:07 • #7 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19076
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Sadly, the Fulton Beach pier has never been rebuilt since Harvey. It was a ritual with my girls growing up that started with dinner at Cap'n Benny's, fish the Fulton Beach pier, then ice cream.
Image
But then Cap'n Benny's (truly the best friend seafood you ever had), run by the mayor of Fulton and her grandkids, quit also with Harvey - I'm sure they were ready to give it up, anyway.

ps - the rod blank would make a killer dry fly rod.


Top
  
Quote
Post 08 Mar 2019, 21:52 • #8 
Guide
Joined: 11/14/10
Posts: 144
Location: South Carolina
The Ajing rods are very similar, very light tips and stiff backbones. Usually 3 lb test lines, I think. I have an XUL area type trout rod but it’s only 5’ 4”. The Japanese do have rods for every possible fishing technique. We can only get a glimpse of what is offered.


Top
  
Quote
Post 09 Mar 2019, 14:15 • #9 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19076
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
the Japanese came up with XUL salt on their own - don't think I'll ever land a slot red or snook on it, but it's proved a blast on schoolie specs, including big ones.


Top
  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  

New Topic Add Reply



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Jump to:  
Google
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group