DRAGONtail Tenkara
The ten-rod DRAGONtail line: all-purpose, big-fish, small-stream zoom and pocket tenkara rods, all under $175.
- Models
- 10
- Length
- 8.0'–13.3'
- Price
- $94.99–$174.99
- Type
- Pole
- Discipline
- Tenkara
DRAGONtail Tenkara has no series structure: the line is ten named rods, so the brand doubles as the series. All are telescopic tenkara rods with cork handles, matte finishes and published flex measurements, sold with a sock at the base price or a hard tube for $15 more, and every section is available as a spare.
The all-round rods are the HYDRA v2 395, a soft 6:4 triple-zoom at 10.5', 12' or 13' weighing under 3 oz; the Shadowfire 365, a fixed 12 ft soft 6:4 on IM10 carbon at 2.9 oz; and the Ragnarok 400, a fixed 13.3 ft tip-soft rod on an IM12 blend at 3.1 oz. The HELLbender is the big-fish rod, a 7:3 two-length zoom at 11.3' or 13' with an RFI of 8.2 to 8.6 and a 3X tippet rating. The IceWING zx390 zooms 10.4' to 12.8' with an RFI under 3.5, the softest blank in the range.
For small water the Mizuchi zx340 zooms from 7.9' to 11.1', the Kaida zx320 from 9.4' to 10.5', and the fiberglass-hybrid FoxFIRE zx280 from 6.6' to 9.3' in olive or blue. The pocket rods are the TalonMINI 310 (10 ft, 14 sections, 12.1 in closed) and TinyTALON 245 (8 ft, 12 sections, 11.3 in closed), both glass-softened 6:4 rods for overgrown creeks. Prices run $94.99 to $174.99 with sock.
Deeper Dive
A closer look at notable models.
An 8 ft pocket rod that closes to 11.3 in at 1.9 oz, with a glass-softened 6:4 tip for casting short light lines under a tight canopy.
A fiberglass-hybrid triple-zoom fishing 6.6' to 9.3', built to cast short weightless lines on tiny creeks without the stiffness of most short carbon rods.
A 10 ft pocket rod that closes to 12.1 in across 14 sections, with a glass-softened 6:4 action that casts like a full-size rod.
A 2.5 oz pack rod zooming between 9.4' and 10.5' with a soft 6:4 action, suited to small mountain trout, bluegill ponds and young anglers.
The small-stream zoom rod with the widest range in the line, 7.9' to 11.1' from one 2.86 oz blank, firm enough for nymphing and adaptable with optional soft sections.
The 12 ft all-round value rod, a soft 6:4 at 2.9 oz for fish from 4 to 18 in, and the least expensive rod in the DRAGONtail line.
The second-generation all-purpose HYDRA, a 6:4 triple-zoom fishing 10.5' to 13' at under 3 oz, for trout of 6 to 20 in.
A soft-action triple-zoom fishing 10.4' to 12.8' with RFI values of 2.7 to 3.5, the deepest-flexing rod in the DRAGONtail range.
The big-fish rod of the range: a 7:3 two-length zoom at 13' or 11.3' with an RFI above 8, rated to 3X tippet for bass and trout of 16 to 22 in.
A 13.3 ft tip-soft rod at 3.1 oz with a rotational moment of 6.7, built as the upgraded successor to the NIRVANA 400 for small rivers and larger fish.
Rods in this series
| Save | Model | Length | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| TinyTALON 245 | 8' | Buy from DRAGONtail Tenkara | |
| FoxFIRE zx280 | 9'4"Z | Buy from DRAGONtail Tenkara | |
| TalonMINI 310 | 10'2" | Buy from DRAGONtail Tenkara | |
| Kaida zx320 | 10'6"Z | Buy from DRAGONtail Tenkara | |
| Mizuchi zx340 | 11'2"Z | Buy from DRAGONtail Tenkara | |
| Shadowfire 365 | 12'1" | Buy from DRAGONtail Tenkara | |
| HYDRA v2 395 | 12'10"Z | Buy from DRAGONtail Tenkara | |
| IceWING zx390 | 12'10"Z | Buy from DRAGONtail Tenkara | |
| HELLbender | 12'10"Z | Buy from DRAGONtail Tenkara | |
| Ragnarok 400 | 13'4" | Buy from DRAGONtail Tenkara |
Z Zoom rod: fishes at two or more locked lengths. The length shown is the longest setting; the shorter settings are listed in the rod's notes.