Overview

The Backpacking Light Hane (pronounced Ha'-nay, the Japanese word for 'feather') Tenkara Fly Fishing Rod is the lightest (2.7 oz) and most compact (16 inches collapsed) Tenkara rod currently on the market. The Hane reflects elegant, ultralight design, and exceptional quality.

Developed by Ryan Jordan for the Ultralight Backpacking Community

"The Tenkara rod, philosophically, reflects the ultralight ethos in a way that few pieces of equipment can do. It's simple, elegant, and beautiful, and perhaps for the very first time ever, can allow a hiker to carry 5-6 ounces of high performance fishing equipment (including the rod and all of the accessories required to catch fish!) and significantly reduce food weight on a longer trip and significantly enhance wilderness fun on any trip!"

"The Hane extends this ultralight ethos even further. We were able to preserve the long length of a Tenkara rod which is so important in its utility while maintaining a great flex ratio, and most important, a remarkably small collapsed length that will allow me to keep the rod inside any of my ultralight packs or carry-on bags when I travel. At 2.7 ounces, it's also as light as the very lightest conventional fly rods on the market."

- Ryan Jordan, founder/CEO BackpackingLight.com

What is Tenkara?

Tenkara fly fishing (Japanese: テンカラ, literally: "from heaven", or "from the skies") is a traditional type of fly fishing practiced in Japan. Primarily used for small stream trout fishing, tenkara is one of the most popular methods of angling among fresh-water fisherman in Japan. ¹

About the Rod

The Hane has an extended length of 9'-10" (3 m) and offers good reach for larger waters and lakeshore fishing, while remaining compact enough for fishing tight and brushy streams.

At 2.7 oz, it's as light as the very lightest carbon fiber fly rods available, yet with important features that make it a far simpler solution than conventional fly rods. For example, it features a reinforced carbon fiber wall on its lowest telescoping section that makes a rod case superfluous, thus saving a lot of weight compared to other systems (as a point of reference, check out Ryan Jordan's commentary on fly rod cases and see how much weight they add to your fishing kit).

The Hane is a telescoping rod with ten carbon fiber segments which nest protected inside the lower rod tube. As long as the rod is fully collapsed while traveling and hiking there is no risk of breakage!

The rod flex is characterized by 7:3 ratio. In other words, when "shaking" the rod to create periodic flexing, the flexing point will be found 7/10 of the distance from the butt to the tip (i.e., the top three sections have a softer flex than the lower seven). This is an important consideration for shorter Tenkara rods, because it preserves tight casting power without sacrificing pin-point accuracy or tip sensitivity when setting the hook or dapping a fly. The result: a powerful rod with responsiveness, yet able to deliver very delicate presentations.

The handle is made of high grade cork and was designed in a universal shape that allows anyone's hands to grip it comfortably. The handle length is 8 1/4 in (21 cm) and the design allows the angler to hold the rod at any point with the same amount of comfort and control, rather than force the hand to fit a premolded grip that might be uncomfortable for some.

The Hane features a low-glare glossy finish that reveals the beauty of the carbon fiber used in its construction. The telescoping design provides tremendous durability in its collapsed position.

Durability Notes Tenkara rods demand a different type of care than conventional fly rods so that their tips do not break. Care must be taken when opening and collapsing the rod, fighting very large fish, and freeing flies that are snagged on brush and other obstructions. The tips, although more than strong enough for fishing can easily snap off without proper attention, especially when opening and closing. Unlike a conventional fly rod, however, tips are easily replaced, and much, much cheaper than a new tip section on conventional fly rod!

The Hane is painstakingly manufactured by TenkaraUSA. For more information about the tenkara style of fly fishing and for information about the TenkaraUSA brand in general please see tenkarausa.com. The company has a rod-breakage percentage of under 2% but each and every one of their rod styles has been broken in one case or another from mis-use by the customer. Keep this in mind so that you can avoid it, and contact Backpacking Light in case of breakage.

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On Tip Failures and Rod Breakage

Please note that returns on this item will not be accepted so please make your purchase carefully and wisely. Extra tips will be available for breakage, so consider the information from Ryan Jordan below.

Most (some will say all) tip failures and rod breaks that occur during the act of fishing can be prevented. On the Tenkara rod, attention is even more critical, because of the sensitivity of the tip section (a requirement for the Tenkara style of fishing). Here are some guidelines that you should follow to maximize the chance that your Tenkara rod will provide years of enjoyment.

1. Use light tippet. 5X is the absolute heaviest tippet you should use.
2. Use small, light flies. Large, heavy nymphs, streamers, split shot, and large dry flies increase the risk that you'll nick the carbon fiber with your rig while casting. Once it's nicked, it's a ticking time bomb to breakage, depending on the severity of the nick. If you know you've nicked it and damaged the surface of the rod, repair it ASAP.
3. Never use the rod to free a snagged fly, line, or tippet. Always walk or wade to the point where you can grab the line and pull the line - never the rod.
4. When walking, collapse the rod, coil your line, and keep the tip up so the sections don't telescope out. When walking longer distances, stow it completely with the plug in the end.
5. Watch for brush within your casting zone - don't bang the rod on brush while casting.
6. When playing and landing big fish that can overpower your rod, consider swimming. Haven't you seen A River Runs Through It? That guy was a stud. You can be too, with Tenkara.

-- Ryan