Tariffs and Shipping Delays
All items that are in stock, listed to the right, are in the USA and are not subject to tariffs or shipping delays. If you want premium trout rods, they're here now.
Trip Report 5-18-25
I don't really know why I didn't write a report immediately following my May 18, 2025 trip, but I guess it's better late than never. There's not a lot to report (which might be why I didn't report it).
What a difference a week makes! The previous week, the stream was an unwadable and almost unfishable 264 cfs (cubic feet per second, for those unfamiliar with stream flow readings). On Sunday the 18th, it was back down to 11 cfs. At a flow of 11 cfs, the stream is very low, but at least you can wade and fish, and expect to catch fish. And no, the fish didn't all get swept away by the flooding. That doesn't happen. There are plenty of large rocks that they can tuck in behind, and plenty of new eddies caused by irregularities of the bank at the new water level. Years ago, fishing a different stream that was clearly in flood stage, I caught a fish that was in an eddy behind a tree that would be high and dry at a normal flow.
The goal for the day, besides getting out for the first time with the new Suntech Tenkarakyo 40F TenkaraBum tenkara rod and the new Suntech Kurenai II AR seiryu rods (available on the TenkaraBum site), was to spend some time with the Tenryu Rayz Integral RZI484S-UL (4'8", 4-piece, spinning, ultralight) which I had not yet fished. I'd be embarrassed to say how long I'd had it without ever having fished it (so I won't).
I will say it was worth the wait, though. I really, really like this rod. I was sure I would, in that I really liked the previous version, which was a 4-piece 5' rod. The current 4'8" rod is a little firmer than the previous model, which had a higher glass content, but the upper two sections are ultra-low modulus carbon, so the rod is still quite responsive.
First fish of the day.As is usual on that particular stream, I started my day in a large pool that nearly always yields multiple fish. The day was no exception. After a quick fish to prove the rod will in fact catch fish, I switched to the tenkara and seiryu rods to prove that they would also (and they did). After catching multiple fish (it really is a nice pool), I switched back to the Tenryu RZI484S-UL and worked my way upstream.
Little wild browns, gotta love 'em.There aren't any headwaters nearby, but this particular stream provides a good test bed for how the rod would do in the headwaters. The stream is loaded with small wild browns. I know they're wild because New York doesn't stock fish that small. They're small, but they're generally hungry and if you fish small spoons or spinners you can have a very nice day. On this particular day, the Smith Pure 2 gram spoons and the Shimano Slim Swimmer 2.5 gram spoons each caught multiple fish. I am sure the Shimano Slim Swimmer 1.5 gram spoons would have, too. With a light line (I used the Sunline Troutist Wild 3 lb line) the rod will cast the 1.5 gram spoon as far as you would want on a small stream. It will do just as nicely with the Smith AR-S 2 gram spinners.
As with most eastern streams, though, the trail alongside is little more than a deer trail in spots. Having a 4-piece rod rather than a 2-piece rod is really very handy. That is especially true if you also have a tenkara rod with you, so at least part of the time the spinning rod would be strapped to the side of your backpack. A two-piece rod sticks up far enough to catch in low branches (even when wading). On this particular day, when I wanted to fish with tenkara and seiryu rods in addition to a spinning rod, the 4-piece RZI484S-UL was a better choice than the 2-piece Tenryu Rayz RZ4102S-UL.
Previous model: RZI50UL-4Although I mentioned fishing the headwaters and small wild browns, do not think the rod can't handle big stocked browns. I am confident that the rod will do as well as its predecessor. I wasn't expecting to catch that fish (several years ago), but the rod handled it without any problem.
Header photo: Tenryu Rayz RZ4102B-UL, Shimano Calcutta Conquest BFSHG ('17)
Warning:
The hooks are sharp.
The coffee's hot.
The fish are slippery when wet.
Whatever you do, do it with finesse!