Heading down the rabbit hole

[Desertangler]

Greetings from New Mexico.

After 30+ years I have to put down the fly rod. Multiple shoulder surgeries have made it so I can't cast a fly rod all day, nor can I hold my arm up high for the extended periods necessary to mend and nymph effectively. Getting old isn't for the faint of heart. Fishing an UL spinning rod may be the ticket for me.

Doing my research on UL rods led me to JDM rods. However, money is an object and I think the Chinese OEM rods are more in my price range.

I either fish small, brushy mountain streams for 10" to 14" trout, or bigger rivers like the San Juan, Conejos, and Upper Rio Grande for 16" to 22" trout. I think I need two rods, a smaller rod in the 5 ft range to throw around 1/4 oz lures for the small rivers, and something beefier for the big rivers.

My priority is getting a rod for the bigger rivers, which I fish more often. I haven't figured out how I want to fish them. I know I can throw a spinner bait and catch fish all day, but I want to refine my technique. I'd like to try fishing small crank baits and swim baits. There are some really large fish, 30+ inches, especially in the San Juan. I've regularly had them chase 10" trout that I've caught. They typically hold in deeper holes with swift and difficult currents but I haven't figured out how to get a good presentation to these hogs, fly rod or otherwise. It's my life's goal to figure out how to regularly catch them. I digress. I think a 7' Ajing rod might be appropriate, but I've never fished with one and don't know if they'd be the right type.

Anyways, I'll continue to do my research on this forum and on the web, but I'd appreciate it if anyone has any advice to share to help me narrow my search.

Thanks.

[nctrucker]

what weight/lengths of cranks and swimbaits are you going to be throwing? line test? length of casts?

[CM_Stewart]

Keep in mind that ajing rods were designed to cast small jigs (mostly under 1/16 oz) to catch fish that are generally under 10" where there is no current to fight. It sounds like what you want to do is almost the complete opposite. If you want to catch large trout in rivers, I would suggest researching rods designed to catch large trout in rivers.

[Hobie-Wan Kenobi]

1/4oz on an 5ft UL can affect accuracy for short casts in brushy streams. If you are actually casting 1/4 oz total weight, might need to bump up to a light. If you can handle the rod, make sure the tip can handle the 1/4oz and that the backbone has give "after the tip" if that makes sense. Like a second gear. This will allow you to cast and work your lure with accuracy then, when loaded with a fish, the backbone has enough give to cushion those hard strikes near the shore and also during the fight. It the rod is all tip, the unforgiving backbone doesnt help you besides lifting or turning the fish.

For the bigger river, you may need a longer/more moderate bend to keep those bigger trout from ripping hooks in that current. It will give you more rod to also allow you to control which side of the drift your line goes.

[ftl1951]

So let me try this again. I wrote a response that got eaten by the electronic demons and disappeared.

Rabbit hole indeed. I would not rule out researching rods made for the JDM as there are manufacturers and lines that are reasonably priced while giving you the quality and fishability Japanese anglers demand. It’s the quality and attention to detail that sets these rods apart. The Major Craft line of rods is a good place to start. Their new “Finetail” series of rods are just outstanding. I would suggest the “Stream” versions for faster flowing streams or rivers as they can handle those conditions much better than their “Area” rods. If, however, you have little to no current, then the Area rods are a terrific way to experience what the JDM ultralights are all about. Interestingly enough, I can purchase four or five Major Craft rods for what I spent on one of my Scott fly rods.

If you are willing to increase your budget, then I highly recommend the Tenryu Rayz line of rods. They are made in Japan and are simply outstanding. They produce rods that meet the requirements of small, brushy streams to large fast moving salmon rivers. These are my favorite rods by far when fishing current. They may not be the lightest rods available, but they are absolutely terrific, well designed and beautiful rods.

Good luck in your quest. I would caution you that this rabbit hole can easily be as an expensive endeavor as fly fishing. Beware.

[Hobie-Wan Kenobi]

CM_Stewart runs Finesse-fishing.com, which is a great place to get JDM gear stateside. He carrries Rayz and other JDM gear.

Pleasure to deal with. And...dont have deal with customs fees either.

[Alphahawk]

Having used a number of high end ajing rods to trout fish with on rivers...the Caney Fork....White....Little Red....they are not ideal....and area trout rods are best left home unless the current flow is slight. I trout fished in a big way until back problems stoped me from wade fishing. Now that I have had spinal surgery I hope to be back to wade fishing for trout in the late spring. Also in anticipation of making several trips this upcoming summer and fall to the White and Little Red rivers I have ordered a Tenryu Ryaz Spectra which will give me the right rod for that type of fishing. As has been mentioned Major Craft Fine Tail stream rods are a good choice if you do not to want to spend a lot of money. As others her have said.....get the right rod for the job....you'll be far ahead of the game if you do so. I purchased my rod from Chris at Finesse Fishing.


Regards

[ultralight]

CM_Stewart runs Finesse-fishing.com, which is a great place to get JDM gear stateside. He carrries Rayz and other JDM gear.

Pleasure to deal with. And...dont have deal with customs fees either.

Curious Hobie-Wan, have you dealt with custom fees? Perhaps I'm fortunate but I've never had to pay custom fees on fishing equipment, JDM include. I wonder how the US Customs decide on who to tax if there is custom fees.

[Hobie-Wan Kenobi]

CM_Stewart runs Finesse-fishing.com, which is a great place to get JDM gear stateside. He carrries Rayz and other JDM gear.

Pleasure to deal with. And...dont have deal with customs fees either.

Curious Hobie-Wan, have you dealt with custom fees? Perhaps I'm fortunate but I've never had to pay custom fees on fishing equipment, JDM include. I wonder how the US Customs decide on who to tax if there is custom fees.

I have not. I also have never bought a rod from overseas other than my Tsurinoya Ares from AliExpress. I know some people get hit pretty hard from customs.

[Alphahawk]

CM_Stewart runs Finesse-fishing.com, which is a great place to get JDM gear stateside. He carrries Rayz and other JDM gear.

Pleasure to deal with. And...dont have deal with customs fees either.

Curious Hobie-Wan, have you dealt with custom fees? Perhaps I'm fortunate but I've never had to pay custom fees on fishing equipment, JDM include. I wonder how the US Customs decide on who to tax if there is custom fees.

I have had to pay one time, about 6 years back. The rod was shipped by FedEx and it was a 2 piece...which was unusual as 2 piece rods never get charged customs. I did not get the bill until about 3 weeks after the rod was delivered. The bill was from FedEx....and it included a FedEx handling fee. I do not remember the exact amount but it was around 35 bucks total. I know from reading a lot of folks who order 1 piece rod get hit with cutoms.


Regards