the crow has landed - fishing with the Karasu 360

Rainy Saturdays don't get any better than this.

I love this photo taken by brother of the angle Geoff Hadley. It captures perfectly the essence of the day. We're taking wild rainbows, grayling and browns on dry fly in the late afternoon from a wet and breezy Derbyshire Wye. The photo also captures my capture of a fine wildie to christen my new rod with its first Salmo. 


I'm fishing with the Crow, or in its native tongue, the 'Karasu' from Discover Tenkara. My Karasu is the 360 iteration (it's also available as a 4m model). It is true to say there has been a fair amount of hoo-ha on social media around the launch of this rod. Largely around its (perceived) high price point, and also from the reactions of some competitors to Discover Tenkara's claims for its performance. 


Regarding the first, you pays your money and you takes your choice. If you find pleasure in catching fish with the most inexpensive tackle or even, hell, a willow switch you have just cut down, then fair play, that's cool with me. If on the other hand, you seek to define my fishing with your values, you may go forth and multiply. I like quality and I'm prepared to pay a little more for it.

Regarding the second, this is to me far more interesting. What are those competitors so provoked by? Fear of losing a little more of their market share of course, in a niche sector that is already a bit more crowded than it was a few years ago. So a new product needs a strong USP. Enter Karasu, a small production run, made-in-Japan rod from a small English company that looks good, feels good and can do some funky things with über-light casting lines in tight spaces. All of which suits my kind of fishing well enough to engage my interest. So I invest some trust in the guys bringing the rod to market and place my order from the first production run.


I'll leave talk of penny ratings to others. I just want to share how it feels to me to fish with this rod. So let's rewind a week or so and we will find ourselves standing amongst the late season's nettles on the bank of the Wendover Arm. No trout water this but I'm not here for trout. The evening is warm and still and I'm here for the rise of roach that I hope will soon develop. Perfect conditions to test cast the Karasu 360, rigged with 4m of #3 nylon casting line and 5x tippet. 

I'm looking forward to casting the light nylon line. One of the fine qualities of this rod is its competence here. My first cast is a noodle on the water, my second and third unroll nicely but with a definite bump down the blank as the rod recovers. I'm overpowering the forward cast I think, and coming to too much of an abrupt stop at the end. So I smooth out and dampen my forward stroke and then this rod and line really start to sing. Before long my new casting stroke becomes second nature and it's almost like I'm thinking the fly into place. Now the roach are rising freely and I'm blissfully using the rise forms as ever changing targets to sharpen my accuracy. I'm really liking casting with this rod. 

A little size 16 bead head kebari has some pulling power for roach and a few plump

little beauties soon come to hand. And here is my next test for the Karasu which is all about the trade off between sensitivity and hook set. I am keen to try this out on the roach which, in comparison to trout, have small soft mouths and can at times be very delicate feeders, sucking in and blowing out a fly faster than thought itself. A few roach in and I'm happily finding what I hoped for in this rod - positive take detection and control but with just enough forgiveness offered as I set the hook. I think these qualities will stand me in good stead next week when I join Geoff and Glen Pointon for some Derwent grayling.    


So the days are ticked off on my cell wall, the jail door springs open and with one bound I am free and bowling up country to  the banks of the Derwent - the starting point of adventure for many past, present and future anglers.  


The trout season will soon close and we're hoping today for the holy trinity of wild rainbow, browns and grayling all on dry fly. Glen, our local guide and friend of Geoff's, has a phenomenal knowledge of this river catchment, of fish ways and days, and soon puts me on some grayling feeding in a current seam. 

The sun is low and bright and the water has a tinge of whisky about it. Still with the #3 nylon I can float my kebari down onto the surface like a dandelion clock, with no line or tippet getting wet. Such is the fine balance of the Karasu in hand that I can hold the kebari on the surface film, with perfect control, as dry as dry can be, to make that lovely hackle imprint in the watery mirror. I'm enjoying using the light upstream breeze to put a soft little cushion into my casting line which just lets me slow the fly slightly as I drift it down the feeding line. 


Such a delight, when fly, line, wind and rod work together to present the fly just as the fish would like. I am soon blessed with some Autumn grayling rising to my kebari, and when they take on the downstream part of my drift I find they are easy to hit as they turn with the fly, feeling little resistance from the cushioning line. 

Geoff is fishing with fly rod and reel and is having a great time too. He's doing well with the browns at the tail of his pool, while Glen is always busy offering sage advice, flies and side splitting humour as he shuttles between the two of us taking photo's. That's my memory of the Derwent - autumn colours, beautiful fish and great company. And something of a break through in my tenkara with the degree of control and finesse offered by the Karasu and nylon line.

The start of a wet and blustery weather front moves in and we push on, now fishing the Wye in search of our trinity. Geoff has his brown and I have my grayling so we hope for continued success. The mark I am fishing now is wooded and technical and a great test of  side casts and changes of direction. This is easy with the Karasu, and I'm into a wild brownie on my second cast when a side flick lets me drift past an overhanging branch. Now comes the next test for the rod as I need to gain control of my fish straight away. I really have to hand it to Paul Gaskell and John Pearson here for the way a rod with such finesse can show the required authority in a tight spot. 

A scrappy little trout and no mistake, but control is direct and without fuss and he's soon in the net. Glen points to a tiny pocket water behind a rock at the tale of a weir. He tells me a good rainbow holds there. Almost as if it's scripted, a side cast under the trees converts to a forward cast  and lands my kebari fly first, fly only. I hold it in in the pocket for just a second and it's taken by a solid rainbow. A stronger fish this one, and I can't move much under these branches. So Glen brings the net, but a plunge and lunge and my fish rolls off the hook, but not before we see a flash of cosmic colour. So not quite the trinity this year, but I am blessed with an embarrassment of riches nonetheless.

So I've tested the Karasu 360 over a range of real life fishing scenarios. I've used some classic tenkara approaches for trout and grayling in rocky streams and also adapted these for a non trout quarry - the roach, in a near still-water setting. For me the Karasu is a rod that, while not for novice casters, will surely allow your casting abilities to grow. On-stream the rod has grace and finesse but authority too. I put this down to the speed of the carbon and its degree of recovery. The tip is not going to bounce about and distort your delivery, so with practice the greatest of accuracy will be possible with this rod. But there is also just enough softness in the tip to stop you bouncing off fish, particularly important for those softer mouthed species.

I did rattle the point fly of a team of weighted nymphs across the gravel and the feedback down the blank was excellent, so although this is not currently my area,  I think this will be a fine nymphing rod too. Again I put this great tactile feedback down to high quality carbon.

Yes it delivers lovely side casts, and with the small small scrubby rivers I fish, this is important. But apart from all of the above, one characteristic I really dig, and one I think the boys could make more of, is the balance of this rod when fishing. The EVA handle is quite heavy and dense. Not only does this transmit feedback down the rod very crisply but it counterbalances the rod when it's held in the classic tenkara position. 

For me this allows three huge benefits compared to all my other rods. I can fish over long periods with no fatigue and I can hold my rod with a much lighter and better grip. But best of all, I can accurately make the most miniscule adjustments to rod tip position. So I can track flies more precisely and more easily, I can hold my fly in or on the surface film to change its imprint and I can manipulate a wet kebari by tiny fractions. This is great for slower flow species like roach and rudd when I'm looking to induce a take.

Build quality is of the highest order. Oh, and the rod does look pretty dam cool.

trout from the wildwood

Come away with me,

into the wildwood. We'll take our rods and catch some pretty trout. You don't need those waders, they'll be no use here. And leave those polaroids at home, it's too dark for them under the old beech trees. 

We will bring the Kelly kettle though so you can be sure of a brew. What? Never seen a Kelly kettle? You are in for a treat. Guaranteed to boil in three minutes, even in a blizzard. Don't  worry, we'll stash the tea kit half way along the bank so no need to lug it far. No-one ever comes here anyway. You can't beat a roaring Kelly for restoring flagging spirits!

Yes, this stream can be a heart breaker for sure. But don't worry, I think we'll catch today. It's taken me a few years to learn how to fish here and there's a few little tricks I can show you.

What else? Just a couple of short rods, and some tippet and line. And my little box of flies. Look, I've tied these up specially. Pale coloured kebari, simple and scruffy, they should show up well in the peat stained water. Right, I think we're ready, let's go. It's not far but the lanes are narrow so we'll take care for tractors.

Here we are. It's so quiet here, until you get to the stream. Just the breeze coming off the moor, rustling the leaves of the trees, and the white sounds of water. See how the old beech lean down over the river? As if they are in private conversation. We'll need to listen to what they are saying if we want to catch some trout. That's it, creep slowly and lowly, the water is clear and the trout are close by. We don't want to make a new shape on the skyline to scare our fish. But it's so dark under the summer beech and that's a great help. It does make it difficult so see our lines though. I've tried them all here. Lime green, like the beech leaves - that's best. 

What? You don't see any fish. No, neither do I but I know they're here! Look for the slack water under your feet or under the far bank. Each little spot will hold a fish. In this slower water our biggest challenge is landing a fly without the trout seeing us or our casting line. That's it, get the fly out, whoops, bad luck! Don't worry I've done that more times than I can count. I've spent ages getting into place and then gone and stuck my fly into a tree on the back cast. Let's move on. Lots of other spots to try and you only get one chance with these fish.

Here's an easier spot to cast, but keep low. There are some places here where I almost  lay on my side to cast. Yes it probably does look a bit funny, but there's no one here to see except the trees. And if it gets a nice line out I don't really care. That's a good cast, well done! The water is up a bit from recent rain and pushing through, but I think a splashy delivery will pull the odd fish up, so let's let it drift for a few seconds. We need to give the fish time to come up for our fly. 

Sometimes you'll feel the electric vibration of a fish on your fly, sometimes the line will just slow down or pause on it's drift. It's so difficult to see that in the contrasting light here, but if in doubt strike. Strike too when you feel a fish on or they will usually wriggle free from the hook pretty quick. The trout here seem to test the fly by mouthing it and only rarely do they properly turn. No takers, so cast again once or twice to the same spot. 

There! It's taken as soon as the fly landed! Well done, but careful, he's taking you into the tree roots under the near bank. A bit of side pressure, that's it keep the rod low, yes he's ours! Such a beautiful little trout, just look at those colours - cosmic-camo! It's amazing how such vivid marking can become such an excellent disguise. A quick photo and let's slip him back. He really gave his all in the fight so let's let him recover in the shallows first. Gently does it. There, off he goes. Well done, proud Dad! 

Now, I know a lovely little pool just down the way..

     

   

 

     

review of the tenkara sling pack from esoteric tackle

A few folks have asked 

how I am getting on with my new Esoteric Sling Pack. So now that I have had a chance to test it out in some different fishing scenarios I thought I would share my experiences.

I've worn the sling pack as a full-on day pack for a two day hiking/fishing trip. In between trips I've also been using it as a short session grab & go bag. More recently it's accompanied me on an extensive two day wade-fishing adventure in driving rain.     

 Up front I will say that I really like this pack, for these reasons:

• It's well thought out, with a pocket arrangement that lets me organise my stuff the way I like it.  (see my earlier post)

• It's well made & robust with strong stitching and good quality zippers. 

• I like the colours and the embroidered esoteric kebari logo looks kinda cool. Although this sling pack would be good for any kind of fly fishing, the logo and the rod holding pocket  does mark it out as a purpose made tenkara sling pack, which is pretty unique I think. 

• It is very roomy. Allthough I usually carry all my gear on just my lanyard and in a shirt pocket, for those longer trips or photo shoots, this pack can carry a lot of gear.

• Even when fully loaded the pack is very comfortable. Weight is distributed in a way that really does reduce fatigue. I have worn this for two days solid, carrying the gear pictured, (as well as a large SLR camera) walking and casting and covering several miles and I experienced no back ache. As a sufferer of back pain arising from an old injury I'm pretty pleased about that! 
  

• Although not marketed as a waterproof pack (and I would recommend the precaution of ziplok poly bags for your digital gear), in three hours of heavy rain the contents of my pack came out pretty dry back at base camp.  

• Cool features I've found really useful include the rod holder pocket, external water bottle carrier and retracting cord for my hemostats. 

   
The things I'm not so keen on are a much shorter list, and really I'm being a bit picky:

• The chest strap release buckle is at one end. Once released, the dangling strap is long enough that the end gets wet if you are wading. If the release buckle was in the center this wouldn't happen as readily.

• The fold out 'table top' pocket with the velcro fly patch is too big. If you have some nice flies located in the patch, you don't really want other storage items in the same pocket laying on top and crushing them when the pocket is closed. For this reason I wouldn't put other items in this pocket at all if my flies were located in the patch. So this is a waste of potential storage space. In reality I opted to forgo using the fly patch and used this pocket to store other items for this reason.

• I think I would prefer a 'blind' end to the rod holder sleeve, rather than relying on the toggle cords which can be a bit fiddly and do need to be cinched down pretty tight onto your rod handle to be secure.

Conclusion

All in all, in my opinion, the esoteric tenkara sling pack is an honest, well made and well thought out solution, designed by a tenkara angler for tenkara anglers. I love mine and have no hesitation in recommending it to my friends. And at just £35.00 or around 45 USD it's got to be great value.   

For a full description of the esoteric sling pack and to purchase visit www.esoterictackle.co.uk

Disclaimer   

I believe it's customary to include a disclaimer in product reviews. No benefit has been sought or offered for this review or for anything else from the maker/supplier. This was a regular purchase for my own personal use and this is an honest 'warts and all' review. The views and opinions expressed here are my own - yours may differ.

Summer tenkara on a lowland stream

I love fishing the little stream in Summer.

The willows are fully clothed and hang low over the water and the stream is flanked by deep beds of reedmace. Clouds of tiny fry part and reform around my boots and a king fisher flashes past in a blur of electric blue. Nature in all her abundance. The water is low and crystal clear and the air is still, making the fish skittish. But they are easy to spot too. 

Unlike Winter, there is no prospect now of casting from the bank. Instead you must creep up the narrow channel, looking to cover every likely looking spot you can cast a fly to. I'm fishing for chub with my kebari. The little ones are greedy but easily spooked. The bigger ones are.. well.. just easily spooked. And often holding in the most difficult lies.

      

Often I'm trying to drift my fly beneath overhanging bankside growth. A downstream presentation helps me keep the fly in the take zone a little longer and I can lower the rod slightly to feed the fly down the current seam. But the most productive (and challenging) approach I find is to land a fly only presentation directly onto the spot where I think a fish is holding. 

Often an instant splashy take signals that a fish is home and hopefully now fixed to my line. If there is no response within three seconds or so I lift and recast to the same spot a few times more, always fly first, fly only. These fish seem to respond to the trigger of the fly briefly touching down, and the prospect of a missed chance will often force a take. Give them too much time to inspect the fly and they quickly seem to become 'educated' and will then refuse that fly now, no matter what you do with it.

This is forensic fishing, a few steps forward, covering every promising spot with a few casts and moving on. The flanking willows and tangled banks make this challenging too. Sometimes only a vertical cast through a  narrow gap in the canopy above is possible. I've found that on the forward cast a high, slow sideways movement of the rod can float the fly down through the air and allow quite precise placement. Since I learned this technique I'm catching more fish, swearing much less and losing fewer flies in the scrub!