DRAGONtail MIZUCHI zx340 Zoom Small Stream 3 Length Tenkara Rod

This is my second dragontail rod, very happy with my purchase. I put it to the test today in very tight, southern Appalachian streams. This is the closest thing I've found to the perfect rod for small stream fishing.Pros:-Build quality is outstanding. Tight fit, through all the rod zoom options.-The three zoom options are perfect for mountain streams. 8' length is great in tight rhododendron covered sections.-Loads well and casts beautifully in the 9&11' range. Bow and arrow casts are easy at all zoom levels. Hook sets are quick and sharp.-It's got the backbone to muscle good sized mtn. fish(biggest today was 13"), but soft enough to be have fun pulling little guys.Cons: *these are personal preferences*-Collapsed, the rod is longer than I'd like it to be. I hike in thick brush to find fishable water. This doesn't easily fit in my bag, and it kept getting snagged as I was crawling under rhododendron.-Handle is comfortable but it's sort of large and clunky compared to the rod. A thinner profile would have been nice.-The bottom section/blank is too narrow to fit my line winder/holder. I prefer this to a spool holder as it's faster to pack up and continue crawling through the brush.

This was my 8th Tenkara rod and my 3rd Dragontail rod (I'm addicted). I love the multi-zoom lengths and the rod is quick to set the hook on dry's or nymphs. It handles small - medium fish well and collapses down to a nice size. I'm not sure how it will handle a larger fish (> 16") since I haven't caught one on it yet. It has a nice action and casting short or long lines is easy. I cast a 16' combo line with 4-6' of tippet when lake fishing. The shortest rod length should be great for those tight spots on smaller streams.

I have been fly fishing using my own flies for over 25 years. I decided it was time to try a different kind of fly fishing. This would be my first purchase of a Tenkara fly rod. After considerable research I decided on this multi length Mizuchi zx340 rod. My first time fishing with this rod, I was float tubing in a local pond. I fished with the rod in the longest length. I was casting both dry and wet flies with great success. The rod cast effortlessly with a nice soft surface landing. Catches ranged from 6 to 12+ sizes of trout along with small mouth bass and even blue gill. The rod could handle any sized fish I hooked. My first experience with this rod has left me looking forward to next season when I can then fish small streams and creeks in the Big Wood River Valley area of Idaho.

Bought this item for a backpacking trip through Idaho. Packs down pretty well and is very light. Comes with a storage tube and a protective sock. For my trip I ditched the tube and kept it in its sock.Pulled it out to use at Middle Cramer Lake(Sawtooth Mountains) and noticed that the last segment was splintered. As I extended this rod, fragments of the final segment seemed to fray/splinter and fall away.Due to the nature of the defect, the pole couldn’t be properly collapsed(the splintering wouldn’t allow it to collapse down on itself).I tried to finesse it so that it would collapse but the splintering already compromised the segment and it simply broke.Needless to say, I was pretty bummed. It was a 10 day backpacking trip and there weee many beautiful lakes that I didn’t get the opportunity to fish due to this pole malfunction.I don’t know what my recourse is, but figured I’d start here.

Rod is well designed. It can be set at three distinct lengths. It is important to check that all three lengths "lock into place." The rod that I ordered offered three stable lengths. The protective sock and case are awesome. The rod tip protector is a bonus. The 10' furled line is a good average length no matter how long you set the rod. I will order an additional 11' or 12' furled line. The flies are on the large side. Good price. I'd buy it again.