Kaida zx320 Tenkara Pack Rod
Back In Stock
Here Are Some Highlights:
- Short Collapsed Length that will fit in a common backpack, motorcycle compartments, small enough to strap on bike frames, or fit in your airplane carry on bag. Small enough you can easily bring it with you anywhere you go.
- Multi-Length Zoom Rod so you fish it fully extended in open casting areas or zoom it down one length when casting area is overgrown and tight. It casts awesome in both lengths.
- Medium-Soft Action With A Hint Of Fiberglass. Most tenkara pack rods are stiff due to having so many sections, so we added just the right amount of glass in certain sections to make our pack rod cast like a dream.
- Light Weight so you can cast it all day with very little fatigue and save weight in your ultra-light backpack.
- IT IS FUN! We have taken this rod to a few fly fishing expos and everyone just loves casting it. Although it will handle a decent sized fish, it is just the right action to make the little mountain trout plenty of fun to catch.
Kaida Pack Rod Specs:
Collapsed Length: 45.4cm (17.875in) - This is a pack rod not a pocket rod.
Extended lengths: 286.34cm (9.396ft), 319cm (10.46ft)
Weight (with out tip plug or cap): 70 g (2.5 ounces)
Rod Tube Length: 19 inches
CCS/RFI: 14 pennies/4.9, 16 pennies/5
Tippet Rating: 4x
This rod will work great with light level lines (size 3 or 3.5 work best), most furled lines, tapered lines, and our light PVC line. Casting is effortless with this rod. The action would be considered a 6:4. It is softer than the popular Mizuchi rod but not near as soft as the fiberglass hybrid FoxFIRE rod.
This rod will cast most flies from weightless to bead head nymphs. It is probably not a great rod for nymphing due to its softer action, the Mizuchi rod would be better for that. It is however excellent for soft presentation of weightless flies and is a hoot on smaller fish while still handling a little bigger fish just fine.
Although it will handle a 16 inch trout or much bigger, I would use it in places where the trout are commonly smaller than 14 inches. It would also be a blast on a bluegill pond.
While this is an awesome pack tenkara rod, it is also a great rod length and action for kids to learn on. And with our parts being readily available at a low price, accidents kids may have with the rod are not as big of a stress.
What does the name "Kaida" mean?
Kaida means "Little Dragon" in Japanese. We felt like this name is so fitting for a short rod from our DRAGONtail brand. We got the idea when we were running a contest to come up with a rod name for our fiberglass tenkara rod that ended up being called the "FoxFIRE". A name that was suggested by Jay Pacheco was "Kaida Glass", I am kindof glad it didn't win the poll (find the poll here) because I wanted to use if for the backpacker rod we were still in the progress of fine tuning prototypes for at the time. Now you know the story of the name, we love that it came from a member of the tenkara community and we think you will love this rod.
Tenkara Addicts First Thoughts on the Kaida Tenkara Rod
Great rod. Can easily handle fish in the 14"-16" range. I have caught a few at 20" which does push its limits, but can handle. Got this for hiking trips, but I just use it all the time now. It just goes. It kind of reminds me of the old Sage Launch fly rod series which was a favorite of mine (soft medium action). Soft enough for delicate fly presentations, but has enough back for a hopper-dropper set up. Very versatile.
I picked up the Kaida a few months back when it happened to be on a really good sale. I am a recent convert to tenkara after years of traditional rod and reel fishing and I haven't looked back!
I bought the kaida mainly to use as a backpacking rod on small creeks in my home state of Colorado. While I waited for the runoff season to end, I took it out for a spin at my local ponds. It was a blast for panfish and feels great in hand . It casts 3.5 level line with great accuracy and intuition.
I was quite nervous when rather than my typical bluegill, I ended up hooking into a large smallmouth. The kaida was able to handle this aggressive fish and allowed decent control through a relatively long battle. The kaida has also been great on small trout creeks over the last week or so now that water levels are dropping.
I would not hesitate to buy this rod again and look forward to many more fishing adventures with the kaida in hand!
Lots of people ask for “first rod” recommendations. Here is one!
I think zoom rods are great first rods, because they give you opportunity to test how different lengths work in your local conditions.
The Dragontail Kaida is an excellent first rod & teaching rod! (Also an excellent advanced user rod for smaller streams!)
The small packed size means it’s easier to throw in a bag, stroller, whatever. The 285cm short length is great for kids to learn to cast with, but the 320 zoomed out length works for adults. It’s easy to hand the rod to someone and see them pick it up quickly!
The rod casts wonderfully and is very capable from tiny fish to sizable quarry! The fiberglass content contributes to a really fun action! If you’re fishing small streams, this rod is excellent for beginning and advanced users alike! Add to this the inexpensive and available parts and great customer service, and you’ve got a rod I have no problem handing to my reckless distractable children. 🤣
If you’re a newbie looking for a first small water rod, or a rod for teaching kids, this is a great choice!
It may not look like one with it's compact size and (comparatively) shorter lengths, but the Kaida is an absolute workhorse. It's my go-to rod for local rivers that don't allow for comfortable casting with longer lengths. The fiberglass within the rod keeps smaller fish fun, but gives you the reassurance that it's still capable of fighting a good sized trout. I'd say this is a rod that's worth being in anyone's kit.
Well I made out, my first time using a fly. My Kaida didn't let me down. 4 german browns and my cherry pop! It still makes me smile. The Kaida fit in my pack, so light for such a joy, as well food source if needed. Thank you Brent