HELLbender Tenkara Rod "BIG FISH Tenkara ROD"
13ft – 11ft (390cm – 340cm) 7:3 action zoom rod (our premium big fish rod)
This rod has great balance for a big fish rod and a strong action for controlling fish, it also still works great for little fish. If you are just getting into Tenkara, you might consider this rod if you are concerned about handling larger fish but also want to use the same rod on small streams with smaller fish.
Made with a higher grade of Carbon Fiber than most rods near its price range.
HELLbender Rod Specs:
- Zoom Rod lengths: 13ft-11.3ft (390cm-340cm)
- 7:3 action
- Rod weight: about 3.3 oz
- High quality carbon fiber IM12
- Collapsed rod length: 23.8 inches
- Handle length: 12.25 inches
- 8 segments
- CCS/RFI: 29.5 pennies/ 5.4 RFI, 32 pennies/ 8.2 RFI
- Rotational Moment: 7.8 (at the long length)
- Tippet Rating 3x (although many experienced anglers use up to 2x tippet)
- Matte Black finish
- Hard Storage Tube: 26 inches
The HELLbender is a great Tenkara rod for those chasing bigger fish when you don’t want to cast a very heavy rod or a super long rod. The 13ft length gives you good leverage and the 7:3 action backbone to control the fish. We made this rod with a higher grade of carbon fiber to keep the weight down but still keep the rod strong. I would recommend this rod for Tenkara anglers who fish waters with decent size bass or trout in the 16in – 22in or even bigger if you have the skills for it. This rod is rated for tippet size up to 3x, I generally use 4x tippet most of the time with it. If you are chasing bigger fishing on Tenkara you might read this article on fighting big fishing on Tenkara.
The HELLbender is a Zoom Rod that fishes at both 13 feet or 11 feet. This allows you to use this rod on smaller or tighter streams as well as the big water areas. This is a also great rod for casting weighted flies & nymphs. It is also a great rod for getting started with Tenkara if you want a rod that can handle bigger fish but still great for the small fish as well.
The HELLbender has a cult following in the Warm Water Tenkara regions and is an excellent Tenkara rod for taking on large and small mouth bass.
Some suggested lines for the HELLbender rod for best performance are our Moonlit Tachi Line, Bushi, Shogun, or the Oudachi nymphing line. If you decide to go with Level Line, the size 4 Level Line works best on the HELLbender Tenkara rod.
The matte black color keeps the rod from reflecting the sun and possibly alerting the fish of your presence. Despite being matte black, this rod is very appealing to the eyes and has a quality finish.
Customer Reviews
Mike Agneta of Troutrageous!: “This has become my big fish rod of choice. It’s a zoom rod, but I pretty much fish it at it’s fully extended length at all times. It tosses streamers like beadhead woolly buggers and Clouser minnows extremely efficiently. When I know there’s a chance to hook a nice sized bass, I bring this rod.”
You can read his blog at www.troutrageous.com
Nick C.: “Loving my hell bender!! I broke my previous rod on a 24 incher before I got the hell bender but this one can turn these bad boys in the strong current – a few pics of my escapades – that’s a 24″ net. Fly fishers on the bank doubted I could land these fish from the bank with a fixed line until they saw it for themselves.”
Amazon Customer Sherrods92: “I was looking for a tenkara rod that I could use in warmwater for bluegill and the occasional bass. I typically used a three and five weight standard fly rod when chasing these. The Hellbender has picked up and taken over this role now. The advantage it has in a kayak is that I can cast it one handed leaving the other hand free for paddling the kayak. I’m using the Bushi line it came with and it can cast a size 10 popping bug with a size 12 nymph tied behind it on a dropper rig no problem. I suspect it could cast heavier flies than that but I haven’t stretched it that far yet. Great rod and tube, loads of simple fun the way fishing was when I was a kid.”
I ordered this rod to handle bigger fish and it does it very well. I caught this 2.5 lb on my first trip using it. I am very happy with my HELLbender.
I’ve been taking this rod out to a local pond and have really enjoyed its versatility. I’ve caught channel catfish, decent sized largemouth bass, and small panfish on it. The rod has been perfectly suited for all of these fish. Very pleased!
I ordered the rod late Tuesday and had it Thursday afternoon. Unbelievable. I was sure there was no way I could take it on a trip to a stream we hadn't fished before. The stream was well guarded by thick willows. I extended the rod once in the stream, and learned how to keep the fly out of trouble. I waded and fished upstream to deeper water, raising the rod tip to keep the line out of it. The fish took the fly in the shade, almost at my feet, as I shot a glance upstream. Tight quarters, but fun. Later, standing behind hip high brush on a gravel bar, I got to watch cutts racing up to harass a hopper I drifted along the opposite bank. Great reach, and the 3.0 level line was easy to cast. I lost one fly, because I didn't want to spook the inhabitants of the hole on my first cast to it.
This is my go to Tenkara Rod, good sensitivity for small fish and plenty of backbone for largemouth bass. Nice quality at a great price!
I got the FoxFire for small creeks and love it, however I needed something a lil bigger for larger ponds and bigger fish so I picked up the Hellbender.
Took the rod out today for the first time and had a great day. I was able to pull in 7 large Bluegill around a pound or so each, a few smaller Bluegill, and one 2lb Largemouth Bass.
This rod held up well, and it felt great fighting the larger fish. I was even able to catch live baitfish for another fisherman.
Needless to say, I am now converted to the great church of Tenkara. No more reels!