HYDRA v2 All-Purpose Tenkara Rod (NEW MODEL Pre-ORDER)

This is a Pre-ORDER SPECIAL
It is estimated to ship around July 2026
The Pre-Order Price will go up $5 every other Monday

This is the rod so many people have been asking us for, a great casting all-around rod with some decent backbone that zooms to the 3 most popular tenkara rod lengths. If you want a light weight tenkara rod that does most everything good, this is it.

The new HYDRA v2 model reaches new heights of performance and quality for the DRAGONtail lineup that we were not able to achieve in the past, we are always looking to improve and make better with each new rod model.

NEW HYDRA v2 Rod Specs:

• Rod length: zooms between 392cm/360cm/320cm (about 13ft/12ft/10.5ft)
• Soft 6:4 action
• Rod weight: about 2.98 oz (84.6 grams)
• High quality carbon fiber
• Collapsed rod length: 22.44 inches (57cm)
• Handle length: 10.24 inches (26cm)
• 9 segments
• CCS/RFI: (392cm) 22 pennies/5.6, (360cm) 20 pennies/5.6, (320cm) 18 pennies/5.6 
• Tippet Rating: 4x 
• Rotational Moment: 6.7
• Stealthy Matte Black Finish
• Hard Storage Tube: ? inches
• Stylish Rod Sock

SEE Tom Davis's Review of this rod >>

This rod is a 6:4 medium action rod can be fished at all the popular lengths: 13ft, 12ft, and 10.5ft. It easily zooms between the 3 lengths giving you lots of options. The HYDRA v2 zoom Tenkara rod is a great all-purpose choice for tenkara fishing small streams and smaller rivers as well, this gives you more a rod that can fit a broader range of fishing situations. It is great for targeting trout in the 6″ to 20″ range, the little ones are still fun and there is enough backbone to take on the bigger fish. 

For Beginners or Experienced Tenkara Anglers
This is a great performing rod choice for experienced Tenkara Anglers BUT especially a great all-purpose choice beginners just starting out because it does everything good. It provides an enjoyable action and performance that is UN-matched by other rods in this price range. You can start with a great rod you will keep for a long time for lots of situations. 

Matte Black Stealthy Finish
The matte black color keeps the rod from reflecting the sun off long rod 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.

How I would describe the action of the HYDRA v2 Rod
For me, it is in-between the Mizuchi and the Kokoro rods in action and flex. It is a 6:4 rod but it is more tip flex with more backbone in the mid sections for fighting fish and casting bead heads when compared to the softer action of the Kokoro rods. When compared to the Mizuchi rod, the HYDRA v2 has a softer smoother cast and definitely a soft tip sections and just a little bit more mid flex.

----------------------------------------------------------

The Development of the HYDRA v2 Rod
(sorry, this section is long winded)

We have been asked for many years to make a better replacement to the old HYDRA rod, which was a great all around tenkara rod that hit the long length and medium length needs. But the original HYDRA rod had one big drawback and that was it's rotational tip heaviness in the long length. It was also highly outdated to the level of performance that DRAGONtail is now able to achieve in overall product performance design.

After many prototypes over the last 4 years, we have finally come to a model we love with the help of our new Korean factory partner in their Korean run China factory. This rod takes the DRAGONtail rod lineup to a whole new level.

It's Rotational Moment (casting weight or tip heaviness) is very low for a 3 length zoom rod, in fact it matches up with our Ragnarok 400 tenkara rod model which is only a single length rod. This was a big feat to rise up to this level of development in a 3 length zoom rod, which are commonly much heavier in longer lengths. 

The rods action is neither super soft or very stiff, it is a good balance in the middle so you can cast light flies and weighted flies and have lots of fun with small fish in the 2 shorter lengths but take on and control some sizable fish in the longest length. It is a great ALL-AROUND rod. It took lots of adjustments to achieve this balance and still be a high performing rod.

And although it costs more, we decided to have it made in Korean run China factory for 3 different reasons. We can push the boundaries of development and performance to new levels, the finished quality is done with much higher precision and consistency, and they have the technology to blend materials for a lighter weight but still keep the higher strength. These 3 reasons we felt were worth a little extra costs and retail price increase to make a fantastic all-around tenkara rod that you will love for many years to come. While it is still made in China, the Koreans are overseeing all the production to ensure the highest quality production that you would expect from their Korean factory.