Mizuchi zx340 Zoom Tenkara Rod
A Collaboration Design with Tom Davis
An excellent 3 length small Tenkara rod developed through a collaboration with Tom Davis of Teton Tenkara blog (The master of small overgrown streams).
3-Tenkara-Rods-In-One For Tight Spots and Open Water
The MIZUCHI zx340 Tenkara rod can be fished at 3 different lengths with its two locking zoom sections, making it an excellent choice for small stream fishing to open water fishing.
The 11ft (340cm) long length is excellent for when you have open casting room such as wider sections of the stream, a river, or even on still water. The 11ft length is a great general purpose length for a Tenkara rod that will work great in most types of water where there is room to cast.
The 9.6ft (290cm) middle length is great when the stream or canopy are a bit to tight for a long rod but don’t require a super short rod.
And the short 8ft (240cm) length is perfect for when there is lots of canopy overgrowth. You can also perform an excellent bow-n-arrow cast if things are to tight for this length.
These 3 different lengths in one rod allow you to cover many different waters with the same rod.
This is a Multi-Length rod that can be fished at 240cm (8ft), 290cm (9.6ft), and 340cm (11ft). It was co-designed with Tom Davis of the Teton Tenkara blog, who is known for his plethora of rod reviews and his years of experience fishing small overgrown streams. Tom’s input/feedback was most insightful and helpful in designing the Mizuchi zx340 Tenkara rod for small streams and we could not be more happy with the final product he helped shape with us.
See Tom Davis’ post on the final prototype version >>
Kid-Friendly Rod
With it’s 3 lengths, the MIZUCHI rod will be a great option for kids as well. Little kids can learn on the short lengths of the MIZUCHI Tenkara Rod that is easier for them to handle. As they get older or more experienced, they can graduate up to using the longer lengths of the MIZUCHI Tenkara rod. It is like a rod that grows with them.
MIZUCHI Rod Specs:
Collapsed Length: 64cm (25.2in)
Extended lengths: 240cm (7.88ft), 292cm (9.58ft), 339.5cm (11.14ft)
Length Difference between Shortest to Longest Length: 39.12in
Weight (with out tip plug or cap): 81 g (2.86 ounces)
CCS/RFI: 16 pennies/6.6, 17 p/5.8, 18 p/5.3
Full Retail Price: $160
There is not another small stream zoom rod that gives you the extreme length options this rod does in going from the 240cm shortest length to zooming out over 39.12 inches to the longest length at 339.5cm. That is quite a wingspan for a short zoom rod.
Includes Regular Tip Cap AND Universal Tip Cap.
DRAGONtail’s Excellent
Customer Service
The MIZUCHI Tenkara Rod is backed by DRAGONtail’s excellent (and highly rated) customer service based right here in the USA (not China) and every part of the rod is available and replaceable individually if an accidental break happens. So you can order just the replacement part you need making it very cost effective ship and repair parts of your rod.
DRAGONtail’s Warranty
We take care of all immediate defects free of charge. Breaks that happen later on from use and accidents can be repaired by purchasing individual replacement parts (every part is replaceable) from our website at a small cost.
We also have a One-Time-Rod-Replacement warranty in place that allows you to replace your MIZUCHI rod with a new MIZUCHI Tenkara rod for just $60+shipping. This is a great option if you accidentally break or ruin several parts.
The Idea of the MIZUCHI Ultimate Small Stream Tenkara Rod
We here at DRAGONtail Tenkara are constantly trying to make our rods & gear better by getting feedback from experienced anglers. This prototype MIZUCHI zx340 Small Stream Tenkara rod was born from a collaboration rod design we did with Tom Davis (a master of fishing small overgrown rivers that most people pass up) of Teton Tenkara Blog. Tom’s input & testing was key in shaping the outcome of the MIZUCHI rod prototypes, we even let him name the rod.
Tom had a few goals in mind that he wanted in a small stream Tenkara rod that would make him more efficient fishing his creeks and overgrown streams.
It must:
1) be no shorter than 240 cm length. I have found that shorter rods don’t cast well (at least for me). 240 cm is about as short as I can effectively cast using the traditional overhead or side arm cast.
2) be able to “zoom” to a longer (not just longer, but practical and usable) length for use when the canopy opens up and a longer reach is desired (beaver ponds, meadow sections, an opening in the trees, etc).
3) have excellent balance at all lengths, especially in the fully extended length (in other words, it shouldn’t feel great in the short length and weirdly heavy at the longer length).
4) have a flex action appropriate for the intended use of the desired length. For example, at the short length it must have a fast hook set and fish fighting control over rod loading during casting (it must cast well but that’s not the top priority in the short length; power to hook and control the fish is). But in the long length it must have excellent rod loading and line control, and still maintain fish fighting power. Hook set speed now takes a back seat as the canopy is more open allowing a larger hook set arc (and the hook set should not be too stiff so to launch small trout out into the trees).
5) be dull in finish and non flashy in color scheme. I fully believe that rod flash and bright colors make me more visible to the trout when I’m only 8-10 feet away (in the clear waters of my home).
6) have great sling shot casting abilities (other name is bow and arrow cast). I want to launch the fly into tight places without having to pull the fly past my ear. Sling casting is mainly needed in the 240 cm length and is not quite as critical at long rod lengths. Also, it must have excellent non-traditional casting capabilities like flip casting and air roll casting.
7) be robust so to handle the unique stresses of a small creek. But it should also have great customer service and be easily and economically repaired if breakage does happen.
8) be able to be completely disassembled for drying and cleaning.
With those goals in mind he contacted us and we went through several prototypes before finally creating a prototype rod that met all those goals. I can’t say the prototype rod is perfect but it is truly an awesome Tenkara rod for small streams or open water, we are a bit ecstatic about how the final product prototype turned out.
Tom Commented: “I fished the prototype rods (all iterations) on a variety of small creeks. It casts extremely well, hooks quickly, controls trout in slow and fast water and is a joy to use. The rod is robust, like all of DRAGONtail rods, and held up to every abuse I could give it. Needless to say I was very pleased how things turned out. “
Read Tom’s Full Review of the MIZUCHI prototype rod HERE >>