Tenkara USA Sato Fly Rod

I bought Tenkara USA's Sato rod because my husband was so taken with my Tenkara USA ITO that I knew I better do something before there was trouble! We have had a blast with the ITO in both very small, wooded streams as well as wide open alpine lakes and I very nearly did get another ITO. But finally I decided to get something a little different to see how it would compare.

Wow! The Sato packs down smaller and at 81 grams feels quite a bit lighter in the hand than the Ito, which is 111 grams including a couple of line keepers). They both have extra rod caps with lanyards for easy keeping. My husband and I like to backpack together, so I was hoping they would both fit inside the larger Ito case. Unfortunately this didn't work out. It wasn't a deal breaker though.

I've fished the Sato now on a couple of different outings and it's been really fun. There was a time where I was near/under a structure where having a shorter length was quite helpful. But the really exciting part of the Sato is that when it is expanded to its maximum length, it feels very much like the Ito at its shortest length. Yay!

I have used the Sato with a light 2.5 fluorocarbon level line as well as a tapered furled line. In either case, it felt like my fly presentation was remarkably flexible on this rod. I was able to give the most delicate presentation when I wanted to, where I wanted to. Alternatively, I was also able to slam a hopper down to make a splash. Even as a beginner, it feels pretty easy to give a fly-first presentation with this rod.

If you're a line-keeper fan, you should know that because of the way the zoom works on the Sato, it doesn't have near the room for line keepers as the Ito. I wonder if there might have been a way for T.USA to forego the middle length and retain a longer main section like the Ito. It seems to me that in the field either the space is tight enough to force you to go very small or open enough to stretch out. I actually don't anticipate that I will ever dial it in that precisely to utilize the middle length.

Overall Tenkara USA seems to be among the better US Tenkara companies when it comes to attention to detail. And the Sato is a lightweight zoom rod that should work for you wherever you want to go.

Happy fishing!
~ Anne

Ok, I had always thought Tenkara was a quaint idea I might try at some time in the future, but it just looked like a specialized technique that wouldn't offer much to the average fly fisher. Until I took an on the water class with Pat Yeager, one of the Eastern Sierra's best guides on his home waters, the Lower Owens River, near Bishop, California. Pat doesn't use the backwards hackled wet fly thing or furled line, he uses the bright orange level line and then rigs it for "Western" style indicator nymph fishing. Now it's a 12 or 13 foot, ultra-light weight, super sensitive, nymphing machine at a fraction of the cost of a decent fly rod and reel that rarely has more than a few feet of fly line out the end of the rod anyway! With it you can often reach the far side of the current stream without line on the water causing drag--fishing spots no Western rod can reach. Mending line is a slight twitch of the wrist and you don't need to stretch your arm out like the Statue of Liberty all day.

Alright, I'll give it a try. Pat recommends Tenkara USA for quality, value, customer service and warranty. I tried a different model in the class and liked it, but when it came time to purchase one, I picked the Sato for the adjustable length, stow able end plug and the colored section ends that help with extending the sections.

The rod came yesterday and I very pleased with my first impressions of the rod. The color of the painted sections of the blank is either black or a very dark navy; I need to look at it in sunlight to be sure. As I said earlier, the butt end of the middle telescoping sections are painted red, this really assists in knowing the sections are extending to the proper length. It looks pretty cool as well. This also helps distinguish these sections, which must be fully extended, from the two sections nearest the grip that can used to adjust the overall length of the rod. These have a matte surface on their outer edge that will hold them in place for the two shorter lengths. The lengths: 10'8", 11'10", and 12'9", are also designated with decals above each section end which is good, but I'm not sure if any sort of finish was placed over the decals so pealing or wear might occur. I was a little disappointed that neither the scant product information sheet that came with the rod, nor information on the website, had any specific instructions on extending these sections. Playing with it for a while, it seemed best to me to set the adjustable sections first and snug them in place before extending the regular rod segments.

The cork used the make the grip is not the grade I would expect to see on a $900 fly rod, but better than I would expect on a $200 rod. Some filler was used but there are no large filled voids that I would expect to fall out. It is sanded smooth, feels good in the hand and has a nice shape. It has a metal winding check with a gold finish that I like. The metallic thread trim wrap was a little sloppy, however, but I've built a few rods over the years, someone else might not notice. But since there is only about an inch of thread wraps on the rod I'm not going to let it bother me!

Two very nice features that I was happy to see were the rod sock and tube. The sock is a soft stretchy material that slips over the rod and has no ties. The tube appears to be carbon fiber and is extremely light weight and strong. It's on a par with tubes that only come with top of the line American fly rods. On my digital scale the rod itself weighed 2.88 oz. Rod, sock and tube weigh only 10.6 oz.

I look forward to trying some indicator fishing with this rod. I also plan on throwing it in my small stream pack to try some dry fly fishing on a few spots in my local mountains. I think I might even try a few of those backward hackled wet fly things out!

Oh, how I loved thee, let me count the ways.
Sorry, that's it with the silliness. This is my second tenkara rod that I own. Seriously, there are just so many positives about this rod. The ability to adjust the length from 10'8" to 12'9" means one could fish the entire stream! Overhead branches a problem? you can shorten the rod, and when the stream opens up, extending the rod allows you to reach that fish a shorter rod couldn't.
Plug keeper, just ingenious, and they give you a spare!
The best rod sock ever! Stretchy, and no string to tie it closed.
Super great finish on the rod. Smaller diameter than my other 12' rod and weighs less too.
Gosh, I wish I had known about this rod earlier, then this review would be about how great my first tenkara is!