Without a doubt, one of the most versatile rods in my collection is the Tanuki Ninja. This thing is light, and responsive. But… this is a rod that I grew to love over time. When I first bought it, I wasn’t sure if I liked it as much as I had hoped I would. Thankfully, some fish in the net really changed that opinion.
A quick little disclaimer… I believe Luong has updated the looks of the Ninja since I purchased mine, so some of the information about the appearance might vary from what the current version looks like.
Appearance
The Ninja comes in a dark color scheme, with a black and gray foam handle, and bands of silver and red that signify the ends of the blanks.
The handle is slender, with some subtle contours to it. At the top of the grip, on either side, are pressed characters. One side reads “Tanuki” in hiragana, while the other reads “Shinobi” in kanji.
The winding check on this rod is a little different than the others. It’s a short, cylindrical shape - maybe about an inch or so, that flares at the bottom where it meets the foam grip. Along the sides of the check, it reads “350” and “11’ - 6’”
Along the base blank, contained in the lower third by a silver band of paint, is the Tanuki logo in white, as well as the same kanji and hiragana graphics that are stamped into the foam. On the side with the hiragana, Luong added the red fish enso graphic.
The base blank is painted black, with two silver bands at the top of the blank. The other sections look dark in color, but in the light they seem to have a more natural graphite color to them. Most sections are adorned with the two silver bands, but the three sections closest to the tip of the rod replace the silver bands with red ones, and fill the space between with silver.
I lost the tip cap for the rod last year sometime, but I recall it being silver. On the other side, the butt cap is a dark, almost black color that sits flat against the butt of the rod.
The Specs
(As advertised on the website)
Length Extended: 350cm/11’ 6”
Segments: 8
Length Collapsed: 58cm/23”
Handle Length: 28cm/11”
Weight: 63g/2.2oz
When and Why I Use This Rod
I most often find myself using this rod on mid-sized creeks later in the summer.
As I said, I feel it’s a versatile rod, and it’s around this time of the year (summer time) when the water levels may require a little more versatility.
I’ve found that its “snappy” action gives me the opportunity to cast a variety of flies with different manipulations of the casting line when needed.
That same action allows for subtle hook sets on small fish, but also feels sturdy when handling some of the bigger fish in the creeks.
Paired Lines and Flies
This rod, in my opinion, casts best with a tapered nylon line. This is what I mostly use because it allows me to use a wider size range of kebari with the rod. I have found recently that I can cast a 2.0 level line with the rod, which has come in handy when wanting to present small flies on the surface in areas without as much current.
What’s really important with either of the lines mentioned above is the ability to cast my favorite size 14 futsu in these creeks. But I have also cast some bead-head nymphs, and size 10 oni-style kebari as well. With the right line combinations, this rod handles them well.
What I Like About This Rod
I’ve mentioned the rod’s versatility a few times already, but I do really think this is the strong point of the rod.
Its action is crisp and decisive, allowing you to really drive the fly where you want it to go - or add in aerial mends in a multitude of ways to sneak the fly into spots you can’t hit with a normal cast.
It’s responsive, giving great feedback, and hook sets. It handles fish well, too. All around, this rod has a great feel.
What Would I Change About The Rod?
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I wasn’t sure if I really loved this rod at first. This is partly because of the action. I found it a little difficult for me to adjust my casting stroke to get the most out of the rod.
But, here’s my dilemma…
I want to say that I would like the rod to be either a little softer, or have a slightly different flex profile…
I realize, though, that these changes might take away what really makes the Ninja the rod that I’ve grown to love.
So, with that said, I think what I really would like to see is the rod in a longer length option. Maybe something closer to the 400cm range. I think it would be fun to take a longer version to some of my favorite spots on the river and be able to fish with a bit of that versatility, and snappy action that makes this rod great.