The type 3 is very much a 5:5 and 340 length. Fantastic rod but entirely different than the wasabi. The wasabi is stiffer yet feels lighter at hand. Really you can’t go wrong with any of those rods just remember they are apples and oranges in comparison. What is the typical size fish you expect to catch?
As hard as it is to say I think at this point of my tenkara journey the Wasabi is me favorite rod. With the Oni 1 neck and neck.
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@Sparrow , I’m considering the Wasabi 360 as a replacement for my Try 360 and I just noticed you own a Try 360, how do they compare ?
I have and fished both. Both are very good rods, but the Wasabi is a higher level of quality. The Try 360 is a more mid flex rod (even though it’s categorized as a 6:4) . The Wasabi 360 is more tip flex (a true 7:3). The Try 360 has a Rod Flex Index of 3.6. The Wasabi’s RFI is 4.5, so it’s a “faster” rod.
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Thanks @tvdavisid I had religiously read your reviews. Your site is a tremendous ressource to choose rods when you can’t try them.
I don’t have much experience with rods but I had a 20 pennies/5.5/6:4 before and I didn’t like how stiff it was. I prefer feeling the rod load when I cast, flexing even with smaller fish. I like a softer, gentle contact with fish if that makes sense. The Try 360 does that well but it can be difficult to handle fish above 11 inches in tight quarters, which has happened quite a bit lately, so I’m looking at getting myself a slightly stiffer 6:4 (And preferably a light and premium one). The Wasabi was a contender but if you say it’s a proper 7:3 and feels faster than 4.5 then it could be too fast. I fish the same kind of streams as you do and some larger high gradient, bouldery type ones. 3.5 line most of the time and flies with the smallest available beadhead, 2.3 mm.
(And also,I’ve had the thought come to mind a few times : in case you’d like turn your CCS/RFI spreadsheet into a google docs, which could be handier to browse and edit, I’d gladly help).
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Tom describes it perfectly. Generally I prefer full flex rods but in the case of the wasabi it is an absolute wonderful casting rod, with excellent sensitivity. The build quality is unmatched out of the rods I own. The try 360 is a good rod, just not in the same league.
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Here is a sortable and searchable format provided by Mike Agneta of Tenkara Angler. Does it seem easier to use?
Also, what you said, “but it can be difficult to handle fish above 11 inches in tight quarters” is a real quandary with rods. I too enjoy a rod that flexes and loads easily, but those rods have a harder time controlling larger fish in tight quarters or fast water (at least for me). Since most of my water is higher gradient and I fish a lot of tighter/brushy creeks, I feel more comfortable with a rod that is a little “faster”, as I have better control over larger trout. It’s the compromise that I have had to come to with my waters. If I fished mostly meadow streams then I’d go with a rod having an RFI of 3.3-3.9. As it is, I feel most comfortable with a rod having an RFI of around 5 when I’m fishing higher gardient/faster streams. This very issue makes the question, “what is your favorite rod” more of an insight into what kind of waters the angler fishes than on what brand the angler prefers.
That helps, thanks
Thanks for articulating that idea, it’s nice to go beyond the “i’m a slow/mid/fast rod guy”. I’m going to let those thoughts sink in and see if I get a Wasabi (or perhaps a Daiwa Master L LL36). Will keep you guys posted.
In addition to the chart Tom linked to on Tenkara Angler, it does exist as a Google doc as well… That’s what drives the embedded chart in the website. (I think the settings are correct for sharing):
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Received the Wasabi 36 last week and managed to go fishing with it on the same day. Warm weather, deep in a gorge, clear water and a dozen of fish, just how I like it. The rod ticks the boxes I expected : super light, sensitive, accurate casting and more control over the fish than my Try 360. I might write my detailed impressions further down the road, but in the meantime, a couple of photos.
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@Olivier, I’d love to hear more of your thoughts when you get the time. I contacted them just over a month ago and they said they weren’t shipping to the U.S. at the time. I am glad to hear they are shipping again. Did they use Japan Post or DHL or something else?
Has anyone here tried the 320 version?
Ok, I’ll fish it a bit more and will let you know. They shipped the rod via EMS and it took 10 days to arrive here in France.
Ah, France. That might make a difference. I will have to contact them to see if they can ship to the U.S. yet.
Does anyone have the Wasabi 40? I’m wondering how it compares with other rods. My TenkaraBum 40 is the rod I’ve fished with more than any other and I persistently go back to it. I’m thinking I’d really like the Anglo in that same length. I’m guessing it may perform similarly to the 36.
I have one. It’s a wonderful rod, but it’s more tip heavy than the TB40. It is also more tip flex than the TB40. These are just subjective observations. I haven’t formally measured the RFI or rotational moment.
Heard from them today. They still can’t ship anything to the U.S… They offered to set aside a rod for me but I hesitate not knowing if it will be a month or a year. I wish I could convince them to ship via DHL. I have received several items from Japan in the last couple of months delivered by them.
@Peder, yes. Japan Post isn’t delivering most packages to the U.S… I think it mostly has to do with how few flight there are. Haven’t been able to order from Tenkara-Ya, Anglo, Oni, and most others that use Japan Post. Amazon.jp has been pretty reliable though. They ship DHL. The big shipping companies like DHL, FedEx, and UPS operate their own aircraft so they have continued to be mostly reliable.
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I have a BFS rod coming from Anglo that is normally a 6 month wait… I ordered in January, pre-COVID and am reeeealy hoping EMS starts shipping to the US soon. A planned 6 month wait is one thing, but I’d hate to wait a year+.
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