I am about to go to Patagonia and I wont be able to bring my giant Shimano salmon rod so the LT 36 is the next best big fish rod I have.
Has anyone pushed theirs slightly beyond the tippet rating? It can go to 4x but im wondering if anyone has fished with it down to 3x.
I fish with guide Paul Vertrees from Royale Gorge Anglers and when chasing large fish I have asked him about tippet size. He always tells me bring either 5x or spare parts.
I fished in Patagonia last Xmas and since I am a Codger, only from a boat in lakes, so my views may be skewed. The flies used were large and closely resemble Chubby Chernoble’s and the distance from the fish and required a western fly line to carry. The guide laughed at the 5x tippet and tied on one of his own but wouldn’t tell me it’s size. All fish were taken on floating flies and the fish rose 10 or more feet to take. There were no fish under 18 inches and on my last day, when I finally dialed in casting this tackle on an 8M rod, we boated 25 fish, No breakage from fish, but deep divers stretched the rod-joints so they were very, very difficult to disjoint. I brought perhaps 15 rods but never even contemplated anything under 5M. Fishing any closer would spook the fish.
If you would like to phone: 406-599-2674 I’m in Tucson, Arizona
There’s a huge difference in using a Tenkara out of a boat vs wading. It’s much easier to turn a fish while wading vs stopping one from diving while fishing out of a boat in deeper water.
Wow that’s an incredible experience. I live down here now and will be here for about 8 more months. We leave tomorrow I’ll call from the road if I have a chance, thanks for that. It would be nice to bring this monster Shimano salmon rod but it will cost over $200 just to get it on all the flights.
I personally would not risk it, especially if it is the only tenkara rod you are bringing. Breaking off a few large fish with opportunity for some smaller models is better than breaking the rod and no opportunity.
I have tangled with some really large fish. Read up on large fish fighting. There is some material in this forum.
The biggest tip that works like magic is fighting with light pressure and focus. Lots of patience. It is boring and you cannot let your mind stray, otherwise you will make an error and it is often game over.
The reason this can work is that the fish takes the fly but the pressure is not enough for it to run. It will often return to its lie. It finds saftey in that home base and if we can throttle the pressure so it stays in that vicinity we can wear them down. If it gets agitated I reduce pressure. Head shakes and erratic behavior will be indicators.
The downside is that you may land a fish this way but you may also toast it. Be prepared to harvest it or break it off before it gets to that point.
I find joy in leashing big fish. Landing them is a chore and I dont mind dropping them.
If i had the choice, i would rather fight large 3 fish and not land them over landing one fish with high risk to its mortality. The only exception is if I intend to harvest.
Have you looked into shipping the rod? Consider taking a western fly rod suitable for large fish, and use the LT for smaller fish if you can’t get the Shimano to your destination.
Its too late to ship it… im just going to roll with the suggested tippet and be happy to be out there. Its going to be a fun trip!