We are still sending out a few of the December Kickstarter ones out this week and some next week and then all the December ones should be shipped. You will get a tracking # when it ships out.
woohoo. i got my shipping notice. cant wait
Got my ship notice too. I guess I can set up a pie tin in the garage and practice B&A casts but no opportunities to fish a short T-rod on small streams around here until late May - mid-June 2022, so I have to wait 
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Those of you who have received your FoxFire Rods, How do you like the way they Cast? It is the middle of winter, so there is not much of a chance of fishing them just yet. But your casting impressions would sure be appreciatedā¦Karl.
I donāt own one, but got to cast someone elseās.
OBVIOUS DISCLAIMER: Everyone has certain preferences, and after owning more rods than I should have, and always asking to cast other peopleās rods at gatherings, I have a very definite set! For the very smallest streams and their diminutive inhabitants I use a Nissin Air Stage 240 Hakubai, and for the next size up in both water and fish a Zerosum 320 6:4. Obviously I like a combination of flexible and very light.
Iāll be blunt and 100% honest, I didnāt like it FOR ME. It flexed nicely when you cast it, but it felt extremely heavy. BUT, itās fiberglass! That was instantly obvious in my hand. It felt slow to recover, same reason. Lastly it felt overall stiff, relative to what I use for that application. I donāt know the specs, all I know is how it felt in my hand compared to what Iād normally use.
Another person may well absolutely love itā¦ itās owner hadnāt fished with it yet, but was overall happy at this point.
You asked for an opinionā¦ sorryā¦ thatās my takeā¦
I have fished mine once on a casual no-expectation jaunt on Christmas eve in eastern NY. The fishing was pretty much terrible, but I did manage a fish in the first ten minutes ā the only one of the trip. It was a cold, sterile-looking stream I hadnāt fished before but very āright sizedā for the rod.
The rod met my expectations. I was nymphing in very cold water, not where you would expect the rod to excel, but it was perfectly fine for what I was doing. I think itāll be a fun rod for small-water summer fishing. I tend to favor very light/thin rods for most of my fishing (tanuki 275/325 would be the closest I have in this length range), but I enjoy mixing it up and this is a fun way to do that. This is a terrible review, but I rarely find a rod that I canāt adapt to or that I find absolutely terrible ā this is a fun rod.
I havenāt fished it in a while, but if youāve cast the mutant, I think it might be a good complement to that for summer fishing. My only gripe with this and the mutant to some extent is that I find the zoom detents/seating of sections to be a little less satisfying. I often fish things fully extended, so it isnāt a big deal.
Ive been very happy with mine so far. I wanted it specifically for the 6ā6ā length for some very small brushy streams I fish and in my opinion it casts great at that length. Ive used 8ā of #2 level line and a few feet of 6x and I felt it was a joy to cast. Ive always enjoyed slow action rods though. I didnt find it stiff in the slightest. I do think its more tip heavy fully extended but not an issue for me and the extra length is appreciated on a rod like this. Had no problem at full length handling a rainbow that was bigger than I was expecting. Lots of backbone. The o rings on the zoom sections seem cheap and will need replaced. The bottom ring was frayed the day It came in the mail. I keep a very small rod quiver and this one will be staying.
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Ryan, send our DRAGONtail email a message about your butt cap and I will send you a new one to replace the damaged one.
Email sent. Thank you Brent.
J, there is nothing at all for you to be sorry about. After fishing with a 5 penny Seriyu Rod that weighs less than an ounce, just about any Tenkara rod is going to feel heavy. And even S - Glass is a lot heavier than carbon fiber rods will be, but much stiffer and skinner as well, so their are significant differences to be expected.
I was one of many people who urged Harry Wilson, owner of Scott Rods, to bring out Multi-Piece Graphite Travel Rods for we backpackers. Harry said, āGraphite is a better Casting Tool, but Fiberglass makes a better Fishing Toolā. The principal advantage of graphite as a rod making material is that it allows for much longer rods to be made at much lighter weights. And in the beginning, graphite rods were notorious for blowing up on salmon and steelhead, especially if the rod was raised above a 45 degree angle in fighting fish or gabbed above the grip. With a glass rod, an angler could hold the rod against his chest while reclining in a skiff in fighting 50 Lb. plusās salmon with no danger to the fiberglass rods at all. FG protects light tippets better than graphite, which was too stiff for short rod applications in the early days of graphite rod construction. Presently, largely, most of graphitās short comings have been overcome through advancing rod making technologies and materials but, glass still has its advantages, though not necessarily for all Tenkara rods being made. Where glass is added to graphite rod blank construction, it contributes strength with slower, smoother casting actions in rods with FG added to the rod blank construction.
Thank you to everyone who has commented on the FoxFire Rod. And thank you Brent, for being so attentive and responsive to your customerās needs. As far as American Tenkara Companies are concerned, DragonTail Tenkara is the leader in the Tenkara Field as far as innovative rods and products are concerned. Please keep up the good workā¦Karl.
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I must 2nd that on Brents customer service. The replacement piece was sent out immediately. The rod itself otherwise is very well made and I really enjoy it and Brents response to a frayed yet functioning o-ring was really awesome. I buy a lot of stuff from dragontail including lines and their damo etc and will continue to support the buisness.
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I just got my foxfire and mizuchi a couple days ago. The foxfire o-rings were ok, but the mizuchi has 2 that are damaged out of the box. I emailed Dragontail that evening, but havenāt gotten a response yet.
All of the creeks around here Iād choose to use a 6.5ā to 9ā and 10.5 to 12.5 penny T-rod are closed-unfishable until at least early June. But Iāve been able to do some lawn casting into a mason jar lid - inside a pie tin. In a short time I began to get some consistency. I also appreciate @FlyDestruction Brent Augerās excellent Customer Service - Support.
Also, a shout out to @TenkaraAddict for graciously taking the time to share extra details on his āshort lineā for very tight cover with me.
I like it and am excited to see how it hook sets and fights fish to about 13".
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I emailed Dragontail a second time and Brent responded right awayā¦new butt cap is on the way.
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I like the rod but my grandson loves his rod. We went fishing this weekend at a pond near his house. He caught 3 sunfish.
His smile was bigger than the rod.
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I received 2 new caps this week. Iām looking forward to trying the mizuchi and foxfire this spring.
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