Line Storage

Tenkara
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They will be about an inch (25mm) smaller that the larger home made one I make out of heavy paper stock, and being slightly smaller will be easier to insert into a zip lock bag. And lacking coloration will also be easy to label without having to glue on a tag.

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And larger than the small ones I make. They were sized so that in a pinch if I need one I can make them out of a blog in card from a magazine. Having an odd number of points circle, each round passes on a different side of the card so the card wont saucer on me and stays relatively flat.

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I’ve not yet heard back from Keiichi-san, Bad timing making the enquiry on the weekend. Other times I hear back from him quickly. The cards are not heavy like a magazine or book I am expecting the postage charge to be low.

1 Like
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Ah, here’s an FYI that might be of interest. I received a reply from Keiichisan, in which he wrote, maybe the ECO shikakemaki line cards at 140mm were too big, and maybe I would prefer a 75mm alternate card instead.

Well, I replied no, I’d prefer the 140 mm cards because I like the larger diameter cards. Unfortunately I sent the reply before I looked carefully at the link he sent me.

The Deiichiseiko Spools (product # 5051) are actually available in several sizes, 75mm, 105mm, 136mm, 170mm, and 210mm.

He wrote the 75mm size is $4.80 + $8 shipping to USA for an 8 piece set. Don’t know how the prices or shipping charge would change for the other sizes. I would have been ok with the 136mm size. But since he only mentioned the 75mm size in his email, I failed to notice the other sizes before replying to him. And the ones I had enquired about are 980 yen for ten. So maybe probably twice the price for 2 more pieces, that are only slightly larger in diameter. I think I should email him back about the price on the 136mm 8 pc set.

Anyway, maybe one size or the other of these Daiichiseiko I Spool line cards might be of interest.

Daiichiseiko I Spool

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Well here’s an update after hearing back from Keiichi-san again.

For some reason he never came back to me with a price on the origianal 140 mm, 10 spool pack I saw on Amazon, and inquired about, these ones (linked back 4 post earlier.) :
まきまきシート エコ仕掛巻き（大） 10枚入り from 城東樹脂化工, Makimaki set Eco Shikakemaki (large) 10 pieces. Maybe he saw they would be higher cost for him to order them inside Japan.

The biggest bag for the money, for 136mm diameter spools are the Deiichiseiko product # 5048. Spool Sheet ECO Value Pack, $8.00 (for 9 medium sized, 136mm card spools).
https://www.daiichiseiko.com/products/5049/

The Deiichiseiko spools, mentioned in the previous post, product # 5051, Spool Sheet, for medium size, 136mm spool, there are only 4 in a pack for $4.80. Not 8 in a pack as for the smaller Mini diameter spools. So 8 M (136mm ) spools would cost me $9.60. The # 5048 spools are the lower cost option.
https://www.daiichiseiko.com/products/5051/

He also gave me a price for the Deiichiseiko Spool Sheet ECO in EVA Box, product # 5048.

It is a cool set with a water resistant zip pouch, and stuff. But the price quoted was $20 for 3M sized spools.
https://www.daiichiseiko.com/products/5048/

Keiichi-san also did not give a different shipping charge from the initial price of $8. I assume the fee will remain the same though I have I have chosen a different product option. About $1.78/spool. I can live with that price, my time to make my homemade spools is worth more to me. But if you like smaller diameter spools, the price per spool would be less. Seems the U$ is buying more JPY that it used to.

Maybe this was helpful if you were thinking of ordering some size of line sheet spools. :smile:

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The 9 sheet spool 5049 pack weights a little more than the 8 sheet spool 5051 pack. Therefore the shipping cost increased from $8 to $12. Thus the cost per spool including shipping for the 5049 spools increased to $2.22/spool. Still lower than the price for a gallon of gas, but I will be able to use the spools a lot longer. A gallon of gas in my car is gone in about 20 minutes. The spools I can use for years, :grinning:

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Wow! That is a beautiful and unique line holder!

3 Likes
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Welcome to 10CT forum,
thank you for your comment

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I’m pleased you dropped in Jason.
Since you’re here - I’ll ask - what’s the eta for the Nirvana line holders?

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Have any of you used the new Oni spools?
https://www.teamoniusa.com/new-products-1/oni-shuriken-line-spool

I just got a couple and so far I really like them.

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The Oni Suriken line spools are interesting design.
Sadly, in my view, they are only 60mm in diameter, (about the average popular size), but I prefer larger diameter line spools. The 85mm ~ 90mm spools. But might have to check them out as that is the only size.

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Do you like the larger size because of less line twist? Or easier , quicker to wind?

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A combination of both. A little quicker to unwind and use line that has coil memory. Larger diameter coils leave fewer curves in the line to be straightened, and the arc of the coils are a little closer to being straight than smaller radius coils. And a little bit quicker to wind line back onto the spool.

Both the Meihō (メイホウ) and the (rādji) Raji Leica (ラーヂ ・ライカ) spools tend to make line spools that jump in size by 20mm; from small, to medium to large sizes. The raji leica about 5mm smaller in diameter. An increase of diameter of 20mm = about an extra 2.5 inches (6.35cm) more line wound onto the spool for each wrap round the spool. 5 round turns = an extra foot of line wound onto the spool. Plus I do not find carrying the slightly larger line spools a burden. As some people do.

I most often carry everything extra I want on the stream in a Gossamer Gear backpack hip pocket, that I have attached a shoulder strap to. It is about 7 in x 4 in x 1.5 in. Big enough for a small fly box, spool of tippet, my car keys, an extra line spool or two, but it becomes a little crowded with 2 line spools. The line cutter and forceps attached to a dual keeper, the forceps conveniently clip to the belt loops of the hip pocket. I figure if I can’t carry all I need in it, then I am wanting to carry too much stuff.

I realize – It is only a small decrease in time, but ever since reading a biography of R. G. LeTourneau, and reading his story about one of the principles he applied to his work I lean toward thinking about time efficiency of doing task.

The story he wrote about was when he was a young man, working at one of his first jobs in a foundry. He was working hard shoveling foundry sand like he was putting out a fire, and working up a sweat. The boss walked by and said to him, “Young man I do not require you to work hard - I only require you to work fast.” One of the reasons why he invented and built machines that did work fast. My wife and I are at odds about this. She wants everything in the kitchen stowed behind cabinet doors, out of sight. I want spices, and pans out in the open where I can find and use them quickly. Since I am the chief cook and plate washer now days I favor my view prevailing. But ya don’t always get what you want. :open_mouth:

Anyway, you can find a lot of different Japanese style line spools by doing an internet search with these Japanese phrases:

  • 丸型 ライン 巻き 仕掛け that basically translates as - round shape line winding mechanism / device.
  • ラーヂ 丸型 仕掛け巻き = Radji round-shape gimmick winding
  • メイホウ 丸型 仕掛け巻き = Meiho round-shaped gimmick winding
  • 渓流 テンカラ糸 巻き = mountain stream tenkara thread winder
  • テンカラ ライン 巻き スプール = tenkara line winding spool
  • 丸型 ライン 巻き スプール = round-shape line winding spool

Of course you can mix the individual words around to make a different search phrase and sometimes find something different. Different model or homemade line spools.

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Thanks for joining the forum @jasonklass. It’s great to have you here.

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Line cards…

I love those clear ones, doubles!

I’m ordering. Thank you David.

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I have several of those foam spools. I cut slots through both sides of the rims down to the center hub every 90° that makes it easier to start winding the line with just a small tag of tippet through one of the slots. I also started tightening my level line arbor knot around the spool hub to hold the line tightly on the spool. I just pull the tag to loosen the knot and it easily comes off. Anybody else doing that? Any reason why I shouldn’t do that?

I got my 8 Nirvana Kickstarter spools last week. They’re pretty nice. The thin spools are just thick enough to adequately protect the hackle of a fly when hooking it on the little hook holder in the center for keeping it rigged on the line when stowed.

1 Like
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I do the same, I find it very practical and have found no downsides

And FWIW I use foam spools with cuts too, which I find more convenient than the Meiho ones, less bulk, less weight.

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How many lines do you guys carry?

I carry 1 extra when I know where I’m going.

2 - 4 when conditions vary.

4 - 6 traveling.

Thin card spoils, I can stack all into a small space. Efficiency and minimalism is something I try to adhere to.

I’m curious how many lines you guys carry?

In all my years of tenkara, I think I’ve bunged up two lines…

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To go fishing one day, take 2-3 lines.

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I keep it as simple as I can, one 3.5 line that I use most of the time, one 2.5 when I want to be delicate with unweighted kebari and the occasional small dry fly. The second line acts as a backup too.

2 Likes
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First off, I’m a yearling. I’ve already bunged up one line so hopefully that annual average will decrease as I move forward on this journey.

I’m also an old retired old guy that probably has had ADD since before they knew what to call it. I’ve learned strategies before undertaking something to help ensure success. Two of which are, 1 - everything has a place, 2 - better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.

Given how my brain functions, a method of “simplification” for me is making sure my fishing gear is in its “place” ready to go like my go kit when I was in Mountain Rescue. (I had rock, snow and ice sub-kits. If there was any question about the conditions we would encounter on a mission I brought them all to the staging area and would select which sub-kits were needed there, after meeting with the team.) For fishing I have a tenkara freshwater trout kit and western saltwater trout - salmon kit pre-packed, for the conditions I can encounter.

I have three rods to cover a wide range of stream types. Some of the blue lines I fish can range from 8 ft wide to 20 ft wide with some sections having heavy riparian brush and canopy, in a single day’s beat. The mid-sized streams around here can all have varying densities of brush and cover. Plus the streams I fish change from year to year because of the amount of rain and snowmelt so there is really only one small low elevation stream I fish where I know only one rod is needed. Because Tenkara rods are so light and compact, I often carry two rods.

Again, I’m a yearling. Keeping - carrying lines for each of my three (zoom) rods in my pack to reduce the chance of forgetting something, especially now with the thin Nirvana spools takes up a lot less space and weight than a reel and an extra spool or two. That’s already Progress!

My rods and cm lengths:

  1. Suntech GM Keiryu Special 53 - 450 490 530 (a recent addition)
  2. DRAGONtail Hydra 390Z - 350 390
  3. Tenkara Times Watershed 300 - (240) 263 306

I have used lines with sighters for weighted nymphs. That may be redundant so I may just put sighters on all line lengths (for rods) I might nymph with to slightly reduce what I carry. I also have 2 custom Spiderwire lines for the GM 53 coming from Gressak, but so far these are the lines I carry and the rods I have (might) use(ed) them with:
15 ft 3.5 with sighter: 1, 2
13 ft 3.5 with sighter: 2, 1?
13 ft 3.5 w/o sighter: 2
13 ft 3.0 w/o sighter: 2
10 ft 3.5 w/o sighter: 3, 2
10 3.0 ft w/o sighter: 3, 2
7 3.5 ft w/o sighter: 3 (1 for tight brushy openings in an otherwise open stream?)

I’m also testing a “dropshot extension” of about 16" of 5X tippet with tippet rings on both ends that I can tie on to the tippet of a(ny) line. I keep the extension on a separate spool.

While I can appreciate carrying as little as possible being a priority, I am still a rookie. My highest priorities are success, and learning what works for me in different conditions. Once I get more experience I will probably be able to pare back a bit.

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@Olivier, I use heavier lines for utility. I love a #2 but, wind. Wind is always a factor unless I’m in a tight valley stream. When I’m there, the last thing I’m worried about is a perfect casting stroke. It’s not hard however, standing on a wobbly rock, hanging over the water hanging on a tree, it’s just easier to cast a #3.5.

So minimalism and utility.

I should carry a #2, just for fun.

I won’t.

Doesn’t demand its way into my bag.

So I carry minimal line cards.