Hi,

I was practicing casting with my Amago and thought that it is slightly tip heavy and thought that it would feel much better in the hand if the end cap had more weight to it. Does anyone else feel the same? Or is this just something that I'll get used to?

btw I was casting with the 13' furled line ie more mass than the level line

you're not alone - I believe the rod may benefit from a larger diameter contoured grip as well as counter balance. As for counter balance I've got some lead-core line that I'm going to wrap around the butt end of the grip next time out. I'll let you know how it works.

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my blog CastingAround
Ebisu, Iwana 11'ft (with additional short handle), Amago, Ito, Ayu II

Smart idea!

I've given it some thought but I feel the noticeable benefit or difference would be minimal. With your hand being the fulcrum point, to counterbalance the rod tip the weight would have to be added behind your hand where your gripping the rod, otherwise your just adding weight to your hand. If you hold the rod at the fore end of the grip, and the weight is at the aft, you would get some benefit. However, the farther you move your hand back toward the butt end of the rod, (which consequently is my preferred grip) the counter balance effect would be lost, and this is when you would want it the most. At this point your just holding a heavier rod all day long.

JD

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"The reverse side also has a reverse side"

I tend to hold the rod at the very front-end of the grip - so in my case it would help out I think - but I'll test it out.

_________________
my blog CastingAround
Ebisu, Iwana 11'ft (with additional short handle), Amago, Ito, Ayu II

Yeah, that would be the preferred grip in this situation. I'll be interested to hear what think after you give it a try.

My idea was to add weight to the inside of the handle with a plastic sleeve filled with lead, however this internal weight would have to be removed before fully collapsing the rod. Another idea is to add a weight to the threaded cap. A little J-B weld would work well. The down side to this idea is that it might cause excessive wear the the threads or may even crack the rod blank after a hard bump.

Another thing I will add. I'm not sure (but I am pretty sure) what TenkaraUSA's policy is about rod modification. With most manufacturers, altering the rod in any way will void the warranty. I just thought I would throw that out there for the DIY guys and gals.

JD

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"The reverse side also has a reverse side"

My hand tires very quickly casting the Amago. I have been thinking of retrofitting a larger handle with a shape closer to the Iwana, but then Daniel announced that he has been working on a new Amago handle, so I'm going to wait and see what he comes up with and if it will be retrofit table like the Iwana handle sections


Bruce

I may be wrong, (certainly wouldn't be the first time) but I doubt if the Amago will get multiple handle options like the Iwana. If it were to go shorter it would just be another 6:4 12'er. The Iwana covers that really well. To go longer it would be one seriously unwieldy rod at 15' and roughly 4oz (give or take).

JD

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"The reverse side also has a reverse side"

Alright, I know I know it ain't pretty - but it feels great! I used some 1 mm craft foam to build up a contour and then wrapped with Slazenger tennis racket wrap tape. Then on the butt end I wrapped some lead core line. The contoured grip (I know the Amago comes with one now) makes gripping the rod feel much more natural and easy. The counter weight makes for a very easy casting motion.

I need to try it out on the stream though and see how it actually fishes - it may turn out that the counter weight makes the casting stroke a bit wonky - it may make it difficult to get a nice snappy cast with the change in angular momentum that's caused by the counter weight. I'm going to go to the golf store and get some lead foil too make a heavier counter weight. The way it is now it is still not balanced.

The nice thing is that all this is just temporary and easy to change if it doesn't work out on the stream - but so far it feels pretty nice.

If it works out I'll work on making it prettier.

_________________
my blog CastingAround
Ebisu, Iwana 11'ft (with additional short handle), Amago, Ito, Ayu II

Anthony,
This question may be to late to answer....

Do you have any idea of how many feet of tape you used when you wrapped the handle?

I'm considering ordering some cork tape (posted in the Amago Handle thread) but would like some real world knowledge to estimate with. (Wrapping a single pass with a cloth tape 1" wide I get 3'.)

Thanks.