Versatile JDM UL for Trout - seeking guidance

[bulldog0]

Hi all,
I've spent an embarrassing amount of time reading this site and finesse fishing to try and get up to speed on JDM rods.

I'm in the market for a new UL rod. I fish for trout in the Sierras. Depending on how much hiking I want to do I'll fish anything from a small stream to the Truckee river (which is running anywhere from 150 to 650 cfs right now depending on where you are).

Needless to say the range of trout size that I encounter in these waters goes from 8-9 inches to 22-23 inches; there are certainly bigger ones out there but I haven't landed one yet.

My budget is flexible (other than I'm not willing to go custom) but I'd prefer to stay married so I'd like to acquire a single rod that could cover this range of water/fish size.

For lures I typically use 1/8 oz spinners/hardbaits (sometimes 1/16 oz, rarely 1/4) but I realize I can probably upgrade my arsenal by going the jdm route on this front.

I've taken a good long look at the Tenryu Rayz Spectra 61 LL but before I take the leap was hoping to get some feedback before I take the leap as I know there is a lot of knowledge on this forum. I am very open to other suggestions.

For reel, I've been looking at the shimano vanquish 1000, but am open to feedback here also.

Thanks again for any thoughts.

[Hobie-Wan Kenobi]

I know the Rayz Spectra series is quite versatile. I fished one a bit when my buddy had one. Handled moving baits and jigs quite well.

Tip is soft and tapers nicely into the butt section. The butt gives in a progressive way.

[ras]

Rayz Spectra is a very nice mid-range option that offers good value. This series is sometimes (often, lately) discounted on JDM websites/ Rakuten/ Yahoo. If your budget is flexible, there are also a lot of other excellent options, only limited by how much time/ effort you're willing to put into research. You will want slightly different characteristics in your stream rod for spinners/spoons/ topwater vs. sinking minnows, but Rayz Spectra is quite versatile and should cover all options well. I don't have experience with soft plastics for trout.

I fish Sierras every chance I get. A couple of suggestions: consider a multi-piece rod, there are many models these days that are just as good as their two-piece counterparts and they make getting to the spot a lot more comfortable; go with a high-gear version of a reel for fast-moving water, especially with sinking minnows, because it'll give you more freedom when maneuvering, both lure and fish.

[bulldog0]

Rayz Spectra is a very nice mid-range option that offers good value. This series is sometimes (often, lately) discounted on JDM websites/ Rakuten/ Yahoo. If your budget is flexible, there are also a lot of other excellent options, only limited by how much time/ effort you're willing to put into research. You will want slightly different characteristics in your stream rod for spinners/spoons/ topwater vs. sinking minnows, but Rayz Spectra is quite versatile and should cover all options well. I don't have experience with soft plastics for trout.

I fish Sierras every chance I get. A couple of suggestions: consider a multi-piece rod, there are many models these days that are just as good as their two-piece counterparts and they make getting to the spot a lot more comfortable; go with a high-gear version of a reel for fast-moving water, especially with sinking minnows, because it'll give you more freedom when maneuvering, both lure and fish.

Thanks for the feedback. Any suggestions on where to research other options? the Rayz 61 LL appears to be sold out domestically in Japan. I thought that was a nice length to cover both smaller streams and larger rivers.

Got it on the higher gear suggestion, I will definitely follow through on that.

I am definitely looking forward to a multipiece. I have zero issue issue (beyond rods) plowing through some brush to get to a nice spot...will enjoy that being a little easier.

[Cal]

Not JDM, but I considering you're on the West Coast, I know Phenix Rods has some very popular options in the trout market:

https://phenixrods.com/trout/

And actually, I've handled the new Drew's Ultimate Ned rods from Zman and have to say, they are just UL rods in disguise:

http://tackletour.com/previewzmandrewrod.html

[ras]

Rayz Spectra is a very nice mid-range option that offers good value. This series is sometimes (often, lately) discounted on JDM websites/ Rakuten/ Yahoo. If your budget is flexible, there are also a lot of other excellent options, only limited by how much time/ effort you're willing to put into research. You will want slightly different characteristics in your stream rod for spinners/spoons/ topwater vs. sinking minnows, but Rayz Spectra is quite versatile and should cover all options well. I don't have experience with soft plastics for trout.

I fish Sierras every chance I get. A couple of suggestions: consider a multi-piece rod, there are many models these days that are just as good as their two-piece counterparts and they make getting to the spot a lot more comfortable; go with a high-gear version of a reel for fast-moving water, especially with sinking minnows, because it'll give you more freedom when maneuvering, both lure and fish.

Thanks for the feedback. Any suggestions on where to research other options? the Rayz 61 LL appears to be sold out domestically in Japan. I thought that was a nice length to cover both smaller streams and larger rivers.

Got it on the higher gear suggestion, I will definitely follow through on that.

I am definitely looking forward to a multipiece. I have zero issue issue (beyond rods) plowing through some brush to get to a nice spot...will enjoy that being a little easier.

I'd usually find new brands of Japanese rod makers on the pages of specialized web-shops (morinoie brook, maniac's, explorers etc.), read descriptions that store staff sometimes provides (many avid anglers themselves), then try to find homepage/ Facebook etc of the brand and dig through Japanese blogs before actually buying an item. Very few misses, likely because absolute majority (if not all) of the product at a higher end of offerings is excellent. I know I've only experienced a small fraction of what's out there, hence I typically hesitate to point to a specific brand/ series (with few exceptions, mostly for specialized purposes), but happy to comment further is helpful.

For me, 61 length is a bit too long for small streams, even 54 can sometimes feel a bit uncomfortable. I find my casts to be most precise with 45-50 length (I mostly fish sinking minnows and stream spoons). Your and others' experience may, of course, be different.

[bulldog0]

[/quote]

I'd usually find new brands of Japanese rod makers on the pages of specialized web-shops (morinoie brook, maniac's, explorers etc.), read descriptions that store staff sometimes provides (many avid anglers themselves), then try to find homepage/ Facebook etc of the brand and dig through Japanese blogs before actually buying an item. Very few misses, likely because absolute majority (if not all) of the product at a higher end of offerings is excellent. I know I've only experienced a small fraction of what's out there, hence I typically hesitate to point to a specific brand/ series (with few exceptions, mostly for specialized purposes), but happy to comment further is helpful.

For me, 61 length is a bit too long for small streams, even 54 can sometimes feel a bit uncomfortable. I find my casts to be most precise with 45-50 length (I mostly fish sinking minnows and stream spoons). Your and others' experience may, of course, be different.
[/quote]
Great, thanks, I was unaware of those tackle shops. Good point on the rod length. I was struggling on this because the size of the Truckee that I fish can vary pretty widely, based on water flow and just natural shape of the river. I will check out those specialized shops, thanks again.

[bulldog0]

Not JDM, but I considering you're on the West Coast, I know Phenix Rods has some very popular options in the trout market:

https://phenixrods.com/trout/

And actually, I've handled the new Drew's Ultimate Ned rods from Zman and have to say, they are just UL rods in disguise:

http://tackletour.com/previewzmandrewrod.html

Thanks Cal. I have a week off in 10 days so I may end up grabbing something fast and easy as a stopgap / extra rod solution. appreciate it

[braptor]

I fish the same area. I've tried to find one rod to do it all but the flow in the Truckee is so much different than say, the Carson in the Woodsford area that I'm not sure its possible, or at least I like buying stuff so I justify it that way lol. On the Truckee I like using heavier rods and have pretty much settled on Dobyns BFS rods, but I also like using pacific NW techniques like jigs/worms under floats which would over load a JDM UL rod.

I've been close to pulling the trigger on a Specrta for my Conquest to go with a "true jdm stream rod" for the smaller flow areas for hardbaits but can't quite commit to the price tag either.

Not really helpful, but just some thoughts after trying to figure out the same problem for the past couple years.