Keiryu Fishing

It was time to start something new or maybe return to something old.  In September 2018, I purchased a 24' Goture Red Fox Fishing Pole (Asian Keiryu style) and 6 years later an 18' Goture Red Fox Fishing Pole for times when a 24' pole is just too long (https://goture.com/).  They remind me of my Grandmother's cane pole on steroids.  She loved to go fishing on her property along the Niobrara River and at the old Niobrara State Park pond.   I never knew how much fun she had catching fish with the cane pole until I started to fish with a keiryu rod.  This is a reflection of lessons learned while trying to adapt a Japanese Keiryu fishing pole to Idaho waters.  

Seiryu, Tenkara, and Keiryu Fishing

• Seiryu - micro fishing of small slow water to catch small fish with ultra light pole.  Flies and never bait.

• Tenkara - most like western wet fly fishing for mid sized water and fish.  Usually unweighted wet flies and never bait.  The strike indicator of choice is the yarn/foam markers commonly used for western style fly fishing . 

• Keiryu - designed for fishing deeper in the water column with weight (split shot) and bait, bead head flies or wet flies.  A long stemmed float is traditionally used in deep water as a strike indicator, but many stream  fisherman use yarn/foam markers in variable depth water.  Floats allow longer line where the float keeps hook off the bottom and hook in front of fish.  The line needs to be shorter with markers where the rod tip is adjusted to keep the hook off the bottom and hook in front of fish.  Longer poles usually require two handed casting and some fishermen use a pole support or rod holder when fishing.

Keiryu style

Keiryu has many names in Japan and through out the world depending on location and even they type of fish being caught.  Hera or Herabuna rods are used primarily for carp and catfish fishing in Asia.  Hera and Herabuna rods are setup as a Keiryu rod but most stores marketing them only have Hera or Herabuna rods and do not list Keiryu rods.  Europeans use a Long Pole or Whip Pole that resembles a Keiryu pole.  Crappie and cane poles sold in the US also could be considered a Keiryu style of fishing. 

My pole is marketed as a "Telescopic Tenkara Fishing Rod - Ultralight Travel Fishing Rod, Portable Collapsible Bass Crappie Rod, 1 Piece Carbon Fiber Inshore Stream Trout Pole" with Bass, Crappie, Trout and Carp listed in the description.  I am thinking what the pole is called is more about selling poles and catching fisherman than a fishing style.   

Equipment

In addition to the rod several accessories were purchased in 2018, but few are being used after a few years.  I tested the "must have" items for Tenkara rods but I found them not to be that useful.   I found the rod length defined the length of line and that does not change but rod length may change depending on location.    

Current equipment I take fishing:

1. Two rods with two complete line setups using wire brackets attached to rod.

2. Vest

   1. Extra hooks on 6" leader with swivel at the non-hook end stored in coin envelopes.  

   2. Keiryu floats (1x0.7" balsa wood float with spring line clips also work).  

   3.  Angled forceps and nail clippers.

   4. Assorted wet flies and San Juan Worm flies on a Eagle Snell hook holder

   5. Plastic bags for garbage.

   6. Small magnet for water rescue of trash.  

3. Foldable Fishing Net treated with rubberized spray to prevent the hook from becoming tangled in the net. The handle extends from 25.6 Inches to 57 Inches.  The net opens to 17.7 x 17.7 x 15.75 inches.

4. Bait (meal worms and trout bait).  Depending on season may also use garden worms, crickets and grasshoppers.

Additions for lake fishing:

1. A 3 gallon square bucket with wood board lid that can be used as rod holder

2. Folding chair 

Modifications to Equipment

Rods

1. Hole drilled in top cap and cord attached so it can be tied to handle when rod is in use.  Prevents loosing the cap.

2. Added 4 wire line holders for 2 complete line setups.  Wire held to rod using Kevlar thread like eyes on a fishing pole and treated with polyurethane.  

3. Added a wire bale to butt end to prevent end cap from coming off. 

4. Added 1/8" bungee cord (4 feet long) to butt bale wire to allow secure transport and stretchy shock cord if needed for large fish.  See https://youtu.be/0vjaviHdMFs?si=rwvVKy3VLzarwafo. 

Line setup

The line has 4 sections (Tip tie line, braided line, level line and tippet).

• Tip tie line is a loop of 15 lb braided fishing line to allow a hitch knot to the lilian string of the pole.

• Braided line is based on rod length -8 ft.  The braded line is floating line and made from yellow Polypropylene Construction Line (44 lb strength).  It does tangle so some care is required.  A loop was tied to both ends.  

• Add a short section of fishing yarn tied into the braided fishing line for when not using a float.  

• Level line is 4 ft made with Tenkara PVC floating level line.  A loop was tied at both ends.  

• Tippet line is 6 lb monofilament fishing line and 4 ft long. A loop was tied at both ends.  A small split shot maybe added to the end near the hook for added weight.   

Lines were attached by threading loops together to form a square knot.  

Rod Tip Replacement

Maximumcatch Lillian Rod Tips are available AliExpress

 https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806773855350.html  

Most important features:

1. Stainless steel opening round, freely rotating, durable and not easy to rust

2. Fishing rod tips made of high strength 16 nylon rope woven, not easy to break

3. Manual glue, with super glue inside and anti-friction paint outside, so new tip will last a long time

4. Inside diameter options are 0.8mm, 0.9mm, 1.0mm, 1.1mm, 1.2mm, 1.3mm, 1.4mm, 1.5mm, 1.6mm, 1.7mm, 1.8mm, 2.2mm of the stainless steel rotating ring.  Choose the right model according to the diameter of rod tips

5. Length: 6 cm

6. Goture rod tip is 1.1 mm in diameter, but measure before ordering.

New Rod Sections are available AliExpress

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803201742182.html 

1. Base diameter for the Gorture rods is 3.0 mm for a 2 section tip.

Fishing with the Keiryu Rod

I started using the 24' rod on Wednesday, October 24, 2018 for some late fall fishing on Spring Valley  Lake in Latah County.   The 24' Goture Red Fox Fishing Pole continues to be my go to rod when I go lake and large stream fishing.  The 18' rod is my new rod for small stream fishing and when fish are near the shore.  I like fishing with the 18' rod because of the reduced weight, but the 24' rod catches more fish in my favorite locations.   I am hooked on Keiryu style fishing because it catches fish.  

Thoughts and Hacks

1. Use a Keiryu float to your advantage in placing hook in front of fish and keeping it away from snags. 

2. Allow the bait to float down slowly.  When it reaches desired depth, ideally 10 seconds, the float will upright.   

3. If fish are surfacing set Keiryu float at 4' when lake fishing.

4. No fish surfacing then set the Keiryu float at 8' and if no nibbles remove float and use fishing yarn as strike indicator.

5. Using the line shooting method of casting works great when trees and brush prevent overhead casting.  Just pull back on line, point where you want the line to go and let go.   

6. The weight of the rod should be considered when purchasing longer rods.   A day of fishing may make the 10 oz of a 24' rod too heavy.   

7. The 18' rod weight matches conventional rod and reel weight but casting length is limited to 36' with my current line setup.  

8. The stretch cord at the butt end of the rod makes a great shock cord when larger fish make a run.  

9. The Keiryu rods come in several lengths for small streams, rivers and lakes.  Many fisherman will use 10 to 12' rods for "jump across" small streams and 18' rods for canoeing streams.  The 24' rod is for shore line fishing of rivers and lakes or where you need need the reach.  Shorter rods may be better than +20' rods when fishing out of a float tube, kayak or canoe. 

10. The top section of the rod is easy to break when collapsing the rod.   

11. Have fun.  There is nothing like catching fish on a Keiryu rod.  

Keiryu fishing is not for everyone.  It takes longer to get setup and take down than a traditional rod.   Traditional rods can cast further and use more options in terms of baits and lures and their action can be varied longer distances.   The advantage of keiryu relates to the action of the pole.  You will need to experience it to fully understand why I continue to use the Keiryu rod.