The Taniwha S-glass blank was a project born out of necessity and ambition. For the last few years, the FRC Ogawa 6’ 1wt had been my trusted companion on my local river, narrow and cloaked in overgrowth, where finesse and precision were needed getting the fly to the fish whilst always hampered by low hanging branches and limited a back cast. The Ogawa 601 excelled in this environment; its delicate touch perfectly suited to the subtle and not so subtle rises of trout in tight quarters. Yet, as much as I loved the little Ogawa for its short and robust stature, the stream harbours more than ‘fingerlings’ and ‘footers’, among the runs and pools lurk chunky educated wild brown trout that often exceed 3lb, they feast on the many bullheads that live in the river along with a reasonable amount of sedge, blackfly and terrestrials, their strength and speed capable of turning a well-fought battle into a tangle of line and lost opportunities amidst the many submerged snags that the fish call home.

It was these challenges that had me looking at the Taniwha TSH 662 blank as the step up needed. From the outset, I wanted a rod that could bridge the gap—a step up in power without sacrificing the length and short-range fishing that the overgrown nature of the local river dictates. The build was going to be kept fairly simple, a cap and ring reel seat, cigar grip and Sea-Guide single foot guides, a very nice slightly spalted walnut burr insert and amber agate were the bling in the build, The wraps were 50# Tire silk in burnt orange tipped with Prowrap metallic thread in bronze. Most of my rods are fairly simple unassuming builds with the reel seat, agate and cork the main event, the metallic tips on the wraps were a bit of an indulgence for me on this build!

In action and matched with my little Ryobi Mag 275 reel spooled with a Cortland 444 Spring Creek line, the Taniwha has proven to be a worthy big brother to the FRC Ogawa. Its extra backbone provided the grunt needed to steer those bigger browns away from obstacles, yet it retains the finesse to present a fly gently when stealth is essential in close quarters fishing, a quicker action than the Ogawa with a fast for glass recovery gets you some nice tight loops and aerial mends, it also roll casts beautifully. If your idea of heaven is wild fish in wild streams and you want a little pocket rocket of a rod then this blank is the one for you.

If you’re interested in a Taniwha TSH 662 blank, build kit or would like to have us build your rod for you, call or email to discuss options 07460147069 contact@fortitude-rod.co.uk

This 17"er gave the TSH 662 a good test and the rod coped well and managed to keep it out of the many snags