34 HSR-63 Version III: an unfamiliar feeling

The catchphrase for this rod was iwakan: an unfamiliar feeling, a sense that something is different.

As the description suggested, it was crisp, yet soft.

A small fish that felt much heavier

With a split-sinker rig of 3–5.5 g, it felt very good.

Then came an actual fish. Hook it… draw it in… and something felt odd.

Judging by its movements, I thought the aji was small, yet it pulled the tip down. As I brought it closer, I began to wonder whether lifting it out with the rod would be all right.

It happened repeatedly. Something about the upper half of the rod made me uneasy. Not altogether good for the heart.

I lifted out an aji of around 20 cm, but it felt as heavy as one of about 26 cm.

There was certainly an unfamiliar feeling here too, so the catchphrase was accurate. Whether that was a good thing… I could not quite say.

Looking at the curve

A snag conveniently gave me a chance to look at the bending curve.

As I suspected, the bend began high up, within the upper half of the rod.

Perhaps an aji of about 33 cm would be the limit for lifting out. I wondered.

The butt seemed almost excessively strong, so that was not the concern. The load might instead concentrate in roughly the first 50 cm from the tip.

Well, I would use it a little more.

By contrast, I had only used the FER-58 once, but its curve under a snag formed a beautiful arch along the whole rod. It felt balanced and strong.

Or so I thought at the time… I would write about that elsewhere.

I had the impression that it might lift out a fish of around 40 cm. In the hand, the HSR-63 felt stronger; under load, my impression was the reverse.

Swapping rods with my wife

Partway through fishing, I swapped for my wife’s VARIVAS 610.

Astonishingly sensitive. Almost oversensitive. The entire rod was an antenna.

It felt too delicate, but the sensitivity was extraordinary—enough to make me wonder whether it surpassed even the Yoihime Ten 54FL.

That much sensitivity in a rod of this length was almost alarming.

The design felt pushed so far that I would be timid about lifting fish out. I thought an aji of about 33 cm might be all right, but I would still be cautious.

Two line changes to try next

Meanwhile, the Yoihime Ten S61L seemed to bounce bites away with ester line, making it difficult for me to use.

I spooled up with VARIVAS Ajing Master Fluoro Blue Moon, Japanese size #0.5, 150 m, intending to dedicate that rod to fishing near the bottom.

For the Yoihime Hana 69FL, another rod whose softness I found difficult, I chose Armored F+ Pro PE #0.2.

I had a picture in my mind of how it would work. Actual fishing might prove me wrong. I hoped it would go well.

Those were the two setups I planned to test next time.

At that point, however, there were very few aji, with “goldfish” mixed in as well. The bite window lasted only about an hour and a half. Still, I could usually manage around five fish.

Published in July 2021 and updated that November. The fish-lifting sizes are the author’s tentative estimates, not tested limits or manufacturer ratings. “Goldfish” follows the Japanese wording; the species is not identified in the article.

For the later assessment, see 34 HSR-63 Type III: a change of mind.