Kabuto 8053 At The G.G.A.C.C.

Recently I sent the Kabuto 8053 to a few friends in San Fransisco to demo and Nelson Ishiyama carried it along to the Golden Gate Angling & Casting Club for evaluation. 

I especially enjoy this post for several reasons.  First, the photos give us a glimpse into the G.G.A.C.C. with the casting pools, the clubhouse, and a place were countless hours have been spent casting and discussing fly rods and their merits.  Secondly, it is a very high compliment that a builder such as Yasuyuki Kabuto would have his fly rods compared to some of the finest glass rods out there.   

Nelson wrote...  "I took the Kabuto 8053 to the Golden Gate Angling & Casting Club ponds on Saturday for some fiberglass fans to try.  It was a rainy day, so not as many people as usual were there, but all the guys who cast the rod are very good casters, and we had some other nice rods to compare side-by-side with the Kabuto."

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"All of us, except one, thought the rod is an excellent caster, able to make short and long casts with nice loops.  The one who didn't agree thought the rod was just okay.  The rest of us found the fine tip to be great for making nice loops on very short casts and the strong butt good for the longer casts.  I think the fine tip is fine for small to medium sized flies, but maybe not as good for large or heavy flies.  Also, I think you have to be aware of the fine tip to avoid throwing tailing loops when trying to extend the line from short to long.  Otherwise, it was a very easy rod to cast and would be a great all-around rod for most of the trout fishing we do.  We found it hard to say whether we liked the Winston(s), Scott, Claudio, Kenney, or Kabuto best - they are all great-casting rods.

Of course, we all thought everything about the finish was very thoughtful and beautiful, with many nice touches like agate stripper, stacked bamboo reel seat, Snake Brand guides, fiberglass wrapped rod tube and others.  The thread, cork and finish work is terrific.  The only thing that surprised us was that the rod weighs about four ounces, or almost a full ounce more than a Kenney 8'3" five weight.  We did not notice the weight in casting - the rod feels light."

I am very impressed with the work of Yasuyuki Kabuto and neat to see it seconded by a group of very accomplished casters such as Nelson and his friends.

Kabuto Rods is taking orders for both builds and blanks and can be reached by email to discuss any questions you might have or to place an order.