Assembling Your 12’ 6:4 BYO Kit - Instruction Manual...Assembling Your 12’ 6:4 BYO Kit - Instruction Manual Congratulations on the purchase of your 12 [ 6:4 BYO Kit. Follow these
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Assembling Your 12’ 6:4 BYO Kit - Instruction Manual Congratulations on the purchase of your 12’ 6:4 BYO Kit. Follow these easy-to-follow steps to build a simple tenkara fly
fishing rod that will give you years of enjoyment, performance and that self-made feel. We recommend reading through
these instructions at least once before beginning assembly.
Additional supplies recommended: Paper towels, sharp knife, 70% or 91% isopropyl alcohol, pencil, permanent marker,
scissors, and disposable gloves.
Note: If you purchased your BYO Kit with the optional Winn® tenkara grip and wish to mount it with 2-sided golf grip
tape and odorless mineral spirits (not supplied), please refer to the ‘How To’ section of our website for links to videos
demonstrating this method.
- You are going to build this simple fishing rod - (Actual rod may vary depending on options purchased)
Step 2. Prepare your work surface Clear off an area on a table or work bench. Lay a few paper towels or newspaper down on your work surface. Epoxy is sticky and seems to find its way onto every surface you don’t want, however, it is easily cleaned up before it cures with isopropyl alcohol. You may wish to use disposable gloves while working with epoxy. Step 3. Mark the butt cap insert NOTE: The edges of the aluminum butt cap insert may be sharp! (Figure 2) Mark the butt cap insert with an “X” on the
threaded end (Figures 1 & 2). The threaded end needs to be at the butt end (glossy or non-painted end) of the Handle
section(biggest blank section) so the butt cap can screw into it. Locate your rod Handle section and slide out the other
sections from within it, keeping them together as a unit and place them out of the way. Slide the marked butt cap insert
halfway onto the Handle section’s glossy or non-painted end until it reaches the threads (See Figure 2). If the butt cap
insert is too tight, DO NOT force it on with the palm of your hand as this could result in a cut! If needed, GENTLY scuff
sand the handle section with the supplied sandpaper until it fits (Figure 3). Wipe of excess dust with a paper towel.
Avoid breathing this dust. Mark the position on the Handle section with a pencil (Figure 4).
Step 4. Glue on the butt cap insert Clean the butt end of blank using an alcohol cleaning pad. Using a pair of scissors, open both sides of the 5-minute
epoxy pack and squeeze contents onto an epoxy mixing square. Mix epoxy gently in a circular motion for about 1
minute (Figure 5). Apply the epoxy around the Handle section from the butt end to the pencil mark (Figure 6). Slide the
butt cap insert onto the handle section, twisting it as your push up to the pencil mark, allowing excess epoxy to drip onto
the work surface. Clean excess epoxy on the handle section with an alcohol prep pad or a paper towel and isopropyl
alcohol (Figure 7). A little epoxy on the Handle section is fine as you will be applying more epoxy to the Handle section
in the next step. Allow epoxy to cure for about 1 hour (Figure 8). NOTE: Keep your epoxy mixing square aside so that
you can test it for curing progress. If it sets nice and hard within an hour, you are ready for the next step!
Step 5. Mark the cork handle position Your cork handle may come sealed in a plastic sleeve which will protect it during assembly. If you purchased a Winn®
Tenkara Grip with your kit, follow these same instructions if you want to attach it with epoxy. Note that one end of the
cork handle is larger in diameter and has a larger opening designed to accommodate the butt cap insert. Test fit the
cork handle (large end first) onto the Handle section and over the butt cap insert, twisting the cork handle as you near
the end may help (Figure 9). Note: Although the cork handle is ‘Pre-fitted’, experienced rod builders may wish to further
ream or shim the cork handle as desired. You want the butt cap insert to be slightly recessed inside the cork handle
about 1mm (Figure 10). This allows the removable butt cap to seal against the surface of the cork handle and not
bottom out on the butt cap insert. Mark the Handle section with a pencil where it meets the top of the cork handle (See
Figure 11). Remove the cork handle and lightly clean the entire Handle section and butt cap insert with an alcohol
There are lots of great videos on the internet demonstrating how to properly and safely extend and collapse your
tenkara rod. To open, remove your rod cap, place your thumb and forefinger along the top end of the rod handle
section while you slowly pull the smaller sections out with your other hand. You will notice the sections fit into each
other. A light pinching resistance is all that is needed to properly secure each section (See Figure 26). To collapse your
rod, start from the base (NEVER COLLAPSE FROM THE TIP SECTION) and slowly collapse each section, one at a time into
each other. If a section is hard to collapse, a light tapping of that section will usually break it loose (See Figure 27).
Figure 26 Figure 27
Attaching fishing line to the lilian Most level lines are easily attached to your tenkara rod lilian with a simple slip knot. With the thin Tip section still inside
the Handle section, extend the lilian only(See Figure 28). Loop the lilian through the slip knot in the level line twice (See
Figure 29). Pull on the level line to close the loop and tighten the knot (Figure 30). To remove the level line, simply pull
Sectional view of your tenkara rod This image shows the butt cap insert, cork handle and WC ring in place. Notice that the rod handle section passes through the butt cap insert about half way.
We hope you enjoyed your BYO Kit project. Feel free to leave an honest review of your BYO Kit experience at: