Finding the Lilian on a Stored Tenkara Rod
The lilian is one of the most unique and essential parts of a Tenkara setup. It’s a piece of line attached to your rod tip that you’ll connect your Tenkara line to, and it’s what allows you to fish without a reel.
If you’re having trouble finding the lilian on your rod, you’re in the right place. It can be tricky sometimes, and you’ll need to locate the lilian before you can set up to go fishing.
Finding the Lilian
The lilian is connected to the tip section of your Tenkara rod, but it might not be obvious if you’re trying to find it on a stored rod. Because Tenkara rods collapse into the butt section, the tip section can sometimes be hard to find at first.
A simple way to find the tip section (and the lilian) on your tenkara rod is to take the butt section in one hand, and then hold out your other palm and tilt the butt of the rod to let the collapsed pieces of the rod slide out into your palm. You’ll be able to see separation between all of the different rod pieces at this point, and you will be able to find the tip of the rod.
If this process sounds complicated at all, it really isn’t – once you’ve got the rod in your hands, it should be fairly easy to figure out how to find the tip piece; once you have, you will find the lilian attached to it.
Make sure to be gentle when you’re dealing with your rod, particularly the tip section, as it’s very delicate and can break fairly easily if it’s not handled properly. When you’re dealing with the lilian and attaching line, it’s much safer if your rod is still mostly retracted into the butt section. If your rod is fully extended, it can be more fragile and prone to breaking.
If it doesn't come out when you tip the rod, the lilian is probably just barely stuck in the adjacent section. If you unscrew the end cap of the rod you can take all the sections out. Remove the tip section and the next section down. Straighten out the lilian. Sometimes it helps to wet the lilian to make it a little stiffer and hold down any frayed ends. Next, insert the tip into the adjacent section. If the lilian doesn't come right out try twisting the tip. In an extreme case you can feed some monofilament backwards through the adjacent section, tie it to the lilian and pull the lilian through.
What To Do After Finding the Lilian
If you’re looking for the lilian, you’re most likely setting up your Tenkara rod with some line and tippet. We’ve covered this in another article, but attaching your line to the lilian is a simple process.
A loop-to-loop connection is a favorite for most anglers, but you can use a variety of other knots or techniques to attach your Tenkara line to the lilian.
Finding the lilian isn’t difficult, but it can be a little bit confusing – particularly if you’ve never used a Tenkara rod. The main thing to understand is that the rod is all stored in the butt section, so that’s where you’ll find the lilian when you’ve got your rod in storage. Be gentle and careful as you’re handling the rod, and have fun out on the water!