TSURINOYA DEXTERITY II 722UL Ajing Rod – Solid Tip to 4th Guide | Fuji A-Ring | 1–5g | Ultralight

The TSURINOYA DEXTERITY II 722UL is a second-generation Japanese ajing rod built for 1–5g ultralight lure fishing. Solid carbon tip extending through the top four guide sections, Fuji A-ring guides throughout, 2.16m length, 88g (spinning) / 91g (baitcast). Available in spinning (S722UL) and BFS baitcast (C722UL). $274.95.

What Is Ajing

Ajing (アジング) is the Japanese light game technique for targeting horse mackerel — aji (アジ) in Japanese, the same fish known in Australia as yellowtail scad, yakka or slimy mackerel. The technique uses ultralight jig heads (0.3–2g) tipped with micro soft plastics or small worm lures on extremely light line (PE #0.2–#0.4) to target small, fast, sight-feeding fish in shallow coastal and harbour environments. Ajing rods are optimised for a specific combination of properties that are not achievable with a standard ultralight rod: maximum sensitivity at sub-1g lure weights, tip softness sufficient to load under micro jig heads, and fast enough recovery to detect the very light, momentary take of a small scad or bream that mouths and ejects the lure in under a second.

In an Australian context the DEXTERITY II is directly applicable to:

• Yellowtail scad, yakka and slimy mackerel on micro jig heads and small soft plastics from jetties, rock walls and harbour structures
• Finesse bream on 1–2g jig heads with small prawn and worm imitation soft plastics in estuaries and harbours
• Estuary perch on micro soft plastics in tight, confined river environments where long casts are not possible and rod sensitivity is the primary advantage
• Light garfish and tailor on small hard bodies and micro soft plastics in sheltered bay and estuary environments

Solid Tip to the 4th Guide Section

The DEXTERITY II’s most technically distinctive feature is the extent of its solid carbon tip. Most solid tip rods graft a short solid section at the very tip only — covering the top 1 or 2 guide sections. The DEXTERITY II’s solid section runs from the tip down through the top four guide sections of the blank. This means a significantly larger proportion of the rod is solid, with three consequences:

• Dramatically reduced tip stiffness — a hollow tip of equivalent diameter at the 4th guide position would be substantially stiffer than a solid carbon tip of the same length; the longer solid section allows the tip to load and flex visibly under a 1g jig head, giving the angler a direct feel of the lure’s weight and position at all times during the retrieve; this loading feel at sub-2g is not achievable with a hollow-tip rod in the same action class
• Extended vibration pathway — the solid carbon section extends the direct, no-air-column vibration pathway from tip to blank over a longer distance; bottom texture, current pressure, the resistance of a soft plastic tail in the water and the hesitant contact of a bream mouthing the lure all travel from the tip through the solid section to the blank and to the grip with minimal damping
• Tough in cold water — the source notes the solid tip is specifically advantageous in tough conditions, including cold-water environments where fish activity is low and bites are very subtle; the extended solid section retains flexibility in cold water where a thin hollow tip can become brittle and snap under the stress of casting small, heavy-for-their-size jig heads

Fuji A-Ring Guides

The DEXTERITY II uses Fuji “A” ring guides throughout the blank. The A-ring is Fuji’s lightest guide ring design — a specific priority for ultralight ajing rods where total guide weight directly affects how well the rod tip loads under sub-2g lures. On a 7’1” rod with 7–8 guides, the cumulative weight difference between Fuji A-rings and standard Fuji SIC or ALCONITE guides is measurable in tip recovery speed and in the rod’s ability to register the weight of a 0.5–1g jig head through the blank. Lighter guides keep the tip’s natural resonance frequency higher, which improves bite detection on very light lures at slow retrieve speeds.

Fuji Reel Seat

Both spinning and baitcast variants use Fuji reel seats appropriate to each reel type. The seat is chosen for grip comfort and secure foot locking at light reel weights — ajing spinning reels and BFS baitcast reels are among the lightest reels in their respective formats, and the reel seat must lock securely at low clamping force without adding unnecessary mass.

BFS Baitcast Variant (C722UL)

BFS stands for Bait Finesse System — a Japanese ultralight baitcasting format using specially designed low-mass spool baitcast reels capable of casting lures down to 1–2g. Standard baitcast reels cannot cast lures below approximately 7g without severe backlash because the spool momentum from the cast exceeds the lure’s ability to pull line off the spool cleanly. BFS reels use a very lightweight, shallow spool that requires minimal lure force to rotate and brake cleanly at the very low momentum generated by a 1–5g lure. The C722UL is the baitcast-format variant of the DEXTERITY II, fitted with a Fuji baitcast reel seat and guide train orientation for a baitcast reel. It is paired with a dedicated BFS baitcast reel — not a standard baitcast reel.

EVA Handle

The handle uses EVA foam rather than cork. For ajing applications where the rod is held in the fingers rather than gripped in the palm — the fingertip-hold technique common in Japanese light game fishing — EVA’s softer, more compressible surface provides a secure grip in wet conditions where cork can become slippery. EVA also adds minimal weight compared to cork of equivalent length.

Specifications

• Brand: TSURINOYA
• Series: DEXTERITY II
• Model: 722UL
• Length: 2.16m (7’1”)
• Weight: 88g (spinning) / 91g (baitcast)
• Action: Fast
• Power: Ultralight (UL)
• Solid tip: Top 4 guide sections
• Lure weight: 1–5g
• Line weight: 0.9–3lb
• PE rating: #0.2–#0.6
• Guides: Fuji A-ring
• Reel seat: Fuji (VSS spinning / BFS baitcast)
• Grip: EVA
• Pieces: 2
• Variants: Spinning (S722UL) and BFS Baitcast (C722UL)
• Price: $274.95