In the summer issue of Trout we had a short feature on Tenkara fishing, a traditional form of Japanese fly fishing that is gaining popularity in the United States. Have you ever fished with a tenkara rod? Do you want to try it? I’m in the process of buying a tenkara rod – do you have a recommendation?
Tenkara Masters – a few lessons on tenkara fly-fishing from Tenkara USA on Vimeo.
By Kevin Kelleher June 22, 2011 - 7:00 pm
Glad to see TU interest growing in tenkara. This month we had a presentation here at the Roanoke TU #308 and had lots of interest and several members are ready giving tenkara a try. very liberating simplicity and quite effective. Anyone that is already a fly angler will have no trouble. It is a great way to introduce anyone to fly fishing at a reasonable cost and the more anglers and TU members, the more people concerned with restoration and conservation of our treasured streams.
By Morgan Lyle June 23, 2011 - 2:02 pm
I’m a big tenkara fan. It’s an extremely effective way to present a fly, especially in pocket water. A 12-foot rod with a moderate action is a great all-around choice for most trout fishing (6-15 inches), and there are larger and sturdier models available if you’re more likely to get into large trout, good-sized smallmouth or other heavy species. Tenkara USA has tons of info at its site. I’d also recommend Kevin Kelleher’s book, “Tenkara: Radically Simple, Ultralight Fly Fishing,” and TenkaraBum.com, a great resource as well as source of tenkara flies, lines and accessories.
By Michael Agneta June 23, 2011 - 2:20 pm
Stumbling upon tenkara fishing about a year and a half ago I can honestly say the technique makes fishing small streams a delight. Having less to worry about (from an equipment standpoint) really allows you to soak in your surroundings and simply spend more time fishing. Plus the rod collapses down to nothing to hike from spot to spot…how cool!
By TJ Ferreira June 23, 2011 - 6:51 pm
Nice to see tenkara being discussed at TU. I just became a member and can’t wait to get my calendar and first Trout magazine. Having been away from fishing any style since the late 1970s, I found tenkara last year and ever since been addicted to learning more about this fly fishing method. I now own several Tenkara USA rods and learning something new everyday. Heck, even my wife is learning to cast and I will have her fishing in no time. Even being rusty from fishing for 30+ years, I quickly learned how to cast my Tenkara USA rods and have been having a blast. Kudos to Daniel for bringing this joy to the USA.
tj
By Karen Gautney June 24, 2011 - 9:48 am
I am an intermediate-skilled fisher and enjoy mountain trout fishing, but I only get to a wild trout stream three or four times a year. I always found myself spending as much time fiddling with equipment as hauling in fish, even though the reel never got much action. Tenkara sounded logical, so I picked up the “short” 11 foot one from Tenkara USA.
I’ve used it just once so far, in the Cascades Gorge at The Homestead resort in Hot Springs, VA. It was a natural fit for me. I found it to be surprisingly versatile for casting, dapping, and nymphing. I spent less time in the trees than I thought I would, probably because I was less worried about tangles, getting the knots through the guides, etc., and actually looked around more. I caught so many wild rainbows that I lost count. Landing the fish, which seemed a little awkward when I thought about it, was actually quite intuitive. Each fish, even the little ones, felt great on the line. The lack of “stuff” you need to carry is also amazing–essentially tippet, dry fly treatment, nippers, and forceps.
I’m not ready to lay down my rods with reels, but I really like this Tenkara style. I don’t think I’ll ever go on a fishing trip without it. I’ll be tying some Tenkara-style flies to use next time. I encourage fly fishers to give it a try, especially if you are interested in having a second rod on trips, want a “just in case” rod to take hiking or camping, or if you want to fish with minimal gear.
By Sherrell Greene June 24, 2011 - 4:53 pm
Tenkara may have been “invented” centuries ago in the Japanese hills, but I can tell you it has been practiced in the small mountain streams of the Smoky Mountains longer than folks can remember.
I first heard about this form of fishing back in the mid-1970′s. I heard many tales from old-timers about their experiences, and those of others, fishing in the small mountain streams with “a 12-foot bank pole, no reel, and a yeller-hammer fly.” These guys were masters – using every means of cover (and there’s a lot of it in our laurel-covered steams) available to them to sneak-up on their prey.
This all has me thinking… I know where there’s a fine canebrake from which I’m sure I could “harvest” a 12-foot bank pole…
Nice article!
By Sherrell Greene June 24, 2011 - 9:46 pm
By the way, I was talking to my wife about the Tenkara article, and my posting above. My wife, who is a history buff, explained to me that the Japanese word “Tenkara” is actually derived from a local term used here in the southeast, “TENesseeCARolinaAngler”, pronounced, “TENCARA”. I’m constantly learning new tidbits of useful information from her. Goes right along with those old timers who used to brag to me about catching 100 fish a day with a 12-ft bank pole and a yellow-hammer fly in the streams of the Great Smokies…
By Mark Faulkner June 25, 2011 - 4:06 pm
I recently became a fan of the Tankara system, earlier this year. I love the simplicity of the rod and line. I took it to the East Walker and was very impressed with the whole experience.
I landed some small fish but complimented it with some much larger fish, nymphing at 250 cfs and again at 400 cfs. There was nothing flimsy about this type of fishing. I required all of the assets I have gained from fly fishing and provided me with an incredible experience!
This is my very first “TROUT” magazine and I was excited to see this article!
By ericd June 26, 2011 - 8:37 pm
Finding Trout Magazine in the mailbox with this story after just purchasing and fishing a Tenkara over the weekend was pretty cool. The first thing I have to say is that you must go out and hold one if it doesn’t sound like your thing. It feels perfect in your hand and once you tie on the line several places will come to your mind that you know it will be perfect for. I’m having a bit of trouble setting the hook, I bought a 13′ 5:5(slow action), and the takes are very light even when they don’t look it. Once you have a fish on though it’s very exciting and very simple and very addicting. My next few outings will definitely be those “Tenkara waters.”
One thing I noticed, is that if you grab the line to release/loose the fly from a hang up and pull hard, the line will snap back at you and tangle and twist and frustrate you to untangle. I should have bought the video.
Panfish are great for it too!
By Chris Stewart June 28, 2011 - 7:54 am
If you use the level line it will not twist and tangle like that when you have to break off a snag. It will cast better in a breeze as well.
By Mark Cole June 28, 2011 - 10:03 am
Two years ago I took Chris Hunt and two others fishing in a small stream above Leadville, CO. I was new to Tenkara and had my newly purchased Yamame, a Tenkara fly rod, in my pack. Since I was showing the boys around, hosting the trip, I was not planning to fish. We arrived at the first site where the stream crosses the trail and stopped to rig up. While Chris and the others were stringing up rods, putting on waders, tying on flies I got bored just standing around. So I pulled the Yamame out of my pack, walked to the stream, caught a nice 8″ cutthroat, and returned the rod to my pack. All this being done while the others were rigging up.
I was very impressed by how effecient the Tenkara system is.
I’m glad to see that Chris caught the Tenkara bug.
I’ve given several presentations on Tenkara various groups, including my local chapter the Collegiate Peaks Anglers. I would be pleased to do the same for other Colorado Chapters that have an interest.
By Richard Setina June 28, 2011 - 12:50 pm
My wife and I have been fishing Tenkara rods for a couple of years now and really enjoy the simplicity of the rod, line and flies. So far we own six rods, all different models sold by TenkaraUSA and Daniel Galhardo. Each one a real joy to cast and fish. Even the smallest fish can put a bend in your rod. If your passion is moutain streams and creeks, you can’t go wrong with a Tenkara rod. If you know someone who has a Tenkara rod, take the time to fish one. You will be pleasantly surprised.
By Donald Larmouth June 29, 2011 - 9:28 am
In response to the article on the Tenkara rods, here are my observations. Japanese trout streams have fast rapids and shallow pools where a clumsy angler will know swift defeat, for the trout are quick, alert, and cautious.
The contrast between the mountain streams of Japan and the smooth currents of the Driftless Area streams of southwest WIsconsin could not be greater, but for each, the Tenkara system has equal potential.
Successful anglers in the Driftless Area are dealing with small wary trout, but if the angler is stealthy the Tenkara system affords significant advantages. The Tenkara angler can hold his furled line so that only the tippet portion of the leader touches the water. He can control his false casts with few if any mistakes.
The Tenkara system has also been successful in a still water environment. In this situation, the angler makes a cast and leaves the fly on the surface. He can drag or twitch the fly to attract a strike or cast from a drifting boat. In Ireland, this is called “dapping”. The anglers attach a kind of windsock to their lines and control the presentation by raising or lowering the windsock as it moves above the surface. The long light line of the Tenkara system can substitute for the rather clumsy system used in Ireland.
The Tenkara equipment is straightforward: a light long rod which telescopes into a two foot tube, a furled line, a tippet, and very light flies. It allows the angler to cast in small spaces with light fliesMy personal experience suggests that the Tenkara system is not limited to fast mountain streams and can readily be adapted to other environments.
Donald Larmouth
Green Bay. Wisconsin
By MJ July 10, 2011 - 4:03 pm
You might want to do a search for little jewel fishing poles. used frequently on farm ponds for bass and bream. my family has been using those for 25 years. it’s a step up from a cane pole which, as Mr. Greene pointed out, has been used in the smokies since the beginning of time to take brookies. Love Japan and the history but i’m not sure they ‘invented’ this.
By Rene de Guzman July 14, 2011 - 9:25 pm
Made believer out of me in no time. Easy to learn, easy to carry, effective tool for small creeks and probably the best dry fly fishing rod I have. Its back to fun fishing all over again. My Iwana II and Ito rods from TenkaraUSA will get a lot of use here in my local streams.
By Brent July 24, 2011 - 7:27 am
I’ve been fly fishing for about 1.5 years and I added a Tenkara rod to my gear about 6 months ago. I find that using my Tenkara rod I can present dry flies, nymphs and scuds to skiddish trout in a winding meadow stream I normally find difficult to fish with my traditional outfit. As was noted by Karen G in her response, landing fish is very intuitive. I worried about landing fish, but each time I caught fish I had them played and released without ever really thinking about the fact that I had no reel on which to retrieve line. There is an appealing simplicity to using a Tenkara outfit. When I use it I feel like I concentrate more on the fish than the casting.