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Tenkara
- Thread starter G Lech
- Start date
Rusty Spinner
Active member
I have several friends who are fishing this style. I think JeffK is one of them, maybe he can add to this thread. I've seen it done and it looks like a blast. I've also watched some cool videos of larger trout being landed. I think it would be a great time in spots like the KLG where you have nice pocket water.
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I've been fishing with fixed line poles for a long time. For years basically used crappie poles - which have some advantages for fishing weighted nymphs and indicators IMHO. Crappie poles are cheap and pretty strong - they are meant to flip small jigs under a float and yank up crappies out of weed beds. My British buddies call them roach poles. Do a nice job with weighted nymphs, but a touch heavy (generally need two hands) and only break down to a 3' or 4' length. Like them in sub-freezing weather since no reel or guides to freeze and can fish with your gloves on. BTW, refined crappie float techniques or rigs used by English match fishermen sure can clobber trout somes days. These are techniques our trout don't see too often.
Lately a whole mess of high tech Asian fixed line rods have come on the market sized for saltwater down to minnows. All these higher tech rods are super light and break down to as small as 12" to 15" making them easy to carry hiking or hidden in your car. I place Tenkara in this lot. Tenkara poles are very, very soft and are made for soft hackles and unweighted nymphs. IMHO, if you are using weight an appropriate crappie pole, or a stiffer Asian rod is the ticket. Tenkara rods are so soft that striking takes a bit of time to get used to. On a nice May evening with bugs on the water Tenkara is a simple, fun way to go.
Lengths: I like about 12' for NJ streams. Longer and you hang up in trees; shorter and it is tough to reach some spots. Go down to 10' for some trickles, and have rods up to 20'. For example, the lower Beaverkill around Acid Factory is wide open and a 16' rod works for me.
I also like tapered lines. I can much more accurately place flies with a tapered line (sort of like a braided or furled leader) than just a level line.
Tenkara is a fun way to simplify life, and some days it may be the most deadly technique. Other days you see why reels were invented.
Lately a whole mess of high tech Asian fixed line rods have come on the market sized for saltwater down to minnows. All these higher tech rods are super light and break down to as small as 12" to 15" making them easy to carry hiking or hidden in your car. I place Tenkara in this lot. Tenkara poles are very, very soft and are made for soft hackles and unweighted nymphs. IMHO, if you are using weight an appropriate crappie pole, or a stiffer Asian rod is the ticket. Tenkara rods are so soft that striking takes a bit of time to get used to. On a nice May evening with bugs on the water Tenkara is a simple, fun way to go.
Lengths: I like about 12' for NJ streams. Longer and you hang up in trees; shorter and it is tough to reach some spots. Go down to 10' for some trickles, and have rods up to 20'. For example, the lower Beaverkill around Acid Factory is wide open and a 16' rod works for me.
I also like tapered lines. I can much more accurately place flies with a tapered line (sort of like a braided or furled leader) than just a level line.
Tenkara is a fun way to simplify life, and some days it may be the most deadly technique. Other days you see why reels were invented.
G Lech
New member
This is EXACTLY how it is portrayed to me but seems very effective.
The flies are odd and this is where my interest is.
---------- Post added at 11:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:21 AM ----------
Thanks for all the info! Whats the deal with flies? and I understand no weight is used but yet I see the vast majority of tenkara done in fast pocket water.
Rusty Spinner
Active member
No need for special flies. As to the pocket water, it's as simple as the fact that you need to be very close to the fish so this method would be very tough on a slow, placid pool where the fish will be spooky. It's just a version of high sticking but without a reel (more or less). The cool thing to me is watching videos of a guy fishing Tenkara style that hooks into a large fish and has to run through the river to keep from breaking off. That to me is the big challenge.
A lot of cane pole fishing is just hanging a bobber with a baited hook straight down. But just like Czech nymphing, fish heads have refined cane pole techniques. In a lot of ways I see centre-pinning as one very sophisticated way of bobber fishing. European match fishermen have refined it to an art too.
Back to Tenkara. Tenkara is fly fishing - you use a tapered line to gracefully drop wet flies in pockets in a trout stream. You just don't use a reel. That is the way fly fishermen operated from Ireland to Japan for thousands of years before reels got popular about 200 years ago, and traditionalists have never completely disappered. Most ancient flies were fished at or near the surface when trout were active using a fixed line and a long rod. That is the way the Romans in the Balkans fished, Walton and Cotton fished, shepherds in the Spanish Pyrenees fished, and farmers in the Japanese mountains fished. Of course each developed a few different wrinkles and used local materials. For example, many Tenkara flies are tied with a reverse hackle bowed out from the eye of the hook. This is one style to cope with fishing fast mountain streams where the speed of the water can plaster the hackles back and not look like a bug. Fishermen in the Pyrenees used stiff Coq de Leon feathers to solve the same problem. Scottish and Yorkshire fishermen developed similar techniques, which form the basis of our soft hackle style. People all over the world came up with similar ways to catch insect eating trout in mountain streams.
One thing I read about Tenkara is that Japanese fly fishermen adopted Western techniques in the Post WWII era as plenty of Japanese methods were questioned after the defeat. However, by the 1970's there was a revival of tradtional Japanese skills and Tenkara was a benefactor.
Back to Tenkara. Tenkara is fly fishing - you use a tapered line to gracefully drop wet flies in pockets in a trout stream. You just don't use a reel. That is the way fly fishermen operated from Ireland to Japan for thousands of years before reels got popular about 200 years ago, and traditionalists have never completely disappered. Most ancient flies were fished at or near the surface when trout were active using a fixed line and a long rod. That is the way the Romans in the Balkans fished, Walton and Cotton fished, shepherds in the Spanish Pyrenees fished, and farmers in the Japanese mountains fished. Of course each developed a few different wrinkles and used local materials. For example, many Tenkara flies are tied with a reverse hackle bowed out from the eye of the hook. This is one style to cope with fishing fast mountain streams where the speed of the water can plaster the hackles back and not look like a bug. Fishermen in the Pyrenees used stiff Coq de Leon feathers to solve the same problem. Scottish and Yorkshire fishermen developed similar techniques, which form the basis of our soft hackle style. People all over the world came up with similar ways to catch insect eating trout in mountain streams.
One thing I read about Tenkara is that Japanese fly fishermen adopted Western techniques in the Post WWII era as plenty of Japanese methods were questioned after the defeat. However, by the 1970's there was a revival of tradtional Japanese skills and Tenkara was a benefactor.
StormTrout
Land of Plenty
Here's a vid I saw off of a forum, maybe this one... SHIMANO TV for those who might have missed it. It's a guy Tenkara fishing for steelhead. I've never Tenkara fished but I love the idea of a telescoping rod, GO GO gadget fly rod!
Forewarning: Video was choppy for me
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I have been using Tenkara rods for about a year and a half. From the Catskills t GA to WY and MT. It si a great way to fish both nymphs s/h's and drys. I have two rods right now a 13 1/2 foot and a 11 ft both from Tenkara USA. The largest fish landed so far were two 17-18 in Bows on the Madison between the lakes.
I fish the nymphs this time of year with weighted and or bead heads two nymph rigs along with weight to get the flies down to where the trouts are. With the Tenkara rods you can feel ever tick and take because they are so sensitive.
I also use both a tapered furled line and a level line both work equally well for me. The level line is longer than the furled. You can not use any tippet heavier than 5x. I have broken two 20+ in fish off but both were my fault and not the fishing method.
If you want some good info go here. Tenkara Fishing Techniques, Rod Reviews, Lines and Flies
I fish the nymphs this time of year with weighted and or bead heads two nymph rigs along with weight to get the flies down to where the trouts are. With the Tenkara rods you can feel ever tick and take because they are so sensitive.
I also use both a tapered furled line and a level line both work equally well for me. The level line is longer than the furled. You can not use any tippet heavier than 5x. I have broken two 20+ in fish off but both were my fault and not the fishing method.
If you want some good info go here. Tenkara Fishing Techniques, Rod Reviews, Lines and Flies
G Lech
New member
golden beetle
Active member
Rusty Spinner
Active member
Damn you, I have now become obsessed with Tenkara since you posted this thread. I have everything all picked out. I've been reading up, watching videos and looking at tackle. Now to reach out to some buddies that are way into this method and have been for several years. Sounds like a nice birthday gift idea from my family this May
G Lech
New member
Damn you, I have now become obsessed with Tenkara since you posted this thread. I have everything all picked out. I've been reading up, watching videos and looking at tackle. Now to reach out to some buddies that are way into this method and have been for several years. Sounds like a nice birthday gift idea from my family this May
This is how I am with euro nymphing.
To me tenkara is a bit different than fly fishing as a whole. But no doubt it works. Just dont know if I could ever get used to not using a reel.
Check out this blog:http://thejerseyangler.blogspot.com/
This guy is into tenkara fishing and has some really cool posts just search the blog some are buried.
Also checkout out tenkarausa.com
I'm sure you found that one though.
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jcstikfish
NJ Nymph Guy
I haven't done it yet myself but have observed first hand and I was fascinated. A couple years ago I guided two gentlemen, one of which spends a lot of time in Korea for his job. He fishes every chance he gets on business trips and was into Tenkara pretty seriously. With me he fished a standard outfit but did bring his tenkara rod along and fished it in a few choice locations. Very cool stuff.
Tenkara also has its own genre/tradition of patterns that use some unique tying techniques.
This same guy (feel bad that I have forgotten his name) writes a FF blog called the Four Seasons Angling Club. It is not entirely devoted to tenkara, but has a decent amount of tenkara content and Asian fly fishing culture in general. Definitely worth checking out.
four seasons angling club
Blog post when they fished the Gorge
http://fourseasonsangling.blogspot.com/2009/11/high-sticking-garden-state.html
~James
Tenkara also has its own genre/tradition of patterns that use some unique tying techniques.
This same guy (feel bad that I have forgotten his name) writes a FF blog called the Four Seasons Angling Club. It is not entirely devoted to tenkara, but has a decent amount of tenkara content and Asian fly fishing culture in general. Definitely worth checking out.
four seasons angling club
Blog post when they fished the Gorge
http://fourseasonsangling.blogspot.com/2009/11/high-sticking-garden-state.html
~James
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jcstikfish
NJ Nymph Guy
Here is a GREAT Tenkara video with some sound advice on presentation and landing big fish using any method.
Big Fish Tenkara: Daniel Galhardo vs. Large Brown Trout on Vimeo
~James
Big Fish Tenkara: Daniel Galhardo vs. Large Brown Trout on Vimeo
~James
Rusty Spinner
Active member
Wow, old thread. Since it was started, I also became a Tenkara USA rod owner. It is a blast!
The Japanese have steelhead and Pacific salmon on their side too and traditionally use long, fixed line poles to catch them. I have been told from Pacific Northwest guys that Japanese coming over with 20' fixed line poles lose less steelies than the locals with high end conventional tackle, which of course frosts the guys with high end rods and reels with state-of-art drags.
Maybe one of us should get a big steelie pole and yank a few out of the Salmon R. However, with all the yahoos on the Salmon maybe you wouldn't stand out.
Maybe one of us should get a big steelie pole and yank a few out of the Salmon R. However, with all the yahoos on the Salmon maybe you wouldn't stand out.
Karel
sleep, eat, flyfish, repeat
I started just a bit over a year ago fishing Tenkara and haven't looked back yet. Colorado's high country is perfect for that style of fishing. A bit over a week ago I made it back to NY and spent a day in KLG, it was a pretty good day given the conditions (38cfs before the big storm hit).
I also started a Tenkara blog, more of a diary, about my experience: Tenkara on the Fly
I also started a Tenkara blog, more of a diary, about my experience: Tenkara on the Fly
golden beetle
Active member
How does it work?
Could I fish my bamboo rods Tenkara style? Or would I need a Tenkara rod?
Trout Nazi
And...Boom goes the dynamite.
Hearing a fish rip line off of my reel is one of the most awesome things about fly fishing. The sensation of laying out a perfect cast, on water big or small, is a close second. This is why I'm sticking to a rod and reel.
G Lech
New member
I'm pretty sure has a virus. My computer just kicked me off ur blog
Rusty Spinner
Active member
I was going to say "damn NY state for stealing NJ's Ken Lockwood Gorge!"
(glad I didn't click on Karel's blog)
(glad I didn't click on Karel's blog)
Karel
sleep, eat, flyfish, repeat
I spent a few quality evenings fixing my blog, there was a link to another blog who was infected and hence my blog got the bug too.
All cleaned-up now and google analytics approved my blog again to be searchable.
Funny thing was that only Chrome users had warnings and not IE or Mozilla users.
Anyway, I think the fun part is the simplicity in gear and the tug of the fish on an ultra-light rod. Casting is a breeze and more precise than with my "regular" fly rod.
I agree though it's not the right technique for all situations, but for small mountain streams it is extremely effective - hell, it works great even in KLG.
Tight Lines, Karel
Sorry
Rusty Spinner
Active member
Not a re-invention, a continuation. Tenkara is the oldest known form of fly fishing that has never died in Japan but is only a recent import to the US and elsewhere. Credit Tenkara USA out of San Fransisco for bringing it on a large scale to the US.
Rusty Spinner
Active member
Yes, with the correct rod you can. Google Tenkara fishing for steelhead and you'll see them in action, often with rods to 20 feet in length.
WBDluver
Official NEFF pot stirrer
Hey what ever floats your boat. Its just fishing they way it was done before the invention of the reel. Some act like it something totally new.
"The typical seventeenth century fly fisherman used a twisted horsehair line, tapered from seven hairs or more at the thickest part down to three hairs or less at the point. All lines were home-made, and although horsehair was the rule, pure silk, and silk/horsehair mixes were used on occasion. The line was usually fixed to the top of the rod, in which case the length was less than twice the length of the rod."
"The typical seventeenth century fly fisherman used a twisted horsehair line, tapered from seven hairs or more at the thickest part down to three hairs or less at the point. All lines were home-made, and although horsehair was the rule, pure silk, and silk/horsehair mixes were used on occasion. The line was usually fixed to the top of the rod, in which case the length was less than twice the length of the rod."
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