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Thread: Made for small streams

  1. #1

    Made for small streams

    Tenkara rods were made for small streams.

    It is often said that you don't need backing on small streams. I'd take that a step further and say you don't even need a reel. When you think about it, a reel has four functions. It holds excess line, it provides a drag to help tire a fish that runs (and prevent reel overspin), it helps to balance out the weight of the rod, and for some, it is a bit of eye candy or rod jewelry. To me, fishing small streams is all about stealth rather than firing off 30 or 40 foot casts. The fish tend to be smaller, and even nice fish seem to fight in the pool where they're hooked rather than run. Excess line, then, is just excess. The long, supple rod will tire a fish very quickly, and tenkara rods are so light that you don't really need the weight of a reel to balance them. Eye candy is an unassailable point, however. There's no eye candy in tenkara (although I do know a guy who's working on that).

    Some say the word "tenkara" means "from heaven" but it is not written in Japanese the way "from heaven" would be written and the true origins of the word are not known. With a long rod, held high, and a short, light line, your fly does come "from above" and you can keep all or nearly all your line off the water - or in small streams, off the rocks between you and that little plunge pool that surely holds a brookie or two. It allows you to fish pockets or eddies while keeping your line away from tricky intervening currents that would grab your line and snatch away your fly if you were using a shorter rod and heavier line. The rods are light and responsive enough that you can cast an almost unbelievably light line, for the most delicate of presentations. And don't kid yourself that tenkara fishing is just dapping, you cast your line. And while you can't cast waaaaay over there, you can cast plenty far enough to catch a lot of fish.

    In some parts of the country, small streams seem to run through rhododendron tunnels. Sorry guys, no tenkara for you. For most small streams, however, tenkara is a viable option. Where I usually fish, most of the guys I see fish with 7 or 7 1/2 foot rods. I regularly use 12 and 13 foot rods, and judging from the number of other anglers' flies I see in the trees, they seem to catch as many trees as I do. I suspect I catch more fish, though. I firmly believe that the improved presentation more than offsets the reduced casting distance. And if you have to hike in, the compact size and light weight are a real plus.

    If you have enough overhead room to raise the rod to bring in a fish, tenkara is ideal for small streams.

  2. #2
    Urban Ali
    Guest

    Re: Made for small streams

    I saw a video of this it looks pretty nice - maybe a good way to get kids into fishing with flies :)

  3. #3

    Re: Made for small streams

    It would be a great way to introduce kids to fly fishing. I'd start them with the shortest rod, which is the one you'd probably want for small streams anyway. Casting a tenkara rod is pretty intuitive, and since it's a bit different than casting a regular fly rod, a complete novice may even "get it" quicker than someone who's been fly fishing for years. Not just kids, either. I had an email exchange just the other day with a guy who'd just taken up fly fishing and had gone to one of the full-day fly fishing classes. He came away a bit overwhelmed. There was too much to learn all at once. He was very happy when he learned about tenkara. It's just so much simpler.

  4. #4

    Re: Made for small streams

    Quote Originally Posted by CM_Stewart

    In some parts of the country, small streams seem to run through rhododendron tunnels. Sorry guys, no tenkara for you.

    Lumping in Willows, Stinging nettle, Raspberry thickets and you're getting close to the obstacles faced by the small stream fisherman here in southern california. I love the concept of tenkara, but where I live, there's just no way an 11+ foot rod will work.

    As it is, the tactics are the same - Light line (3wt for now, 00wt soon) to make presentations delicate and keep line out of the pool tailouts. Stealth and line control is the name of the game on our small creeks... take your casting and hatch-matching somewhere else.

    But again, I love the concept.... I use the longest rod I can in a given situation... on the streams I fish, 7 1/2-8 feet. The longer the rod, the less line on the water. Its a key element of small stream fishing... Tenkara or not.

  5. #5

    Re: Made for small streams

    Hi Ray,

    You'd be surprised how some tight streams will avail themselves to Tenkara. You can find room if you look for it because it doesn't take much room to get a cast.

  6. #6

    Re: Made for small streams

    Rick, I'm willing to accept the fact that I'm being a little judgmental, especially having never used a Tenkara before. Maybe we can find some stream time again soon, and you can make a believer of me.

    WF on New-Years again?

  7. #7

    Re: Made for small streams

    At one time, I owned and operated 5 different one weight fly rods. I then built a couple of zero-weights from a blank. Then I moved on to making my own bamboo rods from a culm and fishing bamboo almost exclusively until I was introduced to Tenkara rods from www.Tenkarausa.com Personally, I fish as long a rod as possible, the length being a tool. Some of my favorite streams, a Sage LL 356 is a long rod but you can use a Tenkara rod on them, the Ebisu is 12' and mine works well in tight quarters casting with a bow and arrow technique.

    I look at Tenkara discipline this way.

    When ever I can use a Tenkara rod, I will. I enjoy challenging myself to sneak up on trout with a fixed line length however, I will not limit myself to a Tenkara rod. I enjoy fly fishing as well. Fly rods are versatile. You can cast them in a tunnel really far.

    The Tenkarausa.com guys are really Tenkara happy, they want you to do it all the time, they made a forum for you to sell your fly fishing gear to get a discount on Tenkarausa.com rods. I wouldn't have taken that tack because I wouldn't want to attract people who just wanted to do one thing and one thing only.

    I use a Tenkara rod for it's attributes and I leave it alone when a fly rod works, that's what I do.

    Anytime I can fish very simply, I will.
    Japan: Tsuttenkai, Jolly Fishers, member since 2010

  8. #8

    Re: Made for small streams

    Quote Originally Posted by adam
    I use a Tenkara rod for it's attributes and I leave it alone when a fly rod works, that's what I do.

    Anytime I can fish very simply, I will.
    My sentiments exactly. Well stated.

  9. #9

    Re: Made for small streams

    Quote Originally Posted by rayfound
    Rick, I'm willing to accept the fact that I'm being a little judgmental, especially having never used a Tenkara before. Maybe we can find some stream time again soon, and you can make a believer of me.

    WF on New-Years again?
    New Years sounds good to me. Is the WF open now after the fire? I was thinking of taking a ride up there to see but haven't done it yet.

  10. #10
    Fry
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Southern NH / Central MA
    Posts
    54

    Re: Made for small streams

    Quote Originally Posted by adam
    The Tenkarausa.com guys are really Tenkara happy, they want you to do it all the time, they made a forum for you to sell your fly fishing gear to get a discount on Tenkarausa.com rods. I wouldn't have taken that tack because I wouldn't want to attract people who just wanted to do one thing and one thing only.

    I use a Tenkara rod for it's attributes and I leave it alone when a fly rod works, that's what I do.

    Anytime I can fish very simply, I will.
    Adam, I think some of that vibe comes from the fact that tenkara is so new to most people doing it in the US. You gotta admit it's at least a little bit exciting.

    I'll make a confession here; since getting my tenkara rod in August I haven't touched my fly rods. That's not because I've given up on them. I guess I've just gotten really caught up in exploring something new that lets you do the same old things in a fascinating and different way. Like anything it comes with some advantages and some disadvantages. But it's particularly well suited for certain stream environments. I've learned a lot fishing tenkara, and it's definitely changed the way I fish. I still plan on using my fly rods for big rivers and still water, but on almost any small to medium sized stream in New England with lots of riffles, short pools, and some pocket water, I'd rather have my tenkara gear.

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