Tenkara vs. Western Fly Fishing

[Dusty]

Unlike some of the fanboys, I don't see the conflict. I am just starting tenkara (and I like it so far). I will take Dr. Sugimoto's advice and (mostly) only fish tenkara this season. But I have already found places where my 6' 8" 2wt would work better than a 12' tenkara rod (I must confess I have a 9' "tenago" rod coming in the mail). I will also go to the Caribbean next month and take my Orvis 9wt. Tenkara grew as a small stream technology, and I love it for that, but it can certainly be another tool in the toolbox, not to the exclusion of others.

[adam]

Who is Dr. Sugimoto?

Just curious.

Tenkara is fixed line mountain stream fly fishing.

I have used a crescent wrench as a hammer but it works nicely as a wrench.

That's the way I see it.

Nice to see that you enjoy other types of fly fishing. I have a Sage LL 356 that is sometimes too long but I make do with a short line on a tenkara rod for tight quarters.

[Alpinefly]

There is a fantastic article in the recent Flyfisherman Magazine "Lessons From the Tenkara". Also a book on Tenkara by Kevin C. Kelleher MD and Misako Ishimura (a good friend of mine and on Team Japan Fly Fishing Team) is great reading and chocked full of valuable information for all levals of Tenkara Fishermen (and women). I have added Tenkara to my many techniques of Fly Fishing. I enjoy it for the simplistic Zin approach as well as the Historical side. Zin would say in the art of Fly Fishing, "The more you know, the less you need". I approached this originally from the interest of Fly Tying (In Japan it is considered one of the Zin Arts); and how the Masters approached tying Fly Patterns for fishing (very efficient). My friend Misako wanted me to read a book that she had co-authored and write a review. Currently, I have been testing Furled Lines manufactured for Tenkara (though I must say, I still like the Furled Lines made out of Horse Hair). It is a return back to the ancient as well as how 17th century Izaak Walton fished. In music, I like the Early music as well as modern (I am a music teacher and musician that has taught and performed all kinds). As a Fly Tyer and Designer, I tie all kinds of Flies (the Atlantic Salmon Fly & Scottish Dee is still hard to master). In hunting, I use Modern Cam Bows with release and Sites, Recurve and Long Bow without sites. Modern Firearms, and Early Black Powder. I like camping both primitive, and modern. It is all fun, and fun to learn and be educated in so many ways. Tenkara has really helped me be a better more in-tune Fly Fisherman and Fly Tyer.

[Ernest]

To follow my earlier posts, I’ve read about Tenkara as a mountain stream fishing method. Some of the blogs and message boards rave about the method, and others write about Tenkara as something for specialized applications.

Last week I fished for three days in the Midwest’s Driftless Region with several friends. The streams are small with lots of trout, and in the pastures and some lightly wooded areas it seems that Tenkara would be just the thing. I fished several open fast runs where line control was important, and a longer rod might have been better than the seven footer I was using. Likewise on flats where the fish were holding in narrow runs between weed banks. One gentle run into a pool could be fished from the lawn of a campground. The fish needed presentations within narrow feeding lanes, and a Tenkara rod might have been good. Trouble is, because of the ease of fishing this spot there is someone standing on the lawn with a rod most of every day, and the fish are educated. Meanwhile, just below the bridge is a nice pool with the tail in a brushy tunnel and the body of the pool overhung with a huge willow. I was surprised to see how far the willow branches had drooped toward the water since I was there three years ago. The only thing that worked was short roll casts to keep the fly out of the tunnel bushes, and sidearm, almost underhand casts to put the fly up under a willow branch that hung within two feet of the water’s surface. In the hour that my buddy struggled to catch two educated fish from the lawn, I caught more than a dozen not too experienced fish from under the trees.

I’m still looking for ways to incorporate Tenkara in my fishing. Where I fish most, it looks like a minor tactic at best.

Alpinefly, we have a red horse and a black horse with long tails. The idea of a furled line is interesting. I have made a few braided tapered leaders. Do you need a lot of tail hair?

[Alpinefly]

Alpinefly, we have a red horse and a black horse with long tails. The idea of a furled line is interesting. I have made a few braided tapered leaders. Do you need a lot of tail hair?


That certainly would be nice of you. Furled lines made from Horse Tail is much better and presents much better then Furled lines made from Mono. BTW, horse tail is great for Fly bodies. One of my patterns is the Horse's Ass PMD.

[adam]

A tenkara rod shines with a good level line. Braided lines are heavy in comparison and it is difficult to drape the line properly. A level line allows the fly to be presented at distance with the line suspended. That is the allure of a tenkara rod's control over the fly.

[Ernest]

I watched Adam’s video. Beautiful country and beautiful fish. I can see how the Tenkara methods works great under those fishing conditions. I’m still looking for an application here in the Midwest. Our fishing conditions are very different.

It’s interesting too to see how Adam dresses for the conditions. The sun shines here in the Upper Midwest, but we’re lower in elevation and the sun’s rays travel to us at a steeper angle, through more of the atmosphere. I don’t know anyone who uses the summer gloves, or the scarf to protect the neck and ears. Also, the banks of our small streams are high with vegetation now, waist high weeds and ferns, and stinging nettles and poison ivy. The vegetation covers down trees, stumps and rocks. We don’t have a problem with a good pair of shoes, but we’d never get by fishing in sandals.

[adam]

I dress for the sun and the heat. Even at elevation, it gets hot and I'm a bit of a hippy surfer, love my sandals. I backpack in them. I don't react to poison ivy but I avoid it.

Tenkara works just as well for larger streams.

I use the longest rod I can, sometimes a 4.1m rod is too short, sometimes a 9' rod is too long. The length is a tool.

I always try one perfect cast the first time with the right fly. I think everyone trys this too but I really work hard on it. Last three times fishing (even in different state) I catch on the first cast.

[Brooktrout]

yep, taught by a great american master.

[adam]

brooks? Who you been fishing tenkara with? I want to meet the master (baiter)

Many that fish tenkara are learning to fish. It is a much easier method to learn fly fishing but it is limiting. Take someone like myself that knows the dynamics and it is limiting as well, limiting as in forcing motion conservation, maximizing ergonomics. Not much to do except placing the fly exactly where you want it. Know the fly, know where the fish are, you can harass every single fish in the stream. Stealthy, you can't get a better presentation, I feel like a marionette, completely dancing the fly. There are times where I can get the fly to hop up off the water's surface one inch up and down, up and down, pecking the surface in a staccato twenty feet away, watching a fish race across a pool to nab it, you start to get used to that feeling. Big trout, the rod is a effective lever, the length can place pressure on a large fish and land them very quickly with light tippet.

I don't pay attention to whether people like it or me. I do what I do and I am willing to share what I know and continue to do. THAT sharing is what has brought us together then and now.

To follow my earlier posts, I’ve read about Tenkara as a mountain stream fishing method. Some of the blogs and message boards rave about the method, and others write about Tenkara as something for specialized applications.