jschaffer
Well-known member
So I started reading about Tenkara after seeing a TV show where they fished this way. is it an easy transition from "traditional" fly fishing? I am struggling to see how it would be as creative or enjoyable?
Making the Transition to Tenkara
- Thread starter jschaffer
- Start date
rsagebrush
Well-known member
It's fun, it's interesting, it has a very long history, it is very efficient, it is pretty easy to do. It improves your stalking skills which are applicable to Western fly fishing too. The dead drifts you can accomplish are spectacular. It's fast, simple and basic, What's not to like.
patrick62
Well-known member
After a couple of weeks you'll stop reaching for the non-existent reel.
I concur on the stalking. Since I started playing around with fixed-line rods, my regular fishing has improved. I am much more aware of where I am in the river.
I concur on the stalking. Since I started playing around with fixed-line rods, my regular fishing has improved. I am much more aware of where I am in the river.
jspfishing
Well-known member
Haha!! That would be me trying to adjust the drag or something. I want to get one for my wife so we can stalk some Brook trout.
c web
Well-known member
Tenkara is a blast, super simple, easy to learn and very effective. For small to medium streams it is perfect.
J
james w 3 3
Guest
Not just small to medium streams, there's a plethora of videos on YouTube showing guys fishing substantial sized rivers with a tenkara rod. Just like with traditional fly gear, you size your tenkara rod to the water and fish.
ia_trouter
Senior Member
I have a few friends that enjoy Tenkara very much. They are VERY effective on smaller water with some practice.
lookard
Well-known member
I have a 5.4m and 4.5m pole that I'm going to try out! Long pole fixed line nymphing.
ia_trouter
Senior Member
That is where they shine best IMO. They are deadly with other flies as well. Due to length of typical Tenkara you can put the fly where you want it on a smallish stream with little regard to casting obstructions. Advantage is lost on big water.
patrick62
Well-known member
I have a big 13 foot thing from an eBay seller, Maxcatch, a Chinese outfit. You'll see them on Amazon too.
It was $50.
First time out I attached an 8 foot Tenkara line, similar to a furled leader but not as thick. To that I added a couple feet of 2X mono, and a couple more feet of 6 pound Berkley Vanish flouro, with a four inch dropper.
I then tied on two beadhead Woolies, green and brown, size 12 and 8, respectively, with the bigger one on the dropper and the smaller trailing.
I waded into the Housatonic River, in the wide riffle that starts just below the power station in Falls Village. I launched this decidedly nontraditional "Tenkara" rig into a likely spot, and was rewarded, on the second cast, with a smallmouth double. I landed both, even though my net fell off the keeper and was floating away.
Naturally, in an age when the most trivial events are captured on cell phone video and blasted all over creation, there was nobody there to see this highly comical act -- me, dancing downstream, trying to grab the net while holding on to a 13 foot rod with two panicky fish attached.
I later broke that rod when one of the giant carp that roam the river decided to take my mop fly. But because it is only $50, I bought another one.
What the hipsters call a fedora is really a trilby, by the way.
It was $50.
First time out I attached an 8 foot Tenkara line, similar to a furled leader but not as thick. To that I added a couple feet of 2X mono, and a couple more feet of 6 pound Berkley Vanish flouro, with a four inch dropper.
I then tied on two beadhead Woolies, green and brown, size 12 and 8, respectively, with the bigger one on the dropper and the smaller trailing.
I waded into the Housatonic River, in the wide riffle that starts just below the power station in Falls Village. I launched this decidedly nontraditional "Tenkara" rig into a likely spot, and was rewarded, on the second cast, with a smallmouth double. I landed both, even though my net fell off the keeper and was floating away.
Naturally, in an age when the most trivial events are captured on cell phone video and blasted all over creation, there was nobody there to see this highly comical act -- me, dancing downstream, trying to grab the net while holding on to a 13 foot rod with two panicky fish attached.
I later broke that rod when one of the giant carp that roam the river decided to take my mop fly. But because it is only $50, I bought another one.
What the hipsters call a fedora is really a trilby, by the way.
Always good to see someone trying something new and I like seeing discussion on this sub forum.
tcorfey
Well-known member
Tenkara is definitely a different way to fish and it can be as simple or complicated as you want.
I get several youngsters started fly fishing with Tenkara rods each year. They really love it.
Check out the Tenkara Bum website it has more info then you probably want to know right now but it's got lots of good information.
I keep a Tenkara rod as a spare many times when I am on the stream. It packs up small and light and is perfect when fishing pocket water between the boulders on many upper sierra streams.
Regards,
Tim C.
I get several youngsters started fly fishing with Tenkara rods each year. They really love it.
Check out the Tenkara Bum website it has more info then you probably want to know right now but it's got lots of good information.
I keep a Tenkara rod as a spare many times when I am on the stream. It packs up small and light and is perfect when fishing pocket water between the boulders on many upper sierra streams.
Regards,
Tim C.
J
james w 3 3
Guest
Was there a memo I missed?Flannel, a fedora and a man bun are essential parts of the transition. You'll be set for a paddle board too!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk
I don't have any of those things, but I do own and fish several tenkara rods.
Catch lots of fish, have great fun, isn't that the point of fishing?
To answer your original question, if you are used to fishing a reeled rod, the toughest part is figuring out what to do with your off hand. Stick it in a pocket or wader top until you catch your first fish. You won't have any problem in terms of casting and managing your fly.
For folks who have never fly fished before, they are casting well enough to start catching fish in just a few minutes. The long rods and relatively short lines eliminate most of the timing issues beginners sometimes encounter.
In terms of where to fish, my home river is at least 150' wide. Quite honestly, when I see people fish my home river, the biggest mistake they make is to see how far they can cast. This results in them fishing a long, uncontrolled drift. In many if not most situations, you are better off fishing a short, controlled cast.
That's really where fishing a relatively long rod and very light line excel, in controlling what happens after you make the cast.
For folks who have never fly fished before, they are casting well enough to start catching fish in just a few minutes. The long rods and relatively short lines eliminate most of the timing issues beginners sometimes encounter.
In terms of where to fish, my home river is at least 150' wide. Quite honestly, when I see people fish my home river, the biggest mistake they make is to see how far they can cast. This results in them fishing a long, uncontrolled drift. In many if not most situations, you are better off fishing a short, controlled cast.
That's really where fishing a relatively long rod and very light line excel, in controlling what happens after you make the cast.
ia_trouter
Senior Member
pszy22 nailed it. It's all about controlling the drift. I have probably fished about 20 times with Tenkara guys. Some really fun times while we fished with our personally preferred methods. I was absolutely schooled on a few of those days. I was pretty helpless with my 7.6 Western style rods on certain spots we were fishing. Other days I was the winner because I could get the extra distance required.
ia_trouter
Senior Member
Problem resolved
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lookard
Well-known member
Both my 4.5m and 5.4m poles can handle carp as well. Just apply side pressure, but having said that I have not tried stopping carp in a river with a fixed line pole. It must be another beast all together.
When it comes to handling big fresh fish, especially in moving waters; that's kind of why they invented reels.
rsagebrush
Well-known member
For short line/tight line nymphing, chucking and such I always carry a rather stout Tenkara/Keiryu rod when Western fly fishing I'm not using a fly line anyways as I want to get down deep rapidly, it take up almost no space on my Sling Pack. I get some of my best fish of the day that way. I'm still trying to understand why I would want to use a Euronymph set up when I have access to this method which does the same thing without all that fuss and expense.
Easy to take down and resume with the other rod. I bicycle a lot of streams and rivers and generally just use fixed line rods because I can stop, telescope and fish in a very short time, take down and be off in a heartbeat. One year I did about 80% of my fly fishing this way and never felt shortchanged.
Easy to take down and resume with the other rod. I bicycle a lot of streams and rivers and generally just use fixed line rods because I can stop, telescope and fish in a very short time, take down and be off in a heartbeat. One year I did about 80% of my fly fishing this way and never felt shortchanged.
patrick62
Well-known member
^That's a very appealing scenario