You are here: Home / Archives for Tenkara

Tenkara Is A Technique

February 1, 2012 by · 12 Comments

With Tenkara USA owner Daniel Galhardo at the Fly Fishing Show in Somerset, NJ

There has been a fair amount of discussion of late about whether tenkara is a fad. Labels are funny things, the minute you apply one someone wants to fight with you about the appropriateness of the label. Posts started flying on the blogs, questions popped up on Facebook and Twitter and a new tenkara controversy was born. Of course it has raised the profile of tenkara and in my book that is a good thing.

The fans of tenkara offered up some great commentary. Some of my favorites include: Field and Stream’s Fly Talk: Is Tenkara Fly Fishing a Fad?, Eat More Brook Trout:  The Fad that’s Built to Last… Tenkara Bum: Is Tenkara a Fad?,  Troutrageous! Enough ‘Tenkara Is A Fad’ Already… Unaccomplished Angler: Lefty Kreh declares “Tenkara is cool!”

When asked about tenkara my answer has been, “It is a fly-fishing technique that is very effective. It has pro’s and con’s like all techniques. Give it a try and see what you think.”

By the end of last weekend I was hoarse from repeating that response to curious anglers at the Fly Fishing Show in Somerset NJ. I spent time explaining tenkara in the Tenkara USA booth and selling rods at the Mossy Creek Fly Fishing booth.

The Mossy Creek Fly Shop team

Explanation was more important than labels. Folks wiggled the rod, saw you could cast with it, visualized the way it would drift a dry or nymph or twitch a streamer and often enough decided to buy one.

Is tenkara a fad? Who really cares? I am going to continue to fish and guide with my tenkara rods and enjoy my time on the water.

If you want to know more about tenkara check out the Fish Tenkara section.

If you have questions or want to fish tenkara, drop me a comment.

Filed Under: Featured, Tenkara · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Creative Craftsmanship

January 8, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

One of the things I really like about the tenkara community is how creative it is. Here are three FOUR good examples (See below for a recent addition).

trying to get creative...

Check out the moose antler tenkara line holder at The North River: The Magnificent Moose. This little beauty holds the line and a fly and has the inherent rustic charm of the moose antler. Hopefully Kiwi will resume his carving hobby and put a few on the market.

The second example is from My Leaky Waders: Do it Yourself Tenkara Line and Case: Go Furl Yourself. David took the “roll you own” or in this case “furl your own” challenge and produced his own line. He really showed his creative chops with the line case! Check it out. I have been working on some level line ideas and I am going to try his idea out.

Last but not least is from Tenkara USA via Angling Trade: Tenkara USA Updates Product Line for 2012. There are four notable items.

First an expandable rod: “the Ito is a rod that can be fished as a 13ft long rod or a 14ft 7inches long.”

How about going in the other direction and shortening the rod? “We have decided to play a bit with the telescopic functionality of tenkara rods, where segments collapse into one another and can easily be removed or replaced. For 2012 we have decided to offer an add-on option to our customers looking for a shorter tenkara rod.”

They reworked the traditional tenkara furled line. “We have greatly improved our traditional tenkara lines for 2012, making them more supple, easier to cast and importantly tweaking their design so they don’t “recoil” back when freed from a snag.

The tenkara nets are wonders of craftmanship. “We have improved the design of our original tenkara nets and added a new size to the lineup: now available in 9inches or 10.5 inches diameter.”

NEW 02/16/12: Take a look at this exquisite Tenkara fly box that Joel from A Year On The Fly recently completed. Check it out at My New Tenkara Box and wish him luck on his tenkara adventures!

Tenkara is gaining a following because of things like this. There is a rich history of creation and innovation in the fly-fishing segment of fishing and Tenkara is part of that history. Now it is showing how it adds to the fly-fishing in the future.

Filed Under: Featured, Tenkara, Things that work · Tagged: , , , , , ,

Tenkara USA Guide Network

December 21, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Last week I was thrilled to receive an email from Daniel Galhardo, owner of Tenkara USA, asking me if I would like to join the Tenkara Guide Network to be launched in 2012. According to Daniel the Tenkara Guide Network will be a directory of guides that teach and guide with tenkara as their preferred method of fishing. This is a great honor for me and I really appreciated the recognition from Tenkara USA!

Filed Under: Tenkara · Tagged: ,

Tenkara USA Catalog

December 18, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Tenkara USA put their 2012 catalog/booklet on line. This is an outstanding resource for tenkara anglers and for those who are interested in learning more about tenkara.

Click here to give it a look.

Filed Under: Tenkara · Tagged:

Simple Gifts

September 24, 2011 by · 1 Comment

Sometimes it is the simple gifts that light up your day.

Punk Rock Sakasa Kebari

Ashley from LearnTenkara.com surprised me with a gift of this wonderful Punk Rock Sakasa Kebari that she tied.

There is close-up of it and some more info on the Learn Tenkara site, just click here.

She was also kind enough to include a couple of purple starling feathers so I could try my hand at my own kebari.

We shall see how that turns out….

stay tuned.

Filed Under: Fishing, Reflections, Tenkara · Tagged: , ,

Tenkara Fishing out West: Fish Creek and Crystal Creek

September 22, 2011 by · 5 Comments

“The road goes on forever and the party never ends” or so I texted friends back home as we continued our tenkara tour of the Jackson Wyo. area.

After a sensational day on Flat Creek (click here for that story) we were pretty stoked to fish more smaller streams in the area.

A quick check in with our friends in a couple of local fly shops gave us da beta we needed.

Our first stop was Fish Creek, and a chance to put a big bend in the tenkara rod.

Fish Creek Cutthroat

 

During our last visit to the Jackson area we had fished the Gros Ventre and wanted to give it a try again. We headed up that way and decided that Crystal Creek, water we hadn’t fished before was worth a look. Crystal Creek was prime tenkara water and we roamed about trying a variety of spots.

 

After spending two weeks with a tenkara rod in my hand fishing a variety of water and catching some pretty decent sized fish I am more convinced than ever of both the effectiveness and versatility of tenkara fishing.

If you want to learn more I encourage you to check out the Tenkara Guide section of Dispatches, just click here.

 

Filed Under: Fishing, Tenkara · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Worth the Read: 20 ?’s with Craig Mathews on Eat More Brook Trout blog

September 18, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

My good friend Chris Hunt who blogs at Eat More Brook Trout has started interviewing some fly fishing notables. Last week he interviewed another good friend, Craig Mathews.

Chris writes:

“In addition to being one of the country’s fly fishing elite, Craig is a staunch conservationist who, over the years, has been able to speak truth to power in a way that is constructive and helpful. And he puts his money where his mouth is–in partnership with Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, Craig helped start the “1% for the Planet” program, where businesses and industry could earmark 1 percent of their profits to conservation-centric the non-profits of their choice.”

Click here to read the entire interview: Eat More Brook Trout: 20 Questions: Craig Mathews.

Craig is responsible for my getting me started on tenkara and it was a treat to spend some time with him at the tenkara summit last month.

He also shares a very special place in the Sadler household having officiated at our wedding 5 years ago.

Craig, Beth and Tom at $3 Bridge 08/09/06

 

Filed Under: Business, Conservation, Fishing, Tenkara · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Tenkara Fishing out West: $3 bridge, Yellowstone NP and Flat Creek

September 13, 2011 by · 1 Comment

After the tenkara summit in West Yellowstone, MRS and I took off for Wyoming and some tenkara fishing in the Jackson Hole area.

Before we left West we made a trip to the Madison River and some fishing at $3 Bridge.

tenkara in the shadow of $3 bridge

Five years ago Beth and I go married at this spot and we were excited to be back.

we stood right here 5 years ago

We worked our way down through Yellowstone National Park, fishing as we went. Ok I fished, Beth took pictures…

Trying it out on the Yellowstone

MRS goes artsy on me

We wound up in Hoback, WY. for a couple of nights with the Rivers of Recovery crew. BTW: If you don’t know about RoR then click here and check it out.

Be sure to watch the two videos, start with the one on the right. If you are unmoved by them, check your pulse.

We made a foray to the headwaters of Flat Creek. It was a spectacular 4×4 drive into the backcountry.

Flat Creek headwaters

Getting set up

a pretty Flat Creek pool

Mr. Cutthroat checks in

the tug is the drug...

success!

The chance to visit the headwaters of Flat Creek and to do it in the company of good friends made the trip special.

That they have served our country with honor and distinction makes me proud to be in their company.

headed to beer 30

As they say the road goes on forever and the party never ends.

Stay tuned for more pictures in episode two. Coming soon.

Filed Under: Antics, Fishing, Tenkara, Travel · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Tenkara Summit

September 9, 2011 by · 5 Comments

Last month I traveled to West Yellowstone, MT for the first Tenkara Summit. More than 100 hundred people showed up to hear presentations, talk tenkara and see an on-stream demonstration.

Here is part of the write up by Daniel Galhardo on the Tenkara USA blog:

Originally we had expected, optimistically, that about 70 people would show up. The conference room was setup to accomodate 100 people, but that was not enough. Over 100 people showed up yesterday. People came from 23 different states, and from 3 different countries specially for the Summit (well, they did come to fish in Montana…). I’d really like to thank all those who came and helped make this an extraordinary event; it was the best crowd ever. Thank you!

The Tenkara Summit had the presence of special guests Dr. Hisao Ishigaki, the leading authority on tenkara in Japan; Chris Stewart of tenkarabum.com; Craig Mathews of Blue Ribbon Flies who gave a very passionate presentation about tenkara in Montana and showed some great clips of large fishing being caught; Ryan Jordan of backpackinglight.com as well as ryanjordan.com; and Tom Sadler who spoke about the advantages of using tenkara as a guide and as a way to introduce new people to fly-fishing so they can continue conserving the environment in the future.

Dr. Hisao Ishigaki, "Tenkara King"

Dr. Ishigaki is known as the “Tenkara King” in Japan. His presentation was a wonderful insight into the world of tenkara. He is a warm and charming story teller lacing his presentation with witty anecdotes of his tenkara exploits.

Chris Stewart, Daniel Galhardo and Dr. Ishigaki, share a panel discussion.

Ryan Jordan of Backpacking Light

Craig Mathews talks Montana tenkara

 

 

It was a special honor to part of the summit and to learn from fellow tenkara enthusiasts!

One personal highlight was to have lunch with Craig Mathews and Yvon Chouinard. Those two were the reason I got started with tenkara so it was a special treat to spend time with them both at the summit.

Dr. Ishigaki showed his tenkara chops during an on-stream demonstration.

gearing up for some fishing

 

Watching Japan’s Tenkara King put a tenkara rod through it’s paces was fascinating. It was also reassuring to see that my on tenkara technique was not so bad.

Tenkara King does his thing

Double team tenkara

 

 

Filed Under: Antics, Fishing, Tenkara · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

Tenkara in Garden & Gun

August 1, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

One of the really cool things about getting involved in something new is seeing the recognition grow.  When I picked up a tenkara rod for the first time I had no idea it would become such a part of my life.

On the cover: Flyfishing Without A Reel

Since then I have had the opportunity to introduce tenkara to people who then do a story about tenkara. Of course I appreciate the coverage of tenkara and naturally since I am a bit of a ham, enjoy seeing my name and face in print.

The article and photo’s in Garden & Gun August/September issue may very well be my favorite. It gave me a chance me to introduce two new friends to tenkara, fish in my favorite places and because of their excellent craftsmanship, share tenkara with Garden & Gun’s readers.

First stop was Ramsey’s Draft with the article’s author Donovan Webster.  Don was an accomplished fly fisherman and he was a quick study with the tenkara rod. As you will see, Don did an outstanding job of capturing the essence of tenkara in his article Whisper Fishing.

Michael J.N. Bowles is an extremely talented photojournalist and no slouch with a fly rod as well. He was a bit reluctant to pick up the tenkara rod since he was supposed to be shooting images not fishing. When he finally did and caught a fish, his excitement was infectious. You can see his marvelous photos from our trip to the Rapidan River in Fly Fishing Without A Reel.

Garden & Gun is a favorite in our house and has been long before I was fortunate enough to grace its pages. If you want great writing and beautiful photography steeped in southern charm, then do yourself a favor and subscribe.

Like this post? Why not leave a comment or subscribe by RSS

Filed Under: Fishing, Photos, Tenkara · Tagged: , ,
« Older Posts