20 ft. Furled Line & DIY Line Spool Mod
20 ft. tenkara furled Line
Today, I got my long awaited Nissin Prosquare tenkara rod in the mail (review coming soon). A friend in Japan who bought and sent the rod to me was kind enough to also include a 20 ft. furled line he made himself and one of his flies. Thanks Eiji! The line looks a lot like the horse hair tenkara lines I recently made, with different snoods knotted together. After reading Daniel’s article on long line tenkara, I am really excited to try it out. I was a little surprised to see that he sent it on the same Meiho mini line spool Tenkara Bum sells. But upon closer inspection, I noticed an even better surprise.
Read MoreThe Best Hackle for Sakasa Kebari?
If someone asked my what the best all around hackle for sakasa kebari, I would answer (without hesitation) that it’s brahma hen cape from Whiting Farms. Here’s why…
Read MoreTenkaraTalk T-shirt Giveaway
Here’s your chance to show you that you stand out from the fly fishing crowd! I am giving away one TenkaraTalk T-shirt that is sure to be a conversation starter that will help spread the word about tenkara. All you have to do to enter is reply to this post with your T-shirt size. That’s it! No hoops to jump through–no complicated rules. The winner will be selected at random on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 at midnight and will be announced the following day in this post and notified by email. Good luck everyone!
Read MoreUnderstanding Tenkara Level Lines
There seems to be a fair amount of confusion among tenkara newcomers when it comes to level lines. People talk about level lines in terms of “lb. test” or “breaking strength” and people don’t seem to get the rating system used in tenkara so I thought I’d make a post to clear it up and hopefully shed some light on this mysterious line rating system.
Read More“Plain Jane” Sakasa Kebari
These flies might not win any beauty contests above water, but I’m sure they’ll be sexy enough down below. With some classic color combinations, nice contrast, and a bit of weight and movement, I can’t see how these “plain Jane” sakasa kebari wouldn’t catch fish. Here’s the recipe…
Read MoreUnderwater Comparison of Eyed vs. Eyeless Tenkara Flies
I recently got some eyeless tenkara hooks from Tenkara Bum and have been having a lot of fun trying out different patterns. But I was curious…are the claims about eyeless hooks having more action in the water true? So, I decided to do a (very unscientific) test and see. I tied two flies with identical materials, put them underwater, and took video so I coud compare.
Eyeless Tenkara Hooks
I got some eyeless tenkara hooks today from Tenkara Bum: the Owner Yamame and Gamakatsu Amago. They’re both great hooks with interesting bends and finishes that will surely make for some fun experimentation. In Japan, tiers would use a silk cord to form a loop “eye”. I didn’t have any silk cord so I’m just using Dacron backing in different colors for my experiments:
Read MoreFrogg Toggs Hellbender Wader Review
In terms of gear, waders are just about as sexy to me as socks. I’d much rather fawn over new rods, nets, or a really nice wooden fly box. But, waders are a necessary fishing tool. Many years ago, I became a breathable wader convert but I had one complaint–a lack of durability. Even after trying several different brands and models, I came to the conclusion that breathable waders were pretty much “disposable” even when babied. That plus the fact that many decent waders run $300 – $400 is not a good combination. Sure, there were cheaper ones but they were pretty spartan in the features area. So imagine my elation when I found a durable, feature-packed breathable wader for $150 in the Frogg Togg Hellbender!
Read MoreTenkaraTalk is Now on YouTube!
What do you mean, “now”? Haven’t you been on YouTube for a while? Well, yes. I have been using my personal YouTube channel to upload tenkara videos for this blog. But in light of recent events, I thought it was best to create a separate TenkaraTalk channel. Let me explain…
Read MoreTenkara Casting Techniques
Remember my post about tenkara’s diversity in simplicity? This video is a perfect example of that. In it, you will see a range of different tenkara casting techniques including the standard 10 o’clock / 12 o’clock overhand cast, the backhand (cross-chest) cast, sidearm cast, and the bow-and-arrow cast–but not just any bow-and-arrow cast.
Read MoreHow to Tie a Tenkara Fly
I’ve been asked by several people to make a video showing the basic steps on how to tie a sakasa kebari so here it is. I chose a very simple pattern for the demo but you could easily substitute a lot of different materials to create a wide variety of patterns.
Read MoreTenkara Hit Vision DVD
OMG, I want this! At 3,570 yen it’s a little pricey but since it features Dr. Ishigaki, I think it’s worth it. I might order one here. Has anyone watched it?
Read MoreWin a Free Fly Box!
UPDATE: Loften wins it by a landslide! Congratulations Loften! The box is on the way.
Didn’t win anything in the last tenkara gear giveaway? No problem. Here’s another one. This time, I’m giving away a brand new Streamworks fly box with a multi-tool.
Read MoreBasic Tenkara Casting Motion
Here’s another quick video clip from the Denver Fly Fishing Show of Daniel Galhardo breaking down the basic tenkara casting stroke. Sorry for the bad audio. It’s hard to get good sound at a trade show without a lapel mic. Plus, the lighting at the show was horrible. While the quality might not be great, I think you can still get a few good tips out of this video.
Read MoreTenkara: Diversity in Simplicity
This weekend, I sat in in a cabin next to a wood burning stove with the Arkansas River not 20 yards away from me. I brought my Yamame and Ito hoping to get some fishing in but it was not meant to be. The winds howled, rattling the wood stove chimney and everything else in the cabin. All I could do was “window fish”–scanning the runs and pools I would have dissected with my tenkara rod if it weren’t too windy to fish. Now before you say, “it’s never too windy to fish”, consider the facts that the highway was closed due to “high winds” (I’ve never even heard of that before) and the American flag affixed to an old, rickety wagon in the cabin’s front yard was literally torn to shreds by the wind. I even had a hard time controlling the car to get there. Believe me, there’s not much that can get between me and a river full of fish. It was that bad.
Read MoreAbout Me
Jason Klass is a former fly fishing guide who now exclusively fishes Tenkara for trout in the streams and lakes of Colorado...Read More Latest Video
OBN Featured Blog
iPhone Mobile Site
Scan the QR code above with your iPhone to visit our thumb-friendly mobile site. And don't forget to bookmark us so you can stay up to date on the latest in tenkara while you're on the go!