Tenkara Flies on Red Hooks
Sakasa Kebari on a Red Hook
Many anglers tout the effectiveness of using red hooks in their fly patterns. While there appears to be some science behind it, I’m not a red hook fanatic; nor am I a foe. I don’t know if or why red hooks add some attractor qualities to flies or not. I’ve caught fish on them and I’ve caught just as many fish on bronze, blue, or black hooks. But as a tenkara angler who is dedicating himself to tying mostly simple flies with only two or three ingredients, different colored hooks are a nice way to add some diversity to the aesthetics of my tying (whether for me or the fish, I don’t know). Anyway, here are a few patterns I’ve tied on red hooks that you might find interesting if you’re looking to add some different dimensions to your tenkara fly tying.
Read MorePheasant & Orange Sakasa Kebari
Hook: Owner Super Yamame #7
Head: Orange Uni 8/0 thread
Loop Eye: #2 silk bead cord, white
Hackle: Pheasant
Body: Camel Uni 8/0 thread
Rib: Small copper wire, counterwrapped
A classic color combination in an eyeless sakasa kebari style. For video instructions on how to tie eyeless tenkara flies, click here.
Sulphur Sakasa Kebari
Hook: Owner Amano Tenkara Hook #2 or #3
Thread: Uni 8/0 Light Cahill
Hackle: Light Dun Hen
Body: Pale Yellow Dubbing
I’ve been playing around with my Amano tenkara hooks and thought this simple pattern might be a good fit for their smaller size range. If you want to match the hatch, this would be a good fly to fish during a PMD or PED hatch. But it would also make a good general tenkara fly when you just need a lighter colored pattern.
Read MoreHorse Tail Loop Eye Sakasa Kebari
Hook: Owner Super Yamame #7
Thread: Uni 8/0 Camel
Eye: Griffin Silk Bead Cord #2
Body: Horse tail (2 strands, one light, one dark)
Hackle: Partridge
If you’re interested in using horse tail as a fly body, here is another horse hair sakasa kebari I have found to be effective.
Read MoreTenkara Flies on Eyeless Hooks
Sakasa Kebari Tied on an Eyeless Hook - See video below to learn how to tie it!
Some tenkara anglers in Japan prefer to tie their sakasa kebari on eyeless hooks. Rather than a metal ring for an eye, these flies have a loop of flexible material to which the tippet is tied. I’ve heard some people say that this connection gives the fly more movement in the water than flies with rigid eyes; however, in my experience, there is little to no difference in the action of eyed vs. eyeless flies. Nonetheless, flies tied on eyeless hooks are unique, beautiful, and can add a fun new dimension to your fly tying.
Read MoreKamikaze Kebari
Dark Kamikaze Kebari
Whenever anyone asks me what makes the sakasa kebari an effective pattern, of course my first answer is the standard one–that the reversed hackle produces a lifelike motion in the water. But this is always immediately followed by an explanation of what I consider an equally important (yet often overlooked) quality of these flies: they’re expendable. This might seem like a strange quality to admire in a fly (something some people call “art”) but considering that we take our carefully handcrafted patterns and throw them to the mercy of trout rather than hang them on walls, it soon becomes clear that a willingness to send your flies on a suicide mission can greatly increase your success on the water.
Read MoreGiant Sakasa Kebari
Maybe “giant” is a relative term for a size #8 sakasa kebari. After all, in Japan they regularly fish flies that large (or larger). But for me, a #8 is huge. You see, I got some grouse feathers from Tenkara Bum that were too large for the #12 and #10 sakasa kebari I normally tie, so, I decided to tie a few larger flies including this Amano inspired fly. I also tied some darker patterns and will try them out on the water tomorrow. I’ll be interested to see how these larger flies work as attractors in a smaller stream. Hey, I just noticed…that fly is in TenkaraTalk colors!
Read MoreTwo-tone Sakasa Kebari
Sakasa Kebari are great attractor patterns and most classic attractors incorporate some kind of contrast or bright colors. So I thought why not carry this idea to tenkara flies?
The idea is simple–the body is made up of two different colored threads. The brighter (contrasting) thread color covers 50% of the back of the hook while a more natural, dull color covers the remaining 50% leading up to the hackle. I think it makes a nice fly that draws upon the principles of classic western attractors while staying true to the traditional Japanese sakasa kebari design. This is just one example but imagine what you could do with different color combinations like olive/chartreuse, black/red, blue/pink, etc. Here is the recipe for the fly in the photo:
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.
Claret & Gold Sakasa Kebari
I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the materials I use to tie my tenkara flies and realized that I’ve been doing a bad job of posting them. So, from now on, I am going to try to post the complete recipe for all the flies I post in the future. Here’s the first of many more to come…
Hook: TMC 2499SPBL #10 or #12
Thread: Claret (or red) 8/0
Body: Claret (or red) 8/0 thread tapered to thorax
Rib: Fine gold wire
Hackle: Jungle cock spade feathers
You can easily substitute regular grizzly hackle for the jungle cock and it will look just as good (or better).
Read MoreEurasian Jay Sakasa Kebari
In the last few years, there’s been a lof of buzz around fishing blue-colored flies. A while ago, I tried to incorporate blue into a tenkara pattern I called the Ninja’s Victim. The blue wire body and starling hackle seemed to work well but I’m always looking for new ways to use unique materials in my tenkara flies and wanted to try something a little more exotic.
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 Tenkara Summit 2012
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