Tenkara Memes Round 7
A few months ago, I bought my dream car: a Jeep Wrangler. So what makes it a “tenkaramobile”? Well, first and foremost, it is the vehicle that will transport me to all of my future tenkara adventures. But there are a few other tweaks I’ve made to “tenkara-ize” it.
Tenkara License Plates
Much to the dismay of some current (and future) Colorado residents, I snatched up my tenkara vanity plates before anyone else in the state. I’m glad I did because it seems that I wasn’t the only one thinking about it. While it might make me easily identifiable to cops and streamside enemies, I think it’s a great way to promote tenkara. Even though I’ve only had the plates on a few days, I’ve already had several people ask me what tenkara is which sparked some pretty engaging conversations. It’s amazing how something so low tech and simple can generate so much curiosity!
Tenkara Car Kit
Beneath the mat in my trunk, there is a secret compartment that stows my tenkara car kit. This means I’m ready to fish anywhere, anytime. I started carrying this in my car after too many missed opportunities during non-fishing related trips. Click the link for its contents but I can tell you that it’s set up to catch pretty much anything that swims in Colorado.
Wader Friendly Interior
A lot of the streams I fish (like Clear Creek outside of Golden) require a lot of driving from spot to spot. Getting in and out of the car with wet, gravel-coated waders can really trash the inside of your car. So, I opted for leather seats which don’t soak up water and are easier to clean. But more importantly, I swapped out the factory mats for Rugged Ridge floor mats. These mats feature a deep lip with baffles to hold a lot of water and gravel. After a full day of fishing, they’re easy to shake out and hose down so I don’t have to worry about wrecking my carpet.
Tenkara Stickers
What tenkaramobile would be complete without stickers? I only have a few on there now but am planning on putting more on soon including one from the Harima Tenkara Club in Japan given to me by Eiji Yamakawa. With stickers, it’s easy to go overboard so I’ll need to exercise some restraint so I can still see out the back window!
What is your tenkaramobile? What mods and customizations have you made to make it more tenkara friendly?
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That looks way sweet!!! Jealous.
Nice going on the plate.
Nice! Mine is simply a 2008 Impala LT. Tenkara doesn’t take up much space, so I chuck it in and go. 🙂
Since I only have 1 Tenkara rod, it’s always in my chick magnet ranger haha! I keep a 10 foot level line and 15 foot level line, both are 3.5(1 from Tusa and 1 from Tbum), 5x and 7x tipper since I have about a thousand spools of each, and because I’ll never know which conditions I’ll face, a flambeau waterproof box with sakasa kebari, Utah killers, and some standard dries like you. Vanity plates would cost $150 every two years so they’ll stay at the registry!
Nice tenkaramobile Jason.. I have been looking for a new one myself, but I was hit while my wife’s car a few weeks ago, so now we are getting her a new car instead..
Brian
you like much Tenkara!
my tenkara mobile is poor maintenance Gary Fisher,MTB…
nice. I’d suggest a big plastic box in the back, you can throw your wet gear and boots in.
You might want to think about a full mud tire when the tourers wear out, then you’d be unstoppable.
Maybe too much!
Craig, actually, I do use a plastic box for my waders: https://www.tenkaratalk.com/2011/09/my-wading-kit/
But the mat comes in handy when your fishing partners don’t. 🙂
When I was a kid in NY, license plates used to have raised characters. Now, they just “paint” them on. Kind of disappointed tactilely speaking. 🙁
Jason,
Great job with the Wrangler. Maybe you can convince Jeep to produce a “Tenkara Edi” Wrangler.
My current tenkarmobile is my 2004 Saturn Vue with 175,000 miles on the odometer. When I bought this car new, I promised myself not to obsess over it like previous vehicles. No taking a toothbrush to the wheels and no losing sleep over scratches and dings. My fishing gear is tored in a plastic bin as are the waders and wading boot. Ditto with camping gear. My wife and I can load the car in minutes. The carpets in the car are trashed (remember, I don’t care anymore), so I can just get in with my waders on, if I like. It’s liberating like tenkara.
jason,i have a 2004 jeep rubicon.i took out the backseat and it was replaced by camping gear fishing gear and hunting stuff.welcome to the jeep guys!!
Nice! Can’t wait to pop the top on mine.
Nicely done, Jason! I sure liked your rig when I saw it a couple of months ago.
My Tenkaramobile has some of the same features as yours. It’s a pristine 2007 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab shortbed. I have similar floormats…mine are Husky floor liners. I put my wader tub in the bed of my truck. I also have a fly patch velcro’d onto the fuzzy headliner of the cab. Works great. Another thing I love about my truck is that you can stow three Tenkara USA rod tubes behind the rear seat headrests. Combine all of that with the fact that my 2.5″ suspension lift and off road tires will get me to any trailhead out there, and I have what I consider to a top notch fishing truck. It performed well transporting clients all summer for sure!
My next item will be a full set of camo neoprene seat covers. They’ll come in handy when sitting in the vehicle with wet waders on.
Thank you Jason for purchasing your new Jeep. As a parts supplier
for Chrysler and Ford you have to know how grateful I and many more
Americans are that you trust and support are industry. Hope it leads you to many great days afield.
JFK
Your Jeep is only a good basis for Tenkaramobile. Add a winch, replace tires on MudTerrain, install the protective plates on the bottom and put the HiJack in the trunk.
Mine is a Toyota Highlander 4×4, got the stickers, wader friendly interiors all I need next is a new tag like yours LOL
Mine is an 8 year old Honda Eement. It needed absolutely nomodestobe a Tenkara mobile