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Tenkara Pyrenees Line Spools

December 26, 201317 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Most tenkara line spools I’ve tried have been either plastic or wood, so I was intrigued when I saw the spools from Tenkara Pyrenees that are made entirely of cork. I liked the idea since a.) it’s unique, b.) it floats, and c.) the entire spool is made from a material that lets you stick the fly anywhere you want–simplifying line winding process.

Tenkara Pyrenees Line Spool

The spool is a natural cork color with the Tenkara Pyrenees logo on one side and a center hole that is big enough to fit down the blank of any tenkara rod and to even accommodate an index finger (which facilitates winding). The cork is very comfortable and secure to grip, even when wet or in the cold. And at a diameter of 2.75″ (70mm) and width of 0.79″ (20mm), the overall size is extremely ergonomic.

Tenkara Pyrenees Line Spool

All in all, this is a very attractive and practical spool that just feels cozy to use. At 0.4 oz., I think it’s probably one of the lightest out there and definitely has more charm than its plastic counterparts.

My only question is why they omitted notches to secure the end of the line once you’re finished winding the line. Without them, the line can (and by “can” I mean “will”) unravel. Luckily, the cork is easy to work with and I think I will cut about six notches in the top rim of the spool to secure the end of the line.

If you’re interested in these spools, check out the Tenkara Pyrenees website.

tenkaratenkara line spoolstenkara pyrenees line spool
About the author

Jason Klass

Jason is an avid fly angler and backpacker. As a former fly fishing guide originally from Western New York, he moved to Colorado and became an early adopter of tenkara which perfectly suited the small, high altitude streams and lakes there. He has not fished a Western-style fly rod for trout since.

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17 Comments
  1. Reply
    December 26, 2013 at 10:58 pm
    Brian Schiele

    But can you order it and get it in the USA? And is the shipping more than the spool itself?
    Brian

  2. Reply
    December 27, 2013 at 12:07 am
    craig

    can’t tell from the pic, but is it natural cork or synthetic or substitute? It appears to be, and I sincerely hope it is, one of the latter two, since I’d hate to see someone wasting good cork on winders.

    • Reply
      December 27, 2013 at 8:56 am
      Jason Klass

      Hi Craig, I once asked Tenkara no Oni why he uses foam for his grips instead of cork. He cited environmental reasons but when I brought this into the discussion, many people replied back that cork is actually more environmentally friendly and sustainable. I’ve always heard that there is a cork shortage but others said that’s not true. I’m not an expert so I’m not sure which side is correct. But I think Christophe makes some good points that cork is probably better for the environment.

  3. Reply
    December 27, 2013 at 1:43 am
    Christophe Laurent

    This spool is by far my favorite one! I do not see this excellent accessory as a waste of good cork as cork being a renewable resource
    which is not the case of plastic spools whose the main ingredient is pollutant waste. And in case you lose it it is biodegradable!

    You are right Jason about the notches they are to be done by the angler himself so one can do it the way he wants.

    • Reply
      December 27, 2013 at 8:58 am
      Jason Klass

      Thanks for the picture Christophe. Did you just use a knife to make the slits?

  4. Reply
    December 27, 2013 at 2:43 am
    zill Yvon

    It’s also very easy to enlarge the center hole with a wood file to fit every tenkara rod

  5. Reply
    December 27, 2013 at 9:11 am
    Robert Coggins

    Great post, thanks for the link to Tenkara Pyrenees, pretty good site,some great videos. I have heard that their is a shortage of natural cook as most of it is used to cork wine bottles. Not sure of that as the wine I drink comes in a twist-off bottle or jug!!

  6. Reply
    December 27, 2013 at 11:43 am
    JDSmith

    It looks like the spools are made up of cork chips, a byproduct of manufacturing other cork products. The chips are pressed back together into large sheets and blocks to be used for other products. It’s a good way to recycle leftover scraps that would otherwise end up in the landfill.

  7. Reply
    December 27, 2013 at 11:54 am
    JDSmith

    Also. There is no cork shortage. In fact, based upon current estimates there is enough cork to close all wine bottles produced in the world, for the next 100 years. The cork forests are now being more sustainably managed than ever before in their history and new planting is always ongoing.

    • Reply
      December 27, 2013 at 12:01 pm
      Jason Klass

      JD, thanks for those last two comments. You always bring something enlightening to the conversation.

  8. Reply
    December 27, 2013 at 3:03 pm
    Steve Carnes

    Thanks to the pioneering Australians, more and more quality wine is being bottled with the twist-off metal caps (recyclable?) and not corked.

  9. Reply
    December 27, 2013 at 3:24 pm
    Darcy

    Jason ,

    It looks like a thumb tack in the side might work for holding the line .

    • Reply
      December 27, 2013 at 3:48 pm
      Jason Klass

      Darcy, Hmmm, actually, that sounds like a really good idea. I’ll try it. Thanks!

  10. Reply
    December 28, 2013 at 4:37 am
    craig

    I knew my post would be provocative. since I am argumentative tonight, to add more petrol to the fire (pun intended):

    i suggest that if you really are buying these for environmental reasons, then you should look into a bamboo rod instead of one comprised of carbon and petrochemicals aka carbon fibre/epoxy resin & glue, and use horsehair instead of petrochemical=based line aka mono/fluoro, and think about riding a horse to the river instead of driving a petrochemical guzzling car on petrochemical compound tires and full of petrochemical interior.

    now, the larger pic shows a glued composite cork chip material, and glue is made from petrochemicals. whether it is actually less of a footprint or not will depend on how the cork was sourced, whether it was recycled and how, or whether it required more land clearing, how and where it was made and shipped. a lesser footprint line winder would definitely be a stick or piece of bone you find on the side of the river and carve yourself.

    I’m not suggesting that one adopts any of this, just pointing out there are some omissions of fact being made in claiming a glued cork composite spool is superior to other alternatives.

  11. Reply
    December 28, 2013 at 11:01 am
    JDSmith

    Well nice try anyway Craig. But when there are certain industries that have carbon footprints the size of entire countries even multiple countries, I can’t feel guilty for buying a recycled spool or plastic rod.

    Blame it on Rockefeller. Hahahaha

  12. Reply
    December 28, 2013 at 11:14 am
    JDSmith

    Or better yet blame it on Dow or Alexander Parks or John Hyatt.

    Haha Craig I’m just messin around.

  13. Reply
    December 28, 2013 at 12:21 pm
    Christophe Laurent

    Jason, I used a box cutter to make the slits and a pen to mark their location. I understand your arguments Craig but I personally think that there are surely less polluting chemicals in this composite cork spool that in any plastic one. I still wonder why so many anglers have developed a fetish for high end cork! It does not bring anything else than aestheticism.

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Jason Klass is a former fly fishing guide & casting instructor based in Colorado. He was an early adopter of tenkara in the West and has been fishing the method for a variety of species since 2009. Read more >>

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