Tenkara TalkTenkara Talk
Tenkara Talk
a tenkara fly fishing blog
Search Tenkara Talk
  • Home
  • Tenkara Gear
    • Tenkara Rods
    • Tenkara Lines
    • Line Holders & Spools
    • Fly Boxes
    • Nets
    • Packs, Organization & Storage
    • Clothing & Accessories
    • Wading Gear
  • Flies & Fly Tying
  • How-To & Resources
    • What is Tenkara?
    • Tenkara 101
    • Presentation Techniques
    • Streamcraft
    • Tenkara Videos
    • Tenkara Knots
    • DIY & Hacks
    • Warmwater Tenkara
    • Books & Media
  • News & Fun
    • Trip Reports
    • Interviews
    • Philosophy
    • Humor
    • Art
    • Tenkara News
    • Events
  • Tenkara Links
  • About Me
  • Contact
FacebookTwitterYouTubePinterestInstagram
  • Home
  • Tenkara Gear
    • Tenkara Rods
    • Tenkara Lines
    • Line Holders & Spools
    • Fly Boxes
    • Nets
    • Packs, Organization & Storage
    • Clothing & Accessories
    • Wading Gear
  • Flies & Fly Tying
  • How-To & Resources
    • What is Tenkara?
    • Tenkara 101
    • Presentation Techniques
    • Streamcraft
    • Tenkara Videos
    • Tenkara Knots
    • DIY & Hacks
    • Warmwater Tenkara
    • Books & Media
  • News & Fun
    • Trip Reports
    • Interviews
    • Philosophy
    • Humor
    • Art
    • Tenkara News
    • Events
  • Tenkara Links
  • About Me
  • Contact

New Tenkara Line Sighters (Strike Indicators)

April 23, 202211 CommentsTenkara LinesBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Strike Indicator

ATTENTION: I was inundated with orders on these and it became too time consuming so I am no longer making them. Sorry. 

I posted on Facebook about a line sighter (strike indicator) that I developed specifically for tenkara and the level of interest was not surprising. One of the biggest complaints that I’ve heard from people new to tenkara is that strike detection is difficult because the line is so thin. I struggled with this problem at first too. Some have tried conventional fly fishing strike indicators but they’re a little unwieldy on a tenkara rod because of their weight and/or bulk. They’re designed for much stiffer conventional rods and much heavier lines. A better solution is to use a material that is hi-vis but light and in-line with your tenkara line so it flows with your cast instead of hampering it.

Tenkara Strike Indicator

My main purpose was to come up with a lightweight indicator that would allow you to still keep your line off the water and be visible as water conditions change. You know how it is. One moment your level line is perfectly visible and you can easily see the end. But then you move upstream 20′ and there’s glare on the water. Now, your line is invisible. So I added black stripes to this detector so that you can still see it against any background or in any lighting conditions.

Tenkara Strike Indicator

Tenkara Strike Indicator

 

Features

  1. Approx. 8″ long–designed for level lines only–not furled
  2. Extremely supple material that will be in-synch with the cadence of your cast
  3. Bright yellow with 1″ intermittent stripes of black for when you face water glare or bright substrates
  4. A figure-8 knot at each end–one for the tippet and one to connect to your level line using the tenkara one knot. It’s easy to attach and easy to take off
  5. Comes with 4′ of 5X tippet already attached so it’s ready to fish. Just connect it to your level line and you’re ready to go!

These are hand-tied by me right here at my humble fly tying desk and I scrutinize every single one as if I were fishing it myself. If it’s not to my standards, it doesn’t go out the door,

How to Get One

Cost: $5 (includes shipping). Just send the money via PayPal to jmklass@gmail.com. You don’t need a PayPal account to do this. It’s quick and easy.

I think you’ll like this indicator. It’s an anti-chameleon. It changes instantly to different backgrounds to stand out rather than blend in. Of course, nothing is perfect and can always stand improvement. So if you get one and have suggestions for making it better, please let me know.

how to detect strikes in tenkaratenkara line sightertenkara strike detectiontenkara strike indicatortenkara strike indicators
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.

Like this article? You might also like these ...
Tactical Tenkara Nymph Line
Why We Don’t Use Leaders in Tenkara
July 4, 2019
Kevlar Braided Tenkara Line
Bulletproof Tenkara Line
April 17, 2019
Tippet Expiration Dates
Does Tippet Expiration Really Matter?
February 16, 2019
Sebata Tenkara Line
Sebata’s Hand-Furled Tenkara Line
February 5, 2019
Tactical Tenkara Nymph Line
Tactical Tenkara Nymph Line
January 1, 2019
Tenkara Eso Line Wax
Tenkara Eso Line Wax
September 29, 2018
11 Comments
  1. Reply
    April 23, 2022 at 1:12 pm
    David Christiansen

    Thanks Jason. Just what I’ve been needing. I’m going to order one.

    BTW. Your newsletter subscription function is working great. I’ve received 2 notifications concerning your recent posts. Thanks

    David

  2. Reply
    April 24, 2022 at 3:24 pm
    Eugene Walk

    Jason, just saw your post I was fishing for a few weeks where I basically have no phone reception. Really like this, and will order one. I have, in the past used the Scientific Anglers tri-colored sighter material that I use for euro nymphing, but is too stiff for a tenkara application. Order on it’s way. Take care, and hooe this finds you wellmand healthy.

    • Reply
      April 24, 2022 at 4:37 pm
      Jason Klass

      Thanks Eugene. I need your address to ship it.

  3. Reply
    April 25, 2022 at 12:14 pm
    Ian

    Jason,
    Have you tried the RIO Euro indicator line? They make it in a bunch of diameters and it works great. They come in Black/White or Chartreuse/Pink striped combos. It is nylon and in my experience it cast really well

    • Reply
      April 25, 2022 at 12:38 pm
      Jason Klass

      Hi Ian,
      Yes I have. The difference is my sighters are much thicker in diameter and (IMHO( easier to see.

    • Reply
      May 2, 2022 at 11:53 am
      Brian Thorne

      I see your note about not making these anymore. Any chance of sharing how you make them?

  4. Reply
    May 3, 2022 at 9:19 am
    Art

    I use regular fly line dacron backing (about 5 inches of flo orange and 5 inches flo green) and tie it in-line with level line using a nail knot. incredibly visible (even underwater if I need to anchor because of wind!)

    my advice is to cut the tags short and carefully burn the tips of the tags so it doesn’t unravel (I burn and then pinch twist the tags)

    • Reply
      May 3, 2022 at 9:25 am
      Jason Klass

      Ai Art,
      The ends are burned and I leave the tags long for a reason.

  5. Reply
    May 5, 2022 at 5:34 pm
    Eugene Walk

    Jason, sighters work great! Come up with some more ideas!

    • Reply
      May 5, 2022 at 6:38 pm
      Jason Klass

      Thanks fir the feedback Eugene! I’m always thinking of what small problems can be solved. Let me know if you have any ideas.

  6. Reply
    May 6, 2022 at 5:31 am
    Art

    quick question on the black: did you use a regular Sharpie marker to make the black stripes?

Leave Comment

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

clear formSubmit

About Me

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 >>

Get an Email When I Post!
Loading
Tenkara Talk Sponsors
Tenkara USA   Dragontail Tenkara     TAO Tenkara   Tenkara Tanuki Tenkara Fisher
Search by Category
Send Jason an Email
Search Tenkara Talk
Tenkara Talk Archives
Tenkara + Backpacking!
Is there any other sport that goes better with tenkara than hiking and backpacking? Be sure to also check out my ultralight and DIY backpacking gear blog.

Tenkara and Backpacking
Latest Posts
  • Wader Bag
    How I Pack My Wading Gear (+2 Tips)
    May 15, 2022
  • Tenkara Strike Indicator
    New Tenkara Line Sighters (Strike Indicators)
    April 23, 2022
  • The Junk Drawer Fly Box
    The Junk Drawer Fly Box
    April 21, 2022
© 2022 | Tenkara Talk by Jason Klass | All rights reserved