Since introduced to the West, tenkara has taken on many flavors. Some call it cultural appropriation. Some call it assimilation. And there are many purists who have been trying to maintain the traditions of its Japanese origin. But one thing is certain: the use of tenkara gear in the West is more diverse than in…
Let’s face it, when it comes to fly fishing accessories, retractors (AKA “zingers”) aren’t the sexiest things. We tend to focus on rods, flies, lines, and other things that are more exciting. But when we get right down to it, we all rely on supplementary tools to help us with our streamcraft. And that so…
30 years ago when I started fly fishing, I never thought about sun protection and COVID-19 didn’t exist. But things have obviously changed since then. With the virus and global warming ramping up, it’s especially important to protect yourself (and others) from such things. I always look to finding simple solutions to complicated problems and…
There’s been a lot of buzz around Vicuña dubbing lately and I was lucky enough to get a box from DRAGONTAILtenkara. I’ve probably got hundreds of packages of dubbing dating back 20+ years, but I can tell you, I really like this stuff. First of all, it’s hand-dyed alpaca wool so it’s scraggly, but still…
I’ve been an advocate of felt wading boots for years because I don’t believe the whole theory about felt transmitting invasive species and most rubber-soled boots just don’t have a good grip in the water. But I recently got a pair of Orvis Ultralight wading boots and think they’ve made me reconsider. The problem with…
I recently returned from a 4-day trip to the Rio Grande with my long-time friend Randy. He drove up there from Arizona and I drove down there from Denver. We both headed to Creede with high hopes. But, in fishing, the higher the hope, the easier it is to be dashed. The fishing was lackluster,…
Like many of you, this pandemic has been difficult for me. I sold my house right before it started and have been house and dog sitting for some friends who were in Guatemala for a couple of months. The library of fly tying tools and materials I’ve collected over the years (including my beloved roll-top…
My experience with fly fishing gear (and gear in general) is that whenever something tries to be two things at once, it’s usually not good at either of them. Think fly/spin combos. I’ve never seen one that was both a good fly rod AND a good spin rod. It seems that there is always some…
I recently did an impromptu podcast with my old friend and mentor Daniel Galhardo of Tenkara USA after we had an early-morning conversation about some ideas swirling around in our heads. Some of them may be controversial and I know some of you may not be receptive to them, but they’re the products of being…
The company that introduced tenkara to the U.S. has just launched a new online store. It’s a much cleaner, faster, way to shop and helps you make a decision on which rod to get based on your area and stream type. Plus, the navigation is more intuitive and you can translate languages and pay by…
The following is a guest post. I almost never do them, but when someone as prominent in the tenkara community asks for one as Jason Sparks, my ears perk up and I listen. Here are a few more of his great theories on fly design and presentation … There have been several points of conversation…
Every angler new to fly fishing and tenkara will inevitably ask themselves the question, “should I learn to tie my own flies?” Usually, the impetus behind this is a perceived cost savings over buying flies. And that certainly seems like a valid reason once you peruse the prices in the fly bins of your local…
Here’s my latest batch of tenkara memes. Feel free to share the individual images, but please be cool and give me credit. To see all of my previous tenkara memes, click here. And if you’ve made some of your own memes, please post them in the comments section below.
I’m often asked where I get my fly tying materials. And my answer is, “from my desk”. Over 30 years of tying, I’ve amassed a collection of materials that would make some fly shops’ inventories seem lacking. So whenever I sit down to tie, I already have all the ingredients necessary. I’ll probably never have…
Being a fly tyer is part of my self-identity. I’ve often said that even if every river and ocean on Earth dried up, I would still tie flies. It’s one of my passions in life and I consider it a high art. As such, I’m always interested in learning about how other tyers practice the…
Well, I’m still “reeling” 😉 from this year’s Tenkara Summit. Usually when I cover such events, I try to put together a cohesive recap for those who couldn’t make it. But this year, it was quite intense and I’m not sure I’m up to that task. So instead, I’m just going to post a few…
At the 2019 Tenkara Summit today, Tenkara USA made a pretty big announcement: the reissue and redesign of their discontinued Ebisu rod. The Ebisu was a favorite among many early adopters of tenkara in the West because of its soft 5:5 action and many lamented its demise. But I think many will be glad to…
“It depends”. That’s it. In the fly shop, I probably get 100 technical questions every day. “Which size tippet should I use?” “Should I get a 5 wt. or a 6 wt.?” “What are the best flies to use right now?” And my answer is always the same: “It depends.” Because it does depend. On…
As you know, the 2019 Tenkara Summit is happening in two weeks and I know many of you regret the fact that won’t be able to make it. So, I’m giving away a fly box filled with a dozen flies to hopefully brighten your day. All of these flies are the ones I actually fish…
graphic by Anthony Naples I was struck recently by a comment I read from Chris Stewart in a Facebook group. I can’t remember the exact wording, so I’m paraphrasing. It was to the effect of, “remember in western fly fishing when we were all concerned about having a well-tapered leader? Whatever happened to that?” It might…
Years ago, my friend told me a story about how he used to save all of his beat up flies in an old coffee can. Anything that lost its tails, had unravelled thread, or got chewed up beyond recognition went in there. He had a master plan. One day, when the can was finally full,…
When my friend Luong Tam of Tenkara Tanuki first told me he was designing a new rod called the “Ninja”, I have to admit I wasn’t exactly excited. I was already a fan of his Snow 325 and other rods I had cast at trade shows and didn’t see how he could really improve on…
I remember back in maybe 2011 or 2012, there was a quite lengthy debate online regarding tenkara rod handles. It started when people began using fixed-line rods such as Keiryu and Seiryu rods for tenkara. Many of those rods didn’t have what would be considered a “grip” (the handle of the rod was just the…
If you follow this blog or my tenkara Facebook page, you’ve probably seen pictures of me holding one of four rods in my trip reports: The Oni Type I, the Tenkara USA Ito, the Oni Type III, and more recently, the Tanuki Snow 325. That’s because these are my four favorites–each with its own unique…
Here in Colorado, we’re lucky that we don’t have a designated “trout season”. Legally, we can fish for trout all year round. Notice I said “legally”. That’s because we have another season that’s a de facto “off season”: runoff. Anyone who lives and fishes in the West is familiar with runoff season–that time in early…
At least once or twice a week, I get a customer in the shop who is there to replace gear that was stolen out of their car while they were fishing. Last week, I had two people in one day. One of them not only lost over $2,000 in rods and reels, but something that…
Just a few months ago, my friend Dennis from Tenkara Path and I were sitting in a cafe in Denver looking over his latest designs for his wooden bobbin spools. At some point, he pulled out a prototype of a new line spool he was working on. If you’re familiar with Tenkara Path spools, you know…
It’s been pointed out to me that I’m somewhat of a hermit in the fly fishing and tenkara community. There are really only two events I attend on a regular basis: The Denver Fly Fishing Show and the Tenkara Summit. It’s not on purpose. There are plenty of tenkara events around the country I’d love…
While it’s OK to take tenkara seriously, sometimes we just have to step back and be able to laugh at ourselves. Here’s my 6th in my series of tenkara memes. To see all of them, click here. Enjoy and if you share any of them (as with any of my content) please be cool and…
If you told me that one day I’d be waving a tenkara rod in the heart of Manhattan with a girl from the Dominican Republic, I would have asked you for some of whatever it was you were smoking. But that’s exactly where I found myself just a few days ago on a week-long trip…
