Even the most organized fly tying desks can have cluttered backgrounds that can be distracting when you’re trying to put the finishing touches on that perfect fly. It can not only adversely affect the quality of the fly you’re tying, but also cause eye strain. Here’s a simple, low-cost solution I came up with to…
A classic color combination in an eyeless sakasa kebari style. For video instructions on how to tie eyeless tenkara flies, click here. 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
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…
In Japan, tenkara has been very narrowly defined in terms of gear, technique, and application. The gear part of the definition includes using a long rod, no reel, and simple, unweighted flies. The technique part includes things like using rapids and waterfalls to sink flies rather than weight, watching the line rather than using a…
I’m not sure how it happened but somehow over the last two years I’ve been fishing the Tenkara USA Ayu, I haven’t done a review. Maybe it’s because I’ve always considered it such an staple tenkara rod that it was easy to overlook. Sometimes, the most obvious things are the easiest to miss. But,…
I recently got some #2 and #3 Owner Amano Tenkara hooks to play around with and thought I would share some info on them for anyone who is looking for smaller hooks for sakasa kebari. These hooks feature a slight down eye, short shank, wide gap and, are made of fairly heavy wire to help…
With all the local trout streams low and clear, this was a good weekend for some tenkara bass fishing. In the late morning, I hit the ponds at South Platte Park, where I had caught by first tenkara bass just a couple of weeks ago and it didn’t let me down! I explored some…
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.Hook: Owner Super Yamame #7
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…
Anyone who has ever dead drifted a fly with a tenkara rod has undoubtedly discovered two things: 1. Sometimes it’s hard to detect a strike on a level line. 2. Strike indicators don’t cast well with a tenkara rod. Luckily, for anyone who finds it difficult to see their line, there’s a simple way to…
While the Daiwa Soyokaze isn’t technically a true “tenkara” rod, any tenkara angler would immediately recognize a lot of familiar features. Telescopic blank? Check. Lilian cord? Check. No reel seat? Check. In fact, it’s hard to cast the Soyokaze and not consider it anything other than a “minature” tenkara rod. The Soyokaze line of…
You’ve just found the perfect pool. It’s full of fish that are actively feeding and you’ve got it all to yourself. You know you’ll be able to pull at least a few nice ones out if you just fish it long enough. It’s one of those rare moments that you need to take full advantage…
Today I hit the Big Thompson with fellow tenkara angler Jim Lionberger. I haven’t fished the Big Thompson in the canyon for a few years so it was nice to make it back. Even better was that Jim has a friend who owns some land right on the river so we ha a beautiful…
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:…