It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I came from a good family. I grew up fishing dry flies with bamboo rods on spring creeks. I learned all the latin names of aquatic insects and could tie patterns that imitated them right down to the last abdominal gill. I filled Wheatly after Wheatly with beautifully…
Not too long ago, I posted about some Oni tenkara line spools I got from Japan. I like them a lot but I also like line spools that have a metal bar inserted in the center for storing the fly. On eBay, I recently found a spool that has the best of both worlds–a spool identical…
I’ve always been a fan of the “S**t People Say” video series and thought it would be fun to make one about tenkara. Special thanks to TenkaraTalk readers Phil Echelman, Joe Egry, and Kevin Fricke for being in the video. WARNING: This video contains adult language.
Today I got a chance to try out the release box that Karel from Tenkara on the Fly made for me. I really like it because it gives me plenty of time to take pictures of fish without having to worry about suffocating them or slipping out of my hands. Plus, I can pour them…
I normally don’t like gadgets hanging off the outside of my chest pack. I try to limit it to the things I want quick access to like hemostats and line clippers. Until now, I have kept my tippet spools inside my pack thinking it was one less thing to clank around. But, I like the…
Ever since I started tenkara fishing, I’ve been fascinated with those who subscribe to the “one fly” approach. Imagine an angler so confident in their skills, having so much faith in one fly, that they choose to carry only one pattern with them. It seems almost mythical. Yet, there are some practical reasons why this…
As tenkara takes hold in the West, many people are experimenting with different techniques, rigging, and DIY gear modifications. As someone who has a deep passion for innovation, I think this is a good thing. But there are many voices criticizing certain types of experimentation in an effort to preserve the intrinsic simplicity of tenkara.…
April Fool’s day was no joke on Bear Creek this Sunday. I had another stellar day–one of those sublime “lost track of how many fish I caught” days. But aside from the great fishing, I learned a thing or two. The days you catch fish (or don’t) come and go. But the lessons you…
After a humiliating day on the water being outfished by bait fishermen, I had an epiphany. I’ve decided that I’m giving up tenkara. It was fun while it lasted but after seeing these guys outfish me ten to one with worms and corn, I can’t see any reason why I’d stick with a “cane pole…
Maybe “giant” is a relative term for a size #8 sakasa kebari. After all, in Japan they regularly fish flies that large (or larger). But for me, a #8 is huge. You see, I got some grouse feathers from Tenkara Bum that were too large for the #12 and #10 sakasa kebari I normally tie,…
I just finished reading the article “Japanese Dreams” by Daniel Galhardo of TenkaraUSA in Vol. 3, Issue 3 of The Fly Fish Journal. As someone who tries to consume every piece of information on tenkara I can get my hands on, I was prepared for another “more of the same” article that just rehashed things…
A while back, I wrote an initial review of the Tenkara USA Yamame. But until now, I hadn’t actually had a chance to fish it. Now that I’ve had it on the water, I wanted to report back as promised. To read my more detailed review of the Yamame’s features and design, read my initial…
I’ll admit it. One of my pet peeves is standing in the parking lot ready to go while a fishing partner takes forever to get set up. It’s wasted time that I could be fishing. I don’t get to fish as much as I’d like so I like to maximize my time on the water…
In a recent post, I wrote about how the path of the rod tip in tenkara differs from western casting. In order to achieve the right angle, it’s important to use the right grip. Western anglers coming to tenkara might be tempted to use the same grip they alway have with their thumb on top…