Here’s an excellent mini-documentary on tenkara starring the Tenkara Guides. I think it captures the essence of tenkara very well. There is a full length documentary in the works that is being produced by Brian Flemming of Learn Tenkara that is slated to be released in about a year in which yours truly will briefly…
In my ongoing experiments with hackle and materials for sakasa kebari, I’ve found an unlikely source for hackle that looks promising: jungle cock. When most tiers think of the prized jungle cock, they think of the gorgeous yellow and black “nails” or “spears” often used for the cheeks of classic salmon fly patterns, streamers,…
Today, I got the first ever TenkaraUSA print catalog in the mail. Daniel was kind enough to not only autograph it for me, but also write a nice message. This is a truly special item and as soon as I opened it, it reminded me of something I’ve been thinking about for quite some…
Here’s a quick video showing how the new Kevlar furled lines from Tenkara USA don’t tangle after being snagged like the traditional monofilament furled lines did.
I thought it would be fun to try an informal Google + Hangout to talk tenkara. I’d like to do a preliminary one just to see how it goes, and then maybe make it a regularly scheduled event where tenkara anglers across the US (or globe) can get together and have regular live video…
That’s not a typo. We talk a lot about “Hi-vis” line in tenkara but this one really is a “Bi-vis” line because it’s actually two colors. The first two thirds are clear fluorocarbon while the last third is hi-vis fluorocarbon. It all started during a conversation with Karel from Tenkara on the Fly. …
[/caption] Why is it that some people instantly embrace tenkara while others reject it outright? I have been wondering this for a long time now. I’ve read dozens of social media posts where people have written downright malicious comments about tenkara and tenkara anglers. The funny thing is, by their own admission, most of…
Since I can’t go fishing right now, tying flies is the next best thing. In the past few months, I’ve been playing around with some unorthodox body materials for tenkara flies but recently felt the urge to tie some with the more traditional thread bodies. I saw that Tenkara Bum was selling Pearsall’s silk…
[/caption] Ever wonder what to do with your line when you’re moving from spot to spot? If you need to go through brush, the best thing to do is collapse the rod and either remove the line and wind it around a tenkara spool or around your EZ Keepers. But sometimes, you don’t need…
One of the things I love about my Tenkara USA Ito is the zoom feature which gives you the ability to instantly lengthen the rod when you need a little extra reach. But I’ve always dreamed of and adjustable line. Wouldn’t it be nice to instantly change your line from a 10 ft. to a…
Chris Stewart of Tenkara Bum recently asked me to write an article about tenkara fishing in alpine lakes for his site. It’s not a comprehensive guide but hopefully, it will get some people thinking about trying tenkara beyond small streams. Click here to read Tenkara Fishing in Alpine Lakes. Some of you might know…
After reading Mike’s post about a tenkara rod rack over at Troutrageous!, I just had to drag myself over to Walmart to buy one (actually two). Using my iPhone level app and a cordless drill, I had both racks installed in a corner of my man cave in about 10 minutes. Of course, these aren’t…
Traditional tenkara flies don’t have weight like our western flies that use lead wire, copper wire, or bead heads to help them sink. Instead, tenkara anglers make use of the hydrodynamics of the stream to help sink their flies. Here is a quick video of Daniel Galhardo from TenkaraUSA demonstrating how you can use the…
OK, it’s not technically a tenkara fly, but so many tenkara anglers seem to have so much faith in this pattern that I couldn’t ignore it. So, I ended up buying some killer bug yarn from Tenkara Bum (as well as some other stuff like some Pearsall’s silk thread for sakasa kebari) and give the…