Recently, a friend of mine sent his waders in to Simms to be repaired. Two weeks after he mailed them, he got a message saying it would be another 2-3 weeks before they’d be ready. So that’s a total of at least 4-5 weeks that he’ll be without them. De facto, it will probably be…
I get this question all the time: “how to I attach a loop eye to an eyeless hook? Is there a video showing it?” Every single time, I tell myself I’m going to make a simple video about it, but the idea soon falls victim to the same fate as new years resolutions. The topic…
Giveaway Ends Saturday, January 14th, 2023: This giveaway has ended. Countdown This month’s giveaway exclusively for CTA members is one dozen beautiful tenkara flies tied by professional tyer and CTA member Joesph Egry. Joe was a fishing buddy of mine here in Colorado until he moved to Florida for work. But he’s still tying and…
Giveaway Ends Sunday, January 8th, 2023: This contest is over. Congratulations James Knittle! Countdown Now that I’ve convalesced to the point where I can turn my attention back to this blog, I’ve decided to start a monthly giveaway. This first one includes: Two Tenkara Talk all-weather stickers Three of my go-to Glass Bead Takayama Sakasa…
I recently started a new hobby: pipe smoking. And already, I can see many parallels between it and tenkara. That’s for another article, but one thing I’m particularly struck by (or perhaps reminded of) is that just like learning tenkara, fly fishing, climbing, guitar, stamp collecting, or any new endeavor, one has the option to…
Over the last few years, it’s been rare for Tenkara USA to release a new rod. For a decade, they relied on their same tried-but-true rods like the Iwana, Ito, etc. to carry their lineup and built a following around it without really developing new rods or innovating their existing ones. But all that changed…
Using a patch to dry your flies while fishing is a good practice for at least two reasons. The first is that you never want to put a wet fly back into your fly box (that is, unless you want to start a rusty hook collection). The second is that if your fly uses CDC,…
Here’s my new super-compact wading bag and what I carry in it. Over the years, I’ve whittled down my wading system to be much simpler by observing my own habits. In this video, I show you what I carry and why. And toward the end of the video, I give two little tips on…
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…
There’s one in every home. Whether it’s in the kitchen, the garage, or the laundry room, we all have … a junk drawer. It’s a catch all for things we think we might need one day (but never do), yet miraculously becomes a lifeline in those odd situations we never thought we’d face: “Honey, can…
Tenkara gear is so light and compact, it can fit into just about any adventure. My Yonah Tenkara Pack is about as dialed in as I can think I can get in terms of tackle, but sometimes, you need to carry more. Here is a Facebook live video I made showing how I incorporate…
Necessity may be the mother of invention, but sometimes, the best innovations come from the humble junk drawer. Yesterday I was rummaging through (one of) mine and stumbled across two pieces of clutter that inspired me to improve my experience at the bench. They’re extremely simple, but worth a share. You can probably replicate them…
After more than three decades of trying countless carry systems, I think I’ve found my Holy Grail. It’s everything I want: light, compact, ergonomic, and provides quick, easy access to everything I need exactly when and where I need it. All systems are prone to evolution if the right opportunities come along, but this one…
For years, I’ve dreamt about walking into my local fly shop one day and seeing a section specifically dedicated to tenkara gear–they way they do in Japan. Well, it’s been well over a decade now and it still hasn’t happened. Buying a rod (especially if it’s a first rod) is a big decision for most…