With a nod to tradition and a passion for Tenkara Americana, the Tenkara Talk Blog features hundreds of gear reviews, fly tying tutorials, DIY hacks, and presentation techniques.
When I fished with Dr. Ishigaki at Last year’s Tenkara Summit, the first thing that struck me about his style was his laserlike concentration. As soon as he locked his sights on his target, you could practically feel being shut out of his world. His focus was so intense, I
Flat tinsel is a great material for adding flash and segmentation to a fly. Years ago, tiers basically had only two choices in colors: silver and gold. This is why so many classic patterns call for those colors. It was really more about availability rather than a conscious design choice.
Most tenkara flies are simple. But they don’t have to be. In fact, some can resemble miniature Atlantic salmon flies. Here is an example of a fancier tenkara fly to show some possibilities. I normally tie simple flies for fishing, but let’s face it…if you’re a fly tier at heart,
An ongoing dilemma I’ve faced has been line visibility. If you’re using a furled tenkara line, then visibility is usually not an issue. But if you use level fluorocarbon lines, you know that even the brightest line can sometimes be hard to see in different light conditions. I basically use
The Seiryu is actually the second rod I’ve field tested from Tenkara Centre UK. I recently viewed their new Masu rod and while it’s a great rod with a specific niche action and a lot of nice finishing touches, I think of the Seiryu more as an all purpose workhorse.
Not too long ago, I reviewed the Tenkara Times 1st Step rod. Overall, I really liked the rod even though it was a littler stiffer action than I generally prefer. But recently, I was able to test another rod in their lineup: the Next rod. With a 5:5 action, this
Last Wednesday, I had the privilege of giving a tenkara presentation to the Fly Fisher’s Club of Colorado at their monthly dinner. The event was held in the prestigious University club of Denver and if you’re wondering why I wasn’t wearing my signature baseball cap and Jeans, it’s because the
Most of my flies are pretty bland. I typically don’t incorporate a lot of synthetics or flash into my patterns. But after taking a closer look at some of Masami Tanaka’s flies, I’ve come up with a pattern that is a little flashier than my usual ties: the Japanese Lantern.
The RIBZ front pack is a very versatile pack for backpacking, hiking, skiing, and pretty much any outdoor pursuit. I think it also makes a great pack for tenkara when you don’t need a full vest, but need to carry a little more than will fit in a chest pack.
The Masu is a brand new 11 ft. rod from Tenkara Centre UK (so new in fact, that at the time of this post, it isn’t even on their website yet). This is a great little rod with some nice bells and whistles not found on most other Tenkara rods.
Some rod manufacturers may cringe at me suggesting this tip to remove line twist when you’re winding your line on to the spool for fear of broken rod tips. But I have been using this technique for over two years and have never broken a rod. You just have to
It was a gloomy day on Bear Creek today. Surrounded by dark waters, cold grey rocks, scraggly leave-less trees, dead grasses, and overcast skies, I felt like I was fishing in a Tim Burton movie. Luckily, the fishing was better than the weather… It’s been an eternity since I’ve
Jason Klass is a former fly fishing guide & casting instructor based in Colorado. He was an early adopter of tenkara in the West and has been fishing the method for a variety of species since 2009. Read more
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