Tenkara Blog

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.

Garrison Keillor Fly Fishing
Jason Klass

The Lake Wobegon Special

People often share which kinds of music they listen to while they’re tying flies. Music and tying just seem to go hand-in-hand for many. For me though, it was always listening to A Prairie Home Companion on NPR. This is back when it was still hosted by Garrison Keillor who

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Wasatch Tenkara Rods FB
Jason Klass

Interview with Ruben Garza of Wasatch Tenkara

In my interview with Ruben Garza, the owner and founder of Wasatch Tenkara Rods, we discuss rod design theory, new products, tenkara flies, ice fishing (gasp), and more. I hope you find it as interesting as I did to get a little inside the mind behind one of tenkara’s most

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FB Futsu Kebari
Jason Klass

Weighted Futsu Kebari

Yes, I know. The party line is that traditional tenkara flies are unweighted. Purists say that you’re supposed to use plunge pools or longer drifts to sink your flies. But this isn’t always possible (especially on my home waters). Most of my local streams are high-gradient with short, fast-running pockets.

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FB Harrop Dun
Jason Klass

Caribou Harrop Dun

This is a boring fly. But there’s a reason for that. It’s my variation on one of my favorite all-time flies: René Harrop’s Hair Wing Dun. The Hair Wing Dun has proven itself on waters all over the world. It’s easy to tie, floats well, is durable, and versatile. Here’s

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Fly Tying Robot
Jason Klass

Why Robots Can’t Tie Flies

I often see advertising for “hand-tied flies”. This makes me laugh because ALL FLIES ARE HAND TIED! As a marketer by trade and a fly tyer by passion, I find this deceptive and insulting. Who do they think they’re fooling with this messaging? In reality, the majority of commercially available

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Tenkara Rod Plug
Jason Klass

Hi-vis Tenkara Rod Plug Holders

There’s a long running joke in tenkara about losing your rod plug or end cap. Most rod plugs are either black or wood colored making them the perfect chameleon when dropped on the forest floor or river bank. And it’s not always easy to find a replacement. But Minimalist Gear

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Scratch the Hatch
Jason Klass

Changing Flies vs. Changing Tactics

I recently read an article by one of my favorite fly fishing authors, Dave Hughes, in which he wrote something that gave me pause for thought … Had I read this quote in my pre-tenkara days, I would have agreed 100%. “Match the hatch” was my mantra and I thought

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Altoids Fly Box
Jason Klass

3D Printed Altoids Fly Box

I recently posted about how to make a DIY fly box from Altoids tins. Those used slotted foam but the other day, I stumbled upon a really clever idea for turning an Altoids tin into a fly box. It’s basically a 3D printed insert that gives you compartments! All you

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Tenkara Tanuki Pocket Ninja
Jason Klass

Top 10 Reasons to Try Tenkara

So you’ve heard about this “tenkara” thing, but haven’t tried it yet. Maybe you’ve heard dismissive or even disparaging remarks about it in social media or at your local fly shop. So, is it legit? Why bother trying it when your conventional fly rod works just fine? Well, here are

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How to choose a tenkara rods
Jason Klass

How to Choose your First Tenkara Rod

As a new tenkara angler, it can be frustrating to figure out which model to get for your first rod. For one thing, tenkara rods aren’t widely available in brick and mortar shops so there’s not a lot of opportunity to “try before you buy”–meaning you’re probably going to have

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Jason Klass

How to make a DIY Fly Box

A while back, I wrote an article about how to make your own fly drying patch out of simple materials. It’s easy and a fun project for winter. But I failed to mention that you can use the same technique for making your own fly boxes and they’re even easier.

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Shetland Spindrift yarn for fly tying
Jason Klass

Sources for Fly Tying Yarn

Here’s a great resource for shorter lengths of Shetland Spindrift yarn–one of my favorite materials for tying simple and durable tenkara flies.

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About Me

Jason KlassJason 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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Tenkara Talk
Jason Klass, Author
(303) 803-2740

jason@tenkaratalk.com

Based in Denver, Colorado U.S.A. (MST)

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