The following is a guest post. I almost never do them, but when someone as prominent in the tenkara community asks for one as Jason Sparks, my ears perk up and I listen. Here are a few more of his great theories on fly design and presentation … There have been several points of conversation…
If I had to name one tying material that rivaled the versatility and universal fish-catching properties of the venerable peacock herl, it might be Jaimeson’s Shetland Spindrift Yarn. And lately, I’ve been tying the majority of my “working” flies with it. Why? It’s fast and easy to tie with. Just a few wraps of yarn…
Back in 2012, I wrote an article about how I came to know and develop a fondness for a version of Frank Sawyer’s Killer Bug pattern which had become a quick favorite among tenkara anglers: the Utah Killer Bug. The Utah Killer bug was developed by the Tenkara Guides as a modern answer to Frank Sawyer’s…
If you’ve done any research at all into Japanese tenkara patterns, you’ve undoubtedly come across Yoshikazu Fujioka’s excellent site My Best Streams. It’s probably the most comprehensive catalog in English of kebari by region in Japan and as its curator, Fujioka, is a well-known expert on traditional patterns. Back in 2003, I interviewed him about…
This is one of those “I already know someone’s thought of it (before I even say it)” ideas, but I had the thought last night to tie some simple stiff-hackle tenkara flies with Kevlar thread. I don’t normally use Kevlar, but I had some left over from my days tying bass and saltwater flies and…
Yesterday, I posted some pictures of my recent acquisition of some kebari from Yuzo Sebata for my tenkara fly collection, and today, I wanted to share some flies I got from Hisanobu Hirata. Hirata-san might not be a household name to many western tenkara anglers the way Dr. Ishigaki or Tenkara no Oni are, but…
I’ve always felt that flies were the “currency” of our sport. We trade them, gift them, hide them, steal them, covet them. Indeed, they possess something of intrinsic value. They embody part of the very soul of the tyer. And to me, they’re far more valuable than money. I’ve been lucky enough to amass a…
Ever since my passion for tenkara was kindled, I had the idea to somehow document the path of its “new” history as it would inevitably develop in the West. Early on, I started collecting what I saw as soon-to-be artifacts that would one day serve as markers of modern tenkara’s coming of age outside of…
Midge and blue-winged olive hatches often coincide and two fish in adjacent feeding lanes could be keyed in on one or the other. So why not fish a fly that covers both? The Molive (“midge” + “olive”) is a crossover pattern that can be fished during such hatches and can be mistaken for an olive…
Probably the thing I love most about fly tying is that there are limitless possibilities for experimentation and how each experiment builds on the lessons of previous ones. You take a certain technique or style you’ve tried in the past and blend it with another (previously disparate one) to create an entirely new avatar. You…
It’s September and for me, that means one thing: IT’S HOPPER TIME! While most people here in Denver will be spending their Sundays watching the Broncos game, you’ll find me pounding the banks of my favorite hopper stream: The Big Thompson meadow stretch in Rocky Mountain National Park. With its lazily meandering currents, deep pools,…
I’ll preface this by saying that that I’m probably not the first one to have thought of this. Whether it’s a new DIY alcohol stove design or a fly pattern I thought was original, it often turns out that someone else had already beaten me to it. But I came up with this design independent…
In winter, trout switch into a different mode from the warmer months of the year. And, you can’t blame them. After all, food is scarce, and their metabolism significantly slows down. This means two important things for the angler: 1. They will be more lethargic to conserve energy which changes their holding behaviours, patterns, and…
Although I mostly fish sakasa kebari now, every once in a while, I rediscover a pattern from my pre-tenkara days that I think is perfect for tenkara in its ethos. I recently remembered a somewhat esoteric one I used to consider a staple when I was only western fly fishing: the FC Crackleback. Think of the Crackleback…
Today, I’m excited to publish the first ever guest post on Tenkara Talk! For years, I’ve resisted the idea, but reconsidered after being sent this very interesting article by Isaac Tait of Fallfish Tenkara, AKA, “Aki Sakana” or “Fallfish Demon”. Isaac has a unique perspective on tenkara as an American living in Japan who explores…
Today, I got a nice care package in the mail from Robb over at Creekside Kebari & Fly Company. We initially agreed to just do a simple sticker swap for one of my new stickers, but Robb also sent a sample some of the flies he sells on his website and I thought they were…
It’s funny how easy it is to forget good fly patterns. I was recently reminded about a good pattern that I had fished years ago with a rod and reel but had forgotten about since starting tenkara fishing–the Teeny Nymph. This pattern was invented by venerable angler Jim Teeny in 1962 originally for for trout. But…
If you’ve been into fly fishing for any length of time, you might have heard of a pattern called the “Brook’s Stone“. It was invented by Major Charlie Brooks to imitate the big stoneflies on the Yellowstone River. It’s a simple pattern. Unlike most stonefly patterns, it doesn’t even have a wing case. It’s basically…
The other day, I found myself thinking about a forgotten fly introduced to me by its creator, Gordon Wickstrom. I can’t remember how we first met, but I do remember our meandering chats in Boulder coffee shops talking fly fishing history, fly design, language, and how Garrison Keillor is a great storyteller but should never, ever, be…
I just got a care package from Japan from Masami Sakakibara (a.k.a. “Tenkara no Oni”) which included some of his flies. His patterns are simple, but very versatile and buggy looking. I’m not sure of all of the materials, but thought I’d share some pictures of the flies one of the greatest tenkara anglers in…
The Takayama sakasa kebari is a classic tenkara fly that is tied in many color variations. But basically, it’s characterized by having a thread abdomen, a peacock thorax, and forward facing hackle. My first encounter with this fly was the red version so that’s what I chose to base my interpretation on. Here’s my recipe…
After reading about Chris Stewart’s blue fly challenge and receiving some of his blue yarn by happenstance, I thought it would be fun to experiment a bit with blue. So, I came up with this pattern. I haven’t tried it yet but I’m sure it will catch fish. And even if it doesn’t, I like it…
Many of the streams tenkara anglers fish in Japan are fast flowing mountain streams. In those streams, fish have very little time to “inspect” food. If they hesitate, it’s gone–lost to the swift current or a competitor. A good fly for these conditions is a larger, easy-to-spot fly like the Oki Sakasa Kebari. For fast…
Silk bead cord–it’s not just for eyeless flies anymore! Silk bead cord is a popular material to form the loops on eyeless tenkara flies. But did you know it can also be used as a body material? Many classic soft hackle patterns use silk floss for the body. It sure does create some elegant looking…
A while back, I posted some tenkara flies I got from Tenkara Times. I recently got another sample pack from them and thought I would share. I really like the look of the Sakakibara kebari and might start tying some up. Amano Kebari … Fuji Kebari … Olive Soft Hackle … To learn more about…
I came home from this year’s Fly Fishing Show with a few flies from Paul Vertrees and thought they were good ties so wanted to share a few pictures. For those of you who don’t know Paul, he is the tenkara guide for Rigs Fly Shop in Ridgeway (the first to offer guided tenkara trips…
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, a few turns of hackle…
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. Rather than plain thread, Tanaka…
For me, the biggest highlight of the 2012 Tenkara Summit was meeting and being able to fish with all the Japanese anglers that attended. It was great to learn about tenkara from people who practice it in its birthplace. As you might imagine, there was a lot of talk and trading of tenkara flies. It…
I just got a new tenkara rod today from Tenkara Times (review to follow) and it included a free sampling of some of their sakasa kebari. I didn’t think much of it at first until I opened up the packaging and saw the quality of tying. These are good tenkara flies. Here are some closeups…
