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Category Archives: Fly Tying

Vicuna Alpaca Dubbing

Vicuña Dubbing

There’s been a lot of buzz around Vicuña dubbing lately and I was lucky enough to get a box from DRAGONTAILtenkara. I’ve probably got hundreds of packages of dubbing dating back 20+ years, but I can tell you, I really like this stuff. First of all, it’s hand-dyed alpaca wool so it’s scraggly, but still…

September 4, 20209 CommentsFly TyingBy Jason Klass

Surviving COVID Through FLy Tying

COVID Tenkara Fly Tying

Like many of you, this pandemic has been difficult for me. I sold my house right before it started and have been house and dog sitting for some friends who were in Guatemala for a couple of months. The library of fly tying tools and materials I’ve collected over the years (including my beloved roll-top…

July 5, 20208 CommentsFly TyingBy Jason Klass

Sources for Tenkara Fly Tying Materials

I’m often asked where I get my fly tying materials. And my answer is, “from my desk”. Over 30 years of tying, I’ve amassed a collection of materials that would make some fly shops’ inventories seem lacking. So whenever I sit down to tie, I already have all the ingredients necessary. I’ll probably never have…

October 25, 20193 CommentsFly TyingBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Flies by Jason Sparks

Jason Sparks on Tenkara Fly Tying

Being a fly tyer is part of my self-identity. I’ve often said that even if every river and ocean on Earth dried up, I would still tie flies. It’s one of my passions in life and I consider it a high art. As such, I’m always interested in learning about how other tyers practice the…

September 4, 201916 CommentsFly Tying, InterviewsBy Jason Klass

Reusing Fly Tying Hooks

Resurrecting Flies

Years ago, my friend told me a story about how he used to save all of his beat up flies in an old coffee can. Anything that lost its tails, had unravelled thread, or got chewed up beyond recognition went in there. He had a master plan. One day, when the can was finally full,…

July 1, 20197 CommentsFly TyingBy Jason Klass

Shetland Spindrift Yarn Tenkara Flies

Simple Yarn Tenkara Flies

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…

April 6, 201930 CommentsFlies, Fly TyingBy Jason Klass

The Shetland Killer Fly Pattern

The Shetland Killer

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…

April 3, 201916 CommentsFlies, Fly TyingBy Jason Klass

Wooden Fly Tying Bobbin Spool

Tenkara Path Wooden Fly Tying Bobbin Spools

My mad-scientist friend and tenkara partner-in-crime Dennis Vander Houwen has been tucked away in his wood shop again working on some really interesting projects. A couple of them aren’t ready to be announced to the world just quite yet (soon) but today when we met up on the stream, he gave me a few samples…

March 18, 2019Leave a commentFly TyingBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Stiff Hackle Fly

How to Tie a Tenkara Stiff Hackle Fly

Unlike the soft hackle of their more famous cousins, the sakasa kebari, tenkara stiff hackle flies use dry fly hackle to create resistance in the water rather than absorb water and undulate fluidly. The fibers still do move somewhat, but their main purpose is to anchor the fly in the water for certain sasoi presentations…

March 10, 20191 CommentFly TyingBy Jason Klass

Glass Bead Takayama Sakasa Kebari

How to Tie the Glass Bead Takayama Sakasa Kebari

The Takayama Sakasa Kebari is one of the most iconic patterns in tenkara and has always been a good producer for me. My version incorporates two glass beads at the head which add sparkle and just enough weight to get it down when needed without getting snagged on the bottom the way brass or tungsten…

March 4, 20193 CommentsFly TyingBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Flies with Kevlar Thread

Bulletproof Kebari

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…

February 1, 20192 CommentsFlies, Fly TyingBy Jason Klass

Firehole Sticks #413 Hooks

If you follow my fly tying at all, you probably know I’m a big fan of Firehole Sticks hooks from Firehole Outdoors. I wrote a post not too long ago about their #315 and #633 competition hooks and have been using them avidly ever since. As I mentioned, they’re high quality all around: strong, sharp,…

January 4, 201911 CommentsFly TyingBy Jason Klass

Combination Midge and Blu Winged Olive Fly

Jason’s Molive

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…

November 8, 20187 CommentsFlies, Fly TyingBy Jason Klass

Half-palmer Sakasa Kebari

Half-Palmer Sakasa Kebari

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…

October 10, 20187 CommentsFlies, Fly TyingBy Jason Klass

Jason's Hopper

Jason’s Hopper

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,…

September 9, 201818 CommentsFlies, Fly TyingBy Jason Klass

Sakasa Kebari with Glass Beads

Double Glass Bead Sakasa Kebari

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…

September 4, 201811 CommentsFlies, Fly TyingBy Jason Klass

How to Use a Whip Finisher

How to Use a Whip Finisher

Here’s a quick video on how to use one of fly tying’s most iconic tools. It might seem intimidating to a beginner, but it’s actually quite easy to use if you follow these simple steps. On a side note, while they come in various designs, my favorite is this style because they rotate freely and last forever. I use the standard for general fly tying and the extended reach version for tenkara sakasa kebari.

August 30, 20181 CommentFly TyingBy Jason Klass

Firehole Sticks Competition Hooks

Firehole Sticks Competition Hooks

Over the course of my fly tying career, I’ve had the opportunity to try out a lot of hooks, and like many tiers, I’ve settled on a few favorites: the TMC 2457, TMC 2499 SPBL, Umpqua Competition Hooks, TMC 2488, TMC 100 (just to name a few). But I always like to experiment with new…

August 26, 20187 CommentsFly TyingBy Jason Klass

DIY Fly Tying Tools

DIY Fly-Tying Tools Anyone can Make

As fly tiers, we pride ourselves on the reward of catching fish on flies we tied ourselves. But what about catching fish on flies we tied ourselves using tools we made ourselves? I think taking tying to this next level deepens our connections to the humble origins of our craft and strengthens ourself-reliance as anglers.…

July 23, 20188 CommentsDIY & Hacks, Fly TyingBy Jason Klass

FC Crackleback Fly

The Crackleback Fly

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…

November 30, 201619 CommentsFlies, Fly TyingBy Jason Klass

Kado-san's Christmas Kebari

Guest Post: Kado-san’s Christmas Kebari

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…

November 22, 20164 CommentsFlies, Fly TyingBy Jason Klass

tenkara hooks

Moonlit Fly Fishing Competition Hooks

As a fly tyer, I’ve always appreciated a good hook. I’ve tried a lot of them over the years and (as anyone else who ties) definitely have had my favorites. As with pretty much everything else in fly fishing, technology and engineering have made everything better in some way. And hooks are no exception. They’ve…

July 2, 20163 CommentsFly TyingBy Jason Klass

fly tying desk

A Tour of my New Fly Tying Desk

When I first started tying flies, I didn’t have a dedicated space to do it; let alone tools or materials. I literally took snelled hooks, smashed down the baitholder barbs on the shanks with needle-nose pliers, and secured them in the corner of my dad’s tool vise on his workbench in the basement. For materials, I…

May 10, 201618 CommentsFly TyingBy Jason Klass

Fulling Mill Hooks

I have to confess, I’d never heard of Fulling Mill hooks until I saw them on Anthony Naples’ site, Three Rivers Tenkara. There are a million hooks out there today and I’ve tried a lot of them–not just for tenkara, but for many other applications as well. I usually don’t get too excited about hooks…

May 10, 20151 CommentFly TyingBy Jason Klass

Teeny Nymph

Rediscovering the Teeny Nymph

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…

April 11, 20154 CommentsFlies, Fly TyingBy Jason Klass

Tying tenkara flies with zenmai

Tying with Zenmai

I first heard about zenmai a few years ago in a blog post from Tenkara USA. What is zenmai? It’s a fuzzy fiber that grows on sprouting fern plants in the spring and Japanese anglers use it as dubbing material. It might seem strange to use vegetation as a tying material, but it actually makes quite…

February 2, 201510 CommentsFly TyingBy Jason Klass

Orange parrot hackle sakasa kebari

Parrot Hackle Flies

To me, tenkara anglers are an intrinsically “outside the box” breed. We don’t fish with reels, we reject the prevailing notion that more gear catches more fish, and lets’s face it, our flies look…well…strange. Even stranger are the materials we experiment with. I’ve seen tenkara flies tied with everything from snakeskin to fuzz from a…

January 30, 20156 CommentsFly TyingBy Jason Klass

OttLite Task Lamp

OttLite for Fly Tying

A harsh truth all of us who tie flies have to inevitably face is that our eyes aren’t getting any younger. I remember as a teenager tying size 28 midges in my parents’ basement simply by the ambient overhanging fluorescent lighting without any problem. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found myself needing supplemental lighting.…

January 21, 20157 CommentsFly TyingBy Jason Klass

Caribou Captain Dry Fly

The Caribou Captain

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…

January 9, 20159 CommentsFlies, Fly TyingBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Sakasa kebari

Sparse Vs. Heavily-dressed Flies

I got an email today from a reader who had the following comment: “While crawling around the web researching the subject, I ran across some Japanese websites, and noticed the flies they have seem to be more sparsely tied than the American versions. Is there anything to this?” It was an interesting observation–though (I think) not…

December 14, 20149 CommentsFly TyingBy Jason Klass
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About Me

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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