Tenkara TalkTenkara Talk
Tenkara Talk
a tenkara fly fishing blog
Search TenkaraTalk
  • Home
  • Tenkara Gear
    • Tenkara Rods
    • Tenkara Lines
    • Flies
    • Line Holders & Spools
    • Fly Boxes
    • Nets
    • Packs, Organization & Storage
    • Clothing & Accessories
    • Wading Gear
  • How-To & Resources
    • What is Tenkara?
    • Tenkara 101
    • Presentation Techniques
    • Streamcraft
    • Tenkara Videos
    • Fly Tying
    • Knots
    • DIY & Hacks
    • Warmwater Tenkara
    • Books & Media
  • News & Fun
    • Trip Reports
    • Interviews
    • Philosophy
    • Humor
    • Art
    • Tenkara News
    • Events
  • Tenkara Links
  • About Me
  • Contact
FacebookTwitterYouTubePinterestInstagram
  • Home
  • Tenkara Gear
    • Tenkara Rods
    • Tenkara Lines
    • Flies
    • Line Holders & Spools
    • Fly Boxes
    • Nets
    • Packs, Organization & Storage
    • Clothing & Accessories
    • Wading Gear
  • How-To & Resources
    • What is Tenkara?
    • Tenkara 101
    • Presentation Techniques
    • Streamcraft
    • Tenkara Videos
    • Fly Tying
    • Knots
    • DIY & Hacks
    • Warmwater Tenkara
    • Books & Media
  • News & Fun
    • Trip Reports
    • Interviews
    • Philosophy
    • Humor
    • Art
    • Tenkara News
    • Events
  • Tenkara Links
  • About Me
  • Contact

Category Archives: Tenkara 101

Advantages of tying your own flies

5 Good Reasons to Tie Your Own Flies

Every angler new to fly fishing and tenkara will inevitably ask themselves the question, “should I learn to tie my own flies?” Usually, the impetus behind this is a perceived cost savings over buying flies. And that certainly seems like a valid reason once you peruse the prices in the fly bins of your local…

February 4, 202021 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

How to Attach Tippet to a Tenkara Level Line

How to Tie Tippet to a Tenkara Level Line

There are a lot of excellent graphics and animations available that show the knot used to attach your tippet to your level line, but they typically don’t show you what you actually do with your hands and fingers. The Tenkara Knot was shown to me by Daniel Galhardo of Tenkara USA who learned it from Dr.…

February 17, 201921 CommentsKnots, Tenkara 101By Jason Klass

How to Attach Any Line to a Tenkara Rod

How to Tie ANY Line to a Tenkara Rod

As tenkara anglers, we like to push the boundaries and experiment with different techniques and tackle. One area of our sport that particularly lends itself to R & D is using unconventional materials for lines. While early lines may have been constructed of furled or braided horse tail or silk, commercially available modern lines have…

December 15, 201811 CommentsKnots, Tenkara 101By Jason Klass

Tenkara Casting vs. Western Fly Fishing

Western vs. Tenkara: Presentation Efficiency

Many fly anglers spend more time with their fly in the air than in the water. Tenkara forgoes all the false casting, shooting line, and line management usually required when fishing with a rod and reel, and keeps your fly in the water more–where the fish are!

November 6, 20184 CommentsPresentation Techniques, Tenkara 101By Jason Klass

Tenkara Fishing

How to Avoid Wind Drag in Tenkara Presentations

A common concern in tenkara (and a valid one) is casting in the wind. Of course, there are ways to mitigate this and there’s been much discussion on the topic: adjust your casting stroke, use a heavier line, use the blow line technique, use a titanium tenkara line, etc. But to me, a much bigger…

October 19, 20188 CommentsPresentation Techniques, Tenkara 101By Jason Klass

tenkara

6 Things That Will Frustrate You About Tenkara (And What To Do About It)

Whether it’s a job, hobby, or mandated endeavor, starting anything new can be frustrating. Everything’s different, strange, unfamiliar. And even if you genuinely want to do it in your mind, there can be roadblocks that make you question your now seemingly idealistic intentions. Tenkara is no exception. When I first started tenkara, I faced many…

May 13, 201710 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

Tenkara Rod Flex Numbers

Tenkara Rod Flex

Probably the #1 thing that confuses people new to tenkara is the way rod actions are described. And I can see why. 5:5? 6:4? 7:3? What the heck do these numbers mean? While there are many good charts out there that (I think) describe these actions well, I still see a lot of people who…

February 17, 201513 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

Tenkara Flies

Transitioning to Tenkara Flies

When I first started fishing tenkara, I didn’t give much thought to traditional tenkara flies. The initial allure was really the tenkara rod itself and by default, I assumed that I would just use my standard patterns like the Elk Hair Caddis, Stimulator, Bead Head Hare’s Ear Nymph, and so on. And I did. And…

November 25, 201421 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

Tenkara-Rod-Action

The False Casting Fallacy

Whether out of habit carried over from a fly fishing background, or from some ill-gotten advice, I tend to see a lot more false casting being used by tenkara anglers than I would expect. False casting is necessary in conventional fly fishing because you need to shoot line. So, you use false casts to build…

March 8, 201420 CommentsPresentation Techniques, Tenkara 101By Jason Klass

Tenkara rod grip

Tenkara Rod Grip & Sensitivity

There’s a healthy online debate on fixed-line rods that have a cork grip vs. no grip (essentially, a flared extension of the blank).  I prefer cork grips because they’re just more comfortable to me. Contrary to popular belief, it has nothing to do with weight for me. Rods without grips are just too thin and…

November 13, 201319 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

Tenkara line chart

Tenkara Level Line Conversion Chart

Math is definitely not my strong point but I did a little to try to answer some questions I’ve been getting about the Japanese line rating system for fluorocarbon level lines and what it translates to in diameter. Please note:  lb. test is irrelevant.  Diameter matters more for turnover than test.  And, test per diameter varies from…

March 29, 201315 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

Tenkara vs. Cane Pole Fishing

Tenkara vs. Cane Pole Fishing

Tenkara Rod:  Long telescopic rod with tapers specifically designed to cast a light line without weight Line:  Level fluorocarbon or tapered furled nylon monofilament, thread, fluorocarbon, or horsehair. Terminal Tackle:  None Lure:  Artificial fly Delivery:  Overhand cast, bow & arrow cast, roll cast, side arm cast, steeple cast, etc. (Same casts as in fly fishing)…

January 18, 201329 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

Tenkaara Lilian

To Knot or not to Knot?

A reader recently asked me about the stopper knots on the ends of lilians (those red cords at the end of a tenkara rod where you attach the line). He said that some of the rods he purchased came with a knot and some didn’t. The question was if a knot is really necessary. Since…

January 10, 201329 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

tenkara line

How to Remove Line Twist in Tenkara Level Lines

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 take the same care you…

November 20, 20129 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

Brown trout on a sakasa kebari

Strike Detection Tips for Tenkara

Today, I got an email asking a question I get so often, that I thought it was worthy of a blog post:  “I’m using sakasa kebari and having a hard time telling when a fish takes my fly. How can I tell?”  The question came from an experienced western fly angler that knows how to…

August 28, 201221 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

Brown on a Sakasa Kebari

Increasing Hookup Ratios with Tenkara

It’s pretty simple math:  a heavy wire hook + a soft-tipped rod =  a lower hookup ratio.  Physics is physics after all.  Yet, for the longest time, this obvious formula eluded me (or, rather, deceived me).  When I first started fishing the tenkara method (the “real” tenkara method), I was getting plenty of strikes, but only…

June 13, 201216 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

Tenkara Grip

Western vs. Tenkara Casting: The Grip

In a recent post, I wrote about how the path of the rod tip in tenkara differs from western casting.  In order to achieve the right angle, it’s important to use the right grip.  Western anglers coming to tenkara might be tempted to use the same grip they alway have with their thumb on top…

March 19, 20123 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

western vs. tenkara fly casting

Western vs. Tenkara Casting: Different Strokes

  A lot of people that come to tenkara are already western fly anglers familiar with the 10 O’clock/2 O’clock casting stroke.  While this may be a comfortable casting style, it doesn’t really translate well to tenkara and some wonder why they can’t cast a tenkara rod well with their normal casting style.  There are some fundamental…

March 17, 20126 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

Tenkara Level Lines

Understanding Tenkara Level Lines

There seems to be a fair amount of confusion among tenkara newcomers when it comes to level lines. People talk about level lines in terms of “lb. test” or “breaking strength” and people don’t seem to get the rating system used in tenkara so I thought I’d make a post to clear it up and…

February 17, 201241 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

Jason Klass Tenkara Fishing on the San Juan

Basic Tenkara Casting Motion

Here’s another quick video clip from the Denver Fly Fishing Show of Daniel Galhardo breaking down the basic tenkara casting stroke. Sorry for the bad audio.  It’s hard to get good sound at a trade show without a lapel mic. Plus, the lighting at the show was horrible. While the quality might not be great,…

January 24, 20124 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

Tenkara-Rod-Action

Tenkara Rod Action

[/caption] One of the questions people seem to struggle with most is which tenkara rod to choose.  After all, there are a variety of different lengths and actions.  And since (on paper at least) some of them seem very similar, making the decision can be even more confusing. I happen to own the entire Tenkara…

January 12, 201219 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

Brown Trout - San Juan River

How to Land a Fish with Tenkara

I got a lot of footage of the Tenkara USA demo at this year’s fly fishing show and thought I would break it up into shorter, more digestible videos on specific topics rather than post it in its entirety.   In this video, Daniel shows us how to land a fish with tenkara–with a special focus on using…

January 10, 20129 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

Spectra Tenkara Lines

Kevlar Vs. Mono Furled Tenkara Lines

Here’s a quick video showing how the new Kevlar  furled lines from Tenkara USA don’t tangle after being snagged like the traditional monofilament furled lines did.

December 1, 20114 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

Jason Klass and Daniel Galhardo

Tenkara Casting Tips from Daniel Galhardo of Tenkara USA

Here is a quick video I shot of Tenkara USA founder Daniel Galhardo giving some tenkara casting tips to a group on the Roaring River in Rocky Mountain National Park.  In this segment, Daniel covers some basic casting techniques such as timing, casting stroke, power, and how to cast in the wind.  I have a…

October 24, 20119 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

Winter Tenkara Fishing

Advantages of Tenkara for Winter Fly Fishing

Today was our first snow here in Parker, CO– a foreshadowing the long winter ahead.  For many, winter means the end of trout season.  Many will wait out the next few months tying flies or by turning to other winter sports until spring.  But some will embrace the madness of winter fishing.   [/caption]  …

October 8, 201111 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

A Tenkara Gear Checklist: What you Need and What you Don’t

If you’ve decided to get into tenkara fishing, you’re probably wondering what gear you need to get started.  The answer will be a little different for people who have fly fishing experience and already have some gear they can apply vs. people completely new to the sport who are starting from scratch.  But the good…

September 14, 201117 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

fly tying kit

A Beginner’s Guide to Tying Tenkara Flies

One of the questions I get asked most often is what one needs to start tying tenkara flies. The first thing I tell people is to NOT buy a fly tying kit. Kits are a perfect waste of money with just the right combination of wrong-sized feathers, useless colors of materials, and unnecessary tools. While…

August 13, 201119 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

Tenkara Beginner

Why Every Beginner Fly Fisher Should Start with Tenkara

I headed over to my local fly shop today to pick up some hooks and there happened to be a fly fishing class going on.  While I was scouring the hook wall trying to find some #16s, I was eavesdropping, listening to what the instructor was saying.  And it was painful. The “class” listened in…

July 9, 20119 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

How to Connect a Level Line to your Tenkara Rod

In my last post, I wrote about how to choose a tenkara fly line.  Many people had questions about how to attach a level line to their Tenkara fly rods so I thought it would be helpful to post a quick video on it so here it is.  I hope this helps: If you’re not…

June 23, 20115 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass

How to choose a tenkara line

How to Choose a Tenkara Line

  As Tenkara continues to gain momentum is the U.S., the number of choices in gear seems to have multiplied overnight.  In particular, many new line makers have appeared giving Tenkara anglers a wide range of choices in color, length, and tippet connection. A common question many people new to the sport have is which…

June 19, 201116 CommentsTenkara 101By Jason Klass
12
Next page
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 >>

TenkaraTalk Sponsors
Tenkara USA   Dragontail Tenkara     TAO Tenkara   Tenkara Tanuki Tenkara Fisher
Search by Category
Send Jason an Email
Search TenkaraTalk
Tenkara Talk Archives
Tenkara + Backpacking!
Is there any other sport that goes better with tenkara than hiking and backpacking? Be sure to also check out my ultralight and DIY backpacking gear blog.

Tenkara and Backpacking
Latest Posts
  • Tenkara Book
    Tenkara Today Book Review
    November 7, 2020
  • Tenkara Tanuki Retractor
    Tenkara Tanuki Retractor
    October 28, 2020
  • Hoo Rag
    The Hoo Rag
    September 23, 2020
© 2019 | TenkaraTalk by Jason Klass | All rights reserved