Lately, I’ve been flipping through the pages of some recent fly fishing catalogs and have been shocked by the prices. $800 for a rod? $500 for waders? $750 for a reel? I was disgusted by what companies were charging these days for gear that is slightly better than (or in some cases worse than) their…
DetailsWhen I first heard about the new Suzume tenkara rod from Zen Fly Fishing, my first thought was, “arrgh, here comes another ‘me too’ rod”. I really had no interest in trying another one but I got the opportunity to test one out with the company’s owner Karin Miller on a recent trip to Rocky…
DetailsI rarely post trip reports unless there’s something noteworthy, and today was one of those trips. I finally got to fish with Karin Miller of Zen Fly Fishing Gear. For those of you who don’t know, Zen Fly Fishing Gear is a Colorado-based tenkara company that has been consistently producing quality, innovative gear since they…
DetailsI just got my new batch of Tenkara Talk stickers, and they’re bigger and better than the ones I’ve offered in the past. I realized my old ones were too small and weren’t haloed (meaning they were just rectangles and weren’t cut around the shape of the logo so they didn’t look all that professional).…
DetailsI recently got to test the new 245/206 CM tenkara rod from Esoteric Tackle. And before you ask, yes, I confirmed with the owner that the rod doesn’t have an official name and is only referred to by the specs which is baffling to me, but that’s their prerogative. Despite being nameless, this is a…
DetailsIn my last post, I wrote about some new hooks from Moonlit Fly Fishing. Moonlit isn’t a tenkara-specific company. They mostly sell conventional fly rods, leaders and accessories, but seem to be increasing their offering of gear relevant to the tenkara angler–and they’re doing it well. I recently received two of their lines, the Katana and…
DetailsAs 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…
DetailsTenkara USA is launching a new line. Not a new product “line”, but an actual “line”. It’s tapered nylon which is a departure from from their traditional offering of fluorocarbon level lines and furled tapered lines. They’re made by Fujino (one of the industry’s most trusted brands) and will be available in various lengths under…
DetailsI recently had to send a tenkara care package to a friend and thought it might be a good opportunity to clean up and organize some of my gear while I sifted through what to send–kill two birds with one stone. By the time I emptied the first bag (of several bins, bags, boxes and…
DetailsWhere I come from, nymphing meant two things by default: 1). a heavily weighted fly and 2). a high-floating strike indicator (usually the bulky teardrop type with a toothpick stopper). That was an effective rig on a 5 wt. It’s the perfect balance between sinking the fly and getting a visual indication of the take…
DetailsDaniel Galhardo of Tenkara USA swung by my new house today and gave a great forecast of the future of tenkara. Let’s listen …
DetailsWhen 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…
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