In the world of fishing, there is perhaps nothing more totemistic and sacrosanct as the fishing hat. Forget all your other gear. We all know that your lucky hat is truly the one thing responsible for having a successful day on the river. It’s your best friend. It’s familiar. You’ve broken it in just right.…
DetailsSeveral years ago, when Daniel Galhardo from Tenkara USA told me he was in the process of writing a book on tenkara, I was excited. At that time, there really wasn’t anything in print in English on tenkara and there was very limited information online (compared to today). Since then, a few English-language books and magazines…
DetailsWhether 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…
DetailsI just got back from my annual pilgrimage to the Denver Flyfishing Show. I think I haven’t missed one since I moved to Colorado over 15 years ago, and this year didn’t disappoint. Most of the usual suspects were there, but there were a few new faces that you’ll recognize from the tenkara community. Tenkara USA…
DetailsIn 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…
DetailsMy friend Graham of Tenkara Grasshopper recently wrote a post on Facebook asking for feedback on which topics people might like to see him blog about. Someone suggested an interesting idea: non-fishing gear for fishing. I try to keep this blog pretty tightly focused on fishing gear (and even moreso on tenkara) but after thinking…
DetailsAlthough 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…
DetailsWhen you’ve been married to a sport for over 25 years, you develop a love/hate relationship with certain things. There are plenty of things I love about fly fishing, but there’s one thing I’ve always hated: waders. For the last few years, I’ve been using Orvis Silver Sonic breathable waders. Don’t get me wrong–they’re great.…
DetailsToday, 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…
DetailsA few years ago, I remember seeing a curious piece of gear worn by iconic some Japanese tenkara anglers (including Dr. Ishigaki): knee and shin guards. Basically, they were black neoprene “leggings” worn over waders that had padded knees and were secured with Velcro straps. I had never seen anything of the sort in the…
DetailsZoom rods are becoming more and more popular in tenkara these days due to their versatility and their ability to “dial in” the action to one’s liking. They’re versatile because they can adjust from one to two or three different lengths allowing you to reign in the rod tip in tighter quarters, and then “zoom”…
DetailsA “fishing” wallet? Yes, a fishing wallet. And it’s not a metaphor for an arsenal of techniques or secrets I carry on the stream or anything more interesting like that. I’m talking about an actual, mundane, physical wallet. For years, I’ve kept a dedicated wallet in my kit to carry certain fishing-related sundries I don’t…
DetailsI come from a place where tight streams are the norm and fighting against riparian vegetation is just something you accept. But since I’ve moved to Colorado (15 years ago), that hasn’t really been a challenge for me. There are plenty of streams that offer you all the casting space in the world due to…
DetailsEven though in the last few years I’ve almost exclusively fished subsurface flies like sakasa kebari since adopting tenkara for trout, during the course of my overall fly fishing career, I’ve probably used gallons of fly floatant on dry flies; mostly paste such as Loon’s Aquel. And while it’s effective, I’ve never been happy with the application…
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