Even 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…
DetailsWhen I first started tenkara back in 2009, almost all interaction with fellow tenkara anglers was online–a handful of blogs, a few Facebook groups, and half a handful of Twitter posts. But there weren’t really any venues to physically connect early adopters from the web in person. That all changed with the first Tenkara Summit…
DetailsToday, 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…
DetailsWhen we think of tenkara lines, we tend to think either of tapered, braided monofilament lines or level fluorocarbon lines. Undoubtedly, those are the two most popular kinds used today; however, there is another type of line you may not be familiar with that’s a little more (shall we say) “esoteric”. There’s a small number…
DetailsWe’re less than two months away from what might be the largest tenkara gathering in the West to date. The Tenkara Jam in Cherokee, North Carolina will feature some of the most influential anglers and early adopters of tenkara in the West including: Daniel Galhardo of Tenkara USA who initially imported tenkara to the U.S.…
DetailsIf you’re looking for a good book to curl up with this fall, I highly recommend “The History of Fly-Fishing In Fifty Flies” by Ian Whitelaw with Illustrations by Julie Spyropoulos. Not only does this masterpiece trace the development of fly fishing in the West through innovations in fly design and materials but also spins…
DetailsLately, 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…
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