When 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…
I 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).…
I 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…
In 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…
French company Tenkara Pyrenees just announced the release of their new product, the TWIN Adapter. The Adapter allows you to connect two spools of level line, allowing you to cut down on the number of spools cluttering up your fishing bag by 50%. They’re available in different colors, allowing you to devise a color-coding system to…
After seeing the success of such tenkara e-magazines as Tenkara Angler and Tenkara magazine, I felt it was time to fill in yet another niche within a niche in the tenkaraverse with new rag–one that appeals to those of us who have a passion for the most direct link between us and our quarry–the fly. What is…
Tenkara 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…
I 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…
Where 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…
Daniel Galhardo of Tenkara USA swung by my new house today and gave a great forecast of the future of tenkara. Let’s listen …
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…
Six months. That’s how long it’s been since I’ve posted anything on Tenkara Talk. That was poignantly pointed out to me today by one of my long-time readers. Actually, during that time, dozens of you have written to me asking what’s going on. My digital marketing hero, Seth Godin, always says that if you want to…
For the last several years, I’ve been fishing level lines for tenkara almost exclusively. While tapered, furled lines are a pleasure to cast, level lines (due to their almost anti-gravity weight) make it much easier to keep your line off the water and maintain a good dead drift. Usually, I fish fluorocarbon level lines since…
When I first heard that Chris Stewart of Tenkara Bum teamed up with Japanese rod maker Suntech to design a new rod, I was really excited. Chris has been fishing tenkara longer than pretty much any American angler I know and through his vast store inventory over the years, has gained an intimate knowledge of…