Tenkara Links & Resources
Top 3 Tenkara Links
There are a lot of links in the list below and if you’re new to tenkara, it can be overwhelming. I recommend you start with these three sites to get a solid foundation on tenkara basics before exploring the others.
Tenkara USA
If I could recommend only one tenkara site to visit, this would be it. My long time friend and tenkara mentor Daniel Galhardo singlehandedly introduced tenkara to the west. He is responsible for getting more westerners into tenkara than anyone else and since their founding in 2009, Tenkara USA has not only developed a full range of widely popular and beloved gear, but also a huge archive of articles, videos, podcasts and more. The wealth of knowledge in their tenkara forums alone is astounding. And they were the first to organize tenkara conferences, brining together tenkara anglers from around the country and the globe. This is hands down the #1 tenkara site today.
Tenkara Angler
Originally a magazine, then a blog,Tenkara Angler has grown to be hands down the #1 English-language tenkara resource today. With a team of veteran tenkara anglers behind the scenes, they consistently produce high-quality content in the form of articles, reviews, videos, and, yes, they even still have the print and online versions of their quarterly magazine–the first (and still only) of its kind! Tenkara Angler keeps its finger on the pulse of the industry and is always the first place to hear about new tenkara rods and other products coming out. If you want to keep up to date on all things tenkara, you need to bookmark their site and sign up for their email updates.
Discover Tenkara
From the UK, Paul Gaskell and John Pearson have created undoubtedly the most in-depth content on traditional tenkara and modern techniques with an academic angle. They’ve produced an outstanding series of high-production value DVDs as well as comprehensive tutorials covering every aspect of tenkara, from the technical to the philosophical. If you want to get your PhD in tenkara, here is where you apply.
Tenkara Gear Sellers
All Fishing Buy
A good selection of Daiwa tenkara rods, tenkara lines, and accessories, plus lots of other fixed-line fishing gear.
Anglo & Co
A Japanese company specializing in ultra-premium tenkara and custom fly rods..
Creekside Kebari
Possibly the best-tied tenkara flies available online. Based in my hometown of Buffalo, NY, they sell via Etsy.
Dragon Flyfishing
Expertly tied conventional and tenkara flies by my friend Joseph Egry.
Dragontail Tenkara
Great selection of price ranges on tenkara rods, lines, packs, accessories and fly tying materials from hardcore tenkara anglers.
Esoteric Tackle
From my Friend Daniel Hall on the Isle of Man, the name says it all-very unique tenkara gear painstakingly designed to fit the unique needs of technical tenkara anglers.
ESZ
A new company (as of 2020) that I met at the Denver Flyfishing Show. They’re rods are aimed at the beginning tenkara angler and offer several models form entry level to expert.
Fly Fishing Artwork (bamboo rod cases)
My friend Richard Kolodny makes the most breathtaking handcrafted bamboo tenkara rod cases on the planet. Each one is 100% unique and of museum and heirloom quality.
If you enjoyed my articles about the virtues of tying tenkara flies with yarn but don’t want to be forced into buying a multi-lifetime supply, this is your site. FlyTyingYarns.com offers small batches of almost every color of Shetland Spindrift yarn at a reasonable price so you can expand your tying library without a huge upfront investment. Note: this yarn is great for non-tenkara flies too!
Fountainhead
Extremely affordable entry level rods form a company that’s got a proven track record. Lot’s of people have come into tenkara with a Fountainhead rod.
Lady Tenkara Bum
Amanda Hoffner’s Etsy store where she sells high-quality tenkara flies.
Moonlit Fly Fishing
Really innovative tenkara lines from a maker with extensive experience in the ancient art of furling.
PLAT Fishing Tackle
Wide selection of Shimano, Nissin, Daiwa, Gamakatsu, and other Japanese rods and tenkara gear.
Red Brook Tenkara
RBT offers good quality tenkara at reasonable prices. They have a solid lineup of zoom and non-zoom tenkara rods, starter kits, lines, tenkara flies, and accessories.
RIGS Fly Shop
Based in Colorado, they’re a Tenkara USA dealer and also offer a full range of conventional fly fishing gear such as clothing, waders, and more.
River Peak
A Japanese fly fishing company that also offers low to medium priced tenkara rods including the popular Kiwami and Pop Star rods.
Riverworks Rod Company
Specializes in carbon-fiber tenkara rod grips that greatly enhance sensitivity for better strike detection. They have their own line of rods but will also do a conversion on any Tenkara no Oni rod and replace your cork or foam grip with a sexy new custom carbon one.
Sap & Bark
Unique tenkara accessories like fly boxes, line spools, flies, and rod plugs with a focus on bikepacking. If you like to combine biking and fishing, this is a great site to check out.
Streamside Leaders
THE place to go for furled tenkara lines. There is no place with a larger selection of lengths, materials, and colors. You design your own line and they make it. If you can imagine it, they can build it.
Team Oni USA
An offshoot of Tenkara Guides, LLC, this is the exclusive dealer in the U.S. for (my favorite) Oni Tenkara Rods.
Tenkara Adventure Outfitters
This is the company that took over the popular line of Badger tenkara rods when they decided to close shop. Excellent people who are really passionate about tenkara.
Tenkara Bum
One of the oldest and most respected tenkara purveyors in the U.S. run by one of the most respected tenkara anglers in the U.S.: Chris Stewart. This site has everything. A huge selection of Japanese tenkara and fixed-line rods, tons of fly tying materials, tenkara accessories, and a wealth of articles, tips, and resources on tenkara. You could spend all day on this site and you will keep coming back to it again and again. A must-visit for anyone interested in tenkara–no matter what your skill level.
Tenkara Fly Shop
Diverse selection of quality tenkara flies from a real fly-tyer’s fly tyer! They also offer some tying materials and handmade wooden fly boxes.
Tenkara on eBay
Why not? Some of my best tenkara gear finds have come from eBay! But, the selection is ever-changing so you have to check back frequently to catch them.
Tenkara Path
One-of-a-kind handmade wooden tenkara line spools and fly tying spools. Gorgeous workmanship, heirloom quality and innovative designs.
Tenkara Prim
Russian site with a basic seleciton of mid-range rods and basic tenkara accessories.
Tenkara Pyrenees
One of the preeminent tenkara companies in the EU with a slant towards “Euro-nymphing”. They design their own rods and sell a range of tenkara flies and Euro Nymphs.
Tenkara Rod Co.
With a full range of great all around tenkara rods and accessories, they also offer complete kits for one-stop shopping if you’re starting from scratch or want to give the gift of tenkara to someone else.
Tenkara Tanuki
If Oni rods are my favorite, Tanuki rods are my second favorite. These are premium rods meticulously designed in California by my friend and experienced designer Luong Tam. These are among the lightest, highest quality, and most responsive rods available today.
Tenkara Times
Long time friend and expert tenkara angler Oleg Stryapunin offers amazingly light rods in a variety of actions and unique accessories such as titanium lines. Built on Japanese blanks, Oleg’s rods are considered among the best from entry to expert level. They also offer proves tenkara flies and a wide selection of general purpose and specialty lines.
Tenkara USA
If I could recommend only one tenkara site to visit, this would be it. My long time friend and tenkara mentor Daniel Galhardo singlehandedly introduced tenkara to the west. He is responsible for getting more westerners into tenkara than anyone else and since their founding in 2009, Tenkara USA has not only developed a full range of widely popular and beloved gear, but also a huge archive of articles, videos, podcasts and more. The wealth of knowledge in their tenkara forums alone is astounding. And they were the first to organize tenkara conferences, brining together tenkara anglers from around the country and the globe. This is hands down the #1 tenkara site today.
Tenkara-Ya
If you read this blog, you’ve already seen a lot of gear from Tenkara-Ya. It’s a Japanese site, but in English and western friendly with fast shipping and excellent customer service. Keiichi Okushi offers a full lineup of Japanese rods, modern and traditional flies tied by famous Japanese tenkara anglers, unique wooden fly boxes, Japanese tenkara lines, and more. Like eBay, you have to check back from time because he occasionally lists limited supplies of some really interesting gear you won’t find anywhere else. And if you’re looking for Japanese gear that you can’t find, he accepts custom orders.
TrailLite Designs
My old backpacking buddy Thom Darrah designs really innovative tenkara carry systems such ad the famous “Ebira” rod quiver (which I actually named and help test) and the ultralight tenkara net. This site should be on the radar of anyone who loves to combine ultralight backpacking and fly fishing.
Wastach Tenkara Rods
Formed by two veteran fly anglers, Wasatch offers high quality tenkara rods, lines and accessories. They also run full and half-day guided trips in Utah as well as online tenkara lessons for those just getting started.
Yonah Packs
Ultralight, minimalist tenkara-specific chest and hip packs with impeccable construction and clever features. My pack of choice for most of my day-long outings is their Tenkara Simple Pack.
ZimmerBuilt
No matter how you want or need to carry your tenkara gear, you’ll find the solution here. Chris Zimmer offers a complete range of backpacks, slings, chest packs, and strap packs tailored to the tenkara angler to fit literally any situation–from UL quickies, to multi-day excursions, to guide trips. They’re ultralight, but made of bombproof materials with clever features you’ll appreciate on the water. I own several of their packs
Zen Outfitters
Good selection of presentation-specific furled lines including some more traditional silk lines made in Boise, Idaho.
Zen Tenkara
Another good friend and probably the most avid tenkara angler I know, Karin Miller has taken it upon herself to “define American tenkara”. In addition to more standard small-stream rods, she specializes in big-game rods and has successfully pushed the envelope of what fixed-line rods are capable of–shattering all preconceived limitations. If you want to try going after big salmon or saltwater fish, you’ll want a Zen rod in your hands, and you’ll definitely want to get in touch with Karin and tap her brain.
Where to buy Tenkara Flies
And of course …
The Tenkara Talk Shop
This is my Etsy store where I sell a small range of my top tenkara flies and also accept custom orders. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, let me know and I can tie it for you. These are the flies I actually fish with myself and have come to be my go-to patterns over the years.
Tenkara Groups, Forums & Resources
10 Colors Tenkara
A very active forum with a lot of highly knowledgable tenkara anglers covering a wide variety of topics. This is a great place if you like to discuss tenkara gear and techniques in-depth, learn more about fishing in Japan, or are looking to buy some pre-owned rods and other gear.
Angling Knots
Great selection of knot diagrams for general fishing and tenkara-specific.
Animated Knots
The best knot resource online for any application. Clear, easy-to-follow color-coded animations make learning to tie even the most complicated knots simple.
Tenkara Knots
Generic knot site but with a few simple tenkara diagrams.
Colorado Tenkara Anglers
A Facebook group I created in 2010 to help tenkara anglers in Colorado share intel on stream conditions, access points, local gatherings and just generally keep a finger on the pulse of tenkara in CO.
Discover Tenkara
From the UK, Paul Gaskell and John Pearson have created undoubtedly the most in-depth content on traditional tenkara and modern techniques with an academic angle. They’ve produced an outstanding series of high-production value DVDs as well as comprehensive tutorials covering every aspect of tenkara, from the technical to the philosophical. If you want to get your PhD in tenkara, here is where you apply.
Fixed Line Freaks
A small, but strong Facebook group with lots of expert-level members and names you’ll recognize. They have consistently high-quality content and although the name is “fixed-line” allowing for other methods, the overwhelming amount of content is tenkara.
FOAL Tenkara Forum
This is a sub-forum of the more general fly fishing forum Fly Anglers Online. It’s quite active, but being attached to the fly fishing community at large makes it prone to bouts of immaturity, politics, and some misinformation. Luckily, there are enough experienced tenkara anglers there to mostly keep it in check.
My Best Streams
One of my all-time favorite tenkara sites! One of the only English-language Japanese sites where you can find detailed information on the history of traditional tenkara flies curated by the renowned Yoshikazu Fujioka. A fun read if you just want to casually explore a little of tenkara’s history and an encyclopedia if you want to try tying some traditional patterns.
Tenkara Austria
Good all around German-language site with lots of information on tenkara gear, techniques and flies.
Tenkara Fly Fishing
No longer updated but another good German-language tenkara resource.
Tenkara Overview
Wikipedia article on tenkara. Superficial but a resource to link to if a reference is needed.
Tenkara Style
No longer updated, but good backlog of Russian-language posts
Tenkara USA
As mentioned above, lots of videos, podcasts, articles, forums, and blog posts.
UK Tenkara Forum
Defunct, but some a catalogue of old posts about tenkara fishing in the UK.
Tenkara Blogs
Over the years, many tenkara blogs have come and gone (mostly gone) but even the ones that are no longer active can still provide a back catalogue of good content. Some of these are completely tenkara-specific, while others are broader fly fishing blogs, but with a heavy tenkara focus.
Tenkara Youtube Channels
The next best thing to learning tenkara techniques in person is by video and today, there are literally thousands of tenkara videos on Youtube. So grab your popcorn and dig in!
Luong Tam (Tenkara Tanuki)
Masami Sakakibara (AKA Tenkara no Oni)
Tenkara Facebook Groups & Pages
Facebook still remains the most active social media platform for tenkara anglers to share techniques, get recommendations for gear, places to go, DIY tips, and have philosophical discussions about tenkara. Many of the groups organize local events and joining a few of them is a great way to stay current with the state of tenkara.
Rocky Mountain Tenkara Anglers
Tenkara Anglers of Northern California & Nevada
Tenkara Guide Services
The number of professional guides offering tenkara trips had exploded. Anyone who has taken a guided trip will tell you that it’s one of the best ways to get into tenkara and reduce your learning curve. I personally know many of these guides and shops and they are all excellent anglers and instructors.
United States
Colorado
Northern Colorado School of Fly Fishing
Montana
Montana Hunting Fishing Adventures
North Carolina
South Dakota
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Wisconsin
Norway
Japanese Tenkara Sites
When you’re ready to dig a little deeper into the roots of tenkara in its homeland, exploring some of the Japanese sites is a fun and interesting endeavor. Most of them are in Japanese but can be translated via Google translate. The translations are “quirky” but enough to give you a sense of the meaning.
Masami Sakakibara’s Tenkara World
Tenkara Print Publications
When I first started tenkara, there wasn’t a lot in print in English. There still isn’t a lot compared to western fly fishing, but it’s growing and there will be more to come (wink).
Tenkara: Radically Simple, Ultralight Flyfishing
Tenkara Flyfishing: Insights & Strategies
Who’s Missing?
Is there a good tenkara-related site you think should be listed above? While I try to keep this page up to date, there are new tenkara sites coming online all the time. So if I’ve missed one, please feel free to post it in the comments section below and I’ll add it.
hi!
please add:
facebook group
tenakara anglers of northern california and nevada
https://www.facebook.com/groups/647422541992941/?ref=bookmarks
and
resourse
reverse hackle tenkara
reversehackle.com
https://www.facebook.com/reversehackle/?ref=settings
thanks!!!!
-mike
Warm water tenkara is a great Facebook page.
Tenkara and Western Fly Fishing – Midwest
https://www.facebook.com/groups/allthingsfly/
Hey Jason,
A relatively new addition is the Facebook group “Tenkara Fishers of Utah”. If you’d like to add it as well feel free. I appreciate the effort you put forth on this blog. I think we all missed you there for a bit. Hope all is well!
Alex
Thanks Alex! I’ve added the group. And thanks for the kind words too. It’s good to be back.
I am a Japanese tenkara angler.Please link to my blog
https://tenkaratrain.blogspot.com/
Thank you Mitsunari-san. I’ve added it.
Hey Jason, Great compilation of resources!
For the FB pages, there also is
Tenkara Oregon
https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=tenkara%20oregon&epa=SEARCH_BOX
I don’t see any annual events on there like the Summit, the Bug Out, Bootcamp… etc. Is that something you plan on adding?
Hi Jim, thanks. I’ve added a link for Tenkara Oregon.
I would like to have a section for tenkara events; however, the URLs of the pages change all the time depending on the year and I don’t really want to have to keep updating them.
I really appreciate this list! Any Twitter for the younger crowd Jason? @TenkaraUSA
Do you have this one and I just don’t see it? The Tenkara Times: https://www.facebook.com/TheTenkaraTimes/
Badger Tenkara is no longer in business.
Hi Roger, thanks for the reminder. I’ve updated it.
Streamside leaders is out of business.