Fly fishing the Tenkara way

[upsscott]

Curious if anyone uses this method of fly fishing? I have zero fly fishing experience and I think this might be a good way to start. I’ve been going down a YouTube rabbit hole tonight. Just curious if anyone here is experienced in this method. https://youtu.be/gYusbqvl2po

[aigel]

I bough the Iwana rod from that company. I was hiking the John Muir Trail and wanted to have a rod with me. It worked great, especially considering the weight (I think it was less than 150 g total). On that trail, you are in areas that basically have zero fishing pressure, so you can catch trout with just about any method, they are eager and totally uneducated. I caught fish every day I tried, within minutes, usually.

Limitations are bigger lakes or larger streams where you may want to let the fly float down the stream a ways. And just like any other fly setup, you cannot get deep into the lakes when you may want to get further in and deep to get to fish that are too hot at the shoreline.

My only gripe was that the company is called Tenkara USA and then all their stuff is made in China. I find it misleading. That said, the owner has done a great job with educational videos and it was enough for me to give them my business.

To wrap my line easily, I bought an attachment from another company that snaps to the rod base. I would be fishing within 30 seconds after dropping my pack.

[Bill Douglas]

Normal fly fishing is much better. I've been doing it since I was ten so I'm not new to it LOL

Trout are pretty smart creatures so it's all about working a pool in a river. A lot of line out and working it back in. No two parts of the river are the same etc.

Casting is easy enough, it's all about presenting the fly to the trout in a manner that they will take it is the tricky part.

A good way to start is to get a suitable fly fishing rod, reel, and (sinking or floating) line. Then practice in the sea. Sea fish are not as smart as trout so you can learn your skills on the easy stuff and see some results sooner.

I even go fly fishing from my stand up paddle board. It's lots of fun.

[LWJ]

I went out with my son last Sunday. Zero trout caught but I thought about Tenkara while I was fishing. My conclusion is similar to those above. Tenkara is one technique to catch. But it is a limiting technique. It should be pretty good for small streams (which are my absolute favorite). Yet, I haven’t gone out to get a set up. As Bill says, there are better ways.

Example from Sunday. 1. I started out with a dry fly. Didn’t catch anything. 2. Moved to a streamer. Didn’t catch anything. 3. Went to a nymph with indicator. Didn’t catch anything. 4. Ran out of river to fish and went home.

But, if I was Tenkara fishing it would have been different. 1. Dry fly with Tenkara. Didn’t catch anything. 2. Run out of river and go home. So, in a way, it is more efficient!

[LWJ]

I came back to give more opinions.

I have some nice gear and some more mid range stuff. I looked at a very pricey rod the other day. I wanted it. Certainly didn’t need it. Conclusion? I bushwhack and scramble over rocks and dense, difficult terrain when I trout fish. It can beat me up and isn’t kind to my gear. Buying a “status “ rod just doesn’t make sense for me.

More thoughts. I catch 90% of my fish 25 or less feet away on drys or much closer on nymphs.

Me? I prefer a slower rod than is in vogue today. I really prefer fiberglass much of the time for dries. (Except for wind!!!)

As I take delight in being frugal, I have some Cabelas CGR fiberglass rods that set me back $62. They are tiny and pretty wonderful for dries on a small stream. Also, they are disposable should I smash one, which hasn’t happened.

If you get hooked on fly fishing, you will probably end up with more then one rod. Don’t believe the BS about getting a rod to cast 90’. Although, my son throws a very long cast with an 11’ rod with a skaget head on it. It looks cool and is probably very effective for some situations. But, he caught the same as I did on Sunday.

[Dpmulvan]

Been a fly fishing junkie all my life the main reasons people don’t have a high rate of success is a drag free presentation but most important they don’t know the entomology of the stream they’re fishing. If your throwing a pheasant tail nymph during a sulfur hatch your not gonna catch anything, doesn’t matter if your using a Thomas and Thomas or Sage.
Unless your fishing Dry’s out west or parts of the Delaware your not going to be using more than 20ft of line to dunk a nymph or emerger most of the time.

[berettafan]

Fly fan here as well. Used to do a lot more when we lived in Frederick Md. Short ride to multiple creeks including my favorite, Big Hunting creek in Thurmont. that was 20 some years ago but i still have the 7 1/2' 3 weight St Croix I used. I remember the real work of trout was getting drag free. Lots of mending, flipping, etc. Probably a bit neanderthal but i enjoyed nymphing with indicators. Very exciting to watch that little ball of foam float over a big hole anticipating a sudden stop.

Moved back to the beach and got into saltwater with 9 weights. Took a long break to do spin/baitcast fishing but now getting back to it. It is a very, very pleasant way to spend time. And a nice casting rod feels soooo good.

[Aurel]

I got myself a tenkara rod for Christmas, but haven’t tried it yet. I like the simplicity of the concept, and the fact it take very little space in a backpack. Seems perfect for little streams.

[Sooner or later]

Never tried that method.

I fly fish out of a belly boat in the small lakes within the local Wildlife Refuge. I have a 4 weight and 7 weight that I use for bass, crappie, and bream.

[upsscott]

I think I'm going to try Tenkara to start. We have many small streams nearby and when I visit my dad's place in Utah there's some epic small stream fishing. I just want to start simple and see where it takes me.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

[masraum]

I was curious, so clicked this thread. I don't fish, and know diddly about fly fishing other than seeing people making lures or fishing in movies. This thread is interesting, and full of what I assume is fly fishing jargon. It's a tiny glimpse into the unknown.

[craigster59]

I have yet to get a Tenkara rod. I have too much stuff as it is and I usually travel light and fish streams and rivers. I also do some Euro nymphing which is similar to fishing Tenkara.

I also agree that most fish are caught within 20-25 feet so those wild "River Runs Through It" long casts don't tend to be real productive. Pinpoint casting to seams, eddies and riffles usually works for me.

[upsscott]

I like the idea of packing light, especially if I go out on the motorcycle. I would exclusively be a catch and release fisherman so the idea of small streams and brooks sound really relaxing and fun. I also don’t want to drop a ton of cash into the fly fishing hobby like many of my friends have done.

[cabmandone]

Looks like a daggum fancy way of cane pole fishin!

Originally Posted by upsscott

I also don’t want to drop a ton of cash into the fly fishing hobby like many of my friends have done.

Buy one of your friends older setups they aren't using.

[upsscott]

Originally Posted by cabmando

Looks like a daggum fancy way of cane pole fishin!



Buy one of your friends older setups they aren't using.

That will lead to me buying more and more and more stuff. See, I tend to have this problem when I go down rabbit holes…..

[LWJ]

^^^ Craigslist and garage sales were a significant source for my gear.

After fly fishing for 30+++ years I bought my first new rod from a store last year.

I am not complaining. I have some good gear. But, my wants and budget didn’t line up for a long while. So I found creative (ethical, mind you) ways to get what I wanted.

My two favorite rods were built on blanks. Much less costly and you have a sense of satisfaction that you made it.

[aigel]

Here it is an action. Can anyone guess the location?

I would not look at tenkara as the only or the best way to fish, but it’s highly mobile and in small streams probably gives you 90% of what the beginner can do with a much more expensive and complicated setup.

If you backpack hundreds of miles, every ounce counts. If you motorbike or drive, a tenkara rod is easy to take along and have ready to go if an opportunity presents itself.

[upsscott]

Originally Posted by aigel

Here it is an action. Can anyone guess the location?

I would not look at tenkara as the only or the best way to fish, but it’s highly mobile and in small streams probably gives you 90% of what the beginner can do with a much more expensive and complicated setup.

If you backpack hundreds of miles, every ounce counts. If you motorbike or drive, a tenkara rod is easy to take along and have ready to go if an opportunity presents itself.

Stunning photo. I need that in my life. Throwing out a guess, someplace in the vicinity of Yosemite? Hetch Hetchy?

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by upsscott

That will lead to me buying more and more and more stuff. See, I tend to have this problem when I go down rabbit holes…..

I don't know what that's like. My brother and I went steelhead trout fishing last December on a river charter. It's not like I went out and bought a new rod and reel setup just for that when we got back! The setup I bought has multiple uses! like hanging on the wall between March and October, and holding 120 yards of 12lb mono just in case I need 120 yards of monofilament line, and with the rod being 8'6" long, I can use it for taking down some of the cobwebs in my garage. Lots of uses.

[upsscott]

Originally Posted by cabmando

I don't know what that's like. My brother and I went steelhead trout fishing last December on a river charter. It's not like I went out and bought a new rod and reel setup just for that when we got back! The setup I bought has multiple uses! like hanging on the wall between March and October, and holding 120 yards of 12lb mono just in case I need 120 yards of monofilament line, and with the rod being 8'6" long, I can use it for taking down some of the cobwebs in my garage. Lots of uses.

Lol!