I just returned from the 2014 Tenkara Summit in Boulder. This only the second Summit I’ve attended but I was amazed not only by the turnout, but by how strong our community has grown. We may have our squabbles on social media from time to time, but at the Summit, it’s pure camaraderie with people trading stories, swapping flies, and having a good laugh over drinks. These gatherings really make me feel proud to be part of the tenkara culture.
For those who couldn’t make it, I thought I’d share a few pictures. I apologize for some of them being blurry. As with all conferences, the lighting wasn’t very camera friendly.
Things were kicked off with a short speech by Daniel Galhardo of Tenkara USA. who explained the purpose behind the Summit as being to strengthen and unite the community. In a kind of surprising statement, he acknowledged the fact that new tenkara companies are cropping up almost every week and that he actually welcomes the competition because it helps spread the word. I thought that was an integrity move in an industry that’s historically been fairly sensitive.
Next up was a presentation by renowned tenkara angler Dr. Ishigaki and his translator, Eiko. He explained the history of tenkara, and described the gear he uses for different situations followed with a Q & A for the audience.
The next few hours were kind of a free-for-all where you could wander by vendor’s booths or check out casting demos, rigging clinics and fly tying demos at your leisure. I really liked the fact that this part was unstructured so you could just go to whatever interested you the most. Zimmerbuilt showing off their tenkara-specific packs …
Tenkara USA silent auction for wooden line spools, net blanks, and other gear …
Vedavoo’s booth …
By Far, the most impressive vendor this year was Flyfishing Artwork with a mind-blowing display of beautifully crafted bamboo tenkara rod cases. Every time I see one of Richard’s latest designs, I’m schocked by how he continues to find new ways to innovate. These cases are truly works of art and no picture can do them justice. You really have to hold them in your hands to appreciate them.
Dr. Ishigaki’s fly tying demo …
Graham Moran from Tenkara Grasshopper giving a fly tying demo …
Daniel Galhardo giving a casting demo …
Dr. Ishigaki giving an on-stream demo …
Talking tenkara rigging techniques …
Good friends & titans of tenkara – Karel Lansky from Tenkara on the Fly and Mike Agneta from Troutrageous …
Day one was topped off by a Trout Unlimited presentation about the effects of the recent floods and a tenkara-related magic show by Dennis Michael. I’ll post the full video of the magic soon, but here’s a sneak preview of how Dennis combines his passion for tenkara with his expertise in illusion.
On day two, the family and I went out for breakfast at the iconic Dushanbe Teahouse and I did some very casual urban angling on Boulder Creek just yards away. I was surprised to see fish pretty much everywhere. One of the very few things I like about Boulder is that you can catch trout right in town. One of the things I hate is that everyone wants to talk to you while you’re fishing, bum a cigarette, ask directions, or just generally distract you from your reverie. But, one guy who watched me catch a fish while standing on a bridge at least asked, “is that tenkara?” I said,”yep”. So that was pretty cool.
Anyway, it was a great event this year. This simple writeup doesn’t even come close to capturing what the overall experience is like. If you haven’t been to a Summit yet, I highly encourage you to make the effort to attend the next one. You won’t regret it. Hope to see you in 2015!
I wish I could have gone!!!
nice write-up, jason. not that you have ever been one to stir dissension into your posts, but i had a slight tinge of apprehension about what i might find when the email alert for this post came to my inbox. i think it is a social media hangover of sorts. anyways, i am so freakin’ stoked to read your review, see your pics, and to hear you had a great time. like brian said, i wish i could have gone, but gosh darn it, i’ll get there next year!
Thank you for posting what the summit is all about. I’ll try a little harder to go next year for sure.
Jason, thanks for the quick and timely post (its only Monday, the day after, cool!) loved the pics and of course that Klass’y review!
Thanks for the comments guys. You really should try to make it to at least one. If for nothing else than to meet all the cool people. Totally different vibe that what’s on social media.
Great write up Jason, one day maybe we could get one over in the UK??
Hey Julian. I’d love to. It’s always been a dream of mine to fish a chalk stream.
I enjoyed your article on the summit. I’m not surprised at how popular Tenkara has become. I’ve been fishing for a short while with my Tenkara Rod and have had great fun. The simplicity allows my mind to focus on the joy of standing in the river. I’ve spent years hauling gear and extra rods, reels and flies around on fishing trips. Now, I keep my rod, line and two flies close by when I’m driving across Georgia and when I see good water, I’m set. Glad everyone had a great time at the summit. I would like to see a gathering here in the South east sometime. We have excellent streams in this area. I am certain there would be support. Again, nice job on bringing the summit to those of us that couldn’t attend.
“..one of the very few things I like about Boulder…” ???
Hey Rich, yeah. Two things I like about Boulder is that it’s a pedestrian city–you can walk pretty much anywhere. The other thing I like is that it’s so close to fishing. Other than that, I don’t like Boulder. Everyone there is either pretentious or a scary weirdo. While fishing in town, I had 5 incidents with weirdos that threatened my family either verbally or physically. I lived there for three years when I was a grad student and that was OK, but now that I have a family, no thanks. Also, the traffic sucks.
So, as a lifelong member of the Boulder community (with short stints in Ft. Fun and Nederland), which am I? Pretentious, or scary weirdo. (It’s amazing that you’ve met everyone in Boulder and can assign them a label.)
You’re a little of each Steve (kidding). Obviously I’m being hyperbolic. But that’s the general vibe I get there. Some of the conversations I overhear in cafes and restaurants in Boulder are so pretentious, they sound like a parody written by Seth McFarlane. I don’t hear that in other cities. I’ve lived in Nederland too and that had a whole different vibe. As does Denver, Leadville, Parker, etc. You can’t deny that each city in CO has a culture defined by the dominant personalities that live there.