Most tenkara flies are simple. But they don’t have to be. In fact, some can resemble miniature Atlantic salmon flies. Here is an example of a fancier tenkara fly to show some possibilities. I normally tie simple flies for fishing, but let’s face it…if you’re a fly tier at heart, a few turns of hackle and a thread body gets old after a while. For those of us who consider fly tying an art and a passion (not just a utilitarian endeavor), pushing the boundaries of sakasa kebari design fuels our enthusiasm and connection to the sport.
Hook: Owner Super Yamame #7
Loop Eye: White silk bead cord #2
Head: Red thread
Tag: Small silver wire
Butt: Dark gray ostrich herl
Body: Black thread
Rib: Small silver wire
Hackle: Brahma Hen, badger
It’ might be a bit complex, but it’s freaking gorgeous!
Thanks Rick!
Any self-respecting trout would be a fool for passing that up!
I guess…. 😉
fly in Christmas sweater.
Nothing wrong with a little complexity. I agree, to catch fish you don’t need much (a killer bug and a royal sk are all I need) but there is a lot to be said and fun to be had just tying whatever comes to mind.
BTW….it’s a beautiful fly!
Couldn’t have said it better myself
Nice fly Jason. If it was a Salmon fly, only three turns of Silver for the tag and five turns for the rib 😉 I tied a Jock Scott once. Only took four hours. It’s in a glass box. Talk about Unnecessarily Complex!!
Hi Joe,
4 hours is pretty good for a Jock Scott! I’ve only tied a few presentation salmon flies and remember tedious hours of marrying and gluing wings together before even starting the thread on the hook. I switched to Rangely streamers because they were “easier” but still pretty labor intensive. At one point I found this type of tying fun but now I like tying tenkara flies because they’re so much easier to make “fancy”.
Very nice, Jason. I have been tying some with the Owner hooks and really like them.
That is a very nice and transparent fly, i like it.