I see a lot of photos on the internet of people casting tenkara with their arm fully extended. While it might seem like a good idea at the time to gain a little extra reach, it can actually be detrimental to your presentation, and on stream stamina. The better alternative is simple: take a few steps closer to the fish!
Jason is an avid fly angler and backpacker. As a former fly fishing guide originally from Western New York, he moved to Colorado and became an early adopter of tenkara which perfectly suited the small, high altitude streams and lakes there. He has not fished a Western-style fly rod for trout since.
I’m right there with you. One reason I took up tenkara was an injury to my right shoulder that limits my range of motion (that and I’ve always been a small-stream kinda guy). My regular fly casting motion was severly limited. I couldn’t hold a rod out at arms length with my right arm if my life depended upon it.
When I get out on the stream I just lose myself in the fishing. I forget to eat or drink and the next thing you know it has been 6 or 7 hours. It’s amazing the difference a little tuck of the elbow makes over the course of a long day. Not to mention how tired I used to get with my 4 wt western rod and reel!
Steve, I’m the same way. I get dehydrated and starved because I’, so focused on the fishing. It’s nice to keep these little tips in mind so we can keep going.
My bad habit is that, while I don’t _cast_ stretched out, I stretch on the presentation. I suspect there’s a casting problem underneath. Here in Virginia, I can fish 12 months a year, but in late fall and most of winter, the most effective presentation is deep, so my casts become mere lobs in a vaguely Euro-nymphing style. That’s probably OK with weighted nymphs, but when I switch over to surface or shallow flies (as I did this afternoon in a lovely BWO hatch), I tend to forget to change my casting mechanics: a lot of line hits the water ahead of my fly and bellies on the water, so I stretch to take up the slack. By the end of the day, the stretch and managing my wading staff make my elbow sore.
Davide- Is that a tenkara bum hat he’s wearing? Looks like it, but I couldn’t tell for sure. I like that guy. I saw a video the other day of him fishing a red foam hopper. Somebody will have to remind him that tenkara masters don’t use foam hoppers. 🙂
I’m right there with you. One reason I took up tenkara was an injury to my right shoulder that limits my range of motion (that and I’ve always been a small-stream kinda guy). My regular fly casting motion was severly limited. I couldn’t hold a rod out at arms length with my right arm if my life depended upon it.
When I get out on the stream I just lose myself in the fishing. I forget to eat or drink and the next thing you know it has been 6 or 7 hours. It’s amazing the difference a little tuck of the elbow makes over the course of a long day. Not to mention how tired I used to get with my 4 wt western rod and reel!
Steve, I’m the same way. I get dehydrated and starved because I’, so focused on the fishing. It’s nice to keep these little tips in mind so we can keep going.
I like these tightly focused little videos!
My bad habit is that, while I don’t _cast_ stretched out, I stretch on the presentation. I suspect there’s a casting problem underneath. Here in Virginia, I can fish 12 months a year, but in late fall and most of winter, the most effective presentation is deep, so my casts become mere lobs in a vaguely Euro-nymphing style. That’s probably OK with weighted nymphs, but when I switch over to surface or shallow flies (as I did this afternoon in a lovely BWO hatch), I tend to forget to change my casting mechanics: a lot of line hits the water ahead of my fly and bellies on the water, so I stretch to take up the slack. By the end of the day, the stretch and managing my wading staff make my elbow sore.
Very important, I agree. Moreover precision of casts increases dramatically.
http://apescacolmuc.wordpress.com/2013/02/10/come-si-lancia-nel-tenkara/
bye
Davide love the close up shot of his casting arm at the beginning of the video really shows the technique well.
Very good and instructivo.Muchas thanks …!
great stuff. thanks.
Davide- Is that a tenkara bum hat he’s wearing? Looks like it, but I couldn’t tell for sure. I like that guy. I saw a video the other day of him fishing a red foam hopper. Somebody will have to remind him that tenkara masters don’t use foam hoppers. 🙂
he’s wearing tenkara bum hat. I’ll tell the master to avoid using foam hoppers before somebody writes that is a typical tenkara kebari 😉