If you’ve fished tenkara for any significant amount of time, at some point, you’ve probably run into a situation where you wished you had a line that was either longer or shorter than the one you had on. But since tenkara is fixed line fishing, you can’t adjust line length as you would with a reel. Luckily, the connection between line and rod in tenkara allows lines to be switched out easily, allowing you to adapt to changing conditions (or, you can simply tie more line on or cut it off). Even the most experienced tenkara anglers in the world such as Masami Sakakibara use different line lengths depending on the water they’re fishing, so I think it’s worth every angler’s time to experiment with different lengths and see how they perform in various situations. I see basically three categories: short lines, rod-length lines, and long lines. Here is a brief summary of what I believe are some of the advantages and disadvantages of each…
Short Lines (fig. 1)
“Short” lines are lines that are significantly shorter than the rod. So, for example, if you had a 13′ rod, maybe a “short” line would be 5-8′. Notice that in the diagram above, a rod-length line (fig. 2) forms more of a triangle. But when fishing a short line (fig.1), the rod is held more parallel to the water and the line is more perpendicular. Eliminating extra line means less potential drag, and a more direct connection to the fly and fish for a better dead drift and hook set. Of course, this also means that distance is very limited so the angler will have to be in close proximity to the fish and run the risk of spooking them. But in certain situations (especially if you have a low canopy), short lines might be the best option.
Pros
- Very easy to make a dead drift
- Fishes well in tight areas
- Can improve strike detection & hooksets
Cons
- Very limited distance
- Forces angler to be closer to the fish
Rod-length Lines (fig. 2)
Most tenkara anglers I know use a line that is roughly equal to the length of the rod (though it may be a foot or two longer or shorter). This is probably the most versatile length for the kinds of streams tenkara was intended for. If you need more distance, you simply move closer to the fish. If you need less, simply step back. Of course, depending on the wading conditions, it might not always be possible to change position so distance can be a limiting factor. When a dead drift is required, these lines are very easy to keep off the water, eliminating unwanted drag. They’re a good compromise between long and short lines.
Pros
- Good, all round length for most situations
- Easy to cast for beginners
- Easy to keep line off the water
Cons
- Limited distance
- Forces angler to change position more often
Long Lines (fig.3)
“Long”, of course, is subjective. But let’s just say that we mean lines that are significantly longer than the rod. So, for example, if fishing a 13′ rod, a “long” line might be 16′, 18′, 20′, etc. I first got interested in long lines for tenkara when I read an excellent post by Daniel Galhardo from Tenkara USA (read it here). The advantage is clear: distance. But it also poses some challenges. For one, you can really only fish at distance. It can be difficult to fish in close when you need to and if you don’t have room to back up, it might be hard to re-position yourself to fish closer in (especially if you’ve got trees behind you). There is also more line to pull in when landing a fish and some might find the last few seconds of the fight a little precarious at first. But with a little practice, it can be learned fairly easily (see here). I’ve also noticed that when rigging and unrigging, or when moving from spot to spot without collapsing the rod, it’s much easier to get snagged on bushes, rocks, trees, or sticks on the ground just because there’s more line to manage. You have to be a little more conscientious of where your line is when it’s not in the water. And lastly, since a line longer than the rod forms more of an isosceles triangle (as opposed to more of a regular triangle like rod-length lines), it can be a little more difficult to keep line off the water for a dead drift.
It might sound like the disadvantages of long lines outweigh the advantages, but I have come to favor long lines. Most of the streams I fish are wide open and I don’t have to deal with a canopy so a long line works. Also, I tend to manipulate the fly more than dead drift it so keeping the line off the water isn’t critical. Personally, I like the feel of long lines better. More line off the tip means more weight, making it very easy to feel the rod load and unload. This feedback allows me to cast the rod without thinking about any mechanics. It just feels more natural to me. And I think many people with a background in fly fishing would feel more comfortable with a longer tenkara line, as it will be more similar to casting the heavier plastic fly lines they’re accustomed to.
Pros
- Can fish greater distances
- Easier to stay out of the fish’s view
- Easy to feel rod load and unload
Cons
- Difficult to fish close in
- More line to pull in to land a fish
- More potential tangles
- More difficult to keep line off the water
Conclusion
Line length in different conditions is definitely a matter of preference. Some may disagree with what I consider a pro or a con, but these are just my observations based on my experiences. At any rate, I encourage you to get out there and try out different lengths to see what works best for you on your local waters. You might be surprised on how much of a different even just a foot or two can make!
Jason
Great post and well thought out.
I think you were on the verge of making one connection I think is somewhat overlooked with respect to line length, and that’s changing diameter, larger or smaller, to maintain a somewhat constant weight to load your rod in its sweet spot.
Shorter lines generally need larger diameters to load, so it can potentially help a little in windy situations but perhaps spooks fish more easily.
Conversely, longer lines can get away with smaller diameters, as you note, improving stealth a little but which can be a hindrance to cast with wind.
Also, Id just add that I think shorter lines can be better in wind since you can keep most of the line off the water *and* mostly parallel\low to the waters surface by fishing more out to the side, similar to czech nymphing, versus fishing directly infront\upstream as in Figure 1 above.
Last, but not least, lines that are shorter than to ~rod length allow bow&arrow casting for tight spots. Something that becomes very difficult\to impossible when you get a longer line. On the other hand, longer lines allow for the possibility of some nontraditional tenkara casting techniques when there is absolutely no backcast\overhead room. (spey for example)
Excellent point about diameter Phil. I think that is worthy of it’s own post.
Also, I agree about shorter lines in the wind.
I think about this a lot but sadly it is of little use on the overgrown streams I choose to fish here in New England. Stalking is of more use than tackle options. I fish in close with a Nissin Tsuzumi 330 and 1.5 line between 8′ and 10.5′. I acknowledge this is an atypical western rig but I’ve fished places in California and Colorado where the same tackle would work. I just like little streams and their troutlets. I do fish longer rods/lines for bluegills and chubs on more open streams.I find the most effective thing to do for small stream tenkara is to stay out of the water if at all possible.
An interesting thoughtful system Jason. Wish I could use more of its possibilities but long lines do get in the way. I’d rather sneak for ten minutes than cast from 30 feet. I enjoy finding the fish before casting. Hey…its New England!
Jason are your line lengths above with our without tippet? Meaning… your rod length line if using a 13′ line means 13′ main line + 3′ to 4′ of tippet or do you mean for a rod length line use say 9′ of line + 4′ tipper so full line matches rod length?
Maybe I missed where you note what you are doing.
For me when I state rod length line it means “main” line matches tod length but then tack on 3′ of tippet too.
Just curious.
tj
Hi TJ, yes, the lengths I state are just the main line not including the tippet. To those lengths, I would then add about three feet of tippet. Thanks for clarifying.
Jason, I’m curious as to what lengths you typically carry? I normally have a 12′, 16′, 20′, and 24′ in my kit but might only take one or two of those with me on the stream.
Hi John,
I usually pick one line for the day that I think is best for the water (for most of the streams I fish, a 16′ or 18′) but then I carry a couple of backup lines in ziplock baggies in my chest pack. Those are 20′ so I can cut them to the length I want. I also carry at least one in a heavier diameter and a titanium line for wind.
I rarely have to switch lines but one time, the line came off the lilian and drifted downstream. I wasn’t able to retrieve it so I was glad I had the backups.
Do you downstream twitch with a long line?
Hi David,
Absolutely! In fact, on my last trip, most of my fish were caught on a downstream twitch with an 18 ft line.
…I found the best solution thus far is to tape a small fly reel with 60-80 ft of T-line to the end of the handle….pretty innovative, eh?… 😉
Bob, reminds me of the time I was turned off single-speed mountain bikes by discussion of what gear to install for a trail. 🙂 Of course, swapping a MTB gear on the rear hub is a lot dirtier and harder than swapping tenkara line.
That said, I’ve only ever fished my rod-length tapered line.
hello Jason,
another good reason to use long line is when fishing specifically for big trout, like in New Zealand per example. It will give more room to follow an play fish moving very quickly downstream, especially rainbow trout.
I known that is not the current use of Tenkara,, but it give you full adrenalin and unforgettable sensations.
Yvon from France
Hi!
I am very interested in both Dragontails hellbender och Tenkarausa Sato rod, Do you have some advice? I can read a lot about the Sato but almost nothing about the hellbender. Going to NY next week and hopefully find a nice rod, but they don´t sell hellbender there.
Rickard