Episode 3: Living The Tenkara Lifestyle
Jason’s longtime friend Dennis Vander Houwen gives us a crash course in taking tenkara beyond the stream.
How To Re-Wind Any Thread To Fit Fly Tying Bobbins
When I received my early education in fly tying from the old troglodyte cronies at the fly shop, the use of any thread other than one specifically designated for fly tying was as unthinkable. The mere mention of “sewing thread” would produce an awkward pause, followed by a terse, but forcibly polite, “no”. Then, a…
Episode 3 – The Tenkara Talk Podcast
Search Contact jason All Episodes Suggest a Podcast Tenkara Talk Blog Shop About Contact Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Search Let’s talk tenkara! In this ongoing series, Jason Klass hosts casual conversations with tenkara anglers around the world to explore the most interesting and esoteric facets of our rich sport. Have an idea for a topic? I’d love…
Keeping Busy During The Winter Doldrums
I love winter fishing. For the same reasons the warm-blooded amongst us do: fewer crowds, less pressure on the fish, no biting insects, and just overall quiet solitude–serenity amidst a white, Norman Rockwell blanket of snow. Of course, there are also downsides to winter fishing. Here in Colorado, many of the smaller streams get completely…
Colorado Tenkara Anglers January Giveaway
Giveaway Ends Saturday, January 14th, 2023: This giveaway has ended. Countdown This month’s giveaway exclusively for CTA members is one dozen beautiful tenkara flies tied by professional tyer and CTA member Joesph Egry. Joe was a fishing buddy of mine here in Colorado until he moved to Florida for work. But he’s still tying and…
Tenkara Path Spring Fly Holder Line Spool
Just a few months ago, my friend Dennis from Tenkara Path and I were sitting in a cafe in Denver looking over his latest designs for his wooden bobbin spools. At some point, he pulled out a prototype of a new line spool he was working on. If you’re familiar with Tenkara Path spools, you know…
Redemption on the St. Vrain
It’s been a long, dismal winter fishing season for me this year. The few places with open water were crowded with desperate anglers trying to get a drift before their fly snagged a miniature iceberg or jagged ice shelf. Most of the time, I was so frustrated by the crowds, low water, and lack of…
Tenkara Path Wooden Fly Tying Bobbin Spools
My mad-scientist friend and tenkara partner-in-crime Dennis Vander Houwen has been tucked away in his wood shop again working on some really interesting projects. A couple of them aren’t ready to be announced to the world just quite yet (soon) but today when we met up on the stream, he gave me a few samples…
Denver Fly Fishing Show 2019
As I do every year, I attended the Denver Fly Fishing Show today and as it is every year, the best part about it wasn’t the gear–it was the people. I go to reconnect with fellow fly fishers I haven’t seen in a while, to trade lies, and exchange ideas. And so, here is my…
Tenkara Path Wooden Line Spools
Yesterday, one of my closest friends and fishing partners, Dennis Vander Houwen, came over as he often does for coffee and our usual conversational acrobatics of politics, culture, art, science, domesticity, gossip, and, of course, tenkara. I posted a video we made about his handmade tenkara line spools the last time he visited, and this…
Tenkara Path Line Spools
One of my closest friends and favorite fishing partners, Dennis Vander Houwen from Tenkara Path paid me a visit to show me some his latest wooden tenkara line spool designs. Dennis is a magician by trade, but he’s also a magician at the lathe–creating some of the most innovative and gorgeous spools I’ve ever seen.…
The Colorado Tenkara Club
When I first started tenkara back in 2009, almost all interaction with fellow tenkara anglers was online–a handful of blogs, a few Facebook groups, and half a handful of Twitter posts. But there weren’t really any venues to physically connect early adopters from the web in person. That all changed with the first Tenkara Summit…
A Tour of my New Fly Tying Desk
When I first started tying flies, I didn’t have a dedicated space to do it; let alone tools or materials. I literally took snelled hooks, smashed down the baitholder barbs on the shanks with needle-nose pliers, and secured them in the corner of my dad’s tool vise on his workbench in the basement. For materials, I…
Tiger Trout, Glaciers & Tenkara
We’d been having a bit of a dry spell–my fishing buddy Dennis Vander Houwen and I (he goes by the pseudonym “Dennis Michael” in the entertainment world). We’d been through more than our share of fishing fiascos and I’d been having less than a stellar year (to phrase it diplomatically). Timing, high water, weather, and a seeming raft of…