“It depends”. That’s it. In the fly shop, I probably get 100 technical questions every day. “Which size tippet should I use?” “Should I get a 5 wt. or a 6 wt.?” “What are the best flies to use right now?” And my answer is always the same: “It depends.” Because it does depend. On…
As you know, the 2019 Tenkara Summit is happening in two weeks and I know many of you regret the fact that won’t be able to make it. So, I’m giving away a fly box filled with a dozen flies to hopefully brighten your day. All of these flies are the ones I actually fish…
graphic by Anthony Naples I was struck recently by a comment I read from Chris Stewart in a Facebook group. I can’t remember the exact wording, so I’m paraphrasing. It was to the effect of, “remember in western fly fishing when we were all concerned about having a well-tapered leader? Whatever happened to that?” It might…
Years ago, my friend told me a story about how he used to save all of his beat up flies in an old coffee can. Anything that lost its tails, had unravelled thread, or got chewed up beyond recognition went in there. He had a master plan. One day, when the can was finally full,…
When my friend Luong Tam of Tenkara Tanuki first told me he was designing a new rod called the “Ninja”, I have to admit I wasn’t exactly excited. I was already a fan of his Snow 325 and other rods I had cast at trade shows and didn’t see how he could really improve on…
I remember back in maybe 2011 or 2012, there was a quite lengthy debate online regarding tenkara rod handles. It started when people began using fixed-line rods such as Keiryu and Seiryu rods for tenkara. Many of those rods didn’t have what would be considered a “grip” (the handle of the rod was just the…
If you follow this blog or my tenkara Facebook page, you’ve probably seen pictures of me holding one of four rods in my trip reports: The Oni Type I, the Tenkara USA Ito, the Oni Type III, and more recently, the Tanuki Snow 325. That’s because these are my four favorites–each with its own unique…
Here in Colorado, we’re lucky that we don’t have a designated “trout season”. Legally, we can fish for trout all year round. Notice I said “legally”. That’s because we have another season that’s a de facto “off season”: runoff. Anyone who lives and fishes in the West is familiar with runoff season–that time in early…
At least once or twice a week, I get a customer in the shop who is there to replace gear that was stolen out of their car while they were fishing. Last week, I had two people in one day. One of them not only lost over $2,000 in rods and reels, but something that…
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…
It’s been pointed out to me that I’m somewhat of a hermit in the fly fishing and tenkara community. There are really only two events I attend on a regular basis: The Denver Fly Fishing Show and the Tenkara Summit. It’s not on purpose. There are plenty of tenkara events around the country I’d love…
While it’s OK to take tenkara seriously, sometimes we just have to step back and be able to laugh at ourselves. Here’s my 6th in my series of tenkara memes. To see all of them, click here. Enjoy and if you share any of them (as with any of my content) please be cool and…
If you told me that one day I’d be waving a tenkara rod in the heart of Manhattan with a girl from the Dominican Republic, I would have asked you for some of whatever it was you were smoking. But that’s exactly where I found myself just a few days ago on a week-long trip…
One of the things I love about tenkara is that it lends itself to DIY gear and experimentation–especially when it comes to lines. If you think about it, people don’t really do much in the way of DIY lines in mainstream fly fishing. Most people just buy something off the shelf and while they might…