Whenever I see a new “introductory” tenkara video come out, I usually end up doing a lot of fast forwarding or make it about halfway through before calling it quits. Having fished tenkara for 5 years now, anything geared towards a beginner is usually focused on things I already know, so I get bored pretty…
I’m always interested in unique tenkara line designs and materials. Recently, a new line from Zen Fly Fishing Gear caught my attention. At first, it didn’t look like anything special. It was labelled “level line” on their site so I assumed it was just another orange fluorocarbon level line. But after Karin Miller from the…
I’ve recently been testing out a new furled tenkara line design from Moonlit Fly Fishing called the “Katana”. Normally, furled lines don’t really appear on my radar because many of them are so similar. Sure there are different tapers and materials, but for the most part, empirically, they feel the same to me. But I discovered…
This weekend, my family and I rented a condo in Estes Park that’s right on the Fall River. It was really a family trip, not a fishing trip, but I took my tenkara gear anyway. I’ve been caught off guard too many times without a rod after stumbling on to easy fishing opportunities. So now,…
A couple of days ago, bamboo tenkara rod case maker Richard Kolodny came by Tenkara Talk H.Q. to show me some of his new designs. Richard is truly an artist and his cases (inspired by samurai sword sheaths) are simply gorgeous. I asked Richard to tell us a little more about their history and what…
Today, a reader requested that I do a post about my opinion on zoom rods. For those of you who don’t know what zoom rods are, they’re rods that can be extended to different lengths with sections that lock into position. I’m no expert on zoom rods and I’ve only tried a few, but as…
Fresh off the heels of his trip to Japan, John Vetterli of Tenkara Guides gives us a glimpse of what tenkara is like in its native country. I asked John 3 quick questions that highlight some of this differences and similarities between American and Japanese approaches to tenkara fishing. Jason: You recently returned from a trip…
As whimsically as I’d like to portray tenkara, sometimes, you just get stuck in the trees. For more tenkara humor, click here.
Over the centuries, countless fly patterns have been lost to history. Some have made brief resurgences in popular fly fishing culture, only to disappear and hibernate again, waiting for their next 10 seconds of fame. Still, it’s fair to say that there are probably dozens (if not hundreds) of once-popular patterns that modern fly anglers…
From Perrine to C & F to Wheatley, I either own or have used just about every brand, style or design of fly box out there. From the day I started fly fishing, I had an early fascination with fly boxes. My first one was some uninspired, mass-manufactured plastic compartment box that I think came…
It might not be accurate to call it a “non-tenkara” day. It might be better described as “the opposite of tenkara” or even “Bizarro World“. With all the local streams totally blown out, I decided to try to sneak in a quick fishing opportunity on a nearby lake. My family and I were planning to…
You may have noticed I haven’t been posting much lately. It’s not because I haven’t been inspired or don’t have anything to write about. It’s because I’ve been working on a new project behind the scenes. I’d like to introduce you to The Tenkara Shop, my new online tenkara gear store! I’ll be the first…
When I first started tenkara, I fished furled, tapered lines because they were easy to cast. The turnover was very good and loaded the rod well. But they are typically “heavy” and difficult to keep off the water when you want to make a good dead drift presentation. Eventually, I “graduated” to level fluorocarbon lines…
I just got a care package from Japan from Masami Sakakibara (a.k.a. “Tenkara no Oni”) which included some of his flies. His patterns are simple, but very versatile and buggy looking. I’m not sure of all of the materials, but thought I’d share some pictures of the flies one of the greatest tenkara anglers in…