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Author Archives: Jason Klass

The Felt Sole Debate

Guest Post: Sara Golden on Felt-soled Waders

In my second ever guest post on this blog, I am proud to publish Sara Golden’s insightful response to a comment I recently made about the debate regarding the ethics of wearing felt-soled wading boots. Sara is an avid fly fisher based in Oregon and currently travelling Europe, exploring what the world of fishing has…

December 9, 20162 CommentsUncategorizedBy Jason Klass

FC Crackleback Fly

The Crackleback Fly

Although I mostly fish sakasa kebari now, every once in a while, I rediscover a pattern from my pre-tenkara days that I think is perfect for tenkara in its ethos. I recently remembered a somewhat esoteric one I used to consider a staple when I was only western fly fishing: the FC Crackleback. Think of the Crackleback…

November 30, 201618 CommentsFlies, Fly TyingBy Jason Klass

Compass 360 Waders

Compass 360 Hip Waders

When you’ve been married to a sport for over 25 years, you develop a love/hate relationship with certain things. There are plenty of things I love about fly fishing, but there’s one thing I’ve always hated: waders. For the last few years, I’ve been using Orvis Silver Sonic breathable waders. Don’t get me wrong–they’re great.…

November 25, 20169 CommentsWading GearBy Jason Klass

Kado-san's Christmas Kebari

Guest Post: Kado-san’s Christmas Kebari

Today, I’m excited to publish the first ever guest post on Tenkara Talk! For years, I’ve resisted the idea, but reconsidered after being sent this very interesting article by Isaac Tait of Fallfish Tenkara, AKA, “Aki Sakana” or “Fallfish Demon”. Isaac has a unique perspective on tenkara as an American living in Japan who explores…

November 22, 20164 CommentsFlies, Fly TyingBy Jason Klass

tenkara-shin-guards1

Things that go “bump” on the stream

A few years ago, I remember seeing a curious piece of gear worn by iconic some Japanese tenkara anglers (including Dr. Ishigaki): knee and shin guards. Basically, they were black neoprene “leggings” worn over waders that had padded knees and were secured with Velcro straps. I had never seen anything of the sort in the…

November 18, 201611 CommentsWading GearBy Jason Klass

Strooan Zoom Tenkara Rod

Esoteric Tackle Strooan Zoom Tenkara Rod

Zoom rods are becoming more and more popular in tenkara these days due to their versatility and their ability to “dial in” the action to one’s liking. They’re versatile because they can adjust from one to two or three different lengths allowing you to reign in the rod tip in tighter quarters, and then “zoom”…

November 12, 20167 CommentsTenkara RodsBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Fishing Wallet

My Fishing Wallet

A “fishing” wallet? Yes, a fishing wallet. And it’s not a metaphor for an arsenal of techniques or secrets I carry on the stream or anything more interesting like that. I’m talking about an actual, mundane, physical wallet. For years, I’ve kept a dedicated wallet in my kit to carry certain fishing-related sundries I don’t…

November 10, 20166 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

Tenkara times 300Z

Tenkara Times WaterShed 300Z rod

I come from a place where tight streams are the norm and fighting against riparian vegetation is just something you accept. But since I’ve moved to Colorado (15 years ago), that hasn’t really been a challenge for me. There are plenty of streams that offer you all the casting space in the world due to…

September 18, 20165 CommentsTenkara RodsBy Jason Klass

DIY Fly Floatant Bottle

A Better Fly Floatant Bottle?

Even though in the last few years I’ve almost exclusively fished subsurface flies like sakasa kebari since adopting tenkara for trout, during the course of my overall fly fishing career, I’ve probably used gallons of fly floatant on dry flies; mostly paste such as Loon’s Aquel. And while it’s effective, I’ve never been happy with the application…

September 9, 201612 CommentsDIY & HacksBy Jason Klass

Colorado Tenkara Club

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…

September 5, 20168 CommentsEventsBy Jason Klass

Creekside Kebari & Fly Company

Today, I got a nice care package in the mail from Robb over at Creekside Kebari & Fly Company. We initially agreed to just do a simple sticker swap for one of my new stickers, but Robb also sent a sample some of the flies he sells on his website and I thought they were…

August 30, 20163 CommentsFliesBy Jason Klass

Titanium Tenkara Line

Esoteric Tackle Titanium Tenkara Lines

When we think of tenkara lines, we tend to think either of tapered, braided monofilament lines or level fluorocarbon lines. Undoubtedly, those are the two most popular kinds used today; however, there is another type of line you may not be familiar with that’s a little more (shall we say) “esoteric”. There’s a small number…

August 28, 20161 CommentTenkara LinesBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Jam

The Tenkara Jam 2016

We’re less than two months away from what might be the largest tenkara gathering in the West to date. The Tenkara Jam in Cherokee, North Carolina will feature some of the most influential anglers and early adopters of tenkara in the West including: Daniel Galhardo of Tenkara USA who initially imported tenkara to the U.S.…

August 24, 20161 CommentEventsBy Jason Klass

The History of Fly-Fishing in Fify Flies

The History of Fly-Fishing in Fifty Flies

If you’re looking for a good book to curl up with this fall, I highly recommend “The History of Fly-Fishing In Fifty Flies” by Ian Whitelaw with Illustrations by Julie Spyropoulos. Not only does this masterpiece trace the development of fly fishing in the West through innovations in fly design and materials but also spins…

August 23, 20165 CommentsBooks & MediaBy Jason Klass

Okuma Fly Box

Not all “good” fly fishing gear is expensive and not all expensive fly fishing gear is “good”

Lately, I’ve been flipping through the pages of some recent fly fishing catalogs and have been shocked by the prices. $800 for a rod? $500 for waders? $750 for a reel? I was disgusted by what companies were charging these days for gear that is slightly better than (or in some cases worse than) their…

August 16, 201613 CommentsPhilosophyBy Jason Klass

Zen Tenkara Susume Rod

Zen Tenkara Suzume Rod

When I first heard about the new Suzume tenkara rod from Zen Fly Fishing, my first thought was, “arrgh, here comes another ‘me too’ rod”. I really had no interest in trying another one but I got the opportunity to test one out with the company’s owner Karin Miller on a recent trip to Rocky…

August 16, 201614 CommentsTenkara RodsBy Jason Klass

Jason Klass and Karin Miller

Tenkara Fishing with Karin Miller

I rarely post trip reports unless there’s something noteworthy, and today was one of those trips. I finally got to fish with Karin Miller of Zen Fly Fishing Gear. For those of you who don’t know, Zen Fly Fishing Gear is a Colorado-based tenkara company that has been consistently producing quality, innovative gear since they…

August 14, 201610 CommentsTrip ReportsBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Talk Sticker

New Tenkara Talk Stickers are Here!

I just got my new batch of Tenkara Talk stickers, and they’re bigger and better than the ones I’ve offered in the past. I realized my old ones were too small and weren’t haloed (meaning they were just rectangles and weren’t cut around the shape of the logo so they didn’t look all that professional).…

August 8, 201611 CommentsUncategorizedBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Zoom Rod

ESO Tenkara Zoom Rod 245 – 206 CM

I recently got to test the new 245/206 CM tenkara rod from Esoteric Tackle. And before you ask, yes, I confirmed with the owner that the rod doesn’t have an official name and is only referred to by the specs which is baffling to me, but that’s their prerogative. Despite being nameless, this is a…

July 30, 201614 CommentsTenkara RodsBy Jason Klass

Furled Tenkara Lines

Katana & Tachi Tenkara Lines

In my last post, I wrote about some new hooks from Moonlit Fly Fishing. Moonlit isn’t a tenkara-specific company. They mostly sell conventional fly rods, leaders and accessories, but seem to be increasing their offering of gear relevant to the tenkara angler–and they’re doing it well. I recently received two of their lines, the Katana and…

July 23, 20162 CommentsTenkara LinesBy Jason Klass

tenkara hooks

Moonlit Fly Fishing Competition Hooks

As a fly tyer, I’ve always appreciated a good hook. I’ve tried a lot of them over the years and (as anyone else who ties) definitely have had my favorites. As with pretty much everything else in fly fishing, technology and engineering have made everything better in some way. And hooks are no exception. They’ve…

July 2, 20163 CommentsFly TyingBy Jason Klass

tenkara line holder

Tenkara Pyrenees Launches New Twin Line Holder

French company Tenkara Pyrenees just announced the release of their new product, the TWIN Adapter. The Adapter allows you to connect two spools of level line, allowing you to cut down on the number of spools cluttering up your fishing bag by 50%. They’re available in different colors, allowing you to devise a color-coding system to…

June 25, 2016Leave a commentLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

starting to try tying tenkara flies

Tenkara Fly Tyer Magazine: Call for Submissions

After seeing the success of such tenkara e-magazines as Tenkara Angler and Tenkara magazine, I felt it was time to fill in yet another niche within a niche in the tenkaraverse with new rag–one that appeals to those of us who have a passion for the most direct link between us and our quarry–the fly. What is…

June 22, 201610 CommentsUncategorizedBy Jason Klass

tenkara

Tenkara USA Tapered Nylon Lines

Tenkara USA is launching a new line. Not a new product “line”, but an actual “line”. It’s tapered nylon which is a departure from from their traditional offering of fluorocarbon level lines and furled tapered lines. They’re made by Fujino (one of the industry’s most trusted brands) and will be available in various lengths under…

June 12, 20168 CommentsTenkara LinesBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Gear

Hoarders: The Tenkara Edition

I recently had to send a tenkara care package to a friend and thought it might be a good opportunity to clean up and organize some of my gear while I sifted through what to send–kill two birds with one stone. By the time I emptied the first bag (of several bins, bags, boxes and…

June 3, 20167 CommentsPhilosophyBy Jason Klass

Esoteric Tackle Braid & Bead Tenkara Strike Indicators

Where I come from, nymphing meant two things by default: 1). a heavily weighted fly and 2). a high-floating strike indicator (usually the bulky teardrop type with a toothpick stopper). That was an effective rig on a 5 wt. It’s the perfect balance between sinking the fly and getting a visual indication of the take…

May 27, 20169 CommentsTenkara LinesBy Jason Klass

Daniel Galhardo on Tenkara in 2016

Daniel Galhardo of Tenkara USA swung by my new house today and gave a great forecast of the future of tenkara. Let’s listen …

May 15, 201610 CommentsPhilosophyBy Jason Klass

fly tying desk

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…

May 10, 201616 CommentsFly TyingBy Jason Klass

An Apology to my Readers

Six months. That’s how long it’s been since I’ve posted anything on Tenkara Talk. That was poignantly pointed out to me today by one of my long-time readers. Actually, during that time, dozens of you have written to me asking what’s going on. My digital marketing hero, Seth Godin, always says that if you want to…

May 9, 201648 CommentsUncategorizedBy Jason Klass

Tenkara floating line

Three Rivers Tenkara Floating Line

For the last several years, I’ve been fishing level lines for tenkara almost exclusively. While tapered, furled lines are a pleasure to cast, level lines (due to their almost anti-gravity weight) make it much easier to keep your line off the water and maintain a good dead drift. Usually, I fish fluorocarbon level lines since…

November 15, 20153 CommentsTenkara LinesBy Jason Klass
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About Me

Jason KlassJason Klass is a former fly fishing guide & casting instructor based in Colorado. He was an early adopter of tenkara in the West and has been fishing the method for a variety of species since 2009. Read more >>

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Tenkara + Backpacking!
Is there any other sport that goes better with tenkara than hiking and backpacking? Be sure to also check out my ultralight and DIY backpacking gear blog.

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Latest Posts
  • Autographed John Gierach Book
    Interview with John Gierach
    February 19, 2019
  • How to Attach Tippet to a Tenkara Level Line
    How to Tie Tippet to a Tenkara Level Line
    February 17, 2019
  • Tippet Expiration Dates
    Does Tippet Expiration Really Matter?
    February 16, 2019
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