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Category Archives: Line Holders & Spools

Jason Klass Fishing Tenkara on the St. Vrain

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…

May 19, 20196 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Nirvana Tenkara Line Spool

NIRVANA Tenkara Line Holders

When I first saw the prototypes of the new line spools from NIRVANA On The Fly circulating around Facebook, I didn’t really give them a second thought. They looked exactly like the old Raji Leica I had already been using for years. I wasn’t much interested, but when owner Brent Auger offered to send me…

March 19, 20193 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Path Wooden Line Spool

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…

October 16, 20187 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Line Cards from Japan

Tenkara Line Cards from Japan

I recently found these tenkara line cards during my weekly scouring of eBay for unique tenkara gear and thought they looked interesting, so I ordered a few (well … OK … eight). For those of you not familiar with line cards, they’re an alternative to using the popular plastic line spools and are nothing more…

September 28, 20185 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Line Winder Fly Box Combo

OLB Tenkara Line Winder & Fly Box Combo

Ever since I can remember, I’ve always been attracted to oddball gear–those esoteric things you discover off the beaten path that you’ll never find in the chain stores or mainstream fly fishing catalogs. It’s akin to treasure hunting and you need to be diligent–scouring thrift stores, searching eBay, and talking to unknown artisans. But once…

August 29, 20186 CommentsFly Boxes, Line Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Wooden tenkara line spools

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.…

August 28, 20175 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Zen Tenkara line spool

Zen Fly Fishing 3-in-1 Tenkara Spoolbox

Over the long holiday weekend, I was able to catch up with my friend Karin Miller of Zen Flyfishing and got my hands on their new tenkara spoolbox. This is a really innovative piece of gear that is as beautiful as it is function. It’s basically a round wooden box that can hold more flies…

July 5, 20173 CommentsFly Boxes, Line Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Line Spool

The Keeper Tenkara Line Spool

How can you improve on something as simple as a tenkara line spool? After all, it’s nothing more than a spindle to wrap your line around for storage and transport, right? Think again. Tenkara USA has literally just reinvented the wheel with their latest innovation–The Keeper. The Keeper’s most important innovation is that it features…

March 3, 201529 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

3D Printed Tenkara Line Spools

3D Printed Tenkara Line Spools

Another sign that tenkara is continuing to grow–we now have 3D printed line spools! Michael Hackney of The Eclectic Angler has been taking advantage of the latest in 3D printing technology to produce some really interesting tenkara line spools. Specs Diameter: about 50mm/slightly less than 2″ Center hole diameter: 20mm/.78″ Width between flanges: 5mm/.2″ With…

February 3, 20146 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Line Spool

Tenkara Line Spool Ergonomics

How many times have you been in the middle of winding your line on your spool, only to suddenly lose your grip sending your spool flying down the bank (or worse, into the river) and unravelling your whole line? This happens because most tenkara line spools are round (they are “spools” after all). I recently…

January 8, 20143 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Pyrenees Line Spool

Tenkara Pyrenees Line Spools

Most tenkara line spools I’ve tried have been either plastic or wood, so I was intrigued when I saw the spools from Tenkara Pyrenees that are made entirely of cork. I liked the idea since a.) it’s unique, b.) it floats, and c.) the entire spool is made from a material that lets you stick the fly…

December 26, 201317 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Wooden Tenkara Line Spool

Zen Flyfishing Gear Wood Tenkara Line Spool

I’ve always been drawn to unique gear and have a special penchant for interesting tenkara line holders. I have a wooden line spool that I got at the Tenkara Summit that was handmade by Dr. Ishigaki’s friend. It’s gorgeous (see it here) but there’s one small drawback. The hole in the center is too large…

December 20, 20135 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Line System

Snap-on Tenkara Line Holders

In 2010, I introduced an on-the-rod tenkara line management system using EZ Keepers. At the time, I was really only trying to come up with a line storage solution for myself. But three years later, I now see pictures of people using EZ Keepers on their tenkara rods all over the internet so it’s pretty…

November 15, 201318 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Bamboo Tenkara Line Holder

Traditional Bamboo Tenkara Line Holder

While I certainly appreciate the advances in technology that have allowed us to have high-performance fishing gear, I have always also had a fondess for rustic, traditional gear. There’s something special about traditional, handmade gear that I just can’t resist. It could be nostalgia, but I think for me, it’s more about aesthetics. Modern gear…

March 19, 201311 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Nissin Tenkara Line Spool

Nissin Tenkara Line Spool

Tenkara line spools seem simple enough.  After all, they’re basically just spools.  And this might lead on to believe that they’re all pretty much the same.  But I’ve found that some actually better than others.  I’ve mostly been using spools from Tenkara USA and Leica and have been very happy with them but when I…

October 7, 201220 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Bamboo Tenkara Line Spool

Handmade Bamboo Tenkara Line Spool

I’ve written before about some unique line tenkara holders such as the bamboo line holder I got on eBay and the wooden line spool Dr. Ishigaki donated for an auction at the Tenkara Summit and the moose antler line spool made by Chris Kulhow.  At the summit, I was able to add to my collection…

August 5, 20127 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Raji Leica Tenkara Line Spools

Raji Leica Tenkara Line Spools

Not too long ago, I posted about some Oni tenkara line spools I got from Japan.  I like them a lot but I also like line spools that have a metal bar inserted in the center for storing the fly.  On eBay, I recently found a spool that has the best of both worlds–a spool identical…

April 16, 201210 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Line Spools

Tenkara line spools make both long-term storage and moving from spot to spot more organized and convenient.    But just like every piece of gear, people will have their own preferences and demands. Today, we’re lucky to have a few different designs we can choose from to suit our individual needs.  In this video, I cover just a few different designs and where you can buy them.

March 5, 20123 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Oni Tenkara Line Spool

Feeding the Tenkara Gear Addiction

Today, I came home to a small stack of packages on my doorstep.  If you’re an unapologetic tenkara gear junkie like me, you know what such a site causes:  an adrenaline fueled, single-minded mission to find the closest box cutter.   Oni Tenkara Line Spools The first package came from a friend in Japan who got me…

March 2, 201219 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Moose Antler Tenkara Line Spool

Moose Antler Tenkara Line Spool

  Today, I got my moose antler tenkara line spool hand carved by Chris from The North River Blog.  This spool is a work of art reminiscent of Dr. Ishigaki’s wooden line spool and I just wanted to share a few photos…If you follow my blog, you know that I have a deep appreciation for…

February 23, 20124 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Line Spool

Tenkara Bum Line Spools

Tenkara Bum is now offering their own line spools and I got my order for 3 of them today.  They’re essentially identical to the Meiho blue spools sold by Tenkara USA but are a shrunken down version. [/caption] The smaller diameter would be good for a tenkara minimalist or the backpacker who wants the convenience…

July 28, 20119 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Tenkara USA Line Holder Review

If you’ve been following this blog, you might know that I’ve been playing around with some different methods of line management for Tenkara lines.  I’ve tried more traditional gadgets such as aged bamboo line holders, cheaper solutions like foam spools, and even some outside-of-the-box ideas like adapting add-ons from the spinning and bait casting realm. …

September 3, 20108 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass

Bamboo Tenkara Line Holder

While I appreciate (OK, drool over) innovation and technological advances, sometimes, tried-and-true traditional gear has a certain allure that I just can’t resist.  I recently posted about a tenkara line management system that is very practical and functional, yet lacks the quaintness and charm of what I got in the mail today–a pair of bamboo…

August 2, 20107 CommentsLine Holders & SpoolsBy Jason Klass
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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