Tenkara

Hey MP,

I am looking for something to do that isn't climbing and I have been thinking of getting into Tenkara fly fishing. I was wondering if anyone had any tips or anything for someone new looking to get into it. I used to be big into fishing before I found climbing so I am pretty familiar with fishing in general but I like the idea of fly fishing and tenkara as a more portable and simple activity. 

You’ll never turn back. Dive in!

Yes, it’s amazing, and easy to bring in your climbing pack with you. Tenkara USA is owned by a climber and there’s lots of blog posts and videos there to get you started! 

I've also been toying with getting into Tenkara. Seems like a pretty sweet rest day activity on trips. Following to see if MP will drop some wisdom.

La MoMoface wrote:

Yes, it’s amazing, and easy to bring in your climbing pack with you. Tenkara USA is owned by a climber and there’s lots of blog posts and videos there to get you started! 

Do you have any Tenkara USA sets you’d recommend? I went to a Tenkara USA presentation at Neptunes a few years ago. They owner was really cool and I was pretty sold on the idea of a really portable and simple set up. I was thinking it could for sure be a fun rest day or an activity when it is too hot to climb. 

Sockeye Scully wrote:

Do you have any Tenkara USA sets you’d recommend? I went to a Tenkara USA presentation at Neptunes a few years ago. They owner was really cool and I was pretty sold on the idea of a really portable and simple set up. I was thinking it could for sure be a fun rest day or an activity when it is too hot to climb. 

I have the Sato (two, his and hers!) I think that’s the best all around. I have a Hane that I never use, but I’m thinking of picking up the Ito for bigger water. The Sato gets me from bocan, clear creek, even eleven mile and tensleep. I do use western flies and fly rigs. I was fishing the askansas all weekend with a dry dropper, Sato handled 15” browns no problem.

I fish as much as I climb and always carry a Tenkara rod in my pack.

The Dragontail Mizuchi zoom is a very affordable setup that allows you to fish the rod at three different lengths. The whole starter setup, which even includes a couple of flies is about $175. Great way to check it out and see if it's for you. 

I started tenkara fishing this year. Super fun and intuitive compared to spin casting. I do a lot of hiking. Fshing small streams with a tenkara rod has been on my to-do list for a while. I caught this a few weeks ago on a Tenkara Rod Co Whitecloud. Really pleased with the quality and usability of the rod. Have caught stocked and native brookies as small as 4” and as large as 9”. I actually just ordered a longer rod to fish bigger water (and bigger fish). Take the plunge!

TenkaraUSA is great and the rods are built on a more traditional Japanese approach to fly fishing. You can get setup with leaders, tippet, small fly boxes, and traditional Tenkara flies from their website. The interactive book that Daniel wrote is a must have. ZenTenkara is more of a American approach to Japanese fly fishing. Karin Miller the owner of ZenTenkara catches huge fish on Tenkara and all types of different species including bonefish, which is nuts. Both companies sell adjustable rods as well which can be nice if you find yourself on a small stream one day and then a larger stream the next. You can use any kind of fly on a Tenkara rod, but I like Kebari's the best because there are a lot of techniques that I've learned using these flies that don't work as well with traditional dry flies. The main problem with Tenkara is the fly fishing industry hasn't embraced it enough so it's hard to find Tenkara rods and flies in a physical store, so most of your shopping is done online. Luckily the flies take all of 45 secs to tie if you get into that side of it which I highly recommend. Join the Tenkara Facebook groups as well. People sell rods and flies and are always helpful in answering any questions.

I have both a tenkara rod and a western style setup. Both are fun, both catch fish. Lately I haven’t used the tenkara much, but it certainly has its place. It’s a lot cheaper and simpler than the normal fly rod, and a great entry into the whole fishing thing. Plus it’s easy to carry with you as an afterthought. You can truly bring them basically anywhere during any activity.

I’ve never used actual tenkara flies, maybe someone can weigh in on the merits or just how you’re supposed to fish with them. 

Kip Kasper wrote:

I have both a tenkara rod and a western style setup. Both are fun, both catch fish. Lately I haven’t used the tenkara much, but it certainly has its place. It’s a lot cheaper and simpler than the normal fly rod, and a great entry into the whole fishing thing. Plus it’s easy to carry with you as an afterthought. You can truly bring them basically anywhere during any activity.

I’ve never used actual tenkara flies, maybe someone can weigh in on the merits or just how you’re supposed to fish with them. 

Kip, you definitely don’t need them, but it’s just a better experience in my opinion. They are just so simple to tie and they catch like crazy. You really only need one fly type in 3 sizes for different water conditions (low, normal, high or slow, normal, and fast currents). I like letting them drift downstream in front of a rock and just holding it there for trout that like to hang in the water cushion in front of a boulder and they will seem to come out of nowhere to pounce on it. The traditional Tenkara flies the way they are tied with the hackle pointing up and over the hook eye will undulate and trigger a strike better with this technique.