Welcome to the first installment of Tenkara Tuesday.
Tenkara Tuesday is what I hope becomes a semi-regular feature on Troutrageous! that highlights not only tenkara fishing and its Japanese heritage, but more specifically how Western anglers are taking these ancient techniques and applying and adapting them to their own fishing practices in the Americas, Europe, and beyond.
Today, I'm honored to present a guest post from Jason Klass, the author of Tenkara Talk, a website following (as well as creating) trends in American tenkara fishing. His post "Tenkara for Western Fly Anglers" is a very thorough primer on tenkara - an excellent starting point for those that are tenkara-curious, as well as the Tenkara Tuesday series.
Tenkara for Western Fly Anglers
Tenkara Tuesday is what I hope becomes a semi-regular feature on Troutrageous! that highlights not only tenkara fishing and its Japanese heritage, but more specifically how Western anglers are taking these ancient techniques and applying and adapting them to their own fishing practices in the Americas, Europe, and beyond.
Today, I'm honored to present a guest post from Jason Klass, the author of Tenkara Talk, a website following (as well as creating) trends in American tenkara fishing. His post "Tenkara for Western Fly Anglers" is a very thorough primer on tenkara - an excellent starting point for those that are tenkara-curious, as well as the Tenkara Tuesday series.
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Tenkara for Western Fly Anglers
So, you’ve heard about this “tenkara” thing, but exactly
what is it? How is it different from “regular”
fly fishing? And, is it worth a
try?
Many western fly fishers are gaining interest in tenkara,
yet there are still many misconceptions surrounding it. In this article, I will try to explain some
of the similarities and differences from the point of view of a western fly angler. This is not a full explanation of tenkara,
rather a checklist of things to keep in mind if you’re thinking of trying
it. For a more complete understanding of
tenkara, visit TenkaraUSA.
Is tenkara “real” fly
fishing?
One of the most common misconceptions of tenkara is that it
is dapping and not “real” fly fishing.
As someone who has been western fly fishing for over 20 years, I can
tell you that this simply is not true.
Tenkara is “real” fly fishing.
You cast a line just like in western fly fishing—not simply dangle it on
the water. There are some slight differences
in the casting stroke but when you see it in action, it is immediately
recognizable as fly fishing.
I think many people have this misconception because of the
lack of a reel. But if you think about
it, the first fly anglers in the West didn’t use a reel either. In fact, people have been fly fishing without
reels longer than they have with reels. Tenkara
is “real” fly fishing”. It’s just not
“reel” fly fishing.
Let’s look at some of the components of tenkara fishing and
see what you can expect to be the same and what will be different if you decide
to give it a try.
The Rod
Tenkara rods are longer than most western fly rods—usually
11 ft. – 15 ft. and are telescopic. The
action tends to be comparatively soft and no reel is used. In fact, if you’ve heard anything about
tenkara prior to this article, the first thing you probably heard is that it
doesn’t use a reel. This lack of a reel
is a hallmark of tenkara simplicity, but to the western angler, this might pose
a few immediate questions:
Doesn’t this limit the distance you can cast?
Yes. And that’s kind
of the point. In tenkara, the limited
length of the line forces you to move your body closer to the fish instead of
casting to it. This might sound like a
limitation but it actually turns out to be an advantage. In general, the closer you are to a fish, the
better presentation you can make. You
have to worry less about drag, line management, mending, etc. So, if you’re forced to position yourself
closer, you’re basically increasing the chances that you will make a good
presentation.
How do you land a fish without a reel?
Tenkara is intended primarily for trout fishing and if you
think about it, when was the last time you had to reel in a fish? Unless you’ve hooked a very large fish, most
of the time, you probably just strip line in and then either grab the leader or
net the fish. It’s the same with tenkara
(without the stripping of course).
Can you land a big fish with such a whippy rod?
Yes! Don’t let the
comparatively “whippy” action of tenkara rods fool you. The longer length and softer action actually
offers more tippet protection than, say, a 9ft. 5 wt. and allows you to land
larger fish on light tippets. People
have landed very large trout, bass, steelhead, and even bonefish on tenkara
rods; however, I would not classify tenkara rods as dedicated “big fish”
rods. Again, tenkara was primarily
intended for small to medium trout but if you happen to hook a large fish, with
the right technique, you should be able to land it. I wouldn’t recommend a tenkara rod if your
primary focus is big fish though (say, 30 lb. salmon). You can play tennis with a ping pong paddle but
that’s not what it was designed for and it will be more challenging.
What happens if a fish runs?
You run with it! One
of the fun challenges of tenkara is that rather than relying on mechanical
equipment, you are more fully engaged and have to rely more on your skills
rather than gear. Tenkara can be a full
contact sport!
Aren’t tenkara rods basically “crappie poles”?
No. crappie poles are
designed to sling weight (i.e. a bobber, bait, and sinker). Tenkara rods are designed to cast a light
line and fly. Not much engineering goes
into the design of crappie poles because it doesn’t have to--even a broomstick
could sling out a weighted line. But
tenkara rods are carefully designed and tested to get the right tapers and
actions that will best cast an unweighted line—similar to the way Sage, Orvis,
or any other western fly rod company would.
Isn’t such a long rod tip heavy without a reel to counterbalance
it?
You would think so, but it actually isn’t. When I got my first tenkara rod I thought
that surely a 12 ft. rod with no reel to balance it out would be tip heavy and
would tire out my arm halfway through the day.
To my surprise, the rod was impossibly light in the hand and I was able
to fish all day without any fatigue. The
reason for this is that the blank walls of the telescopic tenkara rod are
thinner than the blank walls of western fly rods. This means that even though you’ve got more
length off the handle, there is less mass so it doesn’t feel tip heavy. The reaction people have when I put a tenkara
rod in their hands for the first time is always the same: “Wow!”
The Line
Without a reel, you might be wondering how the line is
connected to the rod. Rather than using
a braided loop connection or a nail know like we do in western fly fishing,
tenkara uses a very clever knot that has a unique advantage. Using a girth hitch knot, the line is
connected to a small braided cord at the end of the rod tip called a “lilian”. Watch this video about how to attach a tenkara
line and see if you can spot what the advantage is:
Did you catch it? This method of connection allows you to attach and remove the leader without removing the fly. When we use a typical loop-to-loop connection, we usually have to clip off the fly, then back out the entire length of the leader and tippet through the loop. But with the connection above, you can just work with the butt end of the line and attach or disconnect it without removing the fly. I like this because it cuts down on my rigging time and I can get to fishing faster.
An important difference to note between westen and tenkara
rigging is that the terms “line” and “leader” are blurred in tenkara. Essentially, the “line” is the “leader” and you attach the tippet to that. What we call a “line” in tenkara is more like
what we call a “leader” in western fly fishing.
It’s not a thick, tapered plastic fly line. It’s typically either something that looks
like a really long furled leader or a long level line (usually fluorocarbon). The long rod and lack of a bulky
western-style fly line gives you a much better dead drift by allowing you to
keep more line off the water, eliminate mending, and greatly reduce drag. And while a fixed line might seem odd to
someone who’s used to using a reel, it has its advantages. Since you don’t have to worry about line
management, you can spend more time concentrating on fishing.
There is no special tippet material for tenkara—you can just
use what you already use. But please
note that tenkara rod manufacturers recommend not using tippet heavier that
5x. This is to prevent rod breakage on
snags or extremely large fish.
To learn more about different types of tenkara lines, check
out my article on how to choose a
tenkara line.
The Flies
While there are “tenkara flies”, you don’t have to fish them
to tenkara fish. Many people, both in
the U.S. and Japan fish patterns that any western angler would recognize: elk hair caddis, Adams, ants, etc. But, if you’d like to try something
different, there are many interesting tenkara-specific techniques that are not
only fun, but very effective.
If you do any research on tenkara flies, you’ll undoubtedly
come across the so-called “one fly” approach.
Some tenkara anglers fish one pattern exclusively claiming that it’s not
the fly that matters, rather the presentation technique. This might seem terrifying if you’re the type
of angler who doesn’t feel prepared unless you’re armed with a decent selection
of fly patterns. But the good news, you
don’t have to subscribe to this approach.
More tenkara anglers fish a variety of patterns than subscribe to the
one fly approach and it certainly isn’t dogma that you have to fish one pattern
exclusively.
Terminal Tackle
There really isn’t any terminal tackle in tenkara. When fishing subsurface, most tenkara anglers
don’t use a strike indicator or split shot (although you could and some
do). Instead, tenkara anglers make the
fly sink by using the current to drag it down, and then watch the line for the
strike. In my experience, tenkara rods
don’t cast very well with the weight of strike indicators and split shot at the
end because they’re not really designed to sling a lot of weight. Remember what I said about crappie poles?
The lack of terminal tackle is one of the nice things about
the simple nature of tenkara. You get to
spend more time fishing and less time rigging.
Conclusion
While this isn’t an exhaustive comparison of the differences
between western and tenkara fly fishing, hopefully it gave you a better
understanding of what to expect if you try tenkara. I think you’ll find that most (if not all) of
your skills from western fly fishing will translate over to tenkara and that
it’s a pretty easy transition once you bust through some of the myths and
misconceptions.
One of the most important things to keep in mind is that
what might at first appear to be a limitation in tenkara, will actually reveal
itself as an advantage. Simplicity is
the secret to tenkara’s success and I think western anglers who give it a try
will experience a sense of freedom that will ultimately allow them to fish more
effectively than ever before.
About the Author:
Jason Klass grew up fly fishing the streams, ponds, and Great Lakes tributaries of Western New York and now lives in Colorado where he became an early adopter of tenkara fishing. A former fly fishing guide and casting instructor, he now fishes tenkara exclusively for trout in the the high-altitude streams and lakes of the Rocky Mountains. As the author of the Tenkara Talk, Jason writes about tenkara gear, techniques, and the evolution of tenkara in the U.S.
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About the Author:
Jason Klass grew up fly fishing the streams, ponds, and Great Lakes tributaries of Western New York and now lives in Colorado where he became an early adopter of tenkara fishing. A former fly fishing guide and casting instructor, he now fishes tenkara exclusively for trout in the the high-altitude streams and lakes of the Rocky Mountains. As the author of the Tenkara Talk, Jason writes about tenkara gear, techniques, and the evolution of tenkara in the U.S.
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Are you a Western tenkara angler? Do you have a story, pictures, video, fly recipe, or simply a fishing report from one of your recent tenkara adventures? If so, Troutrageous! wants to hear from you for a future Tenkara Tuesday post! Feel free to send an email HERE, or check out this previous post for more information.
Awesome Post! Tenkara is something that I have been wanting to try for a little while. There were tons of info in here that I am going to have to save it to my computer.
ReplyDeleteThat was so good, even I can't find anything to argue about. :) Nice job. Excellent, easy to understand explanations of all the major aspects of tenkara. The one thing that wasn't touched upon was the limitation caused by the rod's long length. While I can't fish a 12 ft. tenkara rod in a 3 ft. wide stream, I can get away with such a thing with even an 8 ft. conventional western rig.
ReplyDeleteI want to commend the work for you. We want to spread the Tenkara just like you too. You might wonder, in Japan, where fishing is a minor Tenkara. It is a pity. May have been originally a traditional fishing in Japan, but now I think it has become a world-class game fishing. As you know, it's very exciting.
ReplyDeleteDo you know a Japanese Furoshiki? It is very simple. That's why you in various ways. It is also very similar to Tenkara.
It can accommodate a variety of situations in a simple mechanism. And that is where the benefits can stream to cross more than anything. So I think that is appropriate to use a level line made of fluorocarbon. Level line is lighter than the twist yarn. And you can present to fly straight pin spot targeting.
Excellent first post for "Tenkara Tuesdays." I now have a reason to like Tuesday again. As someone who has been been fishing traditional and non-traditional methods of Tenkara for the last two years I'm always looking for new information regarding this method of fishing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post! I have been wanting to try Tenkara for a long time...now I think that I am properly motivated :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm still not convinced about this tenkara thing - it's just a fad! It's just dapping. ;) Nice post Jason.
ReplyDelete@Steven Smith
ReplyDeleteIf the water gets down for this upcoming weekend...maybe we'll give it a shot.
@Owl
ReplyDeleteA topic for a future Tenkara Tuesday...hmmm...we'll see...
@gorky
ReplyDeleteI thank you for stopping by as I enjoy & respect your blog so much. After seeing the world record bass come from Japan, I understand why tenkara remains a niche form of fishing there as well.
I also need to expand my use of level lines. The places I fish have a lot of tree growth, I've found the furled lines easier to cast in those conditions.
@Kiwi
ReplyDeleteThanks Kiwi...and you know...some of those delicious tenkara flies you tie up would make a great subject for a future post (hint, hint)...
@Sanders
ReplyDeleteIt's certainly not for everyone, but Jason did a great job answering many questions. Think this is a great primer for those that are tenkara-curious.
@Anthony (CastingAround)
ReplyDeleteIt's not dapping. It's cane pole fishing. Get it straight.
@troutrageous1
ReplyDeleteThe only day this weekend I would be available would be Saturday....I work Sunday
It is interesting to note the Japanese angler's perspective. Tenkara is a minor form yet seems to be completely Japanese in origin. The Japanese author Soseki Yamamoto wrote about tenkara and Japanese stream fishing prior to the introduction of tenkara to America. His books include many different Japanese anglers. Mr Yamamoto is the father of modern tenkara yet there is very little reference to him in Japan or from the Japanese people that want to spread tenkara to the world.
ReplyDelete