Tenkara Tuesday - FAIL

Okay...so I'm out of guest posts for Tenkara Tuesday.  There may be one or two left in the hopper, but those folks can write them at their own speed, no rush.  I had hoped some of the previous posts might have inspired others to want to play along, but alas, no real takers.  Oh well...not considering it a total FAIL yet...but we're getting there...

So you're stuck with my tenkara post for today...deal with it.

Anyway, I was thinking about how this whole tenkara thing has caught on in the past few years.  I went tenkara fishing for the first time in October 2009.  I even wrote a post about that first outing HERE.  Some people like it, some people hate it, but you can't deny that it's starting to move more and more out of the fringes by each passing month...just like another type of fishing...

See, since 2009 there's been a lot of growth, both organically & commercially.  I actually think it's kind of interesting to watch how things have developed.

There are forums dedicated to tenkara, like these HERE, HERE, & HERE.

There are fishing guides that take clients tenkara fishing, like these HERE & HERE.

Forget the PBR...pass the Sapporo!

There is more than one U.S. based tenkara equipment distributor.  You know about this one HERE, who deservedly gets the lion's share of the press, but what about these guys HERE, HERE, HERE, & HERE?

Plus, you've got people trying to make "tenkara" rods on the cheap, like this kid HERE.

There are books written in English about tenkara, like HERE, not to mention a self proclaimed Tenkara-Hobo HERE.

It has picked up some influential followers, like this guy HERE & this guy HERE.

I like my tenkara with a top hat and my pinky finger extended...bitches.

As well as as a film being made about it HERE.  Get your popcorn ready.

Don't even get me started on all of the almost tenkara-exclusive blogs, like HERE, HERE, HERE; while other blogs use it as satirical fodder like HERE.

Might need a bigger net

So in the end where is it headed?  I dunno.  Will it recede to the Far Eastern fly fishing margins once again?  Will it settle nicely into it's own niche, similar to bamboo or fiberglass fly rods?  Or will it go even more mainstream, perhaps with the help of a more "familiar" rod maker such as Sage or a large branded retailer like Cabela's?

Beats me, but it will be fun to follow along.

Just hey, all you tenkara newbies...do me a favor.  As you spread your love or hate or indifference towards tenkara, (especially when writing about it), just remember, it's "tenkara" with a lower-case "t," not "Tenkara" with an upper-case "T."  Upper-case Ts are more appropriately reserved for other things...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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.  Pretty please with sugar on top?