Anyone try Tenkara?

[Hookmanski]

Hey all! I wanted to get into some fly fishing because I've never done it before, but currently I don't have the time to learn all that goes into it. I stumbled upon tenkara randomly last night and it seems like a fun way to give fly fishing a shot without breaking the bank or spending hours learning the ins and outs of a fly rod.

Has anyone ever given tenkara a shot? I'd love to hear some stories. And if so, what's a good, cheap rod to start with? Any replies are much appreciated.

Tight lines!

[jaybird]

I know Patagonia sells afordable tenkara kits .Its not my thing but i know its an effective was to present flies on small creeks and streams . Im sure its ideal for picking the pockets on small wild trout streams like Spruce Run Creek , or even bigger water like Ken Lockwood Gorge .Tenkara has a huge following im sure and internet search would be an over whelming amount of info

[thmyorke1]

From my beginner experience, you can really just use any rod. I have a spincasting rod attached to an old pflueger medalist reel since id rather carry around a lil rod than this 8 wt.

Maybe it's a good idea to buy a good reel and fly line then see if you want a dedicated fly rod later.

[Hookmanski]

From my beginner experience, you can really just use any rod. I have a spincasting rod attached to an old pflueger medalist reel since id rather carry around a lil rod than this 8 wt.

Maybe it's a good idea to buy a good reel and fly line then see if you want a dedicated fly rod later.

I'm actually talking about the tenkara technique, which is an old Japanese style of fishing where you don't use a reel at all! I had never heard of it before last night but it seems like it would be right up my ally, perfect for the spruce run creek (aka my backyard) too like the guy above said! It's totally different and really interesting so I'm heavily considering giving it a try, just wanted to see if anyone else had given it a try too.

[Eskimo]

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Tenkara is Japanese for "new method to separate fisherman from money". :D

It looks like a cross between long-pole fishing and flyfishing. I guess it's a minimalist way to fly fish, without the reel and the fancy casting methods.

I've watched a few videos on it on Youtube.
Here is a video about Tenkara: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N40BOFYKR38


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[thmyorke1]

Sorry I just assumed it was a kind of brand for fly fishing rods when I gave it a quick search online.

You can do anything in Tenkara that you do in normal fly fishing it seems. When I fly fish some ponds/creeks I sometimes wont even touch my reel for a while if the spot is right, basically going Tenkara.

Similar to nymphing I think, look up a video and you'll see they're basically doing the same thing with a normal fly outfit; flicking the fly upstream and letting it go down, guiding it with the rod tip. Not really touching the reel at all.

So I dont see how it'll be any different. You'll just be fly fishing but without the abilities that reels provide (drag, line storage, and feeding line out for casting)

[Hookmanski]

Sorry I just assumed it was a kind of brand for fly fishing rods when I gave it a quick search online.

You can do anything in Tenkara that you do in normal fly fishing it seems. When I fly fish some ponds/creeks I sometimes wont even touch my reel for a while if the spot is right, basically going Tenkara.

Similar to nymphing I think, look up a video and you'll see they're basically doing the same thing with a normal fly outfit; flicking the fly upstream and letting it go down, guiding it with the rod tip. Not really touching the reel at all.

So I dont see how it'll be any different. You'll just be fly fishing but without the abilities that reels provide (drag, line storage, and feeding line out for casting)

Its all good bro! The main difference I see is the fact that I don't have to spend a bunch of time learning how to cast correctly. Seeing as i dont have a lot of free time, just tying a short section of line on with some tippet and a fly seems much easier.

In addition, when I do eventually make the jump to regular fly fishing I am going to want to pick up equipment that will last me a long time, which is pretty expensive. I actually just picked up everything I need to try Tenkara (including a rod) for under 50 dollars, that way even if I don't enjoy it I don't feel bad about dropping a boatload of cash on it.

I also really like the minimalist style of fishing Tenkara offers. While having a reel and all is very efficient, connecting with a trout in this style of fishing seems so organic and fun.

[thmyorke1]

The main difference I see is the fact that I don't have to spend a bunch of time learning how to cast correctly.

You shouldnt think you wont get casting down quickly, if I can do it you can too.

I understand it's mostly just about going minimal however. For a place like that SR creek you wont be needing a reel. Yet there have been times in similar creeks that a cast helped me hit a spot without having to get too close to it.

[Goin Fishin]

Don't be intimidated by fly fishing. A lot of people think it is much more difficult than it really is. The only time you really need to learn to "fly cast" if when you are fishing dry flies. The vast majority of the time you will be nymphing which mostly requires simple roll casts. It is a great sport, easy to learn, and very effective. Join a Trout Unlimited chapter. The members are always willing to provide ideas, instruction, etc.

[Hookmanski]

Don't be intimidated by fly fishing. A lot of people think it is much more difficult than it really is. The only time you really need to learn to "fly cast" if when you are fishing dry flies. The vast majority of the time you will be nymphing which mostly requires simple roll casts. It is a great sport, easy to learn, and very effective. Join a Trout Unlimited chapter. The members are always willing to provide ideas, instruction, etc.

I'm definitely going to try it down the road! I always loved driving over the Raritan and looking down at all the fly anglers. I just thought Tenkara might be an easy way to transition: get some knowledge about flies and how to place them in the water column, learn some new knots, etc. Fly fishing is definitely going to be in my future, and I think Tenkara will only solidify that!

[Riz]

I never tried it. I mostly bass fish but the times ive been down in the keys and central America, fishing for bonefish especially, fly fishing is a great skill to master. im no expert at fly fishing but any form of new "angling" is worth learning in my opinion. I say go for it

[Hookmanski]

I never tried it. I mostly bass fish but the times ive been down in the keys and central America, fishing for bonefish especially, fly fishing is a great skill to master. im no expert at fly fishing but any form of new "angling" is worth learning in my opinion. I say go for it

Oh I'm going for it! My first extremely cheap-o tenkara rod comes in the mail tomorrow :D:D:D

[Riz]

that's awesome brother, congrats on the purchase :) looks like the next few days weather wise will be beautiful to fish . catch one for me . I gotta work :D

[briansnat]

It looks a lot like the long pole method I've seen people using on back country Catskill creeks. The main advantage I see is the compact rod, which would be nice for backpacking. The disadvantage I think would be if you were to hook into a nice smallie or a breeder trout. I can't see just hauling one in on one of those rods. A reel, or at least the ability to hand strip line would be a necessity.
They would be fine for the cookie cutter stockies or wild trout on small backwater streams though.

But if you are truly interested in fly fishing, I would still recommend getting a standard fly outfit. No need to learn fancy casts at first. The roll cast is easy to learn. You can probably learn to do a functional roll cast with less than an hour of practice. I've been flyfishing for about 45 years and probably use 90 percent roll casts when I'm fishing NJ streams. And at least you have the option of trying more advanced casts when you have the time. Why keep putting that off if it is your eventual goal?

No need to spend a ton on a fly outfit at first. I used a very cheap beginner outfit bought at Two Guys for about the first 15 years or so and caught some pretty nice fish on it. I used it for bass bugging and trout. Then I "splurged" on a $100 LL Bean fly rod and have been using it ever since. It does the job well. The fish don't seem to care that my rod is 30 some years old and was inexpensive (as fly rods go). This year I upgraded my reels from the ancient, 40+ year old Pfleugers I was using (they were finally falling apart) and bought two very decent reels for LT $100. I've seen no need for a $600+ rod and reel outfit yet.

[Hookmanski]

It looks a lot like the long pole method I've seen people using on back country Catskill creeks. The main advantage I see is the compact rod, which would be nice for backpacking. The disadvantage I think would be if you were to hook into a nice smallie or a breeder trout. I can't see just hauling one in on one of those rods. A reel, or at least the ability to hand strip line would be a necessity.
They would be fine for the cookie cutter stockies or wild trout on small backwater streams though.

But if you are truly interested in fly fishing, I would still recommend getting a standard fly outfit. No need to learn fancy casts at first. The roll cast is easy to learn. You can probably learn to do a functional roll cast with less than an hour of practice. I've been flyfishing for about 45 years and probably use 90 percent roll casts when I'm fishing NJ streams. And at least you have the option of trying more advanced casts when you have the time. Why keep putting that off if it is your eventual goal?

No need to spend a ton on a fly outfit at first. I used a very cheap beginner outfit bought at Two Guys for about the first 15 years or so and caught some pretty nice fish on it. I used it for bass bugging and trout. Then I "splurged" on a $100 LL Bean fly rod and have been using it ever since. It does the job well. The fish don't seem to care that my rod is 30 some years old and was inexpensive (as fly rods go). This year I upgraded my reels from the ancient, 40+ year old Pfleugers I was using (they were finally falling apart) and bought two very decent reels for LT $100. I've seen no need for a $600+ rod and reel outfit yet.

My main reason for putting it off is that I can't really even afford a 100 dollar rod at this point. I'm working full time at my first job out of college, student loan, cellphone and car payments are taking their toll on my funds. I bought a tenkara style rod off of amazon for literally 7 dollars, so obviously I'm not expecting the rod to be that great but at least I can dip my toes in the water of fly fishing for under 40 dollars total when you include some flies, line, and tippet.

In addition, my hours working are pretty strange and I don't get a lot of time to fish, so have this rod packed into the pouch on the back of the drivers seat in my car might allow me to fish a little more often than normal. I received the rod last night (it is actually much nicer than I had thought, still nothing fancy though) and total setup time was under 10 minutes. It keeps things simple and quick for me, and my hope is that I'll love it so much that I'll start to save up for a proper outfit.

That being said, if anyone ever knows of a free fly fishing clinic or something similar, I'd be very interested in trying it out!

[Capt. Lou]

Funny u mention how much it cost to get into a traditional fly outfit . I bought a complete travel fly kit 7.6 # 4 Rod w/ reel, line leaders at fly show last season for my son in law for $65.00 !
He's new to sport as u r &'this Outfit by Shu- Fly Co. performed really well , good bang for the buck !
As for Tankara type fly fishing it's basically nothing more than dabbing or drifting a fly via the long rod that's is the apex of the outfit . It can be deadly in low water since ur can adjust ur drift with basically very little water line contact .
The motion like mentioned similar to nymphing but with more directed short floats whether it's a dry or nymph .
Works well in pocket water where depth of stream is moderate but water runs well .
There's a stealth approach required in slower water since ur cast is strictly limited by amount of line secured to rod .
Actually u can do virtually the same with a std fly outfit via euro nymphing technique where ur basically in many instances fishing a super long leader delivered from a longer rod , most like 10' plus rods in 3/4 weights for this fishery . Some fish the leader only with heavy butts to achieve flat turnover & garner more distance the length of the rod is important in this application .