LadyFisher has a Tenkara rod

This is the thread http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/s...the-crazy-idea!!

She likes dry flies.
For those of you who use these flies can you give them ideas?


Rick

How about educating the uninformed. Is there a difference in a Tenkara dry fly and a fly fishing dry fly? I have quite figured out the difference in Tenkara and an extend-o pole.

BTW, all of you guys involved are pretty nice bunch.

The style of flies used by tenkara fishermen in Japan do look quite a bit different from dry flies as tied here in the U.S. though our style of flies will work just fine on a tenkara rod. http://www.tenkarausa.com/index.php?cPath=24 shows some of the Japanese style flies. I have used everything from bluegill poppers to nymphs to micro jigs while fishing with a tenkara rod with good results. The only comment I'd like to add is the lighter the fly the better it will cast.

Most, though not all Japanese tenkara flies are wet flies, intended to be fished just a few inches under the surface. That said, you can certainly fish dries and can fish your favorite dry flies as long as they are not terribly wind resistant (Hewitt skaters are not recommended). I like Hans Weilenmann's CDC & Elk, although any of the Elk Hair Caddis variations will do beautifully. They float well, they are very aerodynamic so they cast easily with a light line, and the fish do seem to like them whether or not there is a hatch going on.

Experiment with the flies you have now. Most will do just fine.

I like beadhead nymphs. They get deep quicker in slow water. In fast water throw the (reversed hackle wet) fly above the pool and allow the water to take it deep. Purist will say you have to pick one fly pattern and size and just use it. (It is always more fun to be impure;))

I have always been a bit of a dry fly bigot, that's just the way I like to fish. Once I started fishing with a fixed-length line system, it just reinforced my bias.

I primarily fish a very simple fly, think an elk hair caddis, minus the elk hair. I like to tie mine with a low grade dry fly hackle. I want a wider, even slightly webby barb. That allows my fly to float, but not to well if I do want to fish the same fly damp.

I don't pretend to know the mindset of the Japanese masters, but speaking for myself, I find very little reason to fish more than a couple of patterns. The key advantage a fixed-length line system provides is the ability for much more precise, and varied styles of presentation. I will always change presentations multiple times before I decide it's time to tie on a new fly. Since I fish a very generic, nondescript fly pattern, I feel if I get the right presentation, I can convince the fish to give my fly a try. Using the flies I do, I can fish at least a couple of different presentations, even in the course of a single cast.

If you stop and think about it, there are at least a couple things that can convince a fish something is a bit of food. It can look like food, or act like food. Changing flies is an effort to find something that looks like food, changing presentation is an effort to make you fly look like food.

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Originally Posted by billhouk

Purist will say you have to pick one fly pattern and size and just use it. (It is always more fun to be impure;))

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No, they won't say you have to, they'll just say you can.

What's a Tenkara rod?


In jest!

You ask in jest, Bobbyg, but your question is a good one. For me, a tenkara rod is nothing more than a fishing pole that is long enough and limber enough that you can cast it by attaching a fishing line onto the skinny end of the pole and tying a fly onto the other end of the line. Traditionalists may have additional requirements that narrow the definition, but that is mine. I think of it as Pole Fishing with a Fly. Did I mention that playing around with one these rigs can be a helluva lot of fun?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bobbyg

What's a Tenkara rod?


In jest!

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To modify Paul's definition, a Tenkara rod is a long rod for casting a fly, with a light line tied to the rod tip, specifically designed for the small mountain streams in Tennesee and Arkansas. Not to be confused with Vacaro rods or Colowyo rods or New Mexicalizona rods, which are different critters entirely.

I warned you that traditionalists might want to narrow my basic definition. That CM_Stewart is a piece of work, isn't he? Especially when his tongue is nestled in his cheek. Nice work, Chris.