Fishin' Jimmy,

My thoughts are that you are going to love it. I've been fishing with a tenkara rod for over a year now and I cannot put into words how much the simplicity of the equipment and the fishing method appeals to me. I've got comments scattered across a half dozen forums now on tenkara fishing, but let me just say that the long rod and short line allow you to fish dries with minimal drag by keeping almost all the line off the water and you can guide wets and nymphs down current seams and around rocks in ways you just can't with a shorter rod and heavier line.

I would suggest a light tippet (I use 6x), and would keep the line plus tippet no more than a foot longer than the rod. One thing you'll find is that since you can't let a fish run, any fish larger than about 14" is going to really get the adrenaline pumping.

Because your casting distance is limited, you have to be stealthy, but you will be surprised at the number of fish you can catch close to you. I catch more fish with the tenkara rod than I did on my fly rod, and I think the improved presentation more than offsets the lack of casting distance.

Which rod did you get? I have two of his rods now (Ebisu 5:5 and Yamame 6:4). I really like the Ebisu and I just got the Yamame this week so I haven't even fished it yet but I'm as excited as you are. Did I say you're going to love it? You're going to love it.


Ron,

Conceptually, a tenkara rod is just a modern loop rod. Tenkara fishing in Japan is probably as old as loop rod fishing in England. Instead of wooden rods they used bamboo, but their lines were also made of horsehair. I was initially drawn to loop rods, but couldn't find any information other than Dame Juliana's Treatysse, Isaac Walton's Complete Angler, David Webster's The Angler and the Loop Rod, and of course Martin's The Fly Fisher's Craft. No one fishes a loop rod anymore (other than Darrel Martin, I guess), but tenkara fishing is alive and well in Japan, and will soon be in the US, too. It has all the simplicity of a loop rod, but it weighs a fraction as much and fits in a backpack. You can't beat it with a stick.