My enthusiasm

[Ray Kunz]

I've been following the many posts on this thread and have built up some real interest but I see one disturbing issue. In all the video clips demonstrating actual fishing and catching trout the fish are miniscule. I would be ashamed to admit I bought a complete new outfit with these expected results. Now, before I get burried with flak let me describe what I'm looking for. I will not be backpacking into remote areas for native brookies at my age. I'll be fishing small local, near urban, streams that are safer for me to navigate and have close canopies of trees where standard fly casting is a real problem.
The stocked trout, Rainbows, Browns and a few Tigers are in the 9 to 13 inch range with a rare one over that. Should I forget the idea?

[pszy22]

Ray,

The fish you catch are right in the sweet spot for fixed-length-line systems. There are a couple of nice fish pics on Chris' site -

http://www.tenkarabum.com/stone-fly-360.html

[dudley]

Do you really need to start new just because it's the latest fad ?
I know I don't

[Ron Eagle Elk]

I refuse to limit my enjoyment of fly fishing in any of it's many forms. Fishing the long rod with light line goes way back in the history of Japanese, European, and American angling. If you want to try out the historical aspect of fly fishing, with modern materials, go for it. I know I am. An Iwana on order.

REE

[JohnScott]

... overhead of and relatively low to the water ??

If they are, Tenkara may not be a good approach to fishing those streams, unless you want to use a bow and arrow cast, as suggested by pszy22 and CM Stewart in their posts on previous threads, or a modified roll cast as described in one of my posts, IF there is even room for that kind of cast where you are planning to fish.

As to the size of the fish you've seen in video clips, maybe you want to take another look at some of the stills I posted in my original thread. Some of the places I've used, and plan to use, my Tenkara rods hold a good proportion of trouts over 14" up to about 18" with a rare one bigger than that. The fish you are targetting fall within a size range that can be fished and landed effectively with a Tenkara set up.

As to this being a "fad" as suggested by Dudley, I think he may be missing the point. If you find an approach that lets you expand both your fishing effectiveness in some settings and enjoy your time on the water more by using that approach where it makes more sense than using conventional fly fishing equipment, and plan to do it for a long time, it would hardly be considered a fad by most people. Some maybe, but not most.

John

[dudley]

.
As to this being a "fad" as suggested by Dudley, I think he may be missing the point. If you find an approach that lets you expand both your fishing effectiveness in some settings and enjoy your time on the water more by using that approach where it makes more sense than using conventional fly fishing equipment, and plan to do it for a long time, it would hardly be considered a fad by most people. Some maybe, but not most.

John

26-28 years ago I bought myself one of those cane poles that they sell at bait shops for 2 or 3 bucks.
I had a blast that summer swinging flies on a short line. While I had never heard of tenkara, I was very much aware that this kind of fishing was very similar to what was practiced since the days of Walton and until the advent of the modern cane rod in mid 19th century.
I had my fun for a season or two and then moved on. I'd do it again, but I'm not compelled just because there's better (and more expensive) gear available
Don't kid yourself that I've "missed the point" Been there, done that.