Tenkara in Below Freezing Temperatures?

[cycler68]

Do any of you use your tenkara rods when it is below freezing? I'd also like to know if you've ever had a joint freeze and what you did to solve the problem. Also is there any way to prevent the problem?

[CM_Stewart]

I don't but I know a number of people have. Most do not report any joint freezing. One guy who did reported that he put the frozen joint in his mouth and that thawed it enough to collapse the rod. I suspect that one of the hand warmer packets that you might want to have anyway would probably work better. I don't think it is a big enough problem, and any of the things you could do to try to prevent it might have even worse unintended consequences, so I would just carry a hand warmer packet and not worry about it.

[narcodog]

I have used my Tenkara in freezing weather many times, in snow and rain and have yet had the sections freeze together. I am careful not to dunk he rod in such weather.

[Stan Wright]

Freezing Weather??? What dat?
Aloha,
Stan
LOL LOL LOL
Sorry, the devil made me do it!

[goneflyfishing]

I did last year, but fishing was very slow. Traditional tenkara techniques are not as effective, so dead-drifting midges (if necessary with a mini strike indicator) might be the name of the game. Haven't had any issues with freezing sections but would agree that you probably shouldn't dunk the rod. Line of choice would be level or a hand-tied line, not a furled line that can absorb water (and freeze).

[narcodog]

I have found that nymph fishing in the winter is the best. The fly can be worked much better at the depths that the fish are in. Some weight had to be used but it was very effective. It also out fished all three of my fishing partners on every outing. For the most part I have put my western rods away for the winter.

[Paul Arnold]

You might wear surgical gloves (the kind you buy by the box at a pharmacy) under your fingerless gloves. You'll know how warm they are keeping your fingers when you discover how cold one of your fingers is from having snagged the tip of its glove. I don't know if the effectiveness of those flimsy little gloves is protection from wind, water, or both -- but they sure work, and it takes only about two flies to get used to tying knots with them.

[CM_Stewart]

I'm a bit late with this report, but I was able to test Paul's suggestion of surgical gloves worn under fingerless wool gloves and also using a small tungsten bead on a size 18 fly (killer bug). Both worked very nicely. The rubber gloves did keep my hands dry and sufficiently protected from the brisk early January breeze (although it wasn't below freezing). The very small 5/64" tungsten bead did not cause casting to turn into a chuck and duck.

The stream was pretty small and not very deep, but the fish were holding in the slower, deeper pools. Having at least a little weight helped, I think, as there were not always places where I could cast far enough above the expected lie to allow an unweighted fly to sink to the right depth. Also, the new 9' 3" Tenkara USA Iwana I was using, with a similarly short line, does not allow for casts to be any longer than absolutely necessary.



I think adding a little weight, particularly for wintertime fishing, is one area where American tenkara will diverge from it's Japanese roots. I want to add as little weight as possible, though, because I really don't want to lose the effortless fluidity of the casting. I think tankara anglers can take a tip from French nymphers and use small, dense, thin flies that sink quickly without requiring a lot of added weight.