Tenkara

[Bamboozle]

I have a couple of questions for the experienced crowd. Sorry for the long winded hijack and some questions that may have been answered elsewhere or be better suited to the manufacturer but I figured this was a good place to start. First the usual background drivel:

I have been on the Tenkara fence for a while after playing around with Heritage Trout's rod on a cold winter day last year. The whole concept is cool! I was thinking that it could be an ideal way for me to fish when its REALLY cold at my winter haunts which are small rocky streams.

When I fish these streams I normally use a 5'0" - 6'6" rod and poke the pockets and pools with a single small beadhead nymph about 12" - 18" under a yarn indicator. While I always catch plenty of fish, the idea of keeping the line off the water has me intrigued as to whether it could increase my catch rates at the really small pockets that can be problematic with conventional tackle. I am also excited about the concept of NO iced up guides!

I have pretty much decided that the 11' Iwana will work best where I have the room so now come the questions that swirl around in my head:

• Will the Iwana like a SINGLE size 18 -14 beadhead and a short piece of plain yarn? If beads and Tenkara don't mix I can easily work around the metal bead issue with a glass or plastic bead or some other flash option. While I feel that the beadhead is effective for me in the winter, I'm sure I can catch fish without it because at most places the depth of the water is 2 feet or less and the fish aren't as picky as I am.

• I have never been a fan of mono furled leaders because of the bird's nest I get when a snag suddenly becomes freed. I know I will get snags where I fish so I wondered if the Tenkara lines are any different in this respect. I have NO problems with thread furled leaders BTW.

• Despite my aversion to mono furled leaders do you think that furled mono would be prone to less freezing than thread remembering that I plan to use this rig when it is COLD. Would plain level mono be the best choice for those sub freezing days?

• If and when I try a furled option I have a feeling that a 7 foot furled line/leader with a couple of feet of 5X plus the 11 foot rod should do me fine until I discover it wont. Would some of my favorite Jack Hise 7 foot leaders fit the bill or is a tweak to the tackle in order like possibly a 10 foot line/leader or a heavier leader?

• Has anybody tried Tenkara when it's below freezing? Beside the normal dos & don'ts is there anything else I should consider in the cold?

Besides this specific winter application I am excited at the thought of an Iwana living permanently in my car for those days when I'm traveling minus the regular fishing kit. I frequently encounter places where ten minutes and a well placed fly in a short run might result in a couple of fish but because I supposed to be doing something else like working, I have no waders or a lot of time. I envision a Tenkara rig as PERFECT for these and other bank fishing opportunities which raises another question:

• Keeping the extremely fine Tenkara rod tip in mind, should I be concerned with keeping a rod in the trunk during the summer months? I realize it is graphite or a graphite composite but I guess anything is possible.

Thanks in advance to any advice, encouragement or discouragement you can provide! Now all I have to do is decide when to pull the trigger.