Chris/John:

Thanks for the input!!

In regards to Danville versus Uni, Uni is polyester while Danville is Nylon. As far as the water absorption of either material I don't know but 6/0 Uni is 135 denier while your 210 Flymaster Plus is 210 denier. So the Danville is heavier by this man's judgement. Your experiences with differences might have to do with the thread construction. Uni is a bonded thread while the Danville is not. Both are waxed but Danville SEEMS to have a heavier and stickier wax applied. POSSIBLY the Danville with loose filaments traps more air and with the extra wax it just floats better? How's that for over analyzing a problem? In any case the sinking of a furled leader isn't an issue with me because I grease mine and assumed I would grease a Tenkara line, yes/no?

I guess the freezing in air thing is what I was wondering about most but I guess for the cost of a few cigars I'll find out what works better in the cold.

The concept of no indicator because of the viability of a Tenkara line never dawned on me although believe it or not, I have had days where an indicator 6" or less above a beadhead did the trick. I guess I could theoretically fish a tippet that short but I don't know if that is a good idea. More experimentation is in order in this regard as well. It will give me something to do between sips from my flask this winter.

pszy22:

Thanks as well! Most of the places I fish in winter are pretty small and really only fish-able by wading. Bank cover can be prohibitive to doing anything but approaching potential fish lies directly from below and casting directly upstream lining the heck out of the fish. The good news is in my experience, they don't care much!

Because of these limitations I fish upstream with a single small beadhead nymph suspended under an indicator, cast directly upstream and allowed to float back dead drift like a dry fly. About 95% of the time I know for a fact my nymph is suspended in the water column well above the bottom like a worm under a bobber. I am happy to report that the fish don't seem to care much about that either. This technique has been deadly effective for me for years on really small streams, especially when dry flies just don't seem to work and it is almost as much fun as dries too! I figured I'd approach Tenkara the same way with the advantage of less drag in the tricky spots.

Besides, unlike some who question the need for a new rod, I'm always looking for excuses!

Ed:

Howdy neighbor!

I guess there are lots of ways and places to approach this but I'm thinking of doing it on certain small Class A & Natural Reproduction streams in our part of Penn's Woods that aren't TOO overgrown; like a certain small SR stream in a certain State Park north of us and some streams in my new backyard. All winter long I am poking around with a short line, a yarn indicator & nymphs. I am amazed at how many fish I catch this way and Tenkara seems like a great way to fish all of those tiny pockets I often skip because the fly line just drags the fly through them. A level line set up with a ring sounds like a great option if my fat fingers will allow me to tie one on the level line. Are you using a clinch knot?

Waxing the joints seems like simple solution to the potential for freezing. I'm not too worried about the freezing joints although why take chances. Having an extra few sections on hand seems like an idea made for "Mr. Every Eventuality" and your truck torture test has convinced me to not worry about the heat. My ever present UL spinning rod will soon have company in the dark confines of my trunk.

Maybe a few beers and/or lunch (at my expense) at the Brass Rail followed by a trip to a certain nearby city park (WITHOUT a fly shop) may offer near ideal water conditions to experiment on. PM me when you have some time.

Thanks again all!!!