Quote Originally Posted by dudley View Post
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.
... I suggested that you may be missing the point.

I suppose if I thought someone were going to get a Tenkara rod BECAUSE and ONLY BECAUSE it looked like there was suddenly a popular new thing to do, I would think that person were doing a "fad" type thing.

If someone is carefully weighing the possibilities, as Ray is, because there is an approach with which he had not been familiar, which approach may just suit what he wants to do, how he wants to spend his time on the water, I wouldn't think of his interest as pursuing a "fad."

In my own case, I had a vague awareness that this kind of equipment existed and knew that at least one Tenkara rod was available at a local shop. When I ran into a particular fishing situation where it dawned on me that a very long rod would offer some advantages over my conventional small stream rod, I decided to experiment with the longer rod. Beyond representing real advantages for some types of fishing, within its limitations, it brings a simplicity to fly angling that can not be matched with conventional gear.

The simplicity factor, the fun factor, and the opportunity to challenge myself to go beyond Tenkara's apparent limitations are what caused me to become enthusiatic about the equipment and to expand my use of it ( expensive or not, and that is a pretty subjective thing ) beyond what I originally perceived as its best use. I wouldn't discourage anyone from taking that trip, but I also wouldn't encourage anyone to try it when it was obvious that their best efforts and intentions would be doomed to failure.

John