Tenkara Fishing, really?

[kengore]

I think I will eventually figure out how to deal with big fish on the tenkara. I only started tenkara in October of this year and have less than 2 month of experience. I tend to get over exited with the big fish and start reaching for the reel handle out of instinct. The net helps. The upside is I keep finding big fish to practice on, the added stealth has not only increased my catch rate but brought up some of the wary big ones.

I have been experimenting with different rods (I now own 3 of them, long story) and different lines of various lengths, taper and material. My favorite right now is a home made 3 strand tapered furl leader with a spar varnish finish, 12' long with an add on 10' butt extender for some bigger water. I started making furled and braided leaders about 10 years ago and can use the same equipment to make tenkara lines.

While I am intrigued by the Eastern simplicity of the system my Western mind set means I leave the reel at home but take 10 fly boxes and 4 types of line, just in case!
The 'one fly' concept will be very hard to adapt. As an avid tier I don't feel prepared without a gazillion bugs in my vest.

[CM_Stewart]

The 'one fly' concept will be very hard to adapt. As an avid tier I don't feel prepared without a gazillion bugs in my vest.

Then don't worry about it. I think it's mostly marketing hype because it sounds exotic. Sure, there are some tenkara experts in Japan who use only one fly (in different sizes and colors) and one in particular who uses only one color in only one size, but that is the exception, not the rule. Do what you enjoy.