The Frugal Tenkara Angler
I am a frugal tenkara angler, so is my 6 year old grandson, though he is not aware that he is!
You do not need to by a new Tenkara Fly Rod, just use the the fly rods you already have.
Do not install the reel to the fly rod, instead install a tapered leader or tapered furled leader to the the "Tip-Top" guide on the tip of the fly rod. If it is a 9 foot fly rod, use a 6 foot leader and a 3 foot tippet.
Casting upstream, and hold the rod angled so only a small segment of the tippet and fly are beneath the surface of the water.
As the fly travels down stream lift the tip of the fly rod so none of the leader of tippet is floating on the water surface.
As the fly passes your position, lower the tip of the fly rod.
When the leader is at it limits downstream, slowly raise the tip of the fly rod, to slowly retrieve the fly along the edge of the the stream bank you are on.
Do this three times, then move down stream about 10 meters and do it all over again.
~Parnelli
PS: Or you can sit on a dock on the edge of a pond or lake, casting to the sunfish, like my grandson and I do. Just lifting and lowering the tip of the rod to cause movement of the hackle in the soft hackle wet flies we are fishing with.
Chris - very nicely put !!
I thought about commenting along these lines in my response to dudley, but since I have never used a cane pole from over 25 years ago, I decided to avoid that kind of discussion.
Perhaps dudley will read this thread and your post and take the opportunity to reconsider whether his comparison has any validity at all, and whether it is now time for him to "move on" from conventional gear to Tenkara where that is a better tool for the kind of fishing he does.
John
Got to wonder about that tippet, Stan ...
... quoting from the "allfishingbuy" site:
"This clear Tippet Material system has a non-reflective finish that makes it nearly invisible under most light and water conditions. Clear is a good choice for all situations such as surface steelhead or saltwater flats fishing. It features many advantages in this class, high strength to diameter ratio, low coil memory, good knot strength and reliability. Coated for abrasion resistance, a great tippet available in 5X, 6X or 7X diameters. Tippet is the thinnest section of Tenkara line system and will need replacing frequently." (emphasis added )
John