I believe the year was 1949 when with the help of my dad I discovered Tenkara fishing. Really. I had a nice, thin bamboo pole, a long piece of string (level line) with a hook tied on the end with an impaled “wormfly”. Little did I know that 67 years later major fishing manufactures would validate my little country-boy outfit, modernize it, and with a bunch of accessories sell it for around $250.00. Add to that, guides who specialize in Tenkara fishing, and you can see where all of this is going. I am all for simplicity and glad that some of my fellow fishermen enjoy it by getting back to basics; and of course those ancient villagers who had very limited resources had to make due with what was around them in order to fish. But to be true and honor what the tradition of Tenkara really is, shouldn’t it be practiced in its most purest form? To me that means how you do it and what you do you do it with. Modern equipment, telescoping rods, 5X tippets and fluorocarbon lines seem to be getting away from what those ancients really had to use. I don’t have my original bamboo outfit up in the attic somewhere. And if I did, I surely wouldn’t use it as it took me way too long to to save up from my paper route and get one of those newfangled fly fishing outfits from the Sears & Roebuck catalog.
I’m sorry, is there a point to this?
Indeed, riverdep, you arrived early at the tenkara party. 1949. I’m curious as to what flies you used with your thin o bamboo pole and piece of string. But, aw, c’mon. There is no need to mock something that others enjoy. How’s about a little live and let live? ~Paul
Down South, many people still use cane poles for fishing, albeit most of the time with a bobber and bait. I also know that the Native Americans employed a similar method of using a long thin branch with twine of some sort tied to the end of it, with a hook tied with a bunch of feathers dabbled along weed and brush lines for LM bass. I believe that Tenkara fishing as we know it, originated in Japan over 200 years ago. My two points are, 1. There are not a lot of actual “new” ideas as much as old ones reinvented. -and- 2 People can enjoy this type of fishing anyway they want to. If you prefer the way you learned it from your dad come on down South, you’ll have plenty of company. Just bring along your five-gallon bucket to sit on and keep your fish and enjoy the company.
Jim Smith
I never got the point of tenkara, seems like having a reel just make sense, to each there own
The REEL problem (pun intended) is that good, straight, thin, flexible sticks are rather hard to find these days. :rolleyes: Especially so for city folk. So we buy 'em. ;o) We pay good money, because somebody had to research and manufacture a good product for us to enjoy.
I don’t currently own a Tenkara Rod, but I’ve certainly had fun many times fishing the same way Tenkara rods are used. I can appreciate the allure.
Italians used tenkara style rods in mountainous regions too. They were market fisherman. That also goes back a couple of hundred years (who knows, maybe more). Adios Philip
So did the British, the Germans, the French, the Spaniards… basically, anywhere anyone fished before reels were invented, and perhaps more importantly, before knotless fishing lines that would slide through rod guides were invented.
Strange that the original post didn’t suggest that fly fishermen should honor the tradition of fly fishing by going back to greenheart rods and gut leaders. Same difference.
What most people who have not tried tenkara do not grasp is that the long rod and light line allow you to keep your line off the water’s surface, so you get much less drag and you never “line” a fish. You really will catch more fish. For smaller streams, where you don’t cast to your backing, and where fish don’t run to your backing, not only do you not need backing, you don’t need the reel to hold the backing you aren’t going to use.
Fortunately, we don’t get as many ridiculing posts as we used to, but there will always be people who put down things for which they are unable to see the benefits. Maybe they don’t fish moving water. If they do, it’s their loss.
Also it is good to use when there is no room to back cast.
The voice of experience.
Rick
cm Stewart, is it just the benefit of the longer rod? I wonder why they don’t make regular fly rods long too, it seems like most don’t go beyond 9ft
What do you do with your line when hiking in back country mountain streams?
Collapse the rod and wind the line around a spool that slips over the rod. It’s actually much easier to carry a tenkara rod along mountain streams and in thick brush then it is to is a rod with a reel and guides. Another advantage.
I will add that 10 foot (non-tenkara) rods are fairly common, and 11 footers are available. They’re popular with Euro-nymphers, and I like them for upstream wet fly fishing. I seldom fish tenkara, but I can see the advantages for some streams.
“What most people who have not tried tenkara do not grasp is that the long rod and light line allow you to keep your line off the water’s surface, so you get much less drag and you never “line” a fish. You really will catch more fish. For smaller streams, where you don’t cast to your backing, and where fish don’t run to your backing, not only do you not need backing, you don’t need the reel to hold the backing you aren’t going to use.”
Can you please explain how you keep a 20 foot line and 6-7 feet if tippet of the water with a 12 foot rod? I know you guys use long line bcause I have made a ton of them for the Tenkara guys. I am not bad mouthing the style. I have a Tenkara rod and have tried it several times. Just not my cup of tea.
Brad
My interest is peaked, I kind of like the idea of a telescoping rod for packing in my back pack for hiking. Not sure I would use it a ton but like the idea of being able to easily take a fly rod anywhere with me… kaboom what outfit did you get? Let me now if your interested in maybe getting rid of it for a few bucks
Kaboom. Length of line is about the same as rod. Most of the leader is underwater, so very easy to keep line off water. My experience is very good for hooking fish, but tougher than western in fighting and landing larger fish and in fast water. Easy to pack. All in all an enjoyable way to fish. Oh yeah,. Have to be careful as top sections can be vulnerable to breakage, at least for this clumsy fella.
It is really a combination of the long rod and the light line. With a long rod and a heavy line, the line would still hang straight down from the rod tip. With a short rod and light line, you couldn’t keep much line off the surface (still OK for very small streams). Rod companies are starting to make long rods for European Nymphing, but they are still mostly just 10 or 11 feet. The most common length for a tenkara rod is probably 12 feet and many are 14 feet.
I am telling you that I have made 20 foot Tenkara lines more than once. 15 foot lines are the normal thing that I sell at the shows. Unless common core has changed things, 15 plus 5 equals 20. With a 12 foot rod, it is impossible to keep all the line off the water.
Once had a fella ask for a 30 foot line and I told him to buy a 1 wt dt line and cut it in half. He would like it better.
Brad
I don’t doubt you. There are a lot of tenkara anglers who want to cast a long line. I think casting a long line eliminates the primary benefit tenkara offers (keeping your line off the water), but some guys value the portability or simplicity and don’t care about the better presentations.
Thank you C M for the response. Fairly typical for some folks to take a simple concept and turn it into something it isn’t. Happens all the time.
Brad
Too true, Kaboom. And I think fly fishermen especially have a hard time leaving simple things simple. My vest is proof.
I mostly use a rod length line for small stream Tenkara, but I often carry a longer line and use it for fishing lakes. I don’t need to hold the line off the water in lakes, and the extra length helps. An extra Tenkara line weighs nothing and costs little. It’s handy when I’m hiking into a high country lake and fish creeks along the way.
Actually, you can hold more than a rod length out of the water, even on an upstream cast. The line must be light, and you need some type of “anchor”. A sunken fly and some tippet in the water provides enough resistance which allows you to hold some extra line up. This is somewhat like Euro nymphing where you lead the fly downstream with your line at an angle to the water. With a light fly, you can’t do this very long, so the Tenkara gurus often use very short drifts.
Slow runs or low water with spooky fish are another good spot for long lines. Although you can’t hold much line off the water, light Tenkara lines fall very gently to the surface for a stealthy presentation. An alternative to a 3 weight western with a very long leader.
No doubt some use a longer than rod length line as Mr. KaBoom, etal have indicated for various situations. For me, a rod length for smaller streams has worked best for me plus that was the way I was shown by very experienced trout guides at the local shop. Didn’t seem to foul nearly as much either as when using a longer length of level line. At least for me. Now that I’ve relocated to the panhandle of FL, I will no doubt try some longer lengths for bream. Will help me fit in with the cane polers as well as the collapsible bream poles used around here. Not sure if I will find a use in the salt for it though.