Patrick's First Tenkara Trout

[Sawtooth]

elmbow,

The perfect suitability for backcountry mountain stream fly fishing, THAT'S what first attracted me to tenkara. I can credit Ryan Jordan for it when he came out with his joint venture, the BackpackingLight/Tenkara USA Hane rod, my first tenkara rod. Several other extremely knowledgeable folks have had a big influence on my skills and learning since then. I'm writing a magazine article about that very subject as you're reading this. However, tenkara's attributes don't stop at small mountain stream fishing. I've successfully fished high lakes with a tenkara rod and techniques. The overall technique on high lakes is pretty much the same as it is with a western fly rod. You're casting to cruisers. I have chosen a longer 6:4 rod for high lakes, which will also double as my big river rod (think the Arkansas, or the river I dream of packrafting and fishing...the S. Fork Flathead River).

Yes, you can fish nymphs with a tenkara rod although it is a departure from traditional tenkara techniques. I've done it with weighted nymphs for browns in local creeks. It works great. Your ability to keep ALL of your line off the surface of the water, with only the tippet used, lends itself nicely to nymphing. The long rod/short line of tenkara is perfect for both drift-free dry fly fishing and nymphing...and everything in between, because you can keep your line off the water so easily. Think "no mending". It's pretty cool!

[elmbow]

They say on their webpage, "it's not dapping", but it sure looks a lot like dapping to me, at least some aspects of it, and I'm not sure why they seem to think that's a negative? I've always felt "dapping" was a superlative way to fish small mountain waters.
Almost makes me want to get a rod and line to try out on the few trout streams we have over here.

[KurtB]

Sawtooth, He did go with the Amago. Very good feel to it but betting they all feel pretty good. I may pop for a shorter one so we have options. Another great nugget of information we have gleaned from this site. Thanks for putting us on to them.

[Sawtooth]

Almost makes me want to get a rod and line to try out on the few trout streams we have over here.

Well elmbow, NOW YOU CAN! My friend, Jason Klass, has a program to help you and others out!

http://www.tenkaratalk.com/tenkara-demo-program/

Have fun!

[karlk]

Sawtooth,

Thank for the info. I am going to save my pennies and make the leap. I have been looking at Tenkara USA. Do you have any thoughts on the Iwana (11 or 12) vs. the Yamame?

I like the idea of having an all rounder type rod, but like western fly fishing gear, it doesn't work that way. I probably have 10 fly rods. LOL. This seems best suited for dry fly, tenkara fly styles in mountain streams. This is most likely where I would be using this rod: in N. Ga. small, rocky, freestone streams

Thank you

[mgutman]

Sawtooth - will you be bringing rods to the Rondy? Would love to see what it's all about.

[Sawtooth]

Yes, I will be bringing at least three tenkara rods to the rondy, along with traditional tenkara flies that I've tied, different lines, etc. If anyone is interested in doing so, we could always take a short drive over to a nearby creek for an hour or so.

[CreationBear]

"This seems best suited for dry fly, tenkara fly styles in mountain streams. This is most likely where I would be using this rod: in N. Ga. small, rocky, freestone streams"

Thought I'd chime in since I fish a bit north of you here in the Smokies--I think you'll find a Yamame to be way too stiff and heavy unless you're going for the pellet-pigs down in Helen, and I think the Amago would be a bit of overkill as wel on "creel" sized wild trout. Otherwise, any of the other TenkaraUSA rods would work well--the Iwanna's you mention, the Ebisiu, the Ayu, or even the Ito.

In this neck of the woods, I think that most people's first instinct is to go for the shortest rod available, and no doubt you could find some "rhododendron culverts" where the 11-foot Iwanna definitely would make a good choice, especially now since you can modify it into a 9-foot rod by swapping out the handle. That said, the whole point of a Tenkara rod is its length for the reasons Sawtooth as been explaining, so I think the best advice is to get the longest rod you can fish easily most of the time...for instance, I fish the 13-foot Ayu up here and really have to walk way up into the headwaters before I have any issues with its length.

In terms of the kind of fishing you do with it, it's a very versatile system, though since you are limited to at most 5X tippet, you might have trouble turning over big Wulff-style dries. For myself, I fish mostly soft-hackle flies in the film or in the first foot or so of the water column, just because they're so effective.

[mgutman]

Yes, I will be bringing at least three tenkara rods to the rondy, along with traditional tenkara flies that I've tied, different lines, etc. If anyone is interested in doing so, we could always take a short drive over to a nearby creek for an hour or so.

In! Let's do it. Will be a nice reprieve from the dust anyway.

[Sawtooth]

Sawtooth,

Thank for the info. I am going to save my pennies and make the leap. I have been looking at Tenkara USA. Do you have any thoughts on the Iwana (11 or 12) vs. the Yamame?

I like the idea of having an all rounder type rod, but like western fly fishing gear, it doesn't work that way. I probably have 10 fly rods. LOL. This seems best suited for dry fly, tenkara fly styles in mountain streams. This is most likely where I would be using this rod: in N. Ga. small, rocky, freestone streams

Thank you

CreationBear is right on with saying the Amago and Yamame would be too stiff. My Amago is my big river, big fish, and high lakes rod because of its spine. It is not my creek rod. My creek rod and the one I use for 75% of my fishing is my Iwana. I have both an 11' and 12' handle for it, which gives me some versatility. My short rods are my Hane and also a prototype rod that I'm testing from Daiwa...both 9'10" and 7:3 action. The advise given for using the longest rod possible is sound advice. It allows you to keep the most line out of the water possible. In a lot of situations on streams that means keeping all but the tippet off the water. Sometimes I let a plunge pool take a length of my line and tippet so I can go deep. Having as a long a rod as possible allows me to reach those plunge pools.