If you have been fly fishing for as long as I have, you start to feel like you know it all, and have seen it all. I will be the first to admit that it's easy to occasionally border on arrogance.
The world of fly fishing is not immune from this type of thinking. Western fly fishing is an incredible sport, but little attention is paid to an even older form of fishing from the Land Of The Rising Sun. It's called Tenkara.
Even though it's new to most Western fly fisherman, Tenkara has been around for over 200 years. It was created in the small mountain streams and brooks of Japan. If you've never given it a shot, you will be surprised at how something so simple can be so fun and challenging.
So what is it all about?
The word Tenkara can be translated as "from heaven," or, "from the sky."
Tenkara is practiced with very long rods, usually any where from 11 feet, to 13 feet long, and features a line attached to the end of the rod, and a fly attached to that.
You need a long rod when you aren't using a reel. That's right, no reel! Just a rod, a line, and a fly, and hopefully, some fish on the other end! If it sounds like cane pole fishing, that's because it is...with a twist.
While traditional Tenkara rods were carved from bamboo, and some still are, rods are also available in more modern materials as well. Graphite is a very popular choice these days. If not made from bamboo, the rods are usually telescoping, and will collapse into a very small, very portable package. This fantastic portability means hikers and backpackers should give serious consideration to a Tenkara rod when heading off for their next adventure.
At first thought, casting a fly with nothing more than a line and a rod may seem like child's play, the truth is much different. Just whipping it out there is not enough! Tenkara has it's own set of special casting techniques to help present a fly with expert care. It is necessary to learn these to get the flies where you want them.
On top of learning new casting techniques, there are special techniques for fighting fish as well. You can't just lift every fish up out of the water.
Sure it all seems so simple and basic, but the techniques and simplicity of Tenkara present so many special challenges. As simple as it sounds, you will never get bored constantly learning and practicing.
The world of fly fishing is not immune from this type of thinking. Western fly fishing is an incredible sport, but little attention is paid to an even older form of fishing from the Land Of The Rising Sun. It's called Tenkara.
Even though it's new to most Western fly fisherman, Tenkara has been around for over 200 years. It was created in the small mountain streams and brooks of Japan. If you've never given it a shot, you will be surprised at how something so simple can be so fun and challenging.
So what is it all about?
The word Tenkara can be translated as "from heaven," or, "from the sky."
Tenkara is practiced with very long rods, usually any where from 11 feet, to 13 feet long, and features a line attached to the end of the rod, and a fly attached to that.
You need a long rod when you aren't using a reel. That's right, no reel! Just a rod, a line, and a fly, and hopefully, some fish on the other end! If it sounds like cane pole fishing, that's because it is...with a twist.
While traditional Tenkara rods were carved from bamboo, and some still are, rods are also available in more modern materials as well. Graphite is a very popular choice these days. If not made from bamboo, the rods are usually telescoping, and will collapse into a very small, very portable package. This fantastic portability means hikers and backpackers should give serious consideration to a Tenkara rod when heading off for their next adventure.
At first thought, casting a fly with nothing more than a line and a rod may seem like child's play, the truth is much different. Just whipping it out there is not enough! Tenkara has it's own set of special casting techniques to help present a fly with expert care. It is necessary to learn these to get the flies where you want them.
On top of learning new casting techniques, there are special techniques for fighting fish as well. You can't just lift every fish up out of the water.
Sure it all seems so simple and basic, but the techniques and simplicity of Tenkara present so many special challenges. As simple as it sounds, you will never get bored constantly learning and practicing.
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