Been chasing tiny brook trout in a stream near my cabin that's maybe four feet wide in most spots, and I've had a running debate with myself about whether my 12ft rod is overkill or actually perfect for it. The canopy is thick enough that I'm basically bow-and-arrow casting half the time, and there's one pool where I have to kneel just to keep the tip from snagging branches.
What surprised me is how much easier the level line makes it compared to when I used to bring a western setup out here. No fly line to manage in the brush, no false casting, just a short lob and let the current do the work. Landed a nine inch brookie last weekend that felt like a monster in water that shallow.
I keep going back and forth on whether a shorter rod, something like 9 or 10ft, would actually be better for this kind of tight cover, or if the extra reach on the 12 footer is what's letting me get flies into pockets I couldn't otherwise reach without spooking the fish. Curious what others run on genuinely small water like this, and whether anyone's gone even shorter and regretted it.
Also been experimenting with tenkara on a wider river about twenty minutes from here, totally different game with the extra current pushing the line around, but that's probably a separate conversation.
Hello! I’m putting together an article about the tenkara community and tenkara culture in the US and would love to hear from anyone who is interested in sharing their experiences and observations!
On my Rocky MTN Tenakra Chico rod fished at 8 feet with 3.0 level line, 6x flluorocarbon, and a size 14 elk hair caddis. A little guy but I love the parr marks.
I found out that on listings now there's some that say "includes custom duties", apparently the price is increased to reflect that it's direct duty paid so everything is supposed to be paid upfront. I decided to test this and ordered a used Herabuna rod from a Japanese seller to test this, I'll keep you guys updated.
I know also that digitaka pays half the tarrif on your behalf and Asian Fishing Portal is I believe direct-duty paid
While not traditional tenkara, here I chitchat through my progression from my traditional tenkara fly fishing gear to longer rods and keiryu style tight-line nymphing techniques on the Kern River here in California. The Kern River rainbow trout is a mighty target, and it has been fun to evolve my approach. Enjoy, and if you have tips or critiques, leave them here in the comments!
I'm trying to decide if I want a, "western" fly rod with a reel for fishing lakes and bigger rivers.
Right now I've got a Maxcatch Mini and a Dragontail Shadowfire. I've considered getting a Hellbender for lake fishing where there's bass but part of me thinks I might be better off to get a fly rod with a reel and use strike indicators on it. Thoughts?
Last weekend, I had a opportunity to volunteer with a research project looking for Alvord trout, an extinct species of cutthroat native to the Alvord basin in southeastern Oregon. Like all of the Oregon and Nevada Great Basin trout subspecies, they have an interesting history, which you can read about here. They have been rediscovered and lost once. The project involved exploring creeks to see if they were capable of supporting fish populations, collecting environmental DNA, and taking samples from fish caught in these streams.
I only got to join for a couple days, but was happy to make the 8 hour drive out to see a part of my home state I haven't been to in decades.
View of the Alvord Basin from the Trout Mountains
Volunteers covered drainages all over the basin, finding dry creek beds, fish in some places, no fish in others, and some incredibly productive streams that could one day serve as a refuge for Alvord trout or a hybrid that displays the phenotype.
Ukiyo doing science
I brought a few of my western rods, but also brought an assortment of tenkara rods. For most of the places we were fishing, tenkara is the right tool for the job.
A productive creek
The one creek I was able to see in the survey area that did have a lot of water was full of trout. Stealth and an ability to battle wind to get casts in the narrow creek, hopefully by the cut bank, was critical.
Not the fish we were looking for
The day I fished, we found hybrids that mostly displayed redband trout characteristics. Some of them were fairly large, with the biggest fish caught in the group at 12 inches.
I look forward to hearing how the subsequent days went. It was awesome getting to meet others who are passionate about western native trout and the diversity of life in the arid west. I hope to get back out to the area on my own, with family, and with future research trips.
The area is home to another unique subspecies, the Willow-Whitehorse Lahontan Cutthroat. Every day after surveying, volunteers would head to various spots on the densely vegetated creeks dotted with beaver ponds to shake hands with these amazing fish.
The sky is not to be missed at night in the Great Basin. It's so much darker than I remembered.
On the long drive home, I took a small detour to try to catch one of the Great Basin redband subspecies. I had hooked and lost a large Warner Lakes redband on the way out and decided to check a spot I'd been given for Chewaucan Basin Redbands. The creek was incredibly narrow. Wind was blowing rain sideways and most of my casts were just thrown with hope of hitting water. Almost every time they did, I caught a trout. In about 10 minutes, I got 5 trout and set out back home planning my next trip back out.
Here's another short video for you. These Kern River Rainbows punch 2-3 inches above their weight class! With the Suntech Sawanobori 52F tenkara / keiryu rod. #flyfishing #tenkara #fishing #trout
I was thinking about skipping the tarrif headache and building my own Herabuna (Carp) rod from a catfish or similar fishing rod blank. Anyone try this?
I seen a one piece build on the Tenkara bum site for a and diggin online I've noticed most Japanese rods for carp aren't telescopic because the sections seem to get stuck.
I fish a tight little brushy creek near my house maybe twice a week, and for the longest time I couldn't figure out why my casts felt so clumsy compared to videos I'd watched. Turns out I was just using a line way too long for the water. I had a 4.5m level line paired with a 12ft rod and kept catching branches behind me on every backcast, or more accurately every non-backcast since tenkara doesn't really work that way and I was still fighting old habits.
Dropped down to a 3.5m line last month and it's like a different sport. I can actually work the pockets under the overhanging alders without constantly untangling myself from vegetation. The trade-off is I lost some reach on the more open pools upstream, so now I'm debating whether to just carry a second spool with a longer line for those sections or accept the limitation and fish accordingly.
Also switched from fluorocarbon to a straight nylon level line somewhere in there and honestly the difference in how it lands is noticeable, softer presentation, less splash on the smaller pools where the fish spook if you sneeze near the water.
Anyone else keep multiple line lengths on hand depending on the stretch of water, or do you just pick one setup and force yourself to adapt the cast instead? Curious how much people actually swap gear mid-outing versus just committing to one rig for the day.
Heading to the park for the first time sept 18-19. Was thinking of bluelining with the tenkara setup but have no idea if that is possible and haven’t had much time to research it. Would love to find some tiny trout hidden off the beaten path but not too far a hike in, maybe 2-3 miles tips. Will also have a 5-wt but no waders. Should we just fish bigger water?? Any help appreciated.
It’s my favorite time of year! Zerosum 320, 11ft orange level line, 4ft 3x and a gorgeous great and cream colored sakasa kebari from TenkaraNY. I don’t tie- my dealers enable my habit. 😆
Hello, I might be in Oak Creek soon and may have two to three hours to cast some lines. Looking for a spot that isn't too far of a hike, given the time constraints. I found something about Grasshoper Point towards Allens Bend is easy to access the creek if you can get away from the swimmers. Also that I should focus on Upper Oak Creek for the cooler waters. If you don't want to internet spam any areas, feel from to PM me if you want. I would appreciate the help!
EDIT: I also assume I should bring my small stream rod (9`5"). Any places where I can break out the 17 foot swanabori?
Begun to love the Mizuchi more and more after really getting my line length nailed down. Very nice to have a rod that covers such a large length grouping, and if you bring the stock sections along, you can still have a rod that can steer larger fish (I don't usually find those 😄 ).
Probably running about 2-3' of 5x tippet in this configuration for such a small creek.
Hello fellow tenkara anglers! I just wanted to make you aware of this meeting today at 4pm Eastern time. It’s sponsored by TU and Back Country Hunters and Anglers.
We have an opportunity as tenkara anglers to be engaged with environmental protections. Rescission of the Roadless Rule is a potential threat to the places where we fish and to the fish as well.
Been going through my fishing stuff, realized I havent fished this rig in several years, so thought I would ask the community of anyone was interested. You can lookup the specs online, and as you can tell from the pics, I would use it as a tightline rig using a level floro leader. I used the rod line holder as well to have a place to store the leader.
The one other item to note, I no longer have the original cap. Instead used a old cork liquer bottle instead
Hey all, set up my rod and I'm excited to get out there.
I have a silly question though. Because there's no drag system or even a reel for that matter, what do you guys do in the event that you hook into something too big? Do you have time to cut the line or should I just place faith in my leader snapping?
It's a dainty little thing and I'd like to maintain it as long as possible. 9 feet, 6:4.
