Tenkara USA

Hi everyone!

First off I'm a beginner at fly fishing and I've only read about it and seen a few videos of it on youtube and it seems much more enjoyable than using a spinner or jig. So I'm contemplating if I should venture into this sport or not, I don't want to spend a lot of money and find tenkara with it's less is more attitude to be my ticket (I live by the KISS rule).
But is it something for a beginner? And does it suit my fishing streams which are between 25-90 feet wide and at most 9 feet deep? Or should I use the traditional western-style rod with the reel?

And lastly, which tenkara rod would be appropriate for perch fishing?

Thanks!
Chris,
Sweden

Hi Chris,

Welcome to the sport. And, nice fish. I'm the founder of the company, and hope others will weigh in, but here's my thinking on tenkara.

Tenkara is very simple, and yes, VERY suitable for beginners. A few people on this forum reported their non-fly-fishing partners picking up the technique more quickly than they did, probably because it's more intuitive.

What kind of stream do you fish mostly? (e.g. plunge pools, with big boulders and pools, or slower flat rivers?). Most rivers of the size you mention can be seen as several small streams if you can wade them. But even wider rivers don't necessarily hold fish on the other side, so tenkara can be well suited too. I find the sweet spot for tenkara streams to be 30ft if you can't wade them well. But, others will tell you something different. Did you see this video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11TH3i-CXdk

There are not that many limitations to tenkara, and they can be easily overcome by learning different techniques and getting used to it. You are on a fork in the road that you can choose to take up western-fly fishing, or Eastern fly-fishing, you can go either way. Personally I fell for tenkara after years of western fly-fishing for its simplicity, but also its effectiveness, I love carrying little gear and focusing on the fishing.

For the fish you mention, I'd say any of the rods except for the Iwana which may be too light for easier landing of these fish. Do you catch fish that are much larger? If you do, then I'd suggest the Yamame, otherwise the Ayu for its extra length.

I hope this helps.

Great video, hadn't seen it before, it should be on the tenkara video section.


What kind of stream do you fish mostly? (e.g. plunge pools, with big boulders and pools, or slower flat rivers?). Most rivers of the size you mention can be seen as several small streams if you can wade them

Mostly slower flat rivers or streams, can't really wade those ones as it gets deep pretty quick but I'm already scouting for more narrower and more shallow faster moving streams (the perfect tenkara water perhaps?)

There are not that many limitations to tenkara, and they can be easily overcome by learning different techniques and getting used to it.

Sounds great, but as a novice (and I think there might be a few novice fly fishermen reading this) I would appreciate if there was a "how to"-video on the different casting techniques and fishing techniques (flies, presentation, landing the fish etc) or if there was a tenkara instruction book. The intro video on tenkara was simply brilliant and got me hooked on the sport, now just "reel" (sorry ) me in with a continuation of that video.

Do you catch fish that are much larger? If you do, then I'd suggest the Yamame, otherwise the Ayu for its extra length.

I'm usually after perch (ranging between 1 and 2 pounds, though they can get as big as 6 pounds though this is very rare) and where there are perch there are usually large pike/esox close by (need a strong leader when they're around). But also rainbow and on occasion trout and grayling.

What would the maximum fish size be for the Yamame and Ayu rod?

Hi Chris,

We'll have more videos coming soon, and possibly instructions too. But, you'll find experimentation is much easier and will yield good results with tenkara. If you experiment too much with 60ft of fly line your line may not go anywhere and it can get messy, with tenkara, you have much more freedom to play around with it.

I'm already scouting for more narrower and more shallow faster moving streams (the perfect tenkara water perhaps?)

There are always choices to make. If you're fishing the big, slower rivers (30 - 90ft as you describe), I think you may be happier with a fly rod and reel to get a lot of line out, or fish the banks (where, by the way, there are usually lots of fish if you approach stealthily). However, you can always seek the best waters to do what you like doing. And, I know Sweden has those streams as I saw them when visiting. For myself I could fish some pretty large rivers about 2 hours away, but what I really like are small, faster moving streams and I drive an extra hour for those, that's just what I like.

About fish size, they can handle good size fish (see topics below), if you'll be pursuing or consistently catching the 2+lbs fish, I'd suggest the Yamame as it'll make it easier to handle them. Though not highly recommended for large fish as some of these, please see entries below:
http://www.tenkarausa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=81
http://www.tenkarausa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=96
http://www.tenkarausa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=86

Hi Chris

I used to live in northern Canada, and am familiar with the sort of fishing you're doing.

I'd recommend the Yamame, with a 4x leader, and a 20 lb. shock tippet for those pike, should they show up! The 20# shock tippet only needs to be 10-12 cm long, just enough to get protect the lighter leader from the sharp teeth of the pike. If you get a decent sized pike on, you'll have a real fight on your hands!!!

Off-hand, I'd guess that small streamers and larger nymph patterns would be ideal for the perch.

Best of luck!

Hey Grampa, 5X tippet, please The soft tips tend to protect thin tippet well even for larger fish, but you do want the tippet to be the weaker point.
Though our rods will handle stronger tippet, the breaking point has a lot to do with the arch in the rod and how sharply it is bending, until we get a better understanding of this, I'd suggest 5X all the way.
Thanks

Sorry, didn't write that as clearly as I can see it in my head, from my days in the Territories!

Yes, the tippet/leader coming from the main line would be no stronger than 5x. The heavy "shock" tippet need only be about 6" long, right in front of the fly. It's purpose is to protect the fragile 5x tippet from the pike's very sharp teeth. The 5x primary leader remains to protect the rod; the "shock" tippet protects the line from the teeth. Does that make sense?

If desired, I can draw and scan this set-up this afternoon.