Tenkara gear

[fkajwg]

I’ll srart this here

Here is my kit. I wanted a rod for hiking streams in the Sierra. This rod from Tenkarabum worked well for small stream fish as well as larger lake fish caught around the perimeter.

I had considered Sagiri as a smaller rod that would be lively with little fish, but the fellow at Tenkara bum said it would not be good for bead head nymphs, which I wanted to use for plunge pools.

I also considered the Rhodo and Sato zoom rods.

The Tenkarabum Traveler is a rebranded Suntech model, zooms from about 11 to 13 feet, beautiful workmanship.

The very light plastic tube was super cool, and I could get fishing in streams off the trail very fast, and pack back up very fast.

I had too many lines, as I did not know what I was doing and wanted to try everything. I would say go with level line. level line worked well for me even in lakes. i also had opaque floating line, and I could cast a 7m floating line, which gave me reach for putting dry flies out there, but the bright line put fish down I think.

kit image is thumbnail, high resolution so you can zoom in to read labels.

The rod handled fish of all sizes, tip responsive and bendy to little ones, and enough backbone in the mid for larger ones while the tip was stretched straight as in the images shown in an earlier post.

Jay

Kit

 

[bennysbuddy]

I use Tenkara USA gear mostly because that's what was available when I started tenkara fishing,I finally settled on furled tapered lines as you can coat them with chap stick to float or gink to sink.

 

[Brian Miller]

@fkajwg Thanks for starting this!

The Traveler 39 is a nice rod!
TUSA rods were where it began in the US. Daniel Galhardo did sooo much to promote Tenkara outside of Japan. It's too bad that rod development stalled out in 2016... 2017 with just some accessories released after that. The company has been sold to Aestuary; a company that buys e-commerce businesses. I hope they will invest in some R&D and become an industry leader again.

In November 2017 I decided to give Tenkara a try during a fishing trip with my fly fishing mentor and buddy since 1976 to fish some east slope Cascades creeks. I was using a 7 foot 3 weight bamboo rod and he brought a DRAGONTail SHADOWfire 360 T-rod and "floating" and nymphing furled lines. As we fished different waters my initial amusement turned to curiosity, then surprise as I watched how effective it was. I saw a couple of TUSA videos that piqued my interest, liked it, and decided I going to use the level line approach. Then I stumbled onto the "Discover Tenkara" instructional video series on YouTube and signed up for their "email tutorials". I have learned that Tenkara emphasizes many (traditional) fundamental techniques intended for narrow, high-gradient mountain streams instead of high-(over)priced equipment. The techniques can be modified for local lower elevation streams and even lakes.

I bought a DRAGONTail Hydra zx380 11.5'/13' - 8/20 penny 6:4 moderate action, mid-flex two-way zoom rod, and everything I needed for a "starter kit" on a Black Friday sale for $115 in 2017. For 6 months I got the Discover Tenkara tutorials and watched their season 1 & 2 YouTube trailer videos that were very detailed introductions to their paid printed and video instructional materials before I got a chance to actually fish. With the moderate action, I learned to get a decent fly-first cast in the yard using #3.5 level line to about 22' in about 30 minutes. Then I practiced overhead and side-arm casting with a 10" pie tin, then practiced more with a 4" jar lid inside of the pie tin. I decided to really give Tenkara a good try and use only the Tenkara rod when fishing streams in 2018.

On my first trip in 2018 to a river I had fished for at least 20 years with a fly rod & reel I caught a 12" Coastal Cutthroat on a reverse hackle ("sakasa") version of a Royal Coachman. Then I tied on a rusty brown beadhead Dazzleaire yarn sakasa nymph and a couple of casts later hooked and landed the biggest fish I had ever caught there; a 16" native Coastal Cutthroat and was astonished at how that rod was able to control the fish without a reel. Wow, that instantly reinforced my commitment.

I thought it was great that the Hydra made 5"-6" fish feel "sporting" as well as handling large fish. But I found the long 11.5'/13' rod tended to launch dinks and decided to get a shorter rod for smaller water & fish. I bought the 8.5'/10' - 11.5/12.5 penny 5:5 slow, full-flex Tenkara Times Watershed 300 two-way zoom rod. Its slow, full-flex action allows me to feel the rod load making it very easy to cast #3 line out to 15'. It didn't launch dinks and they put a fun bend in the rod. Then I hooked two fish in strong current that were 13"-14". Again I am astonished at how that 1.9 oz rod was able to manage the stronger fish and keep them away from under cut banks and underwater snags in a small creek so I could net them. It was epic.

Then I picked up a 15'/16'/17.5' - 26/26.5 penny Suntech GM-53 Keiryu Special rod to fish weighted nymphs using #3.5 to #4 using level line out to about 32' in larger rivers. It's a two-handed rod at the 17.5' length but casts and fishes well with one hand at the two shorter lengths. It has more backbone for fast, solid hooksets in deep water with larger fish. I have landed a couple of 2.5lb-3lb Cutts and two 16" Rainbows with it. If Suntech Tenkara rods had tips that could be used with tippet larger than 6X (like the "Fine Power" Keiryu rod) I'd have more Suntech rods!

I also have picked up three more DRAGONTail 3-way zoom rods.
The 8'/9.5'/11' 16/17/18 penny Mizuchi has a 7:3/6:4 fast, tip-flex action for creeks with a lot of brush and overhead branches where large fish can be expected. The faster tip flex action is able to get fast, solid hooksets and fight large fish yet still protect 5X tippet where there isn't a lot of room for the rod to flex. It is not very pleasant to cast because I cannot feel the rod load with the stiffer tip flex. With practice it is very accurate for overhead and B&A casts out to 16'.

The 10'/11.5'/12.5' - 12/12.5/13 penny Mutant is a 5:5/4:6 slow, very full-flex action for large creeks to small rivers. It is very easy to cast with #3 level line out to 18'. In fall of 2021 landed a fat 13" fish in a moderately strong current and believe that is the size limit at my skill level for that rod.

I just picked up very short 6.5'/8'/9.5' 10.5/12/12.5 penny 5:5 slow, full-flex Foxfire fiberglass three-way zoom rod for very small to large creeks where fish to ~12" are expected. I suspect is going to be a lot like my Watershed rod. It lawn casts well with #3 level line to about 14'. I will probably sell one of those two short rods after I have fished them both and decide which works better for me.

 

[Bambooflyguy]

Hi Jay, a little late to the party.....but have you fished many lakes with tenkara? Have you tried an indicator with chironomids or leeches in lakes? My versions of tenkara are made with bamboo and graphite and are made for lake fishing from a pram or pontoon, I’m having a blast casting/catching!

 

[jaredoconnor]

Can anyone suggest a cheap setup, for the Seattle area? Specifically, the Snoqualmie forks and upper Cedar.

I had a TenkaraUSA Rhodo, many years ago, but I didn't really get into it. I'm tempted to give Tenkara another try, after getting really into tight lining over the last few years.

The rods below are the cheapest I could find. Is 12 feet long enough?

Classic

**International Customers Please Contact Us For Shipping Rates** The Classic is what many would consider the "all around" rod in our collection. It's design and performance characteristics allow it to excel on small trout all they way up to mid sized bass. If you are new to Tenkara or want a...

taotenkara.com

Shadowfire 365 Tenkara Rod 12ft

Although the Shadowfire 365 model is priced comparatively to entry level rods it is a high performance rod that will out perform many other Tenkara rods within $70 of it’s price range. 12 foot (365cm) 6:4 soft action rod. This rod has a light balanced feel and a soft action for an amazing...

dragontailtenkara.com

 

[Josh]

I keep meaning to post my own thread about my tenkara experiences, but here's the short version:

Gear: TenkaraUSA Rhodo. Level line.

Pros: Super light, easy to pack, quick to set up, caught some very nice fish on it. The zoom function is handy for reaching across a creek or staying short to fish close.
Cons: Casting sucks, getting hung up is a stress because you can jam the sections trying to snap the leader, landing fish is a pain because the rod is so long and you can't reel in.

I dunno, I sure have caught some nice fish. But on the other hand, I don't know that it was anything I couldn't have done with a 3wt. Especially if I was running a euro style mono rig on it (which also sucks to cast).

 

[jaredoconnor]

I dunno, I sure have caught some nice fish. But on the other hand, I don't know that it was anything I couldn't have done with a 3wt. Especially if I was running a euro style mono rig on it (which also sucks to cast).

I'm inclined to agree, based on my limited past experience. However, I think Tenkara has some really neat applications. My motivations are...

• Hiking, backpacking, etc.
• Permanent car rod (no way I'm leaving my euro rod in the car).
• As a second rod, when I want to alternate between rigs quickly.
• As a second rod, when my other rod can't tight-line well.
• To get my dad in the tight-line game. He's fighting the euro trash, because he thinks it will ruin his shoulder.

 

[Ricardo]

I'm inclined to agree, based on my limited past experience. However, I think Tenkara has some really neat applications. My motivations are...

• Hiking, backpacking, etc.
• Permanent car rod (no way I'm leaving my euro rod in the car).
• As a second rod, when I want to alternate between rigs quickly.
• As a second rod, when my other rod can't tight-line well.
• To get my dad in the tight-line game. He's fighting the euro trash, because he thinks it will ruin his shoulder.

Hey Jared,

I have been fishing tenkara since 2013, and I even did a year of only tenkara fishing. I wrote some posts in the "other" forum back in the day with my lessons learned. I fish the same rivers you do, and I always have a tenkara rod with me in the river- either in my hand or in my backpack. My take aways in case they are useful for you:

• Generally speaking, you should get the longest rod you can comfortably fish with. That's the golden rule. For this area I would go with 13 ft. BUT - if you are going to get only one rod, and you can afford it, I would recommend you to get a zoom one. I have 5 or 6 tenkara rods, and my favorite and the one that I tend to fish more often is one that fishes as 11ft, 13ft or 14ft. It gives you a lot of flexibility. The zoom rods always have a distance they fish better than the others (in my case is 13ft), but the option to go longer or shorter for some special conditions have proven to be super important.
• Not all the tenkara rods will be good for tight line nymphing. Those with very soft tips that are perfect for sub-surface presentation of pulsating flies will not do well for tight-line nymphing. Look into keiryu rods, which is the tenkara-like rods that are used for bait fishing in Japan. They tend to be beefier and are really nice for conditions similar to euronymphing. Most of the keiryu rods don't have cork in the handle, which gives you a lot of sensitivity though your fingers. I learnt euro nymphing with a daiwa keiryu rod even before I knew I was euro nymphing
• Tenkara is the perfect way to teach fly fishing to kids and old people. My dad (72) learnt it in Spain a few years ago after I gave him a rod as a present with just a quick lesson. My kids (8 and 12) fish exclusively with tenkara rods and they have a blast.
• tenkarabum.com is an excellent learning site. His rods are expensive, though (although super high quality).
• Some of my rods so that they can give you some ideas:
  • https://www.tenkarabum.com/suntech-field-master.html --> more versatile
  • https://www.tenkarabum.com/nissin-fine-mode-kosansui.html (I got these for my kids and my dad) --> ideal for kids
  • https://www.tenkarabum.com/daiwa-kiyose-30sf-as-a-tool-for-tight-line-czech-or-polish-nymphing.html --> ideal for nymphing
  • https://www.ibeoutdoors.com/mini-teton.html --> super small and on the stiff side, excellent for nymphing too.
  • https://tenkaraflyfish.webs.com/tenkararods.htm --> Fountainhead rods are excellent for the price. --> ideal for learning, a tad too soft for nymphing

 

[Brian Miller]

Cons: Casting sucks, getting hung up is a stress because you can jam the sections trying to snap the leader, landing fish is a pain because the rod is so long and you can't reel in.

Hi Josh. Tenkara casting has limitations but I respectfully disagree with a blanket statement; "Casting sucks".
There are casting techniques for use with tight brush and under trees to avoid getting hung up but I need more lawn practice to get the accuracy I have with an overhead cast.

When I do hang up in a tree, I collapse my rod, protect the tip, and pull on the line to free it. I may have to move closer to do it.

When the line length minus tippet = rod length or slightly less, I can easily bring most fish into the net. A long line or larger fish may require a short hand-lining the fish into the net.

My primary casting limitation is distance; both far and near.

I switch rods or zoom length (longer or shorter), and lines (length). My longest rod is T-rod is 13' and will accurately (overhand) cast and effectively fish (control drift, set hook) very well to 21 feet. I've caught hundreds of fish closer than that.
My 7' bamboo and 7'9" graphite 3 wt rods will cast well beyond that, but will only effectively fish to about the same distance.

For the smallest creeks in heavy cover I can use a b&a cast with a 6' rod and a 6' line (including tippet).

 

[Brian Miller]

Can anyone suggest a cheap setup, for the Seattle area? Specifically, the Snoqualmie forks and upper Cedar.

Agree with @Ricardo!
My 11.5'/13' DRAGONtail Hydra Tenkara (my first fixed line rod) and 15'/16'/17.5' Suntech GM-53 Keiryu Special rods have worked very well for the S-Forks and Cedar. They are both effective at fishing weighted nymphs, or wet/dry flies. But the GM-53 is better for fishing deeper.
For value (low cost, overall quality, Customer Service, shipping time) DRAGONtail is hard to beat.

 

[Josh]

Hi Josh. Tenkara casting has limitations but I respectfully disagree with a blanket statement; "Casting sucks".

I think you are reading too much into one man's opinion. It's only a blanket statement in way that "caught some very nice fish on it" would be a blanket statement. Which is to say, not at all.

For me, casting a tenkara rod sucks in comparison to casting a regular fly rod/line. Also for me, I've caught some very nice fish on my tenkara rod.

If those things are true or not for anyone else is going to be completely up to their own experience.

 

[Josh]

When I do hang up in a tree, I collapse my rod, protect the tip, and pull on the line to free it. I may have to move closer to do it.

To clarify this aspect, I was mostly talking about hanging up underwater, on a submerged log for example. If you are close enough to grab the line, as you note in your tree example, everything is fine. But if your fly is far enough out that you can't, then you've got a headache. With a regular fly rod, you just point the tip at the snag, clamp down on the line with your hand, and pull until the tippet snaps. That isn't advisable with a tenkara because you run the risk of jamming the sections or damaging the rod.

Again though, this may be just a function of my own experience in the creeks I fish and may not be an issue depending on what kind of water you are on.

 

[jaredoconnor]

Thanks @Ricardo and @Brian Miller. That is some great info!

 

[Brian Miller]

I was mostly talking about hanging up underwater, on a submerged log for example. If you are close enough to grab the line, as you note in your tree example, everything is fine. But if your fly is far enough out that you can't, then you've got a headache.

Yeah, flies will get hung up underwater when fishing wet flies and weighted nymphs. Since I always fish with my rod at around 45° forming the "Tenkara Triangle" that allows me superior fly control, strike detection, and instant hooksets, I don't have to move far if at all to collapse the rod and grab the line to break off the fly that's snagged below the surface.

 

[jaredoconnor]

Yeah, flies will get hung up underwater when fishing wet flies and weighted nymphs. Since I always fish with my rod at around 45° forming the "Tenkara Triangle" that allows me superior fly control, strike detection, and instant hooksets, I don't have to move far if at all to collapse the rod and grab the line to break off the fly that's snagged below the surface.

What do you do if you can't grab the line? Or do you just avoid being put in that scenario?

 

[bennysbuddy]

What do you do if you can't grab the line? Or do you just avoid being put in that scenario?

this is where your ability to climb trees or swim comes into play

 

[Brian Miller]

What do you do if you can't grab the line? Or do you just avoid being put in that scenario?

Hi Jared, interesting question.
I don't consciously to try avoid anything beyond being aware of room for a backcast and using alternate casts (if it's too tight) or putting my fly between obstacles (e.g. branches...); both of which I try to simulate when lawn-casting into a 3" jar lid inside a 10" pie tin.

In 4 years of fishing small creeks to S-forks sized rivers exclusively with Tenkara and Keiryu fixed line rods, I honestly cannot think of an instance where my fly was hung up underwater and I was unable to move enough when collapsing the rod to grab the line while protecting the tip to pull the fly free or break it off. I can think of once or twice when I carefully laid the rod to the side and used my wading staff (trekking pole) to pull down a tree branch to break it off and free my fly.

And though I carry a small piece of carpet gripper to assist collapsing stuck sections, I've never had to use it.

 

[jaredoconnor]

The more I look into this Keiryu stuff, the more I wonder if that wacky MAVRK "manual reel" is the optimal solution; it combines some of the best attributes of both fixed and non-fixed line fishing.

Stinger Comp Micro Reel

Stinger Comp: Built for ultra-light utility and durability. The economical Stinger Comp is a lightweight euro-nymph fly reel that works with any fly rod with a tip soft enough to cast nymph flies with ESN line (1- 4wt rod is recommended). The lightweight Stinger Comp allows greater arm extension...

www.mavrkusa.com

You lose many of the benefits of telescoping Tenkara/Keiryu rods, which for many is the entire point. However, as a more general purpose tool, maybe this is the way to go. It would be awesome if someone made a telescoping "euro" rod.

Then again, perhaps a zoom rod invalidates the need to have a reel. An 11-15ft zoom rod presumably has a casting range of 20-30ft, so that probably covers most scenarios.

 

[Ricardo]

The more I look into this Keiryu stuff, the more I wonder if that wacky MAVRK "manual reel" is the optimal solution; it combines some of the best attributes of both fixed and non-fixed line fishing.

Stinger Comp Micro Reel

Stinger Comp: Built for ultra-light utility and durability. The economical Stinger Comp is a lightweight euro-nymph fly reel that works with any fly rod with a tip soft enough to cast nymph flies with ESN line (1- 4wt rod is recommended). The lightweight Stinger Comp allows greater arm extension...

www.mavrkusa.com

You lose many of the benefits of telescoping Tenkara/Keiryu rods, which for many is the entire point. However, as a more general purpose tool, maybe this is the way to go. It would be awesome if someone made a telescoping "euro" rod.

Then again, perhaps a zoom rod invalidates the need to have a reel. An 11-15ft zoom rod presumably has a casting range of 20-30ft, so that probably covers most scenarios.

I don't know, man... I just don't get the stinger thing. I friend of mine used it for some days last year and he said it was cool, but then he lost a couple of big fish because of the inability to let them run, and also because of the fact that a traditional fly fishing rod does not flex as much as a tenkara rod, and therefore cannot protect the tippet as well as the latter. I fish fix line setups with tenkara because of the features of a tenkara rod. With traditional fly rods I just want my reel...

 

[jaredoconnor]

I don't know, man... I just don't get the stinger thing. I friend of mine used it for some days last year and he said it was cool, but then he lost a couple of big fish because of the inability to let them run, and also because of the fact that a traditional fly fishing rod does not flex as much as a tenkara rod, and therefore cannot protect the tippet as well as the latter. I fish fix line setups with tenkara because of the features of a tenkara rod. With traditional fly rods I just want my reel...

Makes a lot of sense and shows how clueless I am about this.

I guess I will have to give a Keiryu rod a try. Do you guys have any thoughts on the Tenkarabum Traveler 44? That seems to be popular.

Also, how do you guys rig up your rods and what kind of flies do you use?