written by Jason

Before fishing, a little roll call

This weekend, I was invited to give a tenkara demo to a group of soldiers from Project Healing Waters.  If you’re not familiar with the program, it’s mission is to provide a form of therapy for disabled veterans and active military personel through teaching fly fishing and holding ongoing outings, events, and education.  I not only thought the concept was great, but that tenkara was a perfect fit so, naturally, I was enthusiastic to participate.

Nice rainbow caught on a Tenkara USA Ito rod & sakasa kebari

This particular event was held at Red Draw Ranch, just outside of Edwards, Colorado.  The venue has two small ponds with Rainbow trout.  I was a little reluctant to teach the soldiers tenkara on such small stillwaters (especially with the number of people we had) but it all worked out in the end.

There were several other guides from Orvis and various other local fly shops who also volunteered to help out.  It was funny because most of the guides seemed to have absolutely no interest in tenkara.  A couple were curious and asked me some questions.  And one really got into it.  He spent a fair amount of time casting my Ayu, asked a lot of questions, and pretty much decided he was going to get a tenkara rod.  I think he just “got it”.  And as a former guide who wished he knew about tenkara back then, it wouldn’t surprise me if a good deal of his interest came from the idea that it would be much easier to get his clients into fish with tenkara rather than a Western rig.

Western guide using my Ayu. I think he’s hooked!

The diminutive ponds definitely didn’t reflect the size of the fish they held.  The smallest fish I saw caught that day was maybe 18″ and I’m pretty sure at least a couple of guys landed fish over 23″.  Here’s a quick video of a nice rainbow being landed on my Tenkara USA Ito–confirming it as a rod that is able of handling decent sized fish (remember, this guy is a beginner):

I had two rods rigged up:  an Ayu with a 13 ft. furled line and an Ito with an 18 ft. level line. In general, it seemed that everyone preferred the Ito with the level line.

I was stationed on the lower pond and had people who were interested in tenkara rotate through all morning.  Some weren’t interested but those who were immediately saw the benefit.

Tenkara fishing on the lower pond

The upper pond

I was happy to meet some of the people behind the project such as Mark Heminghous and Mike Oros who I had been in contact with a lot prior to this event.  We’re currently talking about how we can incorporate tenkara into future Project Healing Waters outings as soon as September.

Jason Klass & Mark Heminghous at the Red Draw Ranch

One of the coordinators of the outing commented that they like to treat the soldiers as “rockstars”.  And from what I witnessed, that was certainly the case.  After a morning of spectacular fishing, they treated everyone to a great barbecue for lunch.  All politics aside, these guys have been through hell and back and they’re people.  I think they deserve a little pampering and was very impressed with the lengths the project is willing to go through to give a little something back.

Project Healing Waters BBQ

Nice fish on a Tenkara USA Ito

Overall, it was a good day.  If I just got one guy with PTSD or some other trauma to take a break and enjoy life for a few minutes, it was worth it.  Judging by the smiles on their faces, I think it did.  And tenkara really helped.  I want to do more of this and I encourage all of my fellow tenkara colleagues to reach out and do the same–not just for vets, but for anyone who can benefit from the fun and ease of tenkara.

Written by Jason

“Trout Hangouts” is an ongoing series in which I highlight one specific element or structure of a river, stream, creek, or lake where trout like to hold and talk about how to approach it. Many fly fishers might know how to fish, but not necessarily where to fish. By dissecting the complicated infrastructures of different types of waters into more focused, manageable pieces, any angler can learn how to read the water and figure out exactly where to cast and apply their skills.

There’s probably nothing more alluring to a fly angler than a deep pool lying below a picturesque waterfall.  They’re relatively easy to fish, are usually big enough to hold a significant number of trout, and often hold bigger fish that are wise enough to know it’s good to hold in deeper water.  Deeper water might seem like a challenge to a tenkara angler fishing in the traditional manner with an unweighted fly, but luckily, waterfall pools offer a unique way to easily get your kebari down to fish holding closer to the bottom.

In a recent Trout Hangouts post, I talked about fishing the edges of white water.  Basically, the same rule applies beneath waterfalls which often spill into a pool and generate whitewater.  That type of presentation would apply to areas 1 and 2 in the photo above.  But it’s area 3 (right in the heart of the white water) that presents a unique opportunity to get an unweighted fly to fish holding deep that I’d like to focus on.

A couple of years ago, Daniel wrote a post about how tenkara anglers use rushing water to sink flies.  It’s a simple technique and waterfall pools are the perfect place to do it.  Basically, all you do is cast into the waterfall, lower your rod to create slack line that will allow the plunging water to drag your fly into the depths.  You should see the line getting pulled under and once you see it start to drift downstream, you raise the rod tip and make your presentation.  I like to move my fly so for me, this means pulsing it with the rod tip raised.  But if you want to make a dead drift presentation, simply keep the rod tip up, line tight, and move the rod to follow the speed of the line being taken by the current.

Every time I approach a waterfall pool, my imagination runs wild with what might be lurking in it’s depths.  Waterfalls are magical places that are iconic of our sport.  And even if I only dredge up a few 10-inchers from the depths, it’s at least still fun to indulge in the fantasy.

written by Jason

I finally had a chance to sit down and watch this DVD.  I had first heard about it back in January but never got around to ordering one.  Luckily, there were a few available for auction at the Summit so I seized the opportunity and picked one up.  The DVD features Dr. Ishigaki going over a variety of tenkara techniques on stream.  The first question you might have is, “is it in Japanese?”  The answer is yes (and there are no subtitles).  The second question you might have is, “why would I buy a DVD if I can’t understand it?” That’s a fair question and I’ll try to help answer if it’s worth it or not by laying out a few points about this DVD.

Production value

The overall production value is good, though not as good as the Tying Tenkara Flies DVD I recently reviewed.  The video quality is slightly less, though by no means “bad”.  In fact, if the quality of the Tying Tenkara Flies DVD hadn’t been so amazing, I probably wouldn’t have even noticed the slightly lower quality of this DVD.  Having said that, there are other features of this DVD that give it good production value.

The overall editing is great with lots of different angles, picture in picture, slow motion replays of fish striking the fly, closeups of fish and more.  There’s a lot of “action” that keeps the 105 minute video going at a good pace.  It never lags or gets boring unlike some fly fishing videos.

Content

The DVD is mostly on stream.  There are sections where Dr. Ishigaki is simply talking to the camera that you won’t be able to understand if you don’t speak Japanese, but luckily, the majority of it shows him actually fishing.  Unlike many online tenkara videos, you can actually see the line in this video and despite the language barrier, it’s pretty clear to see how Dr. Ishigaki is presenting the fly.  So even if you don’t speak a word of Japanese, you can still garner some presentation tips just by watching what he’s doing.  Though I still wish there were English subtitles because I just know he’s saying something brilliant!

On an educational level, we might not be able to get the full benefit,  yet there is another level to this DVD.  Entertainment.  I just love watching people fish.  And the great on-stream footage combined with Dr. Ishigaki’s enthusiasm is certainly entertaining.  At the 2012 summit, Dr. Ishigaki said he likes to think that he is the most enthusiastic advocate of tenkara in the world.  And that really comes through in this video, making it a joy to watch.

Also, if you’ve ever been curious about what types of rivers Japanese anglers fish, this is a good way to see what they look like.  There are a variety of water types throughout.

Is it worth it?

I really think the answer depends on who you are.

• Yes:  especially if you speak Japanese, are a more advanced angler and want to see a master in action, or want to see what tenkara fishing looks like in Japan (or just like watching other anglers like me).
• No:  if you’re a new tenkara angler looking for basic instructional videos in English.  In that case, you’d be much better off with the Tenkara USA DVD.

Tenkara Hit Vision DVD Preview:

If you’re interested in getting this DVD, they’re available here for 3,570 yen (about $45 USD).

written by Jason

Masami Tanaka tying at the Tenkara Summit

In a recent post, I wrote about some of the flies I got from the Tenkara Summit.  One of the featured tiers was Japanese tenkara angler Masami Tanaka.  Tanaka-san’s flies are very interesting.  Unlike many tenkara flies that use all natural materials and muted colors, he uses sparkle braid to give his flies a flashy appearance.

For some flies, he wraps sparkle braid the full length of the body.  But another variation he does is to just wrap it at the head of the fly where most people would wrap thread to build up a head.  This makes for a mostly muted fly with a small “hot spot” of flash–just enough to give it a nice attractor quality.

While I normally don’t use synthetic materials in my tenkara flies, I really like the idea of adding a little flash to the head of the fly and will be experimenting with this design.  Tanaka-san’s flies are another testament to the great diversity of tenkara fly patterns.

How have you incorporated synthetics into your tenkara flies?

written by Jason

John preparing the tea ceremony

Never in a million years would I guess that a peaceful streamside tea ceremony would draw the attention of local law enforcement, but the day before this year’s Tenkara Summit, several tenkara anglers (including yours truly) almost spent the night in the slammer.

It started out innocently enough.  John Vetterli of Tenkara Guides has studied the meticulous Japanese Tea Ceremony and thought it would be a good cultural bridge to host a tea ceremony for our Japanese tenkara guests while we were fishing the Little Big Cottonwood.

Traditional Japanese tea ceremony gear

We all arrived at the stream, but the complicated ceremony takes time to set up.  There was a lot of gear to carry down and prepare so John did that while the rest of us went fishing.  The idea was to meet up later when the water was heated up and the tatami mats laid out (among other preparations).

In the meantime, John practiced one of his other hobbies while waiting for us to return:  Japanese swordplay.  Here’s a shocker:  a guy dressed in a black ninja outfit wielding a sword in the middle of the woods is considered “suspicious” by some people in Utah.

I guess I can see how this might look suspicious

I was taking a quick break from filming the ceremony (video to come) when I was approached by four very serious looking police officers.  They told me they had a report of a guy with a “big sword” and and “urn”.  The conversation went something like this:

Police:  What’s going on here?

Me:  We are hosting an event with some Japanese fly fishermen and are having a traditional tea ceremony.

Police:  We got a report about someone with a sword.

Me:  It’s part of the ceremony.  It’s not a real sword.  (complete lie.  It was a real sword and wasn’t part of the ceremony).

Police:  Do you have an urn?  Someone reported seeing an urn.

Me:  An urn?  No. You’re welcome to go and check it out if you want.

Police:  No, that’s OK.  (after scanning the situation from a distance).

Dr. Ishigaki trades his tenkara rod for a Samurai sword

And with that, they left.  I can only think whoever reported the “urn” must have mistaken that for the pot the tea is heated in.  At any rate, the SLC cops were pretty cool about it even though it probably did look pretty suspicious.  It’s a good thing too.  Because I couldn’t really come up with a good answer to the requisite question, “what are you in for?”.

Here are a few more pics:

Tenkara Ikebana

Daniel also participated

The ritual is beautiful but so complicated, you might just die of thirst before getting your tea

John getting in “the zone”

written by Jason

“Trout Hangouts” is an ongoing series in which I highlight one specific element or structure of a river, stream, creek, or lake where trout like to hold and talk about how to approach it. Many fly fishers might know how to fish, but not necessarily where to fish. By dissecting the complicated infrastructures of different types of waters into more focused, manageable pieces, any angler can learn how to read the water and figure out exactly where to cast and apply their skills.

Some streams have large boulders with flat sides or “rock walls” that line the banks.  These geographical features can take many shapes but often create good holding areas for trout since they provide shelter from the current, sun, and predators.

Look at the picture above.  The green arrows show where I would focus my casts.  Let’s look at each area a little more closely.

1.  Because of the angle of this particular rock, this is area is an ideal holding spot.  It offers slower current, protection from predators, and shade, while still offering a good vantage point for picking up drifting food.  We might not often think about fish seeking protection from sun (and it’s not really the sun they are trying to hide from), but sunlight makes the trout visible to predators.  Shade helps them hide.  Of course, shaded areas will change throughout the day as the Sun moves through they sky.  If I were a trout, this would be my preferred hangout (unless a bigger trout bullied me out of it).

2.  Still pretending I’m a trout, this would be my second choice.  It’s not as good as #1 because it doesn’t offer the shade (right now) and camouflage of #1, but it’s still a pretty good lie.  If I couldn’t get #1, I’d take this as the next best thing.

3.   Trout will also hang out here, especially if there are multiple fish in the same run and the prime spots are already taken.  Fish holding here will often try to flee to #1 if spooked (even if it’s already occupied).  But in my experience, the wiser (and sometimes larger fish) will take over area #1, leaving area #3 for the smaller, less educated fish.  But it’s still worthy of a few casts.

So, how should you prioritize your casts?  I would probably hit #1 first (or #2 if that happens to be the shaded area at that particular time of day).  Of course, you run the risk of putting down fish by casting across #3, but as I said, #1 and #2 will probably hold the bigger fish so I’m willing to run that risk.  Also, with a long tenkara rod, it’s probably easy to keep the line off the water and not put down any fish in #3.

So the next time you’re out, keep your eyes out for rock walls.  And remember that the best holding spots change throughout the day so they might be worth hitting a couple of times a day.

written by Jason

The flies were flying at this year’s summit with anglers generously opening their fly boxes to share some of their favorite patterns with other attendees. On Friday, I was lucky enough to fish with Dr. Ishigaki and the other Japanese tenkara anglers that flew in for the event.  Everyone marveled at my fly box made by Rick Setina. They were especially impressed with the wooden hinges.  We passed our fly boxes around and traded a few flies before hitting the river.

Dr. Ishigaki and the other Japanese tenkara anglers passing around my fly box and taking souvenirs

Dr. Ishigaki’s fly box needs no introduction. It’s undoubtedly the most famous fly box in the tenkaraverse and seeing it in person was a real thrill.  To me, looking though someone else’s fly box is tantamount to peering into their soul.

Dr. Ishigaki’s Fly Box

He gave me two flies.  I was expecting the standard Ishigaki kebari with a black thread body and brown hackle.  Instead, I was surprised to get two peacock body flies; one with a cream colored hackle and one with olive hackle.

Peacock Ishigaki Kebari with Dark Hackle

Peacock Ishigaki Kebari with light Hackle

Since these flies are unusual Ishigaki kebari, I think I will get them framed.

Another interesting fly I snagged was from Eiji Yamakawa (known on the Tenkara USA forums as “Eddie”). He likes bright flies on eyeless hooks and uses high visibility 20 lb. Dacron backing for the loop.  His flies are beautifully colorful and his fly box looks like an artist’s palette.

Eiji Yamakawa’s Kebari

There’s been a fair amount of buzz lately about snake skin kebari (mamushi kebari) and I was fortunate enough to bump into Matt Donovan (statikpunk on the forum) who shared one of his snakeskin body flies with me.

Snake Skin Kebari tied by Matt Donovan

Matt actually sent me some skin from a bull snake a while back but I haven’t had much time to experiment with it.  But seeing his fly in person makes me want to run to the vise and start.  The skin makes for a very buggy looking fly with lots of variegation that provide good contrast.  He also told me that it’s the most durable material he’s ever used for a fly body.  Don’t be surprised if I post my version of the snake skin kebari soon.

Kebari were the currency of the Summit–happily traded to network, and form new, lasting relationships.  Flies are easier to make than money.  And unlike in real life, at the summit, I enjoyed walking around with a fat wallet (my fly box).  I wish it worked that way in the “real” world.

Did you snag any interesting flies from the Summit?

written by Jason

There were many unique tenkara items up for auction at this year’s Tenkara Summit and I was determined to come home with at least a few.  Among the gear up for bid was a series of wooden line spools similar to the one Dr. Ishigaki uses.  He generously donated several spools handmade by his friend in several variations.  They were all so gorgeous, I had a hard time deciding on which one to bid.  But here’s  the one I ended up with.

This is one of the most beautiful pieces of fishing gear (let alone tenkara gear) I’ve ever seen.  The craftsmanship is superb and the style is beautiful, yet practical, staying true to the essence of tenkara.  The fish head that holds the fly in the center of the spool is meticulously painted and the eye of the fish is actually raised.  I liked the way the grey color contrasted with the brown wood of the spool so that’s why I bid on this one.

As a bonus, the line spool came with a #4, 4.5 meter level line and what I would call a “grey Ishigaki kebari” made of grey dubbing and grizzly hackle.  At first, I was more interested in the spool than the line itself until I got it home and examined it further to discover something more curious.

Attached to the end of the level fluorocarbon line was about a 6″ loop of what I’m guessing is red silk bead cord (the stuff I usually use to make loops for tenkara flies that use eyeless hooks).  I didn’t have the foresight to ask Dr. Ishigaki about it but I can only assume the loop is connected to the lilian with a girth hitch connection, similar to the way I used to burn and glue dacron to my tenkara level lines so I could use the same convenient connections traditional lines employ.  This one is actually knotted to the line rather than my more gossamer method and it kind of makes me want to rethink it.  Yet in some way, it validates my original idea.  I had no knowledge of this type of connection before I came up with it independently.  It’s affirming to know that a Japanese tenkara angler halfway around the world values the same idea and that makes me want to re-explore it.

I’m adding this line spool to my growing collection of unique tenkara gear.  My only dilema now is, should I archive it as a precious artifact or actually use it and run the risk of losing or damaging it.

What would you do?  Use it or enshrine it?  

written by Jason

The first in a series of tenkara fly tying videos is now available on the Tenkara USA website.  If you’re just getting into tenkara and buying a rod and line, it might be a good idea to add on this video which shows you how you can also save money and deepen your engagement in the sport by tying your own flies with minimal cost.  Aside from saving money, catching a fish on a fly you tied yourself is extremely rewarding.  I always encourage newbies to try tying.  It’s not as hard as you might think and this DVD shows you just how easy it is in high definition video with clear, easy-to-understand instructions. I wish they had videos like this when I was first learning to tie.

Reviews

Read Daniel’s review here.

Read Jason’s review here.

I’ve watched a lot of fly tying videos and none of them hold a candle to this one in quality or volume of content. Plus, you get a booklet outlining all of the patterns in the video with their recipes which makes for a convenient vise-side reference.  2.5 hours of video, 17 patterns, and tips & tricks from the masters for only $25.  In my opinion, it’s a huge vale.  Get the DVD here.

written by Jason

Jeremy (aka adventureR) from the tenkara forum posted about a fun game he calls “Knothead Trout”. It’s not only fun, but is a great way to improve casting accuracy.  And to me, the “fun + simplicity” formula is the most successful way to learn anything–especially fly fishing.

First, he carved a trout out of wood and added magnets for the eyes.  Then, he tied what could only be described as a “safety-pin kebari”, also with magnets.  The goal is to cast your saftey-pin kebari close enough to the wooden trout so that the magnets catch each other and you can pull it in.

At the Summit, we had a contest with some really cool prizes.  The rules were slightly different though. You got five casts and you were only allowed to “manipulate” the fly once (for lawn anglers, that means dragging your magnetic fly across the lawn closer to the target).

Here are some of the prizes that were donated by Dr. Ishigaki including some really unique line clippers, fishing-themed towels, keychains, pins, coasters, and tenkara DVDs:

Here’s a happy winner:

Daniel showing Mike Agneta of Troutrageous how the Knothead Trout game is constructed:

Dr. Ishigaki even gave the game a try.  He didn’t win anything though.  But after getting to know him a little, it wouldn’t surprise me if he intentionally took a dive so that others could have a chance at the cool prizes he donated.  My impression is he’s just that kind of guy but would never admit it.

I was surprised by how many novices were actually able to be accurate enough to catch the prize.  But then again, maybe I shouldn’t be as one who always touts the ease of tenkara.  At any rate, the contest was fun, those who participated learned something, and the winners got some great prizes.  How cool is that?

Many of us might practice our casting on the stream, but it’s probably better to not waste valuable fishing time to refine your cast and practice in the off hours in your backyard when you can’t actually go fishing. You don’t have to do anything as elaborate as hand carve a detailed trout from wood.  It could be something as simple as attaching a magnet to some other lightweight object and slapping a magnet on a safety pin to be your “safety pin kebari”.  Either way, it is an effective way to hone your accuracy, get used to a new rod, or just have fun with kids or tenkara novices.  I don’t know about you, but I can see this blossoming into an official event at the inevitable “Tenkaralympics”.

written by Jason

With the 2012 Tenkara Summit only a few days away, I’m starting to think of what I’ll be taking.  Of course, there is the standard clothing, suitcase, fishing gear, Utah fishing license, etc., but I thought it would be useful to put together a list of some less obvious things that might come in handy at the actual summit itself.

1. Flies to share or trade.  A lot of people in the Tenkara USA forum have already been talking about bringing their favorite patterns along to share and you should too.  It’s not only a great way to connect with fellow tenkara anglers, but if you give a fly, you’re likely to get one in return.  This is a unique opportunity to see what other tenkara anglers are using and to get some design ideas for your own tying.
2. An empty fly box with labels.  Since it’s likely you’ll end up with some free flies, the last thing you want is to get home and forgot who gave you what, or what kind of dubbing was used on that one pattern you really want to tie.  Bring an empty fly box and labels or small pieces of paper so you can write down who gave you the pattern, its recipe, and any other special notes you want to make about it.  You never know, these flies might become collector’s items someday!
3. Promo items.  If you have a blog, bring some stickers, hats, or other promo items to hand out to promote your blog.  This is a great way to get the word out about your website and network with readers and other bloggers.
4. Business cards.  It’s a lot easier to hand someone you want to connect with a business card than to scavange around for a pen to write down their name and email on a napkin.
5. A pen and notepad.  There is going to be a LOT of information given out during the scheduled events and you might want to make a few notes.  Plus, you’ll probably get lots of free advice from other attendees that would be worth writing down.  I’m bringing a small note pad and mini space pen that will easily fit in my pocket.  If you don’t have business cards, a pen and notepad will also come in handy.
6. A real camera.  For many of us, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  Do you want to come back with dingy iPhone pictures?  Bring a real digital camera—one that has video too.  You’ll be glad you got higher quality pictures–especially if the chance arises to get your photo taken with a celebrity like Dr. Ishigaki!
7. A list of questions.  The Tenkara Summit is the largest gathering of tenkara experts on Earth and the only place to tap in such a collective body of knowledge on the subject.  Don’t slap your head when you get home saying, “I should have asked about…”  It’s a good idea to sit down and write out a list of questions ahead of time to ask the experts.  It’s probably an even better idea to ask the same question to more than one person, as each might have their own unique perspective.

What else would you suggest bringing to the Summit?

written by Jason
  

Back when I “matched the hatch” and carried various stages of each species of insect, my fly boxes were the epitome of organization.  Each pattern was grouped together by type and size and always in the same quantity.  If I had six of every other fly in the box, but only five of one pattern (or I lost one), I would promptly tie one more just to make sure the quantities were all the same.  I even went so far as to hook and re-hook the fly next to it’s box mate two or three times to ensure even perfectly even spacing.  Row after row of perfectly arranged and composed patterns and colors.  When opened, my unfolded fly boxes resembled pointillist paintings and I swear that if you squinted your eyes and stared at them long enough, you would see some kind of hidden image come to life like in those op-art posters.

Fast forward to today and my fly box (notice the lack of “-es” on the end of the word “box”) looks more like someone threw a bunch of hooks and feathers in a blender and then haphazardly poured them into each of the compartments.  My fly box is a mess and I know it.  People sometimes ask me, “how do you find anything in there?” To which I reply, “Easy, I don’t look for anything.”

In tenkara, the actual fly itself doesn’t really matter as much as what you do with it.  When asked how he decides which fly to fish, tenkara master Dr. Ishigaki always answers that he doesn’t give it much thought.  He just picks a fly and fishes it.  Of course, he essentially ties one pattern so when you only have one choice to begin with, the decision is pretty easy.  This rejection of finding the “right” fly is at the heart of the tenkara one fly approach.  It’s something I’ve been practicing and maybe that explains my newfound rejection of fly box organization.  I just pick a fly and go with it.  And somehow, it works.

One thing is for sure though.  The obsessive-compulsive me from my match-the-hatch days would have a heart attack if he opened my fly box today.  But then, he hasn’t heard of tenkara yet so I’ll cut him some slack.

How do you organize your fly box(es)?  Are you a neat freak, a slob (like me), or somewhere in between?