We just found this video on Youtube and thought it was worth sharing it, and certainly worth watching the 22 minutes of it. Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews of Blue Ribbon Flies (one of our dealers) host the TV show American Fly Guide with Yvon fishing with tenkara on the Odell Creek in the Madison Valley, Montana. Enjoy it.
One more bit of evidence confirming how difficult it is now to keep up with all the Tenkara stuff posted in English each day, compared to only a year ago. This was posted to the TUSA forum six days ago. A whole lotta Tenkara information going on out there.
Two question remains unanswered. What kind of tenkara rod is Yvon Chouinard using? Is throwing in the rod and jumping in after it the recommended technique when you hook a Big Fish? ; -)
( I wouldn’t know since I mostly catch little fish. The only exception is a monster brown trout I caught last summer that was as long a my forearm – but ya never know. I might need the toss and swim technique next time)
I did learn one thing from the video that I put to good use today. I learned its OK to wear the little flip down magnifier on my cap. Before I figured I looked funny enough already without wearing that little accessory and just struggled to thread a new fly like everyone else on the stream who was over 45. But hey. If they can, I can too. : -)
Interesting that they kicked off their new series of shows featuring Tenkara. Maybe Tenkara will be featured again in future editions.
It was a genuine pleasure meeting Craig earlier this year at the Wasatch Expo, and it’s great knowing that one of my photographs is hanging in his home or at Blue Ribbon Flies. Now if I could just get the opportunity to fish with him and Yvon. Tenkara style of course!
David,
The rod Yvon is using is a rod he got as a gift from a friend of his from Japan about 20 years ago. It seemed to me to have been produced by a craftsman, not one of the larger companies, and DR. Ishigaki, who saw the rod, was not familiar with it himself.
And, no, I’d as throwing a rod in the water is not an advised way of landing a fish, probably an easier way to lose a rod. But, back in the day, when rods were not so strong, it’s thought some people may have done that to try landing a large fish.
I remember seeing Yvons rod at last years summit in montana, and was mostly suprised to see his line, its a very heavy line compared to the line we(modern tenkara anglers) are used to, and he seems to fish it in a more western style with more line on the water. its also very very soft looking, I didnt get to hold it but I have a suspicion it may be fiberglass. One thing I really like about it is its color scheme. I like the yellow, its a handsome deprature from a world of black fly rods ….not that Tenkara USA rods are not good looking too
haha!
Thanks Daniel. I had read that Yvon’s rod was an old gift, but had assumed it also was made by a major rod manufacturer.
I thought the toss and swim technique was 100% joke. I never thought there was a grain of truth to the method. Turns out Yvon was at least semi-serious in that a joke is better when it has a grain of truth to it.
Great video. I just came from the Clackamas River in Oregon and got lots of fish with my Ayu.