I am trying to come up with a short definition of Tenkara. A lot of people have written really good articles or stories explaining what Tenkara really is, but I have not yet found a good short definition. So i made one myself for future use trying to promote Tenkara in Europe.
If you think that i forgot something, got it wrong or something else is not the way it should be please let me know, i would apreciate it!
Just so you know this is a short definition that does not go into detail of materials or techniques.

Tenkara is a fly-fishing method developed on the mountainstreams in Japan. The essence lies on simplicity, efficiency and the skills of the fisherman. The equipment plays a very small part in the matter. It is practised with a very flexible rod between 11 and 15 feet long, a nylon line (tapered or level between a 15 and 22 pound test), a tippet and one unweighted fly. It is up to the fisherman skills to fish that fly dry,wet or deep as a nymph. But what sets most of these techniques within tenkara a part, is that with most techniques that are being used, as less line as possible is on the water-surface, to reduce drag and without other currents within the mountainstream affecting the fly’s natural behaviour. The long rod is a big help keeping the line of the water and keep the fly right on the spot where you want it. The fly design does not matter as much as you should think. In most mountainstreams is a redundancy of insect life so as long as it looks as an insect the fish will, if your presentation and skills permit it, take the fly. So also in this subject the essence lies on simplicity, efficiency and the skills of the fisherman.

I hope to hear soon something from you guys!
Chris Hendriks

Chris, one thing I would definitely change would be the line. I would add fluorocarbon, so it would read a nylon or fluorocarbon line, either level or tapered. I would also reduce the pound test, taking the lower end down to 12# and the upper end to 20#.

I would also like to add...

visgids wrote... Quote "The equipment plays a very small part in the matter"

NOT...in my oppinion.

Tenkara is tenkara because of the equipment. Just ask Chris Stewart about his path to get here, and the relatively inefficient equipment he has tried in the past. He has written about it here and there.

I feel the equipment plays a very large part to the equation and success of tenkara. With out the long xxxtra soft rod and light lines it is much more difficult to get the long drag free drifts that can easily fool fish. It gives more control of the fly at close range. I say this because tenkara is limited in range. But deadly in this same range. The line is mostly off of the water and therefor less intrusive than a pvc line, that can slap the water and/or gives off a spray or wake on the waters surface.


I have friends with very little fishing experience have reasonable and sometimes great success with a tenkara rod in their hands for the first time. When I put a western fly rod and reel in the hands of those same friends, even after the fifth time, its like a hog looking at a wrist watch. They cant figure it out. It has taken multiple trips for them to build a reasonable amount of skills that will catch fish.

Therefore I feel the equipment has nearly every thing to do with the mater.

jd

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"The reverse side also has a reverse side"

Ahhhh yeah, like X 1000. Couldn't have said it better myself.

You know, twice I wrote comments saying that I disagreed with that, and laying out the reasons why (very similar to jd's, by the way). Both times I deleted them before submitting my post.

I feel very strongly that the equipment is important, although I don't know exactly where you would draw the line between what is tenkara and what is not tenkara, or what equipment would allow you do do tenkara and what would just not work. What muddies the waters even more is that there are rods and lines that are sold as tenkara rods and lines that I do not believe are suitable for tenkara fishing. On the other hand, there are rods and lines that are not sold as tenkara rods and lines that are suitable (not ideal by any stretch of the imagination, but suitable).

Tenkara is a method or style of fishing. In order to do it effectively you do need specialized equipment. Just using that equipment, though, does not mean that what you are doing is tenkara. I've seen more than a couple people doing Western fly fishing with a tenkara rod. (I'm talking about the fishing, not the casting.) Their fishing method was not tenkara and the way they were using it, the long rod offered almost no benefit over what they would have been able to do with a 9 foot 4 weight fly rod.

I often wonder if the people who tried tenkara and gave it up did so because they fished with their 11' tenkara rod as if it was a 9' fly rod and reel with the drag tightened down all the way. If that is the case, and there is no way to know, it is not at all suprising that they didn't understand what all the people who do like tenkara are going on about.

First of all, thanks for all the replies at my post. The reactions that i got at " the equipement plays a very small part in the matter" was actually that what I needed. It was a thing that I was strugling with because a lot of people put the essence on skills instead of equipement and that is why i wrote it in the way i did. But I also know that without the right material it is not possible to do so. But that is exactly the reason why i asked and used this forum for help. The last week I changed a little bit more on the definition and hoping that it will be better now


Tenkara is a fly-fishing method developed on the mountainstreams in Japan. The essence lies on simplicity, efficiency and the skills of the fisherman. The equipment plays a smaller part in the matter. Although you need some essential specialised equipement to practise Tenkara. It is practised with a very flexible rod between 11 and 15 feet long, a fluorocarbon- or nylon-line (tapered or level between a 15 and 22 pound test), a tippet and one unweighted fly. It is up to the fisherman skills to fish that fly dry,wet or deep as a nymph. But what sets most of these techniques within tenkara a part, is that with most techniques that are being used, as less line as possible is on the water-surface, to reduce drag and without other currents within the mountainstream affecting the fly’s natural behaviour. The long rod is a big help keeping the line of the water and to keep the fly right on the spot where you want it, with the right amount of control over the fly that you want. The fly design does not matter as much as you should think either. In most mountainstreams is a redundancy of insect life so as long as it looks like an insect, and if your presentation- and manipulation- skills with the fly permit it, the fish will take the fly. So also in this subject the essence lies on simplicity, efficiency and the skills of the fisherman.

And yes please let me know if you would like to see something changed