# Tenkara Fishing ????



## prairiewolf (Feb 19, 2012)

Well I am about to get into Tenkara fishing. For anyone that doesnt know what it is. Its Japanese Fly Fishing. very simple type of fishing, long flimsy rod and a line attached to the tip. On a recent trip I broke both of my tips for my handmade bamboo fly rod I made. The streams are so overgrown here you can hardly get through all the brush along them. The Tenkara rods are telescopic and collapse down to 15-25 inches, the tips are only 1mm in dia and very fragile but by sliding them down you can protect them while walking or crawling through the brush. This is the reason I am going to give this type of fishing a try. Will have a rod I ordered in about a week. Just got a cheap chinese one to start out with. I have tied some flies already and have made my own furled lines to try. I have made some from mono,fly thread and braided fishing line. Here is a pic of the flies plus a fly box I made to hold them. The flies I tied were done without a bench vise, I am starting to tie all my Tenkara flies with a hand held vise or forceps, a lot easier than you would think.


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## Ruger (Jan 22, 2011)

Looks like a great setup. What types of fish are you going after?


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## prairiewolf (Feb 19, 2012)

Trout, all the streams around here are pretty small and usually have to hike for awhile to get away from people. But you can catch some really nice browns if you hike for around 3-4 hrs and are lucky.

My rod will be a 12ft with 11ft furled level line and 3ft leader. Might take some time to get use to but at least I shouldnt be breaking anymore rod tips, I hope. I have read where they use this system for bass, crappie and others but I will start out on trout in streams.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Nice set-up Ed. Post a pic of your rod when you get it please.


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

That's a very interesting fly fishing method PW. I got to meet and talk with the USA rep last January at the Denver Sportsman Expo. Tested one of the rods at the indoor casting area. All I can say PW is, you're going to have a ball. I've been considering the same but the wife says no way until I stop buying guns and reloading stuff. Just added an IWB holster for each of the Glocks and the S&W 39-2. I'll have those posted this weekend.

Web site for the Tenkara fishing equipment and info:

https://www.tenkarausa.com/​


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## jason.williams.931 (Jun 6, 2015)

I just bought a Dragontail rod and broke it on my first outing. I snagged a tree behind me and snapped a section. Got the replacement section quickly and ready to go again. I did catch a couple before the break.


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## prairiewolf (Feb 19, 2012)

Sorry to hear that, but its great you caught some. The streams I fish are very small and I will probably stand in the middle of them and cast upstream. Thanks for posting the pics.


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## sneakygroundbuzzard (Nov 1, 2012)

Ed, that sounds like fun

by the description, it also sounds like how we fished as kids with cane poles

we caught some very large northern pike and bass on them old cane poles back in the day

i believe it was a wednesday :mrgreen:


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## prairiewolf (Feb 19, 2012)

Tim, thats what I hear a lot of people saying, "its like cane pole fishing". I did this also as a kid, but on Tenkara sites they say the rod is really a lot different, guess I will find out. I like that you can make your own lines or really just use plain mono or flourocarbon. I have made one tapered mono and about 4 level furled lines from different threads and braided line. Whtas funny, but not to the wife, lol. Is that I have just built that new fly tying table and now I have been tying flies sitting on the couch with a pair of forceps, lol Guess it boils down to, I just like to try things out !! not getting any younger !

Mike, thats why I ordered a chinese rod, a lot cheaper. Here in US all the places want way more money for a Tenkara rod. The chinese ones just dont have a cork handle, but are carbon fiber and from 7-10 sections, if I get the hang of it and it works on the streams , then a nice rod will be in my future.


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## dwtrees (Mar 5, 2012)

Now I know another thing I can use the rod I bought for. I have a telescoping rod that ends up to be 21 feet long. Paid $35.00 for it and it came from Japan. I have used it twice while at rendezvous and caught two small catfish and a shinner with it. Going to have to get some fly fishing line and try out those old flys I have in the gun safe.


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