TENKARA FLY-FISHING: Strategies, Tactics & Flies
The Essence of Tenkara Fly-fishing “When I’m on the stream a childlike enthusiasm takes over. I’m catching fish with a rod, a line and a fly, with almost the bare minimum. It’s just cool.” Anthony Naples
Tenkara fly-fishing might be steeped in ancient Japanese history but it’s not mystical in any manner. It was designed to be practical and efficient – to put food on the table, if you will, in ancient Japan. Although the tenkara rod is made with modern, high-tech materials today, the rod, lines and flies of tenkara have changed little over time. Here in the United States as tenkara continues to grow in popularity, there are those who remain decidedly woven to the very ancient and traditional means of tenkara. Then there are those who love tenkara for its simplicity and effectiveness on the stream but are willing to widen the experience by blending in some Western fly patterns that tenkara purists will shun. Of course, I believe each to his own and all should get along merrily since we are all after the same thing: The solitude of fishing cold, clear water and catching trout on a fly. Galhardo: I believe the essence of tenkara lies in keeping it simple, and only using the essentials, while coupling the basic tools with experience and technique. One of the easiest ways to understand tenkara is to look at the original tenkara angler. The original tenkara angler was very poor and didn’t have access to a tackle shop or accessories. He only used what was absolutely necessary and he was effective at using tenkara techniques to catch a lot of fish. We can realize that in tenkara we only need a rod, line (plus tippet) and fly – nothing else. After all, for a long time tenkara anglers have been successful without using much else. 15
