DAVID E. DIRKS
Large Water Strategies for Tenkara “Large rivers are really just a conglomeration of small rivers that can be easily dissected into less intimidatingand more manageable pieces.” Karel Lansky
There are two myths about tenkara and big water. The first myth was born from those who see a long rod with a short line and say: “There’s no way to reach the spots you need to reach on a big river.” The second myth revolves around landing big fish on a tenkara rod: “There’s no way you’ll be able to net a big trout in a big river.” Tenkara might mean using a long rod with a short line but you have to change your perspective on how you fish big water and back away from your Western fly-fishing, double-hauling ways. Whether you choose to wade or drift through a big river, have no fear of bringing your tenkara rod along for a very productive and fun ride. Worthing: Look at the size of our trucks. Or the size of the sausage muffin breakfast I eat before a long day of fishing. Since when are Americans afraid of going big? No tenkara angler should be afraid of big water. Ever. Large rivers are simply a bunch of small streams having a dance party. As a tenkara angler, you already know how to dance with a small stream. So why not join the party? I remember the first time ERiK Ostrander, one of Tenkara Guides’ founding members, took me to Utah’s Green River. We had been having a lot of fun fishing together, catching fish at a rate I don’t think either of us was used to. Being the good friend ERiK always is, he prepared me for the not-so-traditional tenkara fishing ahead. He didn’t want me to get too discouraged if I didn’t catch a fish on my first tenkara trip to the Green. An hour into the trip, I had my first fish. A beautiful, big bow. We had a great couple of days, catching a bunch of big browns and bows in an already big river that was swollen with flows over the 90th percentile. And it was all on tenkara. I attribute our success to our ability to dissect 78
