Tenkara Lines and Tippets

“Tenkara is a hands-on sport, if anything, so that’s why it’s important to experiment a little to find out what works best for you.”

Jason Klass

Tenkara fly line choices are happily few and if you’re like me, we can be thankful for that in many ways. I still love to fly-fish with rod and reel in the traditional Western way but try picking a fly line these days. There are just as many fly line combinations in every line weight as there are different available fly rods to choose. Then you have to cut away the marketing hype against the next greatest application technology in Western fly lines to determine if the advance is worth the price and promised performance. It’s the stuff that debates are made of and we enjoy debating what’s best. It’s just what we fly anglers sometimes do. Personally, I use a tapered, 13-foot braided tenkara fly line that comes with a monofilament 3X extender at the tip that allows me to attach my tippet material. Outside of the traditional braided material used for tenkara lines, high-visibility (or high-viz) monofilament is the next likely choice. Which is best? As always, what’s best is what works for you and the kinds of fishing you do. That said, the variety of insights you’ll see in this chapter on tenkara lines and tippets is based on anglers with real tenkara experience as a result of literally thousands of hours on the water.

Worthing: There are a lot of choices out there when it comes to tenkara lines. The two general categories are 1.) Furled lines, and 2.) Level lines. I summarized the difference in a table on our website, tenkaraguides.com, which is republished here:

TYPES OF LINE TO USE WITH TENKARA

PROS

CONS

FURLED LINES

Tapered multi-filament weave (nylon, fluoro, thread, Kevlar, etc)

• Excellent turnover • Delicate presentation • Suppleness allows easy-strike detection • Zero memory • Some can be made to float • Some materials twist when stretched (i.e., freeing a snag) • Can become water-logged • Costs more • Fixed length • Will freeze, losing suppleness • Larger silhouette/shadow

• Easier to cast in wind • Repels water • Cheaper • Can be cut to any length • Will not twist • Durable • More memory • Less supple • Harder turnover

LEVEL LINES

Single-polymer monofilament (fluorocarbon)

Source: tenkaraguides.com

Furled lines are made by twisting together small diameter filaments using any number of techniques to form a tapered line (one that changes diameter along its length). Not all furled lines are created equal. The formula makes a difference. Traditional furled lines were originally made of horsehair or silkgut. These lines cast like a dream, and are light enough to hold off the water at great distances. Unfortunately, they are relatively delicate, tend to break, require a bit more care and good horsehair is becoming hard to find. Modern furled lines are made out of a variety of materials, including nylon monofilament (mono), fluorocarbon monofilament (fluoro), polyester thread, spectra and Kevlar. The probl problem with most modern furled lines on the market is that they tend to be too heavy to hold off the water at a good distance. And a tight line held off the water is critical in tenkara. The exceptions are some lines made out of mono or fluoro. The original

Tenkara USA furled lines were made of mono. They were light, supple, casted like a dream and I loved them. The downside is they performed poorly in the wind. Fluoro lines tend to share the same characteristics as mono lines. Fluoro has greater density than mono, so a furled fluoro line can be made thinner, and cast better in the wind. To date, a well-built fluorocarbon tapered line is my favorite tenkara line. Level line made for tenkara is almost exclusively fluorocarbon. Again, the greater density of fluorocarbon means more casting bang for the diameter buck. Level line gets its name from the fact that it is one diameter throughout its length. The nice thing about level line is it tends to be cheap, you can cut it to any length you want and it wears hard. Don’t think you can go to your local fishing store and pick up any old fluorocarbon line. Level lines built for tenkara are formulated to have different characteristics than the fluorocarbon spin or bait casting line you’re likely to find on the shelves. For the beginning angler, I recommend a high-visibility level line in size 3.5. High-viz because being able to see where your line goes during a cast and what it does thereafter will make a massive difference in developing technique. Level line for all the reasons listed above. Size 3.5 because it is light enough to hold a tight line off the water in all but the longest lengths, yet it has the weight to punch through a breeze. For advanced tenkara anglers, don’t be afraid to start experimenting with homemade furled lines.

Vertrees: I started out on a traditional, furled line and then progressed to level lines and hand-tied lines. A good overall line, and the one I use the most is a level line, matched to the rod. I really think the level line is the most versatile because it’s useful in a wide range of conditions, including wind. It’s also relatively inexpensive. Lyle: The traditional (furled) line casts very much like a regular Western fly line and will feel most familiar to experienced fly fishers who are new to tenkara fishing. They really have a sweet feel. Level lines (straight, usually high-viz fluorocarbon), on the other hand, are lighter and can be held entirely off the water, which is what gives you that great presentation. I started out with the traditional line but I mostly use level lines these days – although sometimes I’ll put on the furled line just to enjoy the way they cast.

Naples: I have never been a real “gear-head” fly angler. I usually find something that works pretty well and stick with it. For me the short answer is get some fluorocarbon level line. To get specific, if I were outfitting somebody for tenkara and had to pick a line, I’d give them a #3.5 or #4 fluorocarbon level line in high-viz orange. The #4 will be a little easier to cast and I like the orange better than the yellow fluorocarbon that I’ve used. Orange is more visible against a wider variety of backgrounds, and being able to see your line is paramount. I started by using the more traditional furled lines. But the ones that I tried always seemed too heavy. I couldn’t fish at a distance very well. I’d cast and the line would drag the fly right back to me. They cast easily, but I didn’t like the way they fished. By no means did I do an exhaustive survey of all the available furled lines, I’m sure there are some furled lines that fish very nicely. Level lines cast easily enough once you get the hang of it, they are light and easy to keep off the water at a distance, I think they are less likely to spook fish, they are relatively cheap, they can be cut to length (and knotted back together if need be), a single spool of level line is enough to make multiple lines. There are different diameter level lines available. Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but I’ve never been that particular. I tend to buy a spool of line usually #3, #3.5 or #4 and just use it on all my rods until it’s gone, regardless of the rod’s rating. I tend to keep it simple when it comes to lines. The rod seller should be able to recommend an appropriate weight line for your rod. Sadler: Interestingly lines seem to be as much personal preference as anything else. With new tenkara anglers I recommend the furled lines. They are easy to cast, lightweight and easy to set up. The level lines offer you the ability to change line length easily, which can be an advantage. I even fooled around with making my own tapered lines with different weights of mono and fluoro. Klass: Some people say that furled lines are easier to cast and make a more delicate presentation, while level lines cast better in the wind. Level lines also have the advantage of being able to be cut to different lengths while furled lines are a fixed length. There are a lot of variables. Tenkara is a hands-on sport, if anything, so that’s why it’s important to experiment a little to find out what works best for you. I’ve fished both extensively and now fish level lines almost exclusively mostly because I like the ability to adjust length.

One piece of advice: A pretty standard description of tenkara line usually dictates that the length of the line should be the same length as the rod. While that’s a pretty good all-around length and good rule of thumb, it isn’t dogma. Depending on the situation, it’s perfectly acceptable to fish a line that is much longer or shorter than the rod. Lansky: For a beginner, a traditional tapered furled or braided line will be the easiest to cast. The taper helps a lot with the turnover of the line, tippet and fly. That being said, they tend to be heavier than level lines and can be a bit more difficult to keep off the water, especially if the line material gets water logged. Level lines tend to be more difficult to cast but can be kept off the water better. Another very important aspect is the visibility of the line. If you fish traditional tenkara (subsurface flies) or with nymphs, you want a line you can see well so that you can detect movement of the line that would indicate that a fish took your fly. I started out with braided lines, then switched to hand-tied tapered highviz lines and now use almost exclusively level fluorocarbon highvisibility lines. I prefer fluorocarbon over mono since fluorocarbon is denser and therefore casts better in windy conditions. It is however more expensive but it tends to last longer than mono, which degrades if exposed to sunlight (ultraviolet rays) and it is also more abrasion resistant.

Stewart: My advice would be to match the line to the rod. If you have chosen a 7:3 rod to get the quick casting stroke and precision in fly placement, you will probably want a tapered line or a slightly heavier level line (probably a size 4, possibly a size 5). A 5:5 rod will probably do very nicely with a size 3 line. When I was at the tenkara gathering in Itoshiro, Japan, in 2011, a survey of anglers in attendance indicated that every one of them fished with a level fluorocarbon line and most used size 3.

In general, I’m not a fan of furled lines. If the tippet end of a furled line is heavy enough to overcome the wind resistance of the cast, the rod end of the line is probably heavy enough that it will fall straight down from the rod tip, making the overall line hard to hold off the water’s surface – which to me is the essence of tenkara fishing, at least on moving water. I much prefer level fluorocarbon line, which is not only denser than most of the materials used in furled lines, the lack of taper puts relatively more weight forward. That in turn helps to turn over the line and tippet.

For guided trips and teaching, it’s level lines all the way. I use primarily 3.5 high-viz level line with a 6-inch red Amnesia section on the tippet end. These bi-color lines make teaching line control much easier and help detect strikes more effectively. They also allow me to adjust the length of the line to get the person casting efficiently and with control. Ostrander: For dry fly-fishing I prefer a furled line made of mono because you can do delicate presentations, treat the line to float and keep your line off the water. Furled lines made of anything else don’t stay off the water and sink. For Czech nymphing above freezing I use two short sections of brightly colored fly line backing. If it’s really cold I’ll use an indicator line made of two different colors of high-viz level line. The only nylon I ever use is a little indicator section of red Amnesia. For everything else I use high-viz fluorocarbon level line. Orange works best most of the time, but I’ll use a tennis ball green when I run out of orange or am casting to spooky fish. When you buy a line you’ll also need something to manage the line. Spools are nice for long-term storage but a hassle on the water. I like to use an attachable hook keeper at the top of the handle section, a rubber o-ring on the shaft of the handle section and a milk cap with a hole drilled into it screwed onto the base plug. Wrap the line around the hook keeper and milk cap until you get to the fly, and hold the hook down with the o-ring. Gibson: Generally speaking I only use 5X monofilament tippet. There is rarely an occasion when I feel the need to fish with anything lighter. In order to protect the rod from over-stress it is not recommended to use a tippet stronger than 5X. However, I have heard of some tenkara anglers who use a stronger tippet on occasion. Regarding length I will most often cut about an arm’s length from the spool, about 3-1/2 feet. I will fish this until I am down to about 1 foot remaining before I will cut and add back to full length again. In most mountain stream fishing situations I don’t feel that the length of tippet is extremely critical. With tenkara your goal is to drift the fly with minimal line on the water. If done correctly you should be able to effectively fish with only a foot or two worth of tippet ever used.