Best of Tenkara Angler - Warm Water Fixed-Line Mashup 2019

BEST OF

WARM WATER FIXED-LINE MASHUP Everything warm water fixed-line from prior issues

TENKARAANGLER. COM

CARP, BASS, PANFISH articles from across the country

CATCH SMALLIES ALL SUMMER tactics, flies, and trip reports

CONTENTS Springtime Crappies Panfish on the Fly's Bart Lombardo outlines the perfect rod, line flies, and technique to target crappie.

ARTICLES Lone Star Tenkara Tenkara Transformation Springtime Crappies White Bass on Tenkara Catch of the Nissin 2-Way Summer Smallies The Llano Bug

Summer Smallies TenkaraBum Chris Stewart runs through some of his learnings and experiences chasing bronzebacls.

Unconventional Tenkara Lessons Learned The James Wood Kebari Rio Grande Cichlids Smallmouth Bass Fixed Line Fury One Fly for Warm Water Tenkara Rod Pond Fishing Southern Hospitality Tenkara Lessons Shared Urban Tenkara

Rio Grande Cichlids One of the prettiest freshwater fish you'll ever see, Rob Gonzalez takes us to Texas in pursuit of this warm water treat.

ON THE COVER

Southern Hospitality

Jon Hart hoists as huge carp caught in the Los Angeles River with a tenkara rod and a little bit of species know-how.

Alabama has the native red eye bass, a fish Chris Lynch feels is made to be caught on light tenkara rods.

LONE STAR TENKARA

Who says tenkara is only for coldwater streams & trout?

Rob Gonzalez is part of a growing tenkara movement in Texas. Through the Facebook Group "Tenkara Texas," Hill Country anglers share stories, photos, and events relevant to the local tenkara community.

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Additional Information can be found at: www.facebook.com/groups/TenkaraTexas

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Rob ďŹ ghting a nice rainbow on the Guadalupe River Photo: Chris Johnson

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Tenkara Transformation

Adapting Tenkara for Smallmouth Bass Text & Photos By Mike Lutes & Matt Sment

By now, the majority of fixed line anglers are familiar with Tenkara’s origin story. It is a well-known fact that it was developed on high gradient drainages to catch cold water species.

These conditions translated easily to some areas of the US, but many regions simply don't host mountain streams. Luckily, it turns out that Tenkara is exceptionally well suited for other terrains and species too!

In warm water sport fishing, Smallmouth Bass just may be the ultimate match for Tenkara. It's a fish that is native to North America, and while it requires warmer water, it thrives in structure and current conditions similar to those favored by trout.

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It is an opportunistic and aggressive feeder.

Smallmouth are known to hunt on the move, but often launch explosive strikes from ambush positions near structure. Once hooked, they are ferocious fighters! Ounce for ounce, there is simply no better fight out there. On a Tenkara rod, every 12 inch fish is a thrill ride, and anything 15 inches and up feels like a clash between titans!

We've spent a lot of time fishing for Smallmouth with Tenkara systems over the past few years, both on smaller “trout stream” sized creeks and larger rivers. In this article, we’ll discuss our observations on gear and tactics that are producing results for us on smallmouth creeks here in Wisconsin’s Driftless region. You'll see that

we've adapted what is already a simple system into something species and terrain specific – which ends up even simpler!

Rods:

We think that the average 11-13 foot, 6:4 or 7:3 action rod offered by most American companies is just about perfect for 10-15 inch smallies on a typical creek. Softer tipped Japanese rods with highly refined actions are great for level lines and light fly patterns, but they are poorly suited for throwing the larger payloads we've come to prefer. Additionally, a rod with some “backbone” to it comes in handy when you need to dig in your heels against a big run.

It's true that flexibility protects the rod, but without some stiffness to rely on, it’s going to be really difficult to turn that crazy bronzeback when it goes ballistic downstream.

While we have spent time fishing smallmouth streams with “big fish” rods, we found them to be an overmatch for the size of the fish we were catching. One might consider making the leap into “bigger fish” rods if they are regularly targeting 16+ inch Bass or fishing in heavier current and larger/ deeper water, but for creeks and streams, we recommend you stick with “regular” rods to maximize the excitement!

Line and Tippet:

There are two major factors that drive our preferences for line and tippet. First, Smallmouth Bass are not very leader shy.

We aren’t saying that they are “easy”… but they are nowhere near as spooky as trout.

Second, we are typically casting larger and heavier fly patterns on our Tenkara rods than we do when we fish for trout. These two factors combined mean that we are less concerned about line signature, and need some extra line mass to help cast larger flies.

We both prefer light-weight floating lines for Smallmouth Bass fishing. In our opinion, the requirement for throwing larger flies makes level line a poor choice. Furled line would be better suited for the task, but its need for floatant to keep it from sinking is something we are not fond of. Light-weight floating line offers the mass we need to throw bigger patterns, and lacks the complications that come with furled lines.

Our usual rigging is about 12-16 of line, depending on the size of the water we are fishing. Fishing a line length that is longer than the rod does increase the difficulty in keeping line off the water, but as we’ve discussed, that is not a big issue in bass fishing.

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As far as tippet goes…we save it for the trout! This where it pays to know the water and species you are fishing. Smallmouth simply are not spooky enough to warrant its use, and in small and medium streams, the 10-15 inch bass you are targeting with the average Tenkara rod aren’t putting the rod in threat, so the “safety” concept is largely unnecessary. Instead, we use 4-6lb test monofilament line. Our favorite choice is “the cheapest that is currently on sale”.

Normally, we rig up with 6-8 feet of mono, tied directly to the end of the floating line.

On average, we are fishing 30-36 foot systems and making casts in the 25-35 foot range. We tend to use systems on the shorter side when fishing solo, because that makes landing the fish a bit easier. When you’ve got a buddy nearby that can assist with the landing, don’t be afraid to stretch out to longer lengths if you want to experiment!

Fly choice and Tactics:

Nymphs will work sometimes. So will dries.

And poppers. But for consistent action, we recommend you pick a streamer of some sort. Why’s that? Because we’ve both found that we can make streamers produce under the widest variety of circumstances. We believe that this is because general purpose streamer patterns feature a decent amount of movement and a bold profile.

Mike caught nearly all of his smallmouth this year on a size 6 or 8 white cone headed streamer with a strip of rabbit fur.This remarkably effective fly can be twitched and retrieved at varying speeds or simply dead drifted. You can allow it to sink before the retrieve to get it deep, or strip it fast across the surface to elicit top-water strikes.

The rabbit fur has a killer fluttering action that the bass just love!

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Mike tends to use the weighted fly to work the horizontal axis, targeting deeper holes with thorough drifts. He’ll move through each level of the water column with a combination of dead drifts, twitching retrieves, and erratic “altitude change” retrieves where the fly will climb and dive rapidly. He prefers to fish upstream or up and across, and work the drift back towards him.

Matt spent most of the year fishing for bass with an unweighted Pass Lake in size 6.

Many of the strikes took place within seconds of the fly landing, so there wasn’t much time for technique!

The standard pattern calls for white wings, but we also tested some with chartreuse wings. Both proved equally irresistible.

Being unweighted, you have use current and time to sink it, but the vast majority of the strikes it drew this year were nearly instantupon-arrival topwater hits, or occurred in the top 12 inches of the water column as the fly was being stripped, swung, or otherwise actioned through current.

Matt likes to work wider vertical areas (down and across swing on a long riffle), or short deliberate drifts near structure (up and to the left of that rock, with a 2-3 foot drift past as it sinks). He’ll often do 2-3 passes over a target area and then move on.

Pass Lake

"Chunky 21 inch bass caught on the Classic rod!"

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Smallmouth with Pass Lake

The first pass will be a dead drift, the second some kind of twitchy motion, and the third will be an aggressive strip. If a certain technique besides the dead drift seems to be producing more often than others, he’ll start off with that instead.

Your presence in the water will not hinder your chances of catching fish at this range, and you’ll most likely have the ability to cast to both sides of the stream from a central position. You can move from bank to bank as needed.

One big difference between trout and smallmouth, is that bass are not put off by a splashy presentation. On the contrary, they can be quite attracted to noisy landings!

Tenkara rods make it easy to add some “spice” to your presentation, simply by tapping your index finger against the cork grip as you land the fly, and adding a small thrashing action by means of quick tip shake. After all, how many times have you had a small bluegill on the hook and watched bass come rocketing up out of the depths to come investigate? You can even incorporate the “tapping” component into your retrieves and drifts. I’ve had days where the fish wouldn’t move an inch, but add some tapping and they’d hit the exact same fly and presentation they’d ignored a moment before!

Smallmouth bass run and fight hard! Here are a few tips that have worked to help us bring them to hand:

We both agree that you are best off getting in the water to fish. Assuming that there is no safety risk in wading, get your feet wet and use the lower profile to your advantage.

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Be aware of your position in the stream, nearby current, depth, etc. Do what you can to steer them away from entanglements and bunkers early in the fight.

Move your feet. If can move safely, a few steps forward or to the side can make a huge difference in that moment when you and the fish are balanced on a fine edge and struggling for control of the rod. Stay mobile!

Another trick to change the dynamic when the fish is running straight away from you, is to take a quick, small step forward and then turn your whole body to the side. Turning your whole body can put the bend back into the rod and get you back into control of the fish quickly. This can be done in place if you are in a position where you cannot safely move.

Final Thoughts:

We were discussing this article over beers (Mike, a Belgian Abbey ale, Matt a Sprecher’s root beer) and having a difficult time articulating just what it is we enjoy about bass fishing so much. During the discussion, Mike brought up that when he fishes after a night shift, he usually chooses to fish for smallmouth bass as he generally finds it so relaxing. Matt related that he had been out fishing for Smallmouth this summer with a friend that they were having so much fun they were laughing like kids.

And that is when it crystallized for us…

As much as we enjoy trout fishing, there is always a certain pressure that goes along with it. Yes, it can be very relaxing, but if you are not careful, you can also be tense

while trout fishing. While we really enjoy the constant analysis and engagement that is part of a day on a trout stream, that level of mental activity can be fatiguing. Trout fishing is appealing in part for its endless complexity. Stream fishing for bass is enjoyable because of its relative simplicity.

Lastly, I don’t think we can underestimate the “fishing like you did when you were 10 years old factor”. I suspect many of us fish because it reminds us of carefree childhood days spent on the water. We have found stream fishing for smallmouth gets us closer to that ideal.

A fierce native species. uncomplicated to catch and fights like a demon, paired with a simple system of tools that is uncomplicated to fish and is easily adapted to local conditions. It’s a perfect match!

Typical Driftless Creek Bass

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Springtime Crappies Bart Lombardo

When the trees begin to bud and winter finally releases it’s grip on the landscape, my thoughts start drifting towards springtime crappie fishing. All winter long I have been looking forward to fishing the lakes and ponds around my home.

Although I am a dyed-in-the-wool trout fisherman, the nearest quality trout water is over an hour from where I live. With those commuting times, trout fishing becomes a full day commitment. However, I could be chasing crappies and other panfish at over a dozen lakes and ponds within ten minutes of walking out the front door.

That being the case, you are just as likely to find me on a warm water pond, as you are a trout stream. In both cases, a tenkara rod is my weapon of choice.

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Where To Find Early Season Crappies

Crappies are one of the first fish to become active in the spring. They will enter the shallows to spawn earlier than other species like bass, bluegill and sunfish. Preferring cooler water, they begin actively feeding before other warm water species.

The shallow bays of ponds and lakes will be the first to begin warming up after ice out. You can expect fish to move into these areas first.

Crappies will often hold along the edges of weed beds and submerged timber. You can also find them in reed beds, especially early in the season.

If you are a shore based angler, weed lines within casting distance of shore and fallen trees will be your best bet. Those fishing from watercraft will obviously be able to access

more water and different fish holding structure. These fish definitely show a preference for feeding early and late in the day. Your chances of finding fish will improve if you can get on the water during the early morning and late afternoon hours. My personal preference is the late afternoon right up to sunset.

The Ideal Tenkara Rod For Crappies I prefer rods in the 12 to 13-foot length for most of my crappie fishing. The longer rod gives me the reach to access more water, especially when fishing from the shore. I will use the same rods that I use for trout fishing and get great results with them.

The length of the line will depend on fishing conditions and the distances you expect to cast to reach the fish. When fishing close I will keep things on the short side. I will fish a line about three feet shorter that the overall length of the rod and add about three feet of tippet material so the overall length of line and leader equals that of the rod. If I need to cast further, I will increase the length of the level line between one and a half and two

I usually steer clear of the tenkara rods designed for larger fish like bass or big trout. I prefer the softer rods and lighter tips when targeting crappie.

These fish have paper-thin tissue in their mouths and the lighter rods prevent the fish from tearing loose. If you're blessed to be fishing water with large, slab-like crappies holding in or near heavy cover, then a stiffer rod may be a better option.

Line and Leader Selection

I mainly stick to fluorocarbon level lines when fishing for crappies. Almost all of your fishing will be done subsurface and a level line will help get the fly down quickly. For most fishing conditions a size 3.5 line will be adequate.

When using larger, more wind resistant flies or fishing in breezy conditions a size 4 or even 4.5 line may be required.

times the length of the rod.

Ideal conditions must be present to fish a line twice the length of the rod you are using. It requires an open bank with no obstacles that will interfere with the cast if you’re fishing from shore. Regardless of the length of your line, the tippet length remains the same, two to three feet is all you need.

Hazards

Warm water tenkara fishing offers some unique challenges and hazards. When fishing from the shore, bank side vegetation and overhead tree limbs can make fishing longer tenkara rods difficult. Casts like the bow and

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arrow casts can make presenting the fly easy, but remember you still have to land the fish. If you hook up and you can't raise the rod, things are going to interesting.

Another hazard is snagging on underwater debris. If you hang up when fishing from the bank and you can't collapse the rod and grab ahold of the line; you may not be able to exert enough pressure to free the fly or break the tippet without damaging the rod. I will usually fish a 5x tippet to minimize this risk.

I'd rather lose the occasional bass that happens to grab a fly, than risk damaging my rod trying to free my fly from an underwater snag. Crappies hold tight to cover in a lot of situations so be prepared to deal with the occasional hang-up.

The Techniques and Flies

Fishing shoreline weed beds can be very productive. During early spring, it is usually fairly easy to locate weed beds. I prefer to present my fly to the deep-water side of the

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bed and allow it to sink to the bottom. After making your cast, watch the line where it enters the water for any suspicious movement.

Crappies are notorious for inhaling the fly as it settles to the bottom.

Once the fly has settled on or near the bottom, I lift the rod and swim the fly back over the weed bed staying as close to the tops of the submerged weeds as possible. The fish often appear out of nowhere and grab the fly.

Another benefit of tenkara equipment is the long rod allows you to present the fly parallel to the bank, opposed to retrieving it towards shore. This can be a very effective technique, depending on the orientation of the structure your fishing.

When fishing submerged trees and other structure like docks and bulkheads, casting accuracy is important. You will need to present your fly as close to the structure as possible.

Crappies often hang tight to underwater structure waiting to ambush anything that swims by. Fortunately, pinpoint-casting

accuracy is just one more benefit of using a tenkara rod.

will out fish a traditional soft hackle every time.

As far as flies go nymphs, wet flies and small streamers are all effective. My favorites are soft hackles and kebari style flies.

Small streamers can also be very effective, especially when fish are actively feeding on minnows. I like small woolly buggers and hair or feather wing patterns. Just keep them small and light and you'll have no problems casting them on a tenkara rod.

I have developed soft hackles and kebari patterns that I tie specifically for crappie. They are flashy and bright and the fish can't resist them. For standard retrieves, the traditional soft hackle style works better but for presenting the fly on the drop the kebari style

Let your tenkara rods get a warm water workout this spring. Give tenkara crappie fishing a try, you will not be disappointed!

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White Bass on Tenkara Russell Husted

April showers bring May’s flowers. In Texas, April showers also bring white bass, or as we call "sand bass."

With the hopeful spring rains, the creeks and rivers get swollen from the fresh runoff, which warms the lakes and triggers ideal spawning conditions for white bass. The bass sense the changes in the water and group up to begin their annual run into the creeks and rivers.

They come by the thousands, and can be found in large numbers during these conditions. If you find a large pod of white bass, and use the right technique, catches of over 100 bass a day are very common. And can be done easily if conditions are right.

For as long as I can remember, we would target white bass with a 3 to 5 weight rod, and use small clousers, or minnow imitations to catch white bass. This technique has always been the

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combination that works best. Over the years, we discovered that the smaller the fly, or even the sparser fly, they would work so much better. So we started tying smaller flies using less materials.

Next we discovered a pattern that was made famous by the late Andy Moreau. Andy tied simple, small jig flies that white bass could not resist. The flies were just strands of floss tied on a very small jig hook. They only took about 1 minute to tie one up, and we called them fast and ugly flies!!! But boy did they work. The experiment continues.

Then I found some jig head hooks my friend David Crawford made. These jigs were tiny.

1/125th of an ounce. We made some Andy Moreau jig flies with these new hooks, and it totally changed the way we fished for white bass. The jigs were so light, they would never sink to the bottom of the creek or river if there

was current. So when your line slightly moved when drifting these flies in the river, you knew you had a strike.

Another thing we found out was that these small jig flies were actually indestructible, and would last all day, while catching as many white bass as you could handle.

Then I was introduced to Tenkara. Fascinated by this new technique, I quickly used an Ito in Colorado for trout fishing. It was awesome, and I immediately fell in love with how easy it was to control a drift using a high stick technique. After a very successful trout trip, we return home and I started creek fishing for sunfish, perch, gills, or anything that would hit a fly in my favorite summer creeks. The seasons change, and the Ito gets stored away till spring. Then it hits me.

Why not use a Tenkara rod for white bass?

So the story unfolds. The Ito is loaded up with a handful if micro jigs, and it’s off to the favorite spring time river for white bass. I locate a large pod of sandies, so we call them, and it’s not long to see if the experiment works. A simple cast, and let the small micro jig swing down stream, and I feel a hard take. I swing the Ito downstream, and the micro jig is set into a very nice sandie. The sandie made some several hard runs, and it felt so good on the Ito.

today that was the case. In the next hour, an additional twenty something sandies fall prey to the micro jig on the Ito rod. The story ends with a new, successful arsenal for my favorite style of fishing.

Many more trips were had this spring, with similar results. But as the world turns and the seasons change, I am back to creek fishing for gills and perch, and soon to Colorado for trout.

Tenkara is definitely a year round way of fishing.

A quick release, and I am back at it. The next cast, another nice sandie. As I mentioned earlier, if you find a pod, and conditions are right, numbers can be had rather quickly, and

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Catch of the Nissin 2-Way A Photo Essay Bradford Wade

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Summer Smallies Chris Stewart

It is winter and what is a tenkara angler to do?

I can offer only two choices. One is to go fishing anyway and freeze your Nuggies.

(Yes, I know this is a family magazine, but for anyone who may have been offended, “Nuggies” are a type of soft plastic lure used for ice fishing. I can only assume that if you are on a frozen lake sitting on an overturned 5-gallon bucket with your back to the howling wind, your Nuggies are going to freeze.) The second choice is to stay home, tie some flies and read about fishing at a time when the bite isn't frostbite.

For tying the flies, you're on your own (although I do have some nice kits to offer). For the fishing, I can offer a tale of summer smallies. Now I am well aware that the tenkara anglers in Japan do not think that fishing for smallmouth bass is

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really tenkara. The keiryu anglers wouldn't consider it keiryu either. Nor would the mebaru or the ayu or the kajika or the tanago anglers claim it. They don't know what they're missing! Shakespeare got it right, though, when he wrote “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

What it is called doesn't matter, as long as you get a fishy smile on your face and some fishy slime on your hand. (I had never before realized it, but “smile” and “slime” are anagrams. Now they're forever linked.)

For many years now, starting well before I learned about tenkara, my friend Rex and I have been going to a lodge on an island in a lake in Maine for smallmouth bass fishing the first week of June. castleislandcamps.com My friend is a spin fisherman, and I used to be. Once I started fishing with tenkara rods and keiryu rods, though, I never looked back.

Even with a 6.3m keiryu rod, I can't cast as far as Rex with his spinning rod, but I can certainly cast far enough to catch fish. The smallmouth bass are in the shallows at that time of year and we fish from a boat,

Castle Island Camps

so we can slowly cruise just far enough offshore to target the bass. Occasionally it is sight fishing to specific fish, but we are generally just far enough away and the water is just deep enough that we don't see the fish before we cast.

I often do see the fish just before the take, though. There's something about seeing a good sized smallie emerge from the depths, slowly swim up to your fly, open its mouth, take the fly and then turn to go back down that is more satisfying than seeing the rapid splash of a trout taking a dry or the subtle line twitch that signifies a trout taking a wet. All three are exciting, but the smallie take almost seems to be in slow motion – the whole sequence lasts so much longer. There's often time to say “Take it!” at least three times before it actually does!

Then the fight is on – and what a fight!

Inch for inch, a smallmouth bass will outfight a trout. They bulldog like a brown and jump like a rainbow. If you have never caught one, you need to plan a smallie trip!

You might not have to travel far. According to the US Geological Survey (the government scientific agency that deals with natural resources – including fish), smallmouth bass are found in every state but Alaska and Florida (Mike, you'll just have to move).

I have to admit that I am not an expert smallmouth bass fisherman. Although I have caught them in rivers, virtually all my smallmouth bass fishing has been in lakes (and to narrow it down even further, to a few lakes in Maine in the first week of June). So with that as a caveat, all I can tell you is what works for me.

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Flies

I have to level with you and say the list of flies that WON’T catch smallmouth bass is probably the shorter list. At the time of year when we fish, they're hungry and they'll eat almost anything. I've caught fish with everything from a very sparse North Country style Partridge and Orange trout fly in a size 12 to a deer hair mouse to a six inch long “Tabory Snake” striper fly in a size 2. Even a fairly small foam grasshopper works surprisingly well. Cast….wait…. twitch….wait….twitch….BAM! My most productive fly, though, has been what I call a Keeper Kebari. It is tied on a size 6 nymph hook (1XL) like a Daiichi 1560. The body is yarn. The Black Killer Bugger yarn has worked the best for me, but I haven't found a color that didn't work. The hackle, tied sakasa-style, is either a large feather from a hen pheasant breast or from a Hungarian partridge flank (the largest feather on the partridge skin).

I add a copper wire rib because the bass teeth (very small but very sharp) will catch the yarn and unravel the body without it.

Keeper Kebari

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Tippet

Bass are not tippet shy, but you should definitely heed the manufacturer's recommendation for maximum tippet. You never know when the next fish is going to be a lot larger than you expect, or when your cast will snag a log just as the wind starts to blow your boat. You can't let out more line so the tippet has to be the weak link. I generally use 5X and do fine, but I check the tippet after every fish and replace it frequently (bass teeth would make very effective sandpaper and they will abrade a tippet quickly).

Lines

I prefer level line, even when fishing floating flies on a lake. I've used everything from size 2.5 to size 4 level line, depending on the fly and the rod. A wind resistant fly will require a heavier line, as will a stiffer rod, so you'll have to experiment. I've also used the Nissin PALS SP Pro twisted fluorocarbon lines and they work quite well for casting wind resistant flies.

Suntech Keiryu Sawanobori 63

Rods

The easy answer to this one is “What rod do you have? Use that one.” However, as with any type of fishing, you really should match your equipment to the fish. What I have found (not surprisingly) is that longer is better. After all, I'm fishing from a boat on a lake. Overhead tree branches are not generally a problem. Also not surprisingly, given that many of the fish I catch there are 14-17”, a beefier rod handles them better than a soft, full flex rod. Although I have caught bass with a Daiwa Zero rod, designed for 8” trout and 1.5# test line, with each two-pound smallie I was afraid the rod would break and it didn’t take many fish at all to realize that continuing to use it was foolish.

My favorite tenkara rod for bass is the Daiwa Enshou LT44SF, but it has been discontinued. Diawa replaced the LT44SF this year with the Expert Tenkara LTH44, which should be an even better bass rod.

My favorite keiryu rod for bass is the Suntech Keiryu Sawanobori 63 (although the 53 is a close second – it doesn't have the same reach, but it is so light it is a joy to fish).

Since it's the dead of winter and you have lots of time on your hands (between shoveling snow and thawing pipes, that is), plan a smallmouth bass trip for the coming season. You'll enjoy it. (And if word gets out, the Japanese tenkara anglers will be coming here to fish!)

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The Llano Bug Rob Gonzalez

I learned this fly from its designer Kevin Huchinson at my first tying session over twenty years ago. It's a quick, easy tie and can be tied in many variations of colors, size, and materials. This is one of my favorite top water flies for warm water tenkara here in Central Texas.

Recipe:

There are endless color and size combinations of this fly that can emulate anything from a hopper to a beetle. If you tie on a larger hook, vary the foam width accordingly for buoyancy. Flash can be added out the tail if desired. Legs can be barred or more legs can be added.

Foam: Yellow 2mm foam from Michael’s or Hobby Lobby. It can be found cheap in 5 ½ x 8 ½ multicolored packs. (Any color can be used, yellow works well)

Llano Bugs are my go-to flies for top water action in warm water tenkara here in Texas – sunfish and bass love ‘em! They're cheap, quick and easy to tie, and durable.

Tight Lines from Tenkara Texas!

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Hook: Gamakatsu B10S size 12 (it can be tied at any size – this is my most commonly used size for tenkara) Thread: UTC70 yellow (or any color and size of your choice)

Dubbing: Dave Whitlock’s SLF in Sculpin Olive (or chenille can be used) Rubber Legs: size small to medium, barred or solid. (Can also be barred with a marker) Elk or Deer Hair: Natural or colored; stacked

Glue: Your choice, but not necessary

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Steps 4 & 5

Step 6

Step 1: Prepare the foam by first cutting a ¼” wide strip from one of the sheets and tapering one end.

Advance the thread to the barb of the hook.

Line up the foam at this point where the taper meets the ¼” width and tie down the foam advancing forward to the tip of the foam, then back to the hook barb.

Step 2: Spin some dubbing onto the thread and advance all the way to the hook eye.

Step 3: At the hook eye, tie down the foam. The foam will wrap slightly around the shank making a curved body from top. Leave the tag end of the foam forward of the hook eye for now.

In one motion, pull the thread back over the top of the foam to about on third back from the hook eye and secure the foam again. This forms the head and the thread over the foam will be hidden later. At this point you can use a dubbing brush to brush out the dubbing a little to give it a more leggy appearance.

Step 4: Cut two legs about 1 ½ ” long. (For larger versions of this fly either larger rubber legs can be used or two legs can be left attached together). Attach one leg on each side (length will be trimmed later).

Step 5: Use a stacker to align the tips of a small bunch of Elk or Deer Hair. The hair will be tied in above where the legs are, so measure the length of hair from this point to the back of the hook. (The tips of hair wing should be visible from below).

Wrap on a small amount of dubbing over the hair and legs tie in point just to clean up. This is also helps splay the legs. Add a small amount of glue over the hair attachment point.

Step 6: Remove any remaining dubbing and pull back the foam tag end and tie it down in this same location as the hair and legs. Whip finish and trim the foam leaving about a ¼” tag end. Pull the rear legs back and trim evenly and pull the front legs forward and trim slightly shorter than the rear legs.

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Notes on Unconventional Tenkara

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAA

Mike Lutes & Matt Sment

Mike with a good Machaca

If the social media sites are any indicator, I think it is safe to say that the “Tenkara Wars” are over. Perhaps now we can all agree that while tenkara has a specific definition in Japan, here in the U.S. we are apt to call any fixed-line fly fishing tenkara. Let the purists do their thing and the innovators and experimenters will continue to explore this thing some have called American Tenkara.

I purchased my first tenkara rod with visions of using it on the tumbling free stone streams in my region. But like many

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of us here in the U.S., I took one look at it and thought “well, what else can I do with this thing?” Panfish were the first nontrout targets, but my horizons broadened quickly. As the conditions and fish species diversified, so did my gear and techniques.

Let us not forget that tenkara was developed as a method to catch a few species of fish in a specific environment. Is it really that surprising that so many anglers here in the U.S. have modified traditional tenkara to suit their pursuits?

The Japanese love baseball and have been

playing it for almost 150 years. Their game is a little different than ours, but I don’t see anyone telling them it is not baseball.

Stretching to the Meet the Challenges of Spring Creek Trout

I was delighted with how effective my tenkara rod was on higher-gradient free stone streams here in Wisconsin. Sure, brook trout are not all that selective about fly patterns, but I think the ability to pick apart pocket water with a tenkara rod certainly helped. Our success, though, was not translating on the crystal-clear spring creeks which make up the majority of the fishing opportunities in our region.

Here we differ from convention. The widespread advice seems to be to use 2-3 feet of tippet, 5x or 4x. Our spring creek browns don’t seem to care for this set up.

As a general rule, we rig a tippet section that is the longest possible length that will turn the fly over properly in cooperation with our line choice. This usually ends up being between 5-6 feet. Switching to this longer tippet length created a dramatic improvement in our catch rate on Wisconsin’s glass-clear spring creeks.

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Toothy Critters

The 2016 season was the Year of the Toothy Critter for Badger. Mike caught several Northern pike, what we believe is the largest muskie landed on a tenkara rod, and a lesser known central American fish called the Machaca. This season, we hope to spend more time chasing fish with intimidating dentition on a tenkara rod.

We learned a lot about targeting these species that we’ll put to use this year:

Rod: You’re gonna’ need a bigger rod.

Several tenkara companies now sell a “big fish” rod. If you are serious about pursuing the toothy fish, you will want one. Not that you can’t land small to medium pike on your “standard” 12 foot tenkara rod, but it is fitting that for bigger fish you need a bigger rod. That being said, while pike are certainly savage in their strikes, the fight is not the same as, say, a smallmouth bass of equal mass.

While a certain amount of “backbone” is required, an overly stiff rod that fishes like a 2x4 isn't the answer. An ideal rod won’t max out in either direction - you want it to stay loaded and flexing while the fish moves. We took this into account when we redesigned our popular WISCO rod, and softened the action a bit. The WISCO 2 will be more dynamic but still strong enough to dig in its heels against a larger fish.

Line: Floating line all the way. You can still use very light line, and with such a long lever it is still easy to turn over larger flies.

For big fish on open water, we typically rig with a rod length + 2-4 feet of line, and 6-8 feet of “tippet”. Yeah, those quotation marks are there for a good reason, read on!

Tippet: Here is where the biggest difference occurs. No more 5x. You can use a pre-packaged steel bite tippet with your tenkara rod. You will have no problem casting it with a “big fish” rod and floating line. Make certain to rig a “break away” section between the bite tippet and fly line by tying in a length of monofilament with a test rating appropriate to your rod - steel bite tippet

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will not break if you need to disconnect from a snag or if your rod is outgunned!

What I like better than the bite tippet is using about 18-24 inches of heavy monofilament line at the “fly end” of your tippet with a breakaway section of lighter monofilament between that and your fly line. From butt end to fly, it would look like this: lightweight fly line equal to length of rod or slightly longer, roughly 4 foot section of monofilament (6-10 pound test, depending on the recommendations of your rod manufacturer and your own riskbenefit analysis), roughly 2 foot section of heavy monofilament (20-30 pound or heavier). The thick mono line is rather abrasion resistant and less likely to be sliced by sharp teeth. It is cheaper than

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WISCO Smallmouth Bass

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bite tippet and can be changed out if it gets roughed up. It is also slightly more graceful to cast. These toothy fish are not tippet-shy, so you don’t need to worry about line thickness that much.

Fly Patterns: Streamers. Big ones. I actually caught the muskie on a three inch purple streamer, and some of the pike were caught on a size 4 bass streamer, but in general, big flies with lots of action are the way to go. You would be surprised at how easy they are to cast with a tenkara rod. I won’t go into too much detail on fly patterns, as that could obviously be a whole article or book, but think long, wavy streamers.

Techniques: Fairly straightforward here,

just cast and retrieve, varying the rate of the retrieve and pauses to the fish’s liking.

If you have a little weight on the streamer, you will get more of a jig action when you pause, but straight retrieve will also work.

Strikes are usually not subtle. Keep the rod tip as high as possible to keep the line away from the teeth. Have a net handy.

Smallmouth Bass

If you have not chased smallmouth bass with tenkara, you are missing out on what we think is probably the most fun you can have with a tenkara rod. Whether wade fishing (my favorite) or fishing from a boat, the violent strikes and fighting heroics of the smallmouth can’t be beat!

If you are wade fishing, your standard 12 foot tenkara rod is probably still fine. We have both caught smallmouth in the high teens with our Badger Tenkara Classic rod.

If you are fishing a bigger river with stronger current from a boat, you would be better off a “big fish” rod. Lightweight floating line is our hands down favorite line choice.

Save your expensive tippet for the trout!

For wade fishing, we use inexpensive 6 pound test monofilament. I bought a spool of it about 5 or 6 years ago for a few bucks and still have it. Around 6 feet is a good length. Consult your rod specs for maximum tippet section test.

Size 4 or 6 flies are about right. Having some weight is nice. If fish are taking on the surface, a faster retrieve will keep your fly more in the zone, or pack some weighted and unweighted options. Dries and nymphs can work in certain

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conditions, and poppers are a blast, but streamers will produce with the most consistency.

Inspection warning! Bass have very abrasive teeth. Make sure to inspect your tippet-to-fly connection after every catch, otherwise the “wear and tear” might cause you to snap-off on the next fish. As a precaution - you might reconnect the fly every couple of fish to make sure the system is strong and intact, or use a short length of more durable 30lb or 40lb test mono as a bite guard at the end of your monofilament section to connect the fly.

Tenkara on the Drift (Boat)

We’ve been fortunate enough to have had numerous opportunities to fish with my tenkara rods on different configurations of drift boats. Tenkara offers some distinct advantages in this setting versus traditional fly fishing, but there are a couple of noteworthy considerations to be aware of.

First, the advantages. If you’ve ever fished from a boat with a conventional fly rod, you no doubt will have had coils of fly line snag on something at the most inopportune time. With a tenkara rod, you simply hold the line at the ready. No tangling on the oarlocks or around your feet. You can launch a cast a lot faster than with a standard fly rod as you are not playing out (or taking in) line. If you are actually moving, this aspect of tenkara fishing is really helpful for prospecting multiple likely lies in short order. Your guide needn’t worry about getting hooked with your back cast when the rod is 12 or 14 feet long. It is also far easier to cast

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Mike with a Tenkara Musky

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from a seated position with a tenkara rod than a standard fly rod. So, you will get more casts on target with less fuss, which most days should get you more hook ups.

There are a couple of distinct disadvantages to discuss. First, snags are problematic. If you are out with a guide or a friend’s boat, I would suggest you discuss how to handle snags before you begin the float. If you are drifting in fast moving water and snag, your best bet may be to drop the rod if you can’t quickly free the snag. I have not found a tenkara rod yet that doesn’t float, so assuming your guide can reposition the boat, the best bet may be to drop the rod and go back and get it. I think it is safe to say that far more tenkara rods are broken by snags than fish. One also needs to decide how heavy to go with

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tippet. Heavier tippet may mean fewer lost fish but also increases the chances of breakage when dealing snags.

Secondly, If you are fishing from a boat and a big fish runs in strong current, you have limited options on how to play that fish. You cannot reposition yourself much as you would while wading or on shore, and there is only so much give in your system. I have lost fish from drift boats that I think I could have landed if wade fishing. Make sure you bring your “big fish A game” and think hard about how heavy you want your tippet to be.

Your tenkara rod can be a ticket to a variety of fishing adventures. Don’t be afraid to do something unconventional with it!

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Lessons Learned...

Tenkara & Others Jack Harford

Each year is an opportunity to experiment and learn something new… or relearn something forgotten. This year has been an interesting one. About 90% of the time the creeks and streams have been blown out with all the rain that has drenched this portion of Indiana. Particularly, the local stream that gets most of my attention has been mostly unfishable this year.

This situation can offer a couple of options:

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1. Give up fly fishing and go play golf, or…

2. Fish the local ponds The closest pond has in the past been notoriously selfish in giving up fish… almost always difficult to get much action.

However, this year, with a couple of different strategies and techniques the fishing has been much better.

First, fly tying this year has focused on

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traditional wet flies and soft hackle flies.

Most of these have been tied in sizes 10-16 which is a little smaller offering than had been presented in the past.

Bluegills, bass, even some crappies, and that one monster that flashed in the water and immediately broke me off have mistaken the wet flies for a snack or dinner.

The subsurface offerings have accounted for about 80% of the flies caught by fish this year compared to around 20% catching top water flies. In previous seasons, top water flies had been the focus, so the increased use of subsurface wet flies may be one of the reasons for increased hookups.

Another experiment this year has been using a 12-foot Tenkara rod with about 15 feet of line/leader. To be honest, at first the limitations of a fixed line rod were a bit frustrating. Fly casting is a beautiful thing and that feeling of executing a great cast just wasn’t there. A good cast produces a great amount of satisfaction as the weight of the line gracefully shoots through the guides and the fly lands elegantly in the proper location at a good distance.

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However, the limitations of Tenkara have also revealed a few of the limitations of long distance casting with the traditional fly rod. Davy Wooton’s DVD “Wet Fly Ways” was a good lesson in working the water. Many times, the longer casts result in “lining the water.” Lining the water means that the fly line is scaring the fish when it lands on the water. The line is cast out, scares the fish off, and then the fly is stripped or played through that very same water that was disturbed by the fly line.

Davy’s advice was to keep the amount of fly line out the end of the rod to a minimum and use a long leader of 9 to 12 feet (even more in some situations). Make several casts to one area and then move up or down stream (or around the pond in this case) the length of the leader and make a few more casts and continue in this fashion.

With this method, the fly is played only in the area of the less visible leader. Only 9 to 12 feet is covered in each cast and then a

new cast made. These are relatively short casts with only 10 or 20 feet of fly line out the end of the rod.

The Tenkara rod forces a shorter cast since there is only a fixed amount of line attached to the rod. Targeting water that has not been disturbed by the fly line may be another reason for increased strikes by the fish. This method allows the angler to work the water effectively and efficiently.

Interestingly, most of the fish that snagged a fly were between 2 and 10 feet from the bank, including a nice 14” Largemouth Bass that took a Gartside foam hopper about 4 feet off the shore.

The lessons learned within the limitations of the Tenkara rod can then be applied to fly fishing with any rod. Each fisher will find that something a little different will work best for them and that is great. It is one of the things that makes fly fishing a continual learning process, interesting, and enjoyable.

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Tenkara Angler Winter Fly Tying Feature

The James Wood Kebari

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Bart Lombardo

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When I was first asked to submit a fly for this edition of The Tenkara Angler, I started looking through my selection of tenkara flies for patterns that I felt were this past season's best producers. I removed some tenkara flies from a box that I had tied for my annual summer trout fishing trips to Montana and the mountains of North Carolina. I spread out the flies on my fly tying desk and was mentally going over the merits of each fly, trying to narrow down the selection, when a small splash of color caught my eye. Over on the corner of the desk, underneath a pile of fly tying materials, was a little blue and yellow fly that had somehow never made it into a fly box. A soon as I picked it up I knew the choice had been made!

Although my favorite type of tenkara fishing involves small mountain streams for beautiful native or wild trout, I have also adopted the tenkara method for warm water fishing. Living well over an hour from my nearest trout stream means I need to pursue other species if I wish to fish often. Fortunately, the area around my home is dotted with scores of warm water lakes and ponds. These days, over half of my warm water fishing is done with a tenkara rod, especially when it involves bluegills and other panfish. A tenkara rod

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and box of warm water flies permanently reside in a pocket behind my driver's seat in my truck, ready to fish at a moments notice.

One of my favorite warm water flies is an unusual pattern developed on the smallmouth bass rivers of Virginia. The fly is called the James Wood Bucktail. The James Wood Bucktail is a smallmouth bass pattern created by Harry Murray. Harry, the owner of Murrays Fly Shop in Edinburg Virginia, tied the fly to imitate a baby sunfish. Murray explained that The James Wood Buck Tail was adapted from Pete Perinchief’s bonefish fly, The Horror. The James Wood Bucktail gets its name because its colors match those of a local high school sports team.

While I don’t see any resemblance to a baby sunfish when I look at this fly, the fish certainly have an affinity for it. In its traditional size, it makes a great warm water pattern for bass, pickerel and larger bluegills and crappies. I most often fish the fly in a size 4 or 6 which can be a little cumbersome to cast on most tenkara rods.

Last winter I shrunk the pattern down so it could easily be fished on a tenkara rod. I had to swap out a few materials to make it work since the original chenille body, and

bucktail wing would not work in the smaller proportions of the shrunken version. Taking the evolution one step further, I also created a kebari version of the pattern, which is the focus of this article.

The kebari version of this fly retains the blue, yellow and white color combination that proved itself so effective on the original pattern. New materials had to utilized for kebari version, and after a bit of experimentation, I decided to keep things traditional using only thread and hackle. By using blue and yellow thread and a hackle from a white rooster neck I was able to retain the original colors of the James Wood Bucktail. I originally planned on using a white hen feather to get better movement in the water, but I stumbled upon a old Indian rooster neck that had soft webby feathers that were perfect for this fly.

Because it is possible to catch dozens of fish on a single fly when fishing for bluegill and other panfish I decided to take some additional steps to create a bombproof fly.

I coated the thread wraps with UV resin.

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The original James Wood Bucktail

This extra step ensures that the fly will never become unraveled. My UV resin of choice is Solarez Bone Dry, which has a thin consistency that works perfectly on smaller flies and it dries entirely tack free.

It also helps the fly sink a little better which is always a plus with subsurface flies.

This fly has proven itself to be a very effective warm water pattern for bluegills and other sunfish. I fish the fly a little differently then the James Wood Bucktail it originated from. After casting I let the fly slowly settle towards the bottom. It seldom makes it very far without getting picked up by a fish. You will need to observe your line and tippet since a strike may only be indicated by a subtle twitch or pause in the decent. On the rare occasion that the fly is not picked up on the drop, I impart a few subtle twitches with the rod tip. I retrieve the fly be slowly raising the rod tip and then let it settle towards the bottom again until I am ready to make another cast. When the fly is in motion takes are usually quite violent, and there will be no mistaking them!

The James Wood Kebari, the perfect meal for a panfish

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The James Wood Kebari Hook: Owner Tenkara size 4 (the sizing on this particular hook has no similarity to standard western hook sizes. I would compare it to a size 12 hook) Head: Blue UTC 140 denier Hackle: White rooster from an inexpensive Indian neck Body: Yellow UTC 140 denier Finish: Solarez Bone Dry UV Resin Note: The use of the heavier 140 denier thread makes creating the head and body of the fly easier (fewer thread wraps). The UV resin is an optional step, but it has its benefits. First, it creates a bombproof fly. One can expect to catch dozens of fish on the same fly when fishing for panfish and the resin coated fly is up to the challenge.

Second, the use of UV resin creates a denser fly that sinks a little faster.

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Create the head of the fly with the blue tying thread.

When satisfied with the shape of the head, coat the thread with UV resin and cure (optional).

Tie in the rooster hackle and wind it around the hook shank coaxing the fibers forward over the eye of the hook.

Tie off the rooster hackle, clip off the excess and whip finish and cut off blue thread.

Attach yellow thread behind the hackle and create a tapered body, whip finish and cut off thread.

Apply UV resin to yellow thread wraps and cure (optional). If using UV resin, be careful to keep it away from the hackle fibers.

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Rio Grande Cichlids Rob Gonzalez

Seems like it was a better than average year for catching Rio Grande Cichlids in the Central Texas area.

Usually by the end of summer, Rios can become ragged and even start to produce ulcerations on their sides (possibly due to lower quality and rising water temperatures) – but not this year. They were plentiful, in great health, and a blast to catch.

Being a member of the cichlid family, they’re aggressive yet protective of their many offspring and have a complex mating system. An invasive species from the lower Rio Grande basin, they can now be found in Louisiana and Florida canals. Their distinctive cream and turquoise colored spots as well as their dark vertical bands on a light olive to a dark background yields a very beautiful and unusual fish compared to the other warm water species in the area. Males develop a nuchal hump on their foreheads and Rios can grow to over 10”. The current IGFA certified record is 11.1” weighing in at 2.02 lbs and caught in Lake Dunlap in Sept, 2011.

Rios are cold sensitive and prefer water temps in the 68-82 degree range but their high tolerance for lower quality water and even high salinity aids in their distributive reach. Typically caught on bottom flies such as Bennet’s Rio Getter, this year it seemed they were taking everything from small top waters, squirmy wormies, dry flies, to various kebari. Definitely consider adding the Rio Grande Cichlid to your species bucket list the next time you're in Texas!

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Smallmouth Bass:

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A Wonderful Fish for the Tenkara Rod Bob Long

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Smallmouth bass are, what they are. Not what they are not.

If you can accept the integrity of those statements, marvelous! Some great smallmouth fishing awaits. If not, it may be useless for you to read further.

“I know what you’re trying to do.” – Neo

“I'm trying to free your mind. But I can only show you the door. You’re the one who has to walk through it.” – Morpheus

If those first two lines intrigue, and you

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intend to get serious about fixed-line fishing for smallmouth bass, the first thing I request of you – before rods, lines, tippets, flies - is to curtail or stop using “smallmouth bass and trout” in the same sentence or thought (e.g., “like trout, smallmouth bass are...” or “look for smallmouth in those trout like riffles…,” etc.). If you are willing to do this you will be on your way to a greater understanding of smallmouth bass as the fish they are where they live, what they do, how they feed, and how to appeal to them. You will be on your way to enjoying greatly increased success for them using your tenkara rods.

Background: I conduct on-the-water, flyfishing workshops in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan for smallmouth bass in Midwestern rivers, creeks and streams (I am that specific as to fish and location as to keep the minds of workshop participants, and readers focused on the particulars of the task at hand. It helps).

The workshops last four-to-five hours (usually 3:00 PM until dark in the summer). Although I feature tenkara rods in the workshops, the lessons therein are applicable for western fly rods and spinning rods too.

“My workshops, though technical and detailed in many ways, seek a playful and unpressured approach to tenkara fishing for smallmouth bass as an action to be lived in, experienced and discovered in real time (while in the water catching fish), not as a craft or job to be mastered or completed over time away from the water.

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Learning will come, especially if you are catching fish as you go. What I want for you initially is to have fun catching as

many smallmouth as possible with your tenkara (or western fly) rods.”

– Bob Long

As such, one of the first things I teach is that the rod, line, flies and lures (equipment) are nice, but have little to do with the “Who, What, Where, When, Why & How” of the life of the smallmouth in the waters we are fishing.

The WWWWW&H? That’s the good stuff!

Know your fish, you can catch your fish – with relative ease. Equipment can be fun, but ultimately, its meaningless to the fish.

But the WWWWW&H of each species of fish is of great importance for your immediate and long-term success.

Combine this WWWWW&H knowledge with my fishing system, which I call, “Information + Experience + Interpretation = Knowledge = Fish” and take it to heart, and your tenkara fishing for smallmouth can be marvelously rewarding and fulfilling.

You will catch a lot more fish (assuming that is your goal in fly fishing – it isn’t

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always for some).

The Caveat. Learning to fish from reading (including this) and watching videos has some value, but it is limited. I liken it to trying to learn to throw a football or a curveball from reading articles or watching videos. Can’t do it. Mainly because you can’t stand outside of yourself and see yourself to evaluate yourself. Reading piques the interest, I believe, but long lasting and deep fishing knowledge comes on the water, working with a mentor, teacher, facilitator, experienced friend or Sensei. This is where the lessons and the learning really dig in. That is how humans have been teaching each other for thousands of years.

“Find people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.”

– Amy Poehler

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And, it will only be your ego that will prevent you from doing this. Don’t let it.

Also, this article is not a preachy/teachy “I know best,” story, but meant to offer possibilities to be considered or explored when standing in a smallmouth river, tenkara rod in hand. I also hope you will resist the urge to consider the following material as either simple or complex, truth or non-truth. Just read it and let it settle in. Or not. It is a start, but only so much will come to you reading words. You gotta get out there.

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So, let’s assume you have decided that a tenkara rod and smallmouth bass are for you. If you decide to try this system and give it a consistent use on the water, there are some things you will also need to unlearn. First, that smallmouth bass are not trout – period. Can’t state this enough. However, when most of us think of fly fishing in moving water, we are thinking trout (sub-consciously, unconsciously, or by choice).

For many fly fishers “fly fishing is trout fishing.” However, many of the particulars of trout – reading the water, presentations, forage, equipment, flies/ lures - hinders your ability to successfully fly fish for warm-water smallmouth over the long term. Many will disagree – vehemently. Understood. But I stand by that statement. (Some of you may now need a moment to breathe into the proverbial paper bag.)

In my workshops I ask if you can stop filtering your smallmouth fly fishing through the lens of trout fishing. Don’t look for similarities or differences. Just look at smallmouth alone. Try to leave trout out of the discussion altogether (yes, it can be done although it may be a challenge for many).

I’ll say, “You don’t need a frame of reference from one fish to another to be successful with either,” (e.g., you don’t reference crappie when fishing for bluegill in the same lake or pond, do you? Or reference channel catfish when fishing for walleye

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in the river they both occupy. So, why reference trout for and about smallmouth when they don’t even occupy the same river or types of waters?). Do we reference trout for smallmouth just because we have a fly rod in our hands instead of a spinning rod? Actually, yes, we do, as that is how deeply ingrained trout are in fly fishing. Let’s try to break that link in the chain.

If you are willing to leave trout out of the discussion about smallmouth (and that is a big if – I can feel the resistance rising in many you) you will find your average daily catch rate for smallies going up appreciably. If not, it probably won’t.

Will this letting go be hard? If you feel letting go of trout-think and learning smallies with be easy, it will be easy. If you feel it will be hard, it will be hard.

Easy and hard are simply our interpretations of a neutral act: learning.

It is neither easy nor hard to learn. How we feel about learning is often a choice up to each of us. Finally, it helps if you let go, for crying out loud, of the joy-killing, “yeah, buts!”

“Ok, that sounds nice, but...”

“I agree with you on that, but...”

“Yeah, probably, but what about...?”

“Always with you what cannot be done.”

– Yoda to Luke Skywalker

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Some who come to my workshops simply will not make the change. They will use trout tactics almost the whole workshop (and yes, I do wonder why they came). It almost physically pains them to try. They take the “blue pill.” Or they mumble about some kind of magic, secret lures or home-stream advantage when they see me catching fish – often from locations I call out before casting to. It isn’t magic, lures or just home field. It is learned techniques. Available to all.

Here’s my approach for using tenkara rods for smallmouth bass in rivers, creeks, and streams.

Each day I come to the water, I bring a small box with three types of flies, and

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another with three types of plastic lures and some jigs. I try to come with a fresh mind – even if I was just there yesterday.

I need to figure out anew the who, what, where, when, why & how of today:

· This fish (smallmouth bass – biology, habits, needs, behavior) · In this particular river, (each river has similarities and differences, and sections of each river can vary markedly) · On this specific day, (season, time of day, weather) · Under today’s water conditions (water low/high, fast/slow, rising/falling, clear/stained, cool/warm)

I run this info through my fishing system,

“Today’s Information + My Experience + My Interpretation of it = Informed Knowledge.”

And thus, an informed course of action to take that day. Where to start, which lures or flies to use first, how to fish them, etc.

Are the fish where I thought they would or should be? If not, where else might they be? Adjust. Am I getting hits on this color, shape, size, action of fly or lure? If not, what else, how else? Adjust. And on.

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We all do this is one form or another, some do it more in depth than others.

When I get it right, I catch fish. When I don’t, (for a variety of reasons) I struggle and catch fewer.

Information + Experience + Interpretation = Knowledge = Fish. And so it is with tenkara rods and smallmouth bass.

EQUIPMENT SUGGESTIONS

[Side note: Tenkara rods are superb tools for smallmouth bass in rivers, creeks and streams (just having a max cast of 30-feet or less for starters. It really helps with keeping one focused on what’s directly in front of you – no small feat in today multitasking world. Love it). For the last three to four years I have used them exclusively when fly fishing for smallies. But they are only tools. Marvelous tools, yes, lots of fun but just tools nonetheless. It isn’t the rod, it isn’t the line, it isn’t the fly or lure that get fish. It’s you. As one of my 22-year-old, Harry Potter-loving, fishing friends put it: “It ain’t the wand, Mr. Long, it’s the Wizard.”]

TENKARA RODS: I know and use these.

They can handle large smallmouth (up to 21 inches so far) in current as well as the size flies and lures I use: Badger Tenkara Wisco 2, Daiwa Expert LT39 and LTH44, and the Tenkara USA Amago, (all rods with either 7:3 or 8:2 action), in lengths of 12 – 14 feet. Other rods will no doubt work. I just don’t know them. You need something geared for warm-water, not just “larger trout.” A 20 inch smallie in current is a way different fish than a 20 inch rainbow or brown. Get a rod rated for warm-water use.

FURLED LEADERS: Because of the rocky nature of many smallmouth waters, and the length and weight of the flies and lures I use (up to 3 inches length and to a weight of 1/12 ounce or so) I suggest using furled leaders, 12 – 14 feet in length (same as the rod) not level or mono lines. You can go a foot or two longer once you are used to it, but not to start.

Remember, most smallmouth fishing is sub-surface. You won’t see many takes, you’ll mainly feel them (although many of my workshops attendees can’t feel them, and I have to say “You had a hit. You’ve got a fish.”). So, a sturdy yet soft, tapered, furled leader that more strongly transmits energy and vibration works best with smallmouth.

Tenkara is not about distance (this you already know). The further you are from your fly/lure the less you feel; the slower

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you feel it. The less you know about where your fly is down there and what it is doing, the slower your reaction times, the more strikes you miss, the more hangups you’ll find. Leaders the length of your tenkara rod, with three to four feet of tippet is fine for most situations. Learn to love the intimacy and sharpness of being so close to your fish – not see it as a potential limitation. Most times one must exhibit discipline and simply wade closer to a spot, not try to cast farther.

Delicacy and accuracy of casting are not issues here either. Neither is being able to repeat a narrow range of specific drifts or presentations. In addition, keeping line off the water means very little for smallmouth fishing (as do the concepts of drag, drag free drifts, delicate casts upon the water). Being able to cast your flies, work them purposefully in current, feel strikes, set hooks, fight and land fish are what count. Smallmouth "tenkara" is not about trout (again, resist the urge to make it so with comparisons). So, furled leaders with tenkara-styled are the way I go.

Yes, furled leaders and larger, heavier flies/lures will affect your casting motion.

Know this, accept this. And, so what?

Adjust. The beauty of the 10-to-2, or the graceful casts one gets with tenkara rods and kebari flies, will not be doable nor desirable here. Let that thought go. You need a larger and slower transfer of energy to get your smallmouth flies and lures out and to take pressure off the tip

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sections of tenkara rods. I have wide, open, looping casts that may look weird to many fly fishers, but they are graceful and pretty in their own way, and effective too. Furled leaders are essential to do this. (I always point out much of this info before and again at the start of a workshop. I have extra leaders with me. I offer them to participants. Some say yes, some say no. Some request them after they’ve seen how I work them while fishing. Seeing is believing. Sometimes.)

Plus, I suggest you get your leaders in bright colors you can see. Chartreuse, bright red, fluorescent orange, bright green. I’ve not found smallmouth to be put off by such things. Period. But seeing where your line is in the air and on the water, can be quite helpful to you. I use Oudachi and Tachi lines from Moonlit.

Note: I have not yet tried the Badger-Lite floating tenkara line, but I will this spring.

TIPPET: I use name-brand, good quality, non-stiff, four to six pound test monofilament line (mainly four). I prefer Trilene XL in light green, and Cabela’s NoVis Fluorocarbon (clear,) but others will do. As long as it’s fresh, quality line, don’t sweat this. I don’t lose lots of flies or lures to break offs or fish. Still, I am careful to grab the tippet or the leader and pull it to break off, not putting pressure on the rod.

Right about now – as I share all of this - I usually ask workshop participants, “How

are you doing? What are you thinking?

What’s working for you? What isn’t?”

So, I’m asking you as you read. Why? Well, because while “Resistance may be futile” to quote the Borg, it is very much part of being human. Work hard to recognize when resistance appears. Work harder to overcome it and make the necessary changes for fishing success.

Breathe. Relax. You can do this, because remember, you can go back to your old ways anytime.

Reminder, this is about tenkara for smallmouth bass in rivers, creeks, and streams. Not tenkara for anything else.

Ultimately, while a structured approach and attention to detail is rewarded when

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fishing, I am not offering trout-styled “perfection in concept” or written-in-stone “this is how it must be done” rules. Let go of the notion there is, and you’ll grow.

Hold onto them, and your attention is on doing things the “right way,” not seeking possibilities to more effective ways to fish. Still, these are all suggestions, considerations, not directives. I realize, you could reject everything I’m saying, and still happily go about catch fish.

“We humans love consistency. However, nature is anything but. Allow for that.”

– Bob Long

PRESENTATIONS: This is where people really freak out. I only wade, cast and fish going downstream. I only fish while

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wading and casting, facing downstream (like “NY, NY,” that was so nice I had to say it twice).

Here is where words fail. Most really need to see the things I am saying, on the water, to get it. So many of my workshop participants say upon seeing me in real time, “Oh, I didn’t think you really meant THAT straight downstream” or “I didn’t really think you meant THAT close” or “Really? Move the fly all the time? NO dead drifts?” (No, 99% of the time I am giving my fly a little jigging action.)

I am often still surprised at how markedly different their interpretation of what they read or even see in a video will be from what I am asking of them. They can be so

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far off. That is why - teachers, mentors, facilitators, coaches, Sensei.

First thing. Wading upstream, casting up stream, trying to keep control of your drift and maintain contact with your heavier, larger fly, feel takes, prevent snag ups and get a good hookset with tenkara rods is exhausting. You’ll be busier than a onearmed man trying to hang wallpaper in a wind storm. I recommend against it and teach an alternative.

Again, smallmouth aren’t trout. I don’t approach them as such. I never wade or cast up, up-and-across, or across stream when smallmouth fishing – with a tenkara or any other type of rod. The road to hell (loss of feel, of flies, snagged lures,

missed strikes, tired legs, knees and arms), is thus paved going upstream for me. My casting is across-and-down, down-and-across and downstream. I can go downstream effectively hitting fishy locations, carefully covering specific fishy-looking parts of the water in a 180degree arc from my left to right, and right to left. Lots of flexibility of coverage. “Oh, I didn’t think you meant really THAT straight downstream.”

Yes, I am in the fish’s face. I’m not sure how well the smallmouth can see you from 20-30 feet away, but over the course of time, I’ve found it doesn’t tend to matter. I’ve caught hundreds within 10-15-feet or less of me. Many times, they are only a rod’s length away (I use dapping, flipping or pitching to such fish, not casting).

Wading and casting downstream – tenkara rod in right hand, wading staff comfortably in the left (which supports me and keeps me from taking baths) allows me maximum control and feel of my flies and lures, all done with hand and rod position. With one hand, I can work my fly/lure deep, mid-depth, high, on the surface. I can move it left, right, move it forward or drop it back, or leave it in place for as long as I wish. Move it fast or slow or not at all, just let the current move it in place. You can thoroughly, consciously and purposefully cover water fishing downstream. (I even do this the few times I use surface flies too.)

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Fishing downstream has another benefit for the tenkara rod. When it comes time to cast, my line and fly are already tight downstream from me. Little to no slack. I simply pick up the line and fly, bring it up high in the air, swing it behind me, and then bring the rod tip forward (softly, slowly) and put the fly down again where I wish. Using my wrist, arm and upper body I can move, pivot, turn and place the fly anywhere in that 180-degree arc of water.

No false casting, seldom a correction cast, light pressure on the upper sections of the rod. As soon as it hits the water, I’m in contact with the fly or lure, ready for strikes (smallies often hit as soon as a fly or lure hits the water or soon thereafter.

Most guys still getting situated, finishing the cast and preparing for the drift, and are not ready for that. I’ll see their line twitch, their rod tip bounce slightly. “You just had a hit”).

All of the above can so greatly increase the depth of your ability to put the “Information + Experience + Interpretation = Knowledge = Fish” system to work wherever you go to fish smallmouth in flowing waters.

FLIES/LURES: Yes, lures (small spoons, tiny Japanese crankbaits, itty-bitty, inline spinners, up to 3 inch plastics) with the tenkara rod. Another hard pill for many to swallow. But, smallmouth are not trout. So, why not? Don’t switch to trout stuff – little nymphs and 1.5 inch streamers - just because you pick up a fly rod. Stay with things – or as close to –

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that you would normally use successfully for smallmouth. They respond to lures far better than they do to flies. Lures have size, shape, color, action, vibration, scent.

Flies not as much. This is a big part of the workshops. Easy for some to accept.

Hard-to-impossible for others. The Daiwa Expert LT39, LTH44, and the Wisco 2 mentioned earlier have handled these larger flies and lures easily. (There were issues for me with the Amago. Not sure this is recommended for that rod – just maybe larger flies.)

Smallies are aggressive in ways trout are not (not better or worse; just different).

Smallies have no feeding lies, seldom holding stations. They are hunters, not grazers. They attack, not wait. They move around; a lot. Once past 6-8 inches they don’t eat little things, but the biggest things they can swallow.

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Their prey – mainly crayfish and minnows - is sizeable, running 3-5 inches (think river crayfish (not pond crabs) to 4-5 inch hellgrammites to medium-sized golden roaches, not crappie minnows, crickets, or beemoth). Crayfish and forage fish can seldom be found or seen dead-drifting helplessly or casually with the current.

Crayfish can hold in strong current and hustle any direction. They can also fight back. Minnows swim away and must be chased or ambushed. I suggest the flies and lures you use with your tenkara rods mimic these aggressive actions and tendencies when possible.

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“When you feel doubt creeping in, remind yourself – tenkara has no smallmouth in its past. No defining or confining traditions. It is a book in which we are right here, right now - writing the first chapters. I feel no constraints other than those I might discover along the way. We are free to play and discover what does and doesn’t work for each of us. We are at the forefront. Can you feel that excitement?”

- Bob Long

When I use flies, I use 2-4 inch woolly buggers 95% of the time (black, white, olive, brown/orange). On occasion I’ll use some other concoction I create, like the Fuzzy Creeper (tied on 1/16 ounce, size 4 jighead), or on more rare occasions a cork or foam-headed surface fly. Mainly I use 2 to 3-inch plastic lures on 1/16 - 1/64 ounce, thin-wire, (Mustad, Gamakatsu, Matzuo, etc.) custom-poured jigheads I get from guys on the internet (they are usually surprised to know I tie flies on these hooks and use fly rods). I use these because they have sharper points, longer shanks and wider gaps than the usual fly hooks, and that aids my hook setting and fish holding.

For the last three-to-four years I’ve been using Keitech 2 inch and 3 inch Swing Impact swimbaits, Cubby Mini Mite and Mini-Mite 2 lures, and 3 inch Spring Grubs

by Producto lures. Man, I catch a lot of fish with these, all while using my tenkara rods in ways as described above. And as I do, I learn more and more about smallies

in rivers, creeks and streams on my tenkara rods.

Does any of this sound or feel like the tenkara you currently know? Probably not. Does it matter? Willing to try something new? I admit, I love using my tenkara rods in new, exciting, innovative and productive ways – learning what they can and cannot do well. I love the casting, the movement of lure and fly as I work the water, the feel of the take, the hookset, the fight. I feel free to create techniques for it and for a fish (the smallmouth bass) and its water that doesn’t exist in Japan.

Still, I am not seeking to create new, highly-structured traditions with my tenkara rod for smallmouth bass in rivers, creeks and streams that are the “right way” to fish. You can try it in whole, in part or not at all. Mix and match with your own base of knowledge. My fishing system of “Information + Experience + Interpretation = Knowledge = Fish” isn’t designed to replace existing ones. It isn’t against anything. It exists for itself and works marvelously for me. Wanna’ try?

Let me know.

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Fixed Line Fury Carp + Tenkara Rods Jon Hart

Jon battling large carp while wet wading Summer 2018 59 on Lake Isabella in California.

Photo: Celine Bayla

In the past several years, fly fishing for carp has seen a rise in popularity and a wealth of knowledge is available on the subject. Carp on tenkara rods, however, is a bit less common and information is harder to come by.

My first encounter with a carp was a when I saw one seemingly sleeping while hunting panfish on the Los Angeles River with a soft tenkara rod.

A surprise gulp of a black kebari followed by a burst of speed and the fish was gone, my 5x tippet not standing a chance.

That initial encounter spiked my adrenaline and I was intrigued, so I started bringing bigger, longer tenkara rods with shorter lines and heavier tippets to my local carp waters in the hopes of bringing one to net. Over time I lost lots of flies and splintered plenty of tenkara rods, but with practice I eventually learned what it would take to catch carp on a tenkara rod.

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Use the biggest, beefiest tenkara rod or other fixed-line device that you can get your hands on. The base of the rod should be comparable to your thumb and extend to be 12-17 feet long. This length and heft will be necessary to control and eventually land the carp.

Carp are wicked fighters and you do not want to be outgunned.

For line, I prefer using a short, furled leader that when combined with 2-4 feet of tippet will make the entire line and tippet no longer than the rod itself, ideally a foot or two shorter. So, for a 13 foot rod, I might use 8-9 feet of line and 2-3 feet of tippet. Level line will work too. The short overall length makes the inevitable landing experience possible despite the weight and strength of carp.

For tippet, use the strongest available that doesn’t exceed the capacity of your rod, dropping down in diameter if the water is too clear and the fish

spook upon seeing the tippet. I use a minimum of 2X but prefer nylon bass tippet in the 8-pound range because of the added abrasion protection; carp can get rowdy and the water can be full of sharp pokey things.

To the tippet attach any number of different flies.

For bottom feeding or tailing carp, flies of the hybrid variety like the locomoco, the mop fly or any number of heavy flies that ride hook up and seem foody enough for a carp to try --

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worms, nymphs, crayfish and clam patterns. With these flies, lob or roll cast to the general vicinity of your target and then drag-and-drop the fly to within the 90-degree feeding zone of the carp.

For carp feeding on top water, generally referred to as “clooping,” carp will swim with their mouths gulping near, at and above the surface of the water, sucking in anything resembling food.

Stimulators, parachute patterns, hoppers, beetles, ants, and all sorts of dry flies are all

A quiver of worthy carp rods From top; 17’9” Nissin Kyogi 18, 14’9” Nissin Red Dragon 450, 13’2” Tenkara Rod Co Grand Teton, 13’ Tenkara USA Amago, and an adjustable, 11-13’ DRAGONtail Tenkara HELLbender

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good options, as are carefully placed and managed wet flies.

Keep the tippet appropriately tight and the line off the water as much as possible, giving a natural presentation to your fly, raising and lowering the rod, changing the angle and extension of your arm, or moving your body.

Recast as necessary, carefully to avoid spooking.

If you don’t feel or see the strike shortly after the fly entering the carp’s feeding zone, look for a change in behavior, a sudden surge one way, a gulp, a flutter of the tail or other signs to indicate the carp has taken your fly.

Set the hook upward and hold on!

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Brace with your casting forearm, using two hands, your body weight or moving as necessary. The fight will be tremendous. The short line and stout rod will keep the carp and the fight very up close and personal, challenging your strength, endurance, fish fighting skills and tip management. With larger fish, the vibration of the line in the water can cause the tenkara rod to ring aloud with vibrations that change as the battles progresses. Combined with the up-close and personal splashing and carp antics, carp on tenkara tackle can be a very consuming, immersive experience.

The trick, I find, is to keep constant

A Menu of Carp Treats: From top; Carpalicious, Carp Coachman, Chartreuse & orange mop flies, Large nymph, Loco mocos, Assorted dries

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Jon with a long, strong carp from the Los Angeles River, California Photo: Celine Bayla

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tension on the carp, forcing its head up in the water, oftentimes gulping air as it takes a break from fighting and gets pulled skyward by the long, stiff rod. If it wants to go left, use side pressure to turn the fish to the right.

Address straight-line power runs as quickly as possible, using side pressure with the rod to coax the fish off its path. You must control the fish.

Use the features of the water to tire or control the fish, for example fighting it into shallow water where it has more difficulty swimming. Your quarry can make several very powerful, headsnapping runs that will test and break your gear and your patience. Carp will often make 3-4 strong runs, so be prepared to battle until they tire. Stay

calm and focused.

Use a large rubber net to land the fish.

Gently dislodge the hook if it didn’t fall out already from being barbless. Let the carp rest and recuperate as you would any other fish, minimizing time out of the water. Release it safely.

The widespread availability of carp combined with their intelligence and fury make for an exhilarating experience on tenkara rods. While some folks may continue to see carp as trash, enemy fish caught as byproduct of targeting other species, for many anglers, perhaps even you, carp are worthy targets that will refine your skills as a tenkara angler.

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Jon landing one of several carp at Carp Throwdown 2018, held at Lake Henshaw, California Summer 2018 65 Photo: Elena Revelez

One Fly for Warm-Water Fixed Line Fishing

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Tim Bete

When I first heard about tenkara, I immediately loved the concept. I was seduced by the simplicity of a fixed line with one fly. My many overflowing fly boxes and western fly rods were not as enamored with the idea. But they didn’t keep me from jumping in head first with the decision to fish tenkara-only for an entire year.

I quickly realized that decision would require me to actually buy a tenkara rod.

At 27-inches, this channel catfish put a huge bend in Tim’s tenkara rod.

Many people believe you need bait to catch channel catfish but they are very aggressive and will often hit a fly.

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Watching YouTube videos of tenkara fished on beautiful trout streams is fun but that’s the only place near where I live that I was going to see a beautiful trout stream. I needed to adapt tenkara to my nearby warm-water ponds and rivers.

One Rod

Finding the right rod was easy enough. After extensive research, I bought the Hellbender Adjustable Zoom Rod from DragonTail Tenkara (DragontailTenkara.com). I wanted a rod that was long and would handle large fish. I liked the fact that I could fish it at either 11 feet or 13 feet, too.

In the places I frequent, you can catch

anything from bluegill to largemouth bass to grass carp to channel catfish.

More than once I’d been fishing for bluegill with a western fly rod and had a 20+ inch channel cat inhale my fly and take off like a freight train. Those cats always made the reel on my 7-wt. rod scream and I wasn’t convinced a tenkara rod could handle that type of fish. But I’m a gambler, so I rolled the dice.

In spring in Ohio, channel cats often cruise around ponds. While I wouldn’t call them the bonefish of the Midwest, there’s nothing like sight fishing for cats. You have to put the fly right on their nose because their eyesight isn’t very good. While my new rod worked perfectly for accurate casting, I still worried about handling big fish.

I learned several things when the first channel cat chomped the fly at the end of my line. First, you can’t hold a tenkara rod with one hand while fighting that big of a fish. You need both hands to gain leverage. Second, you should bring a change of underwear when fishing tenkara because you may pee your pants from excitement.

I grew up in New England and was familiar with the term “Nantucket Sleigh Ride” to describe how in the 1800s small fishing boats were towed for miles by harpooned whales. If I had worn water skis, I might have experienced the same thing.

I have to be honest: During the entire battle I expected my rod to explode.

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This was a massive fish and I feared my friends would read the newspaper headline, “Man Killed in Gruesome Tenkara Accident.” But the rod worked perfectly and after I netted the fish, I reveled in my decision to fish tenkara.

Actually, I should say that I netted the fish’s head - it didn’t fit in my trout-size net. The channel cat measured 27 inches. It was a beast, especially on 4x tippet.

One Line

When you look for a tenkara line, you won’t find any described as “perfect for channel cats.” I tried several lines and settled on the 14-foot Tachi Furled line by Moonlit Fly Fishing (MoonlitFlyFishing.com). I found it could handle everything from small flies to large ones and I wanted one line that could do it all. The Tachi simply outperformed other lines when it came to turning over flies and casting into the wind. I’ve even cast a dropper with it.

One Fly

When I tell the story of that 27-inch channel cat, people usually ask what I caught it on. I think they expect me to say chicken livers or garlic night crawlers. They scoff when I say I caught that huge fish on my “one fly” for warm-water tenkara - a white woolly bugger.

At first I was stumped by the idea of selecting one fly for warm water. I loved the one-fly concept but a typical kebari wasn’t going to cut it for

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I wanted a fly that could imitate different delicacies - from a fly to a minnow to a hopper. I also wanted a greater range of sizes than a kebari.

Sure, I’ve been able to catch large bass and other fish on small flies but I also know there are times when a much larger fly increases my odds of getting fish to strike.

After testing many possibilities, I landed on the white woolly bugger.

Woolly buggers are designed to imitate many things and nothing. They simply look tasty to fish. It’s also one of the few flies that come in sizes from #14 to #4. They can be fished with a bead head or split shot to get them deep when needed, so they easily cover all parts of the water column.

With a little fly floatant on a #14, you can get one to imitate a hopper or other large insect. A #4 looks like a mouthful of minnow even for a large bass.

1 several reasons. First, I fish in many types of water and all seasons of the year. I need a fly I can fish in all parts of the water column. When ponds are cold in the early spring, I need to get my fly down deep - 8 to 10 feet usually.

At other times of the year, I may be fishing at a depth of 2 to 3 feet or on the surface. When I hit local rivers, I need a fly that can get down quickly in the current where the smallmouth bass are lurking.

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3 I use white woolly buggers for three reasons. White is an easy color to see when your fly is under water. White imitates many types of foods, including ever-popular minnows. And white can be easily colored using the permanent markers you keep hidden in your chest pack. So sometimes white is black and sometimes it is purple or red. (I said one fly, not one marker.) But all the fish pictured here were caught with size #10 to #6 white woolly buggers.

If you’re looking for a deal on woolly buggers, I get mine from the Fly Shack (FlyShack.com) for only $0.89 each, which makes me feel a little better when I get snagged on a tree stump in

the water and have to break one off.

So my year of tenkara rod-only fishing continues with one rod, one line and now one fly. We’ll see if I have to buy a green marker to turn a white woolly bugger into a small weed to fool one of those grass carp.

Photos: 1) In sizes #14 to #6, white woolly buggers are the perfect fly for targeting warm-water fish, including channel catfish, bluegill and largemouth bass.

2) This monster bluegill smashed a woolly bugger.

3) When bass get finicky, using a smaller woolly bugger will often get them to strike.

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Tenkara Rod Pond Fishing

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Jack Harford

15" pond largemouth landed with tenkara rod

Let me set the stage; I live in Indianapolis. There are no mountain streams in central Indiana. The closest tailwater is a 90-minute drive. There is a pond and a creek two blocks from our home both of which hold bluegills, bass, crappies, rock bass and a few catfish and carp. I like fixed line fly fishing with a tenkara rod.

The pond, previously known as “Fishless Pond� is the test ground for new flies, rods, methods and techniques. I say previously known, because up until last year it was quite difficult to land many, (sometimes any), fish in that pond. At that time, I was using a three or five-weight rod, 70

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making 40-50 foot casts, and mostly using foam floating flies. Results were not good. Last year things were different. The pond gave up more fish in 2017 than the previous ten years combined. Three factors lead to this difference: 1. Tenkara Rod 2. Soft Hackle and Wet Flies 3. Systematic Technique As I pick up on things tenkara from different sources, it seems to me that original fishers developing tenkara techniques and equipment did so out of practicality. In other words, what process will land the most fish in the

shortest period in the mountain streams? The fish living in these streams provided life and livelihood for the tenkara fishers. This pragmatic approach of tenkara early adaptors is quite interesting as well as essential to the spirit of tenkara fishing.

The pragmatic approach, out of necessity, learns from what “has been done,” but does not depend on it. It is not satisfied with what everyone else is doing; rather it looks for ways to adapt methods, techniques, and equipment to the current situation to bring optimal results. Pragmatism also lends itself to new gear, innovation, and fresh techniques.

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I have not been in a situation where my livelihood, family, or their next meal is dependent on whether or not I land fish. Perhaps a small percentage of those reading this have had that kind of experience. The early tenkara anglers were in such a situation and therefore looking for effective ways to catch fish.

These days it is easy to romanticize about the beauty of the mountain streams, the simplicity of the tenkara equipment (though is seems to get more complicated each year), or the beauty of small fish on a glorious day.

This is a much different situation than the one facing the early tenkara angler.

Frankly, I had a hard time adjusting to a tenkara rod. I fished a couple of times with friends' tenkara rods, but did not find if very satisfying. Kelly

Galloup, in talking about the push for faster stiffer fly rods said, “Most of us have an ego bigger than Montana.” My name is Jack... and I am a castaholic! I love casting a fly rod, shooting out 40, 50 feet or more line. The stimulation felt by a great cast, that moment of mind and body unity, strokes the ego in marvelous ways. Unfortunately, it does not always help one land more fish.

Tenkara oozes with minimalism.

Minimalism requires limits, restrictions, and discipline. Even though I like the philosophy of minimalism, I am not so keen about limitations. My ego desires the constant stroking and joy of long and beautiful casts. Addictions are difficult to break. Yet, I found, from a purely pragmatic view, that adapting new equipment, different flies, and innovative techniques can lead to greater results.

First, a few lessons learned from fixed line fishing with the tenkara rod: 1. Long casts with a heavy line scare fish the whole length of the cast. After the first cast, all subsequent casts are in disturbed water. (more on this in systematic technique) 2. It is easier to detect subtle takes with a shorter line.

3. It is much easier to set the hook when the fly is closer to you.

4. With a shorter line, you can often see the fish take the fly.

The second factor has to do with the flies. Soft hackle flies and some

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traditional wet flies have become a part of my arsenal since meeting Davy Wotton and studying his DVD, “Wet Fly Ways.” Also, Sylvester Nemes' book, “The Soft-Hackled Fly and Tiny Soft Hackles” is a great resource for gaining an understanding of the value of soft hackle flies. Davy and Sylvester are strong advocates of these flies and their effectiveness in seducing trout.

Here in Indiana, bluegills, crappie, and even bass like to catch soft hackle flies.

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The Green Tail Caddis, a Davy Wotton pattern, was the most successful in my first year of wet fly angling. A fellow angler invited me to his farm pond with the expectation of some large

bluegills and the expectation was a reality. I had been trying for years to land a 10” bluegill with no success (even at this same pond). On this outing, about a half hour in a 10.5-inch bluegill latched on to a Green Tail Caddis and about 30 minutes later I landed his 11.25-inch big brother. I will often use a two fly setup when fishing the Fishless Pond. This gives the bluegills and crappies two chances to catch a fly.

Other soft hackle flies and wet flies that have been successful are:

· Bead Thorax Soft Hackle · Pheasant Tail and Partridge · Kate McClaren (and variants)

Green Tail Caddis

Bead Thorax Soft Hackle

Pheasant Tail and Partridge

Kate McClaren Variant

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When fishing a two or three fly set up, I like to use the wet fly technique of dancing the top fly in the surface film.

This acts like a floating insect struggling in the water and the commotion attracts fish to the trailing fly. Sometimes pulsing the flies under the surface or just a slow steady retrieve is needed.

The third factor is developing a systematic technique. Again, I credit Davy Wotton’s insights with helping me to understand this. In “Wet Fly Ways” Davy elaborates on making a few casts to an area and then moving about a leader’s length up or down stream to make the next 3 or 4 casts.

Casts are landing in fresh water on a continual basis, not constantly “lining” the fish, and disturbing the water.

The 3-4 Method: Make 3 casts and then take four steps and make the next 3 casts, moving around the pond. A fisher can make it all the way around a small pond in an evening. A couple of times around the pond will reveal a few hot spots to hit when you have little time and a big urge to fish.

Here's my setup: 1. 12’ tenkara rod (TUSA Iwana) 2. 12’ orange level line (4.5) attached to the lilian with a slip knot and ending with a figure 8 knot 3. 3’ mono 4x tippet material attached above the figure 8 knot with a Davy knot 4. 30 inches of 4x attached to the existing tippet with a double surgeon’s knot, leave a 6’ tag on the down side.

5. Dropper fly is a wet fly, soft hackle, caddis emerger, Harford House Fly, etc...

6. Point fly – a bead head soft hackle or nymph

Conclusion: Inherit the pragmatic approach of early tenkara anglers and find out what works for you.

Let me know how it goes, Jack Harford, jharford.indy@gmail.com. Tight lines and good luck!!

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Southern Hospitality:

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Alabama's Redeye Bass Chris Lynch

Cahaba Redeye

As a kid, I never really did much fishing. It was not a family pastime of ours. My first exposure to fly fishing was at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico when I was 16, and I absolutely loved it. Why I didn't further pursue it in the next 15 years, is anybody's guess.

When I moved to Montgomery, Alabama (I'm active duty United States Air Force), a new coworker of mine was a fly fishing nut. I started hanging out with him, and the fire was lit. While reading up on everything I also discovered tenkara... So, against his suggestions, I got a simple tenkara setup (Daiwa Kiyose) along with a 74

Tenkara Angler | tenkaraangler.com

“western� fly fishing outfit (Echo 4weight).

Fast forward three years; I'm fishing almost exclusively tenkara, although I still have a (different) 4-weight rod and reel setup for when I feel the itch.

Alabama is NOT what you think of when somebody mentions tenkara. It just is not. Most anglers here have no clue what it is, what it means, or why you would use it. Most non-anglers are even more confused by it. In my local fly fishing circles, I'm "the tenkara guy," and the source of a lot of ribbing, but I have managed to convert a few over in the process.

So, what do I target down here in the Deep South, when I don't have trout?

Redeye bass!

To further specialize in my tiny niche of tenkara in Alabama, my favorite species to pursue are the little-known group of bass that are native to the Mobile basin, known simply as “redeyes.� In 2013, redeyes in Alabama were split from the single Micropterus coosae species into four separate but unique species based on their respective watersheds and slight morphological differences:

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Micropterus coosae (Coosa River) M. cahabae (Cahaba River) M. tallapoosae (Tallapoosa River) M. warriorensis (Warrior River) There is also the Micropterus chattahoochae in the, you guessed it, 'Hooch, but it's essentially extirpated from any flows within Alabama, and found exclusively in Georgia now.

These bass are small (8 to 12-inch average adult length), need clean,

flowing water, and are very spunky, eagerly attacking topwater flies such as dries, poppers, and bugs, or even streamers. They also are mostly found in beautiful places, not unlike trout.

This has given them the popular name of "Bama Brookies," for the obvious similarities they share with everybody's favorite native Eastern trout (char!).

My first time on a redeye stream (in the Coosa drainage, near Mount Cheaha, Alabama's highest point), I landed several, and started a bad addiction. These fish are so much fun to chase and catch! That was in summer of 2016, and I've since caught all four Mobile basin species, and intend to do it again this summer.

My usual tackle for redeyes has evolved as I've gotten more specialized with them as my favorite fish to target. I've found a softer, full flex rod with sufficient length, is my preferred method. Rods like the Daiwa Seiryu-X 45, Nissin Royal Stage or ProSpec in 6:4, or a longer Air Stage (390) work very well. Realistically, most

Coosa Redeye

Summer 2018

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Warrior Redeye

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Tenkara Angler | tenkaraangler.com

redeye streams in Alabama are open enough to allow casting a longer rod like these, but there are some tributaries where a shorter one comes in handy.

Redeyes eat a lot of the same kind of things that trout do; crawfish, insect larvae, and smaller fish. In the early spring or fall, when water temperatures are still a little on the low side, you will get most of your bites sub-surface with nymphs or streamers. In those conditions I have had good success with large (size 6-10) nymphs and kebari, like Chris Stewart's "Keeper Kebari." This is about where the traditional tenkara aspect of chasing redeyes ends for me though... so you may want to put on your blinders if you aren't ready for some blasphemy!

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In the hotter months, which are typically April to October in Alabama, the most fun way to catch a redeye is on the top. Whether this is dries, poppers, hoppers... it's all about big (and often) yellow flies. Redeyes eat a ton of terrestrials, so I've had great days where I had a giant foam hopper on all day and it just got destroyed.

However, they still act like trout in that if you miss a hookset, you might as well give up on that run, as they'll be spooked out. These are not dumb sunfish, you still need to be on your game! One of the most popular, if not the most religiously-celebrated, flies for redeye is the Booglebug, a popper made right here in Birmingham, Alabama. People like to say you can use any color you want for redeyes, as

long as it's yellow. This has been pretty accurate from my experience.

A good buddy of mine, Matt Lewis, recently published a book, (THE book, by the way), about these guys - "Fly Fishing for Redeye Bass," and it is the best single source of information if you have any desire to learn more about them or attempt to catch one for yourself. Matt has helped to organize a Redeye Bass Slam challenge where you can either target the four Mobile basin species, or go after all of the recognized species in the South, which comes out to seven if you count the Altamaha and Bartram's.

A lot of what Matt is trying to do is bring attention to these awesome and unique fish, which have quite specific habitat requirements and can bring a lot of fun to anglers. Currently, Alabama has some of the most relaxed environmental protection laws in the country, while hosting some of the most diverse and rich habitat.

Fortunately, we have some very active riverkeeper organizations here in the state who are working very hard to raise awareness about these issues, and fight against the many abuses of our resources.

So, while Alabama is definitely more closely associated with college football than fixed line fly fishing, the various species of energetic redeye bass you’ll find within the Yellowhammer State will definitely provide enough southern hospitality to make your tenkara rod feel right at home.

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Tenkara Lessons Shared; Lessons Learned

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By Bob Long

Ogura-San was in the Chicago area from Japan, and our mutual friend, John Miao called and said Ogura wanted to try for some smallmouth bass. John asked which river did I recommend, and did I wish to join them?

“Absolutely, and the Kankakee River,” was my immediate response. This would be Yuichiro’s (Ogura’s given name) second visit and fishing outing, and I was hoping that he would be willing to make some minor-to-major adjustments in his tenkara fishing approach.

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While most of our fishing is done using tenkara fly rods, Ogura-San uses his to fish for native trout in thin, clear and cold, high mountain streams in Japan. I use mine to fish for smallmouth bass in Midwestern rivers, creeks and streams; usually stained, warm and slow (as pictured above), in this case the Milwaukee River as it flows through Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Trout and smallmouth are quite different fish, as are the conditions in which they are found. Also, quite different can be the tactics, techniques, flies and lures one uses to

catch each fish. I tend towards nonconventional approaches with my fly rods; wading and casting mainly downstream and down-and-across with my tenkara rods for smallmouth and trout, using mostly lures instead of flies (90% of the time vs 10%), while very seldom employing dead drifts. I enjoy great success.

I am not a guide, but a teacher, an instructor. It is my intention is to teach you how to read water, how to use your fly rod and tenkara rods to cast and drift lures and flies to catch fish with my methods so you can do so under whatever circumstances you encounter.

Lessons shared; lessons learned.

So, as Ogura-San was my guest, and with my particular tenkara background and approach, I suggested/requested of Yuichiro that if he were willing to be flexible in his approach and follow, as much as possible or comfortable, what I was recommending, he would catch fish.

And in my experience, catching fish is what cements within us, the lessons we are seeking to learn.

He was willing. He caught fish; a good number, and some a good size, especially for the tenkara rod. I was quite pleased, not just with myself (for my above listed techniques and tactical suggestions working to get fish), but for him having success (as my guest). I think this was the second time he has fished for smallmouth bass (there are transplanted

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largemouth in Japan, but not, I believe, smallmouth).

I was also deeply impressed by his flexibility; his willingness to try the new. I know several American fly fishermen who have taken up tenkara rods and fishing techniques here in the U.S over the last nine or so (it is that new here, although it’s 300+ years old in Japan). Many are "deeply stuck" on how Tenkara is done in Japan and are quite rigid in their belief that it should be done that way here as well.

A good number of American converts tend to be quite suspicious and reproachful, if not outwardly disdainful and hostile, to those of us who, while we seek to honor tenkara and learn about it, do not slavishly seek to emulate it in our approach to fish and conditions we find across the vast and exceedingly diverse fishing landscape that is the U.S. (U.S. size: 6,110,264 sq. miles to Japan’s 145,894 sq. miles).

In addition to being from the home of tenkara, Yuichiro, it seemed, grew increasingly comfortable with what I asked him to do in the present moment, including using small plastic lures and jigs instead of flies, fishing downstream and down-and-across (no upstream, up-and-across, or across), not using dead drifts, but giving his lures “a vulnerable aliveness” employing soft, alternately quick and slow, jigging and swimming movements. We fished at least 14 hours together over two days at two locations. During that time, he stuck with my methods and grew into and with them.

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Lessons shared; lessons learned.

I did not take this casually or as a given. Ogura-San has over 30-years’ experience fishing tenkara; I have about six. During the whole time he didn't insist on bringing his native techniques to these new waters. He didn’t back-slide into them (as, when in doubt “we go with what we know”) as we fished pools, runs, glides, deeper riffles, bubble lines and haystacks.

While some of these concepts and ways of classifying fish-holding waters may have been new to him, while others could have been familiar, we certainly fished them in ways that were quite new. And, I never heard even one, “yeah…but.”

I’ve watched videos of tenkara in

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Yuichiro, Kankakee River

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Japan. Although I like what I’ve seen and think “I get” what they are doing, I am not sure that if I were dropped abruptly next to a mountain stream in Japan with my tenkara rod, I would be equally able to adapt as quickly, or with such grace as Yuichiro did here.

A cool side note for me was that Ogura-San had an American designed and made tenkara rod, the 10’ 6" Patagonia TFO Soft Hackle, while I had a Japanese one, the 14’ 5” Daiwa Expert LTH44; his much lighter, softer, and shorter than mine. He even managed to strongly adjust his casting motion and rod movement to be able to cast heavier lures instead of lightweight flies and work them through current and depth. He did so marvelously; almost, it seemed,

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Ogura-san's TFO rod alongside a beautiful smallmouth bass

intuitively. I was hoping I had found the right balance of when to offer advice or counsel, and when to let the lessons sink in and allow Yuichiro space to work them out on his own.

Lessons shared; lessons learned.

In our many and varied conversations, Yuichiro shared with me that while a small number of tenkara fishermen in Japan are rigid (highly structured or strict) in their fishing approach, most

were quite open to allowing each fisherman to discover and create tactics and techniques that worked for them.

This was comforting as I admit, my fly fishing and tenkara techniques for smallmouth bass are quite unique (i.e., non-traditional, non-conformist, the opposite of dry flies and nymphs). For many fly fishers they border along a line that runs from the veryuncomfortable to the damn-near

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I had real reservations when Ogura-San pulled out his Patagonia TFO 10’6” Tenkara rod. It felt way to light to cast the weight and size of the lures we were going to use. I thought it way too light to fight the size of the smallmouth in current we were likely to catch. I really didn’t want him breaking that beautiful rod. He was completely successful with casting, hook-setting and fighting fish. Yuichiro showed me some “mad” Tenkara skills.

heretical. Such "right way/wrong way" rigidity is a bit of the nature of fly fishing and can be found in compelling number of the fly-fishing community in the U.S. (Many have a "fly fishing as religion" ethic, along with the sense of intolerance and righteousness that can sometimes accompany strong beliefs.)

I am not being willful in my fishing approach or thoughts about it versus other techniques (I respect what works for you, it just may not be for me). My methods developed naturally

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over a long period of time (since the 1960s), and they retain a sense of child-like discovery and fun for me.

Plus, as a bonus I guess, they are highly effective for catching fish, and deeply reflective of what the fish and the rivers they live in, have shared with me over the last 55-plus years of (fly) fishing. I am glad tenkara has come to fit right in with what I do.

I am pleased Ogura-San found meaning and success with them as well.

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Urban Tenkara:

An Eye-Opening Experience

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By Kyle Settle

Tenkara is still relatively new to me. I grew up spin fishing for trout in the Virginia mountains and eventually made the transition to fly fishing for trout, as well as warmwater species.

While flipping through YouTube videos a few months ago I stumbled on a video for something called tenkara; so, I clicked on the video and let it play. In the course of a few short minutes a gentleman caught bluegill on just about every cast using a fixed line setup. It reminded me of the times as a kid when I unsuccessfully tried to build my own cane poles. I was instantly hooked on the idea of learning to fish simpler without all the excess gear we feel we need while spin or fly fishing.

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I began to research tenkara rods and wanted to find something quality but within a lower budget in case I chose not to stick with it. I eventually landed on Wetfly’s website and found a great deal on a Backcountry Mini rod. It is small enough to fit into a backpack and doesn’t scream I’m fishing here while walking down a sidewalk or trail.

I recently found a beautiful little tailwater creek within my neighborhood that receives almost no pressure. While all the other neighborhood fisherman focus on the 82 acre lake above it, I have found it is simpler to focus on the tight water below the dam that seems too inconvenient for most people within

the area to fish. My tenkara rod is the perfect tool for it.

The first-time fishing with my tenkara rod was a great experience. And it’s a memory that I will cherish for years to come.

I approached the creek with anticipation and butterflies the size of pterodactyl in my stomach. My first cast was effortless and landed at the edge of the break created by the sun kissed water and the shadows of the oaks that lined the creek. I let the small streamer sink and gave it a few small twitches in hopes that a hungry bluegill would chomp. Almost immediately my line snapped taught and I lifted the rod tip to set the hook.

After a brief tussle, I was able to land one of the smallest bass I have ever caught. I swear I am probably prouder of that little bass than some of the bigger ones I have caught on spin gear.

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from the lake. My first cast in this area landed me an awesome little largemouth well into the double-digit mark. I couldn’t have been happier.

This made all the missed strikes disappear from memory and solidified my love for this simpler way of fishing.

I cannot wait to trek off into the mountains to chase brook trout with this rod. It should be perfect for those areas where my conventional fly rods end up snagged in the thick creekside vegetation and should provide me with wonderful memories of the little sharks of the mountains.

Photos: Jenny Settle

A few casts later landed me a new species on the tenkara rod, the fish I was after when I decided to only bring the tenkara rod out on this excursion, the bluegill. Moments later I netted another interesting catch, a golden shiner, which was extremely cool as I had to idea they existed in this body of water.

I fished on for a few moments as my wife took some photos to commemorate my first day on this new fishing journey. I began fishing an area that is extremely rocky and had an excellent flow of water coming down

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Photo: Jenny Settle

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Photo: Bart Lombardo

Photo: Tristan Mills

2019 WARM WATER MASHUP ISSUE