Tenkara using a Crappie Pole

One fairly common question - Can I fish tenkara style with a telescoping crappie pole? Up until now, I’ve been answering - Yes.
It’s how I got started. When I first heard about fly fishing with a fixed length line system several years ago, I decided I wanted to give it a try. I started with a South Bend Black Beauty composite rod/pole I bought at Wal-Mart for $12. Other than being heavier in weight than might be ideal (I could only fish with it for a couple of hours before I got too tired), it cast and fished without problems, I caught a ton of fish using this set up. I will always have a soft spot for this set up, it's what got me started having a great time fly fishing with a then new technique to me.

As I think about it, a truer answer would be – Yes, with the right line. And that might be easier said than done for some folks. I found you needed to use a line that was considerable heavier than a line you might use on an actual tenkara rod. Since I furl my own lines, other than a bit of trial and error, once I find the right combination, the set up was certainly more than capable of delivering and fishing a fly.I found that a permanent connection to the rod tip worked best for me -

I think the question actually being asked is – Is using a crappie pole the cheapest way to fish a fixed length line system? If it requires the purchase of a custom tapered line, which may or may not work, maybe it’s actually cheaper to buy a $50 - $60 true tenkara rod. Coupled with a couple dollars worth of single strand fluorocarbon line, a real tenkara rod may be just as economical. It’s definitely a demonstrably better solution at close to the same price.

Happy Holidays!

Rod Case

My Friend Colin uses this 5 mm neoprene can cooler by Browning as a rod case

Colin says there is enough room in it for all the basic gear you need for Tenkara fishing. In addition to your rod it'll hold a line spool or two, tippet spool, small fly box, your hemostat and clippers.

Thanksgiving

Now that's a hatch!

The hatch was so heavy it was picked up on the weather radar.

Another massive hatch in Iowa

Love the wind!

I love fishing in the wind. 4th of July weekend I had the chance to fish a couple of windy evenings and had a blast. Granted, this may not be for everyone, but for where and how I fish, it’s great. I fish a large river, so I can just about always position myself with regards to the wind. My river has a lot of caddis flies, so an active presentation works well. The fish are used to seeing and feeding on active caddis flies. To be honest, it’s as much kite flying as it is fly casting. My fly is in the air as much or more than it is on the water. It does allow one to perfectly imitate the up and down movement made by an egg laying caddis. It’s amazing how accurately you can place and manipulate your fly once you get used to it. Basically it’s dappling the fly - touch the fly down. lift it up, repeat. I think what makes it so exciting is the explosive takes of the fish. They feel the need to strike explosively. When feeding on the naturals, they know they will be gone in the blink of an eye. It’s eat fast and aggressively, or go hungry. Next time you are sharing the river with a stiff breeze - don’t curse it, use it to your advantage.

Why do we fly fish?

I recently heard an interesting radio broadcast interview regarding why folks enjoy fly fishing. It was pretty much the standard cliches about the simplicity, the challange, and getting back to nature. It's funny, I've been thinking about this same question a bit for the past previous week or two. What got me thinking about it, was of all things, archery. About the same time I started fly fishing, I used to spend alot of time as a kid shooting a bow and arrow. I would read alot about how hunting with a bow and arrow was much more challenging and required alot more dedication and commitment than using a gun because of the basic simplicity of the equipment being used. That all made sense, just like why folks enjoyed fly fishing. Long story short, I got away from archery a long while back, and thought about getting back into it. As I started to do some research regarding buying some equipment, I found myself scratching my head. Back then, the bow I used looked like this

As I started to search for equipment being used today, the bows I found look like this

As a matter of fact, from what I can tell, more and more folks seem to be opting for a crossbow

So one wonders, if folks are interested in the simplicity and the challenge, why are they looking for equipment that removes both the simplicity and the challenge? To be honest, I sometimes wonder the same thing about fly fishing. I’m fine with however folks want to hunt/fish, as long as it’s legal. I just wonder if they aren’t missing out on some of the potential satisfaction that they seek.