My first time Tenkara Fly Fishing || My Review. (small stream trout fishing) 

Just wanted to give a huge shout out to the Tenkara anglers out there who left some really helpful comments/advice. Definitely makes me want to do more Tenkara videos in the future.

Really liked this. Back in the 60's and 70's when I was a kid growing up we natives cut our own limber fishing poles and used a little cord from like an old window blind someone threw away and attached a leader to that because we were poor and couldn't afford a nice fly rod, but we still fly fished and caught plenty of trout. And yes we turned the little ones go to grow bigger. Still do. This brought back fond memories. God bless you and always tight lines. Tony

I have fly fished since I was 15 years old and now 65. I discovered Tenkara in 2012. It is my most used method for small stream fishing. I love tenkara and have 3 different rods to cover situations form various stream types. The secret to landing effectively is not to have the line and leader more than 3 foot longer then the rod length used. (shorter if the vertical clearance is not there.) A net is also important. People tend to use a longer than recommended line because they want to reach further out rather than strategically approaching a hold or pool area for fish. With Tenkara it is about the hunt and presentation. The catch will just happen if all is done reasonably well. But the bottom line, as you say in the video, Tenkara is fun! I would recommend every fly fishermen have a basic Tenkara rod packed away in their bag for situations where traditional fly casting may not work. Still whatever your choice... Get out there and enjoy!

Thank you for not turning your nose up at tenkara and at least trying it and giving it an honest review. I love your channel, so it's awesome to see you trying out my preferred method of fishing. I started out Western style fly fishing and discovered tenkara about 5 years in. I almost only fish tenkara now. Granted, a huge part of that is I am chasing small brook trout in high mountain streams most of the time. When I fish rivers like the one you did in this video, with chunky stockers, I pull my Syndicate out for that. Tenkara just isn't as advantageous in those situations. But you can't beat being able to throw 2-3 tenkara rods (for multiple scenarios) in your pack and hike a few miles up the trail, carrying nothing but a little slingpack and wearing out some brookies all day long. The overhead cover doesn't bother me much. I have one rod that is only 6.6' at it's shortest length. Just do lots of bow & arrow casts and get creative with hooksets sometimes lol. In those tiny streams, a reel just overcomplicates things for me. But I totally agree with everything you said at the end. They are all just tools for specific situations. I fished a bass tournament with a friend a few weeks ago and I didn't use a tenkara rod or fly rod for that. I pulled out the spinning rod and baitcaster. And I just purchased an ultralight spinning setup, because I've gotten interested in some fishing that an ultralight is specifically suited for. When I lived in AK, I ice fished with ice rods. Bottom line I prefer tenkara, but ultimately I love catching fish more. So I will use whatever tool the situation calls for 😁 Thanks for all your awesome content! Keep it up!

This was a fun one to watch, we always get a good laugh out of the Tenkara hate from fly fisherman. But also within Tenkara, there can be the similar type of people that think you have to do it a certain way or you're not doing it right.. Have fun with Tenkara in your own way, just like you're doing. We're subscribing and coming along for the ride. Good luck!

I did it backwards. To a benefit I believe. I tenkara fished before I fly fished... Tenkara casting help me transition into fly fish casting with ease.

I started Tenkara fishing about a year ago and normally I also carry my western set up. I fish some very tight creeks with a ton of overhanging branches in upper east TN. I always carry 2 Tenkara rods and my western rig in my rod case slung over my shoulder. I'm on 2 wheels every time i go. It's rare for me to use my western rig anymore. I keep my line about the same length as the rod to the top fly and normally use a dry dropper or 2 nymph rig. Once you start getting used to it you won't be having any problems fishing tighter cover than what you think you can fish and it'll be easy to land fish. There's an art form to it that just takes practice and time to learn. Both styles have their advantages and disadvantages but once your learn both you be able to fish in any situation with the best tool for that job. Don't worry about what any western style "snobs" have to say about it either. They exist in every hobby and it's normally either ego and/or ignorance on their part.

I’m happy to see you give tenkara a try - and that was quite a successful outing you had! I’ve been a fly fisher for over 60 years, and now have a little more than a decade experience in tenkara. Which is better? Both. 😊 I take at least one of each with me on each outing. After more than ten years fishing tenkara, I still regard myself a beginner - which is one reason I like it so much. There is always something new to learn. It looks simple - and is - but there are subtle new lessons in each trip. So, I say enjoy both styles of fly fishing and appreciate what each can teach you!

You guys continue to amaze me.Tenkara is as much philosophy as fishing. You've done a very nice job in the video as you have in the past videos. Enjoyed your bro's Colorado video last week. Keep up the curiosity! Cheers,Chet

Thanks. An honest,insightful evaluation. Good work,as always. Rick

Great to see you try tenkara. I've been really enjoying your channel. I usually don't comment on videos, but feel like I need to:) I use both, a western fly rod and tenkara, but on small creeks in Colorado I only use the tenkara rod. I usually have one with a wet fly and one with a small dry, so I can quickly switch from one to the other. The accuracy, stealth, and drifts you can achieve with tenkara in creeks with small pockets and varying currents is hard to beat. At the same time, reaching across a large creek or river with a big hopper on a western rod and knowing you have a fighting chance is also hard to beat:) I still have so much more to learn with both methods.

I I'm a newcomer to tenkara and agree to everything you said, any type of fishing is a blast, when Im not fishing and need it, your video's take me there, keep it up. Thanks!

Love your videos and happy to see you trying out Tenkara. I love tight lining and tenkara can be deadly when you combine the right rod and line. If you want a rod that can help solve some of the problems you mentioned (landing bigger fish, fishing with overhanging branches and tight canopy) I would highly recommend the Dragontail Mizuchi. It casts beautifully and is super sensitive but has a strong backbone ( with 5x tippet you can man handle 18 inch wild browns). It’s a “zoom” tenkara rod which means you can actually fish it at multiple lengths (8 feet, 9.5 feet, and 11 feet) by simply sliding the two butt sections in or out of the handle and snapping into o-rings in the butt tip. If I’m on a steam where I think I’ll sliding back and forth from 11 feet rod length to 9.5 foot length I’ll use an 8.5 foot line with about 3 feet of tippet. Generally speaking you should keep the total length of you rig (Lillian to fly) to no more than 1.5-2 feet longer than the length of your rod. This makes landing fish much easier without any “hand lining” necessary. Plenty of folks try to get more distance by “long lining” there rods but my experience is that landing is too sloppy and you’ll lose too many fish. Tight lining isn’t meant to be a long distance method! Lastly, I would recommend trying a rod like the Dragontail Mizuchi with an ultra light line combined with a bead head nymph ( similar to euro nymphing with a micro leader). I use .011 inch diameter Cortland tri-color sighter/indicator mono and when combined with a size 14 bead head pheasant tail…deadly. I’ll use 8.5 feet of this line with 3 feet of 5x tippet if I’m fishing small/medium streams and I’ll use a 10 foot length of the Cortland indicator mono with 3 feet of 4x tippet if I’m hunting for bigger fish in heavier water (eg Delaware West Branch). Have fun and keep up the great videos.

Absolutely loved everything about this video. How does one so young have so much wisdom when it comes to a variety of fishing techniques? Jon you are blessed with great insights. Great adventure!

Great video. Always fancied trying Tenkara and want to even more now. Love the river too. Lovely place to fish

I like ultra light spinning , fly fishing. I'm looking forward to trying Tenkara this year in upper Michigan trout streams. Thanks for Your show. Blessings, and Respect

Huge first fish! You're really testing that rod!

One other note for help in the small streams / tight spaces, with a rod-length line, the Tenkara cast is stopped a bit shorter on the back hand part compared to western style. More like 12 o’clock than 10 o’clock. The line actually doesn’t have to fly too far in back of you, but rather, just up (or up and a little diagonal in back of you). It really helps you get away with having way more cover in back of you than you’d expect. Thanks for your lovely vids - I appreciate that you show so much respect for the trout.

Another awesome video well done some really nice fish

Happy to see you giving tenkara a try. Really good video, looked like a lot of fun!

Very interesting. I agree the more ways You know how to fish the more success you will have. Nicely done. Thank you.

Very helpful intro to Tenkara for an intermediate fisherman like myself.

So far haven't even finished the video, I freaking love it I actually bought a tankara rod a few months back just to try and I still haven't taken it out, I think I'll be trying it soon.

Dude well said @ 21:45. Your videos continue to get better in different ways man. Keep doing you.

Great video! I fish both and love it!

Yes sir! Good stuff! I am a tenkara content creator in east TN on FB and IG and love to see this! Awesome video!!!

Keren sekali pemandangan dan spot mancing yang bikin seneng sekali.di tunggu video berikutnya boskuh.salam dari pemancing Indonesia.

I think I have now watched all your videos! ready for some More

I have seen a lot of ads and videos on Tenkara fishing. Glad you tried it and let us know your thoughts. It looked kinda like the cane pole fishing I did as a kid. Tight lines my friend.

i would love to see more tenkara from you :D, tenkara addict is a good youtuber who kinda shows how to use the rod and there are countless guides available on youtube

respect for giving tenkara a go. the limitations you cited are easily remedied. i have a few rods that align to different situations. example: dragontail foxfire for tight overgrown smoky mountains streams. was able to easily make overhead casts in tight pocket water mountain streams. same afternoon caught a 15” smallmouth (with dragontail nirvana rod) in a mid-sized river. the limitations of tenkara are what make it interesting as well. as for big fish? flicky flies (here on youtube) caught a mess of big carp on his tenkara rod. worth checking out; can be done.

your just a talented flyman. nice work. I enjoy the videos. please come to Oregon. please

Thanks for trying it out and I’m glad you had fun. Try shortening your line/leader to have the fly even with the butt of the handle. It makes landing fish much easier. As you found out the rods are great for contact nymphing but the really shine with dries or wet flies. The contact nymphing cast is still a lob with tenkara rods. Casting lighter flies you can see the advantages better. You can float dries with good drifts in pocket water and across current streams. It’s lots of fun to catch them this way. The super light line doesn’t pull the fly back. Come to Pisgah and we go tenkara fishing.

You're pulling in fish left and right! Nice. Just bought a Tenkara, will be using it on the Rogue River in Oregon this weekend. Interesting techniques... it's a FAST way of fishing. What a beautiful creek you were fishing; just gorgeous. My step-dad showed me that you can flick it like a bow, sideways, to get under brush and overhangs on small streams or where you have poor access. Thanks for the video!

Thanks for the video, nice to see you trying new things! I do about 50/50 traditional rod and reel vs tenkara on the streams I live by. First off that’s a pretty nice tenkara rod for your first one, and second that stream looks like a luxury to cast on compared to ones I’ve brought mine to. I don’t agree with your assessment of tenkara fishing being limited by low canopy and tight stream vegetation. I’d challenge you to try it in heavy covered areas, you may be surprised. I’ve had the luxury of tenkara fishing with someone that’s been doing it for 30+ years (still has no care to try traditional rod and reel) and he takes me to streams where you’re not granted a single roll or overhead cast. We catch fish in extremely tight quarters, figuring out how to play them is half the fun. Tenkara has def improved my euro nymphing game and has made me a better angler in general. Couldn’t agree more, if you want to be better try something you’re not good at 😉 btw if that rod starts to collect dust, I’ll buy it from ya! Take care!

G'Day, I enjoyed watching your first time tenkara video very much. You landed some decent chunky fish. I mostly fly fish ( western and tenkara style ) but will dunk a bait or chuck a lure at times. It's all fishing--if it's legal and it's fun then it's fine. Many fishermen impose rules and regulations on themselves and others--''''Tenkara is'nt REAL fly fishing!", "Dry fly or die!" or " Oh, you're a bait/lure fisher ( The horror, the horror ---!). I go fishing to get away from BS. Especially over the last 2 plus years where we have had enough of it in spades! Here in Victoria, Australia our trout streams are closed until September. Will enjoy your videos in the meantime. Cheers, Steve

Nice vid, wanna try it out some day!

I started in a Tenkara rod but I often fish bass with the occasional catfish and the bigger fish can be caught but the fly rod works so much better in my opinion! The Tenkara rod is a lot of fun tho

Those casts look cool 😎

Interesting comments, the additional sensitivity is attractive, on the other hand, hand lining in a trout for the net is a pain but I have seen it done before especially in tight cover. although I have seen a couple tight stream situations that traditional rods didn't have space either and had to be hand lined in. I have thought about getting a Tenkara rod for my wife, the light rod weight might be easier on her bad back.

You definitely caught bigger fish than this other Tenkara fisherman that's on RU-vid. Regardless I love watching you fish and wouldn't matter if you were fishing with a Snoopy pole. Keep up the awesome work. Tight Lines Jeff

Reminds me of when I started fishing, by cutting a stick or reed for a fishing rod, attaching some line and a hook with maybe some polystyrene for a float. I would go as far as to say a lot of the nymphing you guys do, borders on this style of fishing. I must admit though, I still keep looking for the fly reel 🤣🤣

Kudos to you on your review of tenkara fishing. You forgot to mention portability as a definite plus. The good rods weigh less than 3 oz. and collapse to less than 24". I can backpack or put mine in my carry-on for easy travel. When you fish tenkara, you don't need but nippers, hemostat, tippet, and few flies in addition to the rod and line itself. It's simple, lightweight, and direct fishing, and a complete kit can be bought for less than $100.

Loving the music choice and editing.

Great video!

I like your Epilogue. its a different form of attack having reels all my life and I have most. If i get one a 12' would be the go.🐊

I have a traditional bamboo Tenkara rod made by a master fishing rod builder in Tokyo. What I like about this method is the fact I can fish without hearing that mechanical sound of the reels. Being able to blend in with nature is the most relaxing moment .

Great small stream option. I fish in north Georgia and North Carolina and typically use tenkara bc I feel my fly is in the water more. Its because I don't have to think if line management and can pick apart pockets and runs. Also I avoid drag which is important for spooky fish. Only other time I use my glass three weight is if I need to have distance. I would suggest to shorten up your leader system but keep a little more length on the tippet area. Would love to show u if your ever down in north Georgia again. Tenkara simplicity makes me more efficient. I go to uga and can easily get to the mountains whenever. Hit me up and I can help

Jon, Tenkara is great on certain streams in Randolph and Tucker counties with lots of Rhododendron on the banks. Good job.

Hardman!! Please do a video showing the flies you use and when to use them and also when to change flies when not getting any bites on the fly your currently using, also your rod and reel combo and what weight and how long the rod is, and what kind of knots you tie.

fantastic water!

Traditional fly fisherman for over 50 years here. Got my first beautiful Tenkara rod two weeks ago. I wanted to shake it up and try something different. I also wanted a quality pack able rod that I can easily carry on motorcycle trips. The premier San Juan River is three hours from my house. Took the new rod for a day trip and had a blast fishing for rainbows with a size 22 midge. I am going again this weekend and will stay overnight.

Really cool to see you giving tenkara a fair shot. That direct connection to the fish is 100% one of my favorite things about fishing tenkara. On my channel I have a recent video where I target carp in the upper 20 inch range on a beefy tenkara rod and my dude, it’s the most insane feeling to be directly connected. If you’re ever in Colorado I’d love to take you out fishing.

I got a 1.3 meter Tenkara for tiny mountain streams along the Appalachain trail. It doesn't have the cork handle, so it's very small to put in the backpack. First thing I did was scrape off the top string and put on a braided tippet with the standard loop. Next, and this took a lot of experimenting, I tried several braided leaders in different weights and lengths untill I finally found a perfect balance to "cast" a dry fly with a 6' tippet. I also set up a braided leader for the rod to "cast" a nymph. A couple of years ago I was with a friend who was fishing Tenkara. In the same pool wherever he cast to I did the same thing with my flyrod. What I saw was my flyrod with the reel and more importantly the ability to control the line by hand gave my fly way more reach and way more control once the fly was on the water.

"(foreshadowing)" literally made me laugh out loud. 🤣

Fishing greetings 👍

For your rod getting stuck, and this goes for any multi-piece rod, try putting ice on it (especially if it was hot out side). I also like to grease the connection points every now and then.

Most Tenkara rods you can adjust for length like say when you get into brush and over hanging trees take the 12 ft and pull sections to go down to 8-9ft to make casting/landing easier.

I’m curious to know 🎉much more sensitive the tenkara pole is vs 12 ft little jewel bream buster is that I use to throw poppers with for bream in the river.

Good video, good fishing technique, and goo honest review. I agree with the sensitivity of nymphing with Tenkara rods. Try swinging streamers, too. This is a deadly technique and you can literally cover the entire area of a river. I have a Tenkara Hane, the small travel rod that opens to 10'10" and I easily handle 18" rainbows. I'll carry a 9' 3wt on small rivers in New Jersey and a 9' 5wt out west for bigger rivers, but I keep a Tenkara handy if there are no risers. Why not be proficient and enjoy both and increase chances to land some fish?

OK.. well said Bro..

Really glad you took the leap, especially awesome to not fall for the dumb western marketing on those fake tenkara rods and get a real Japanese rod. That's a good one. I felt the hate on tenkara for a long time but at the end of the day, people are just afraid of what they don't know. Next time you come to colorado I can show you some great spots for this style and give you some tips. My suggestion is to just work on learning the Japanese techniques, and ignore 99.9% of americans/westerners on what they say tenkara is, including western "tenkara company" owners... tenkara is more about the techniques than the tackle. Also rigging your rod up with the line about a foot or two longer than the rod, and then another 3-4 feet of tippet will give you the best action for most styles of tenkara, IMHO. Fishing the right small streams with open banks and less trees, canyons etc is the ideal application. Manipulating the fly is important, dead drifting is only one of many techinques for the style. Would be down to see more videos as you figure it out.

Jon, if twist and push trick didn’t work for you, you can remove the cap on the bottom of the rod and pull all the sections out to see what is going on.

For getting the fish in I do have a tip. I keep a fairly long line on a 12 foot tenkara. When I’m landing a fish I bring it high enough and back to grab the line with my free hand, then pull in the fish to net. Is it graceful? Nope. Does it work? Yup!

I fish both traditional and Tenkara. It just depends on the situation. Tenkara makes sense on small streams where only short casting is possible and for hiking and mtb trips.

When casting in heavy overhead cover I point rod in the spot I want fly and then grip hook with thumb and index finger and slingshot to the spot. I observed other Tenkara fishermen do this on ytube videos. Like you I'm new to Tenkara. Like your channel. 👍

I watch some, Tenkara content, those fish you caught were some of the largest fish I have saw caught using Tenkara.

I think its a logical next step for a fly fisherman. I have owned 6 or 7 rods. There are certain streams here in Virginia that it excels but anything with overhanging vegetation is an absolute waste of a trip in my opinion. I have found bluegill and other panfish during the spawn to be a fun time on Tenkara

Tenkara is great for backpacking when packable size and weight are a consideration.

I think for someone who is not familiar with fly fishing and he feels casting an issue,tenkara looks simpliest and i feel is more handy in smaller creeks and streams, specially where there is no spase to place real fly fishing. Handling a big fish,is an issue and very sensitive rod tip another one!! Thank you anyway, awesome job!!

If two rod pieces are stuck, try to work with temperature. If you put ice on the thin part it will just slitly shrink. If you warm up the thick part of the two it will get slihtly widen. In this way you might get them loose without breaking. It works for me.

You should do some fishing with dry dropper in some bigger rivers

Ah you have the American spirit in you. Love to see some pushback against the group think and ignore people trying to control you. Sometimes the group has it figured out but that has been a rare occurrence in my experience.

You should show a “backed up” shot of you landing the fish. How are you bringing them in? By lifting the rod higher?

At least you got one of the greatest of not the greatest tenkara rod ever made! And if a tenkara rod is good enough for George Daniel is good for the rest of us! I only use mine for tight lining instead of the traditional Japanese method but fishing is fishing and everyone should do it however they find enjoyment in it. Tight lines and love the channel!

Hi, in my opinion, Tenkara is a great technique that goes back a long way in Japanese history!! It has its fly patterns and in my opinion is better than the France leader!!

Tenkara is awesome and it IS fly fishing.

I have two questions about this rod .i have the 3.6 meters version but i don't know how long the line should be? . Is there some equation for the length of the line that should be to match with the length of the rod? I really need any one professional to answer these questions please, I'll be so grateful.

Pls remember that the technique was born from fishing high altitude mountain streams for smaller trout, that are free from the bush and foilage you are fishing in. It is the perfect tool for that enviroment and the trout that live there. Find such a location and you will have fun. Those fish come to net like a baseball to a back catcher.

Awesome Tenkara video / review. Mirrors my one time so far experience with it. Thinking it might be easier to just stick with a pack fly rod for small streams instead. Do you recall what fly / flies you used in the video?

You should hold the sections close to the joints and gently twist and push closed. Never bang them closed into the handle.

It's all about Technique & Finesse.. Shorten line / leader to the Length of the rod and landing fish is in the net.. ✌️🤓

FYI, tenkara-rodding for bluegill is maybe the most fun way to catch bluegill.

Pro tip: grab the level line when they come up close and hand pull the line in to quickly get them in the net.

Sweet

I'm finding the anti-tenkara people hilarious! It's funny--I was always a double taper line man who loved casting and roll casting and roll cast pickups and Spey and Belgium casts. I detested casting weighted flies and despised tight lining nymphs! Now people who tightline weighted nymphs with their Western rods--are contemptuous of the Tankara rod which does that technique even more successfully! I'm new to Tenkara, but am already finding tight lining bead head nymphs less disgusting. It seems to fit the style of rod better. Mostly, I think that I will be using traditional Tenkara wet flies as I prefer the casting experience. I always enjoyed casting and fishing western traditional wet flies, soft hackles and so on--and enjoyed manipulating the flies. Before nymphing became a thing--Western wet fly fishing was very similar to traditional Japanese wet fly fishing. The major difference is that Japanese soft hackle wets are tied with the hackle bunched a bit forward, rather than a bit back. Looking forward to Spring!

Nice sport

Tenkara to me is just another tool I'll use it in small tight streams also I keep one in my truck with a basic pocket sized kit if I come across a creek in my travels

Awesome fishing trip bud. But I can almost guarantee that when you set the hook, you grabbed for your reel once or twice. Cause I’m not gonna lie I know I would

Hey you get out of my favorite fishing spot 😂😂

Superbe vraiment. Je suis me suis mis au tenkara depuis deux et je me régale comme un gamin dans des torrents de haute montagne sur des petites truites, par contre je pêche qu'en sèche. Là vous pêchez en nymphe , vous en mettez une ou deux? Quelle est la longueur de votre canne ainsi que la longueur de votre level Line ainsi que de votre bas de ligne. Merci pour vos réponses 😉👍

What type of jig files are you using

I've been wanting to try it but without a indicator I can't see it plus it's gotta be cheep for a maybe maybe not.

Gorgeous video. Looks good to me although I rarely fly fish. Hey, when are you gonna take a nice fisher girl out with you?

What lure are you using?

is it wrong for me to want one to use as a cane pole

What flies were you using?

Maybe the lake I fished on had small trout but that first trout looked big enough to me 😂

I have a cane pole that is the Same thing. and now they call it a Fancy name. but I have been doing it all my life then. But cool 😎

What bait do use. Doesn't seem you show baits in your videos