Horsehair Lines - Sometimes the Original is Still the BestHorsehair lines are made by twisting hairs from a horse's tail together to form a line segment and knotting the segments together to form a line. Horsehair has been used as tenkara line for hundreds of years, and as fishing line for thousands of years. In some ways it is still the best. I suspect many people may question that view, but I bet most of them have never fished with it! Horsehair seems to have just the right combination of density and stiffness to make a wonderful tenkara line. By tying together segments made from different numbers of hairs, you can make a line as long as you want and with any taper you want. With modern graphite tenkara rods, you can cast a surprisingly light horsehair line. The only source I've seen that reported the number of hairs used to make a tenkara line in Japan indicated a line of five segments, with 5 hairs in the first segment, 6 hairs in the second, and then 7, 8, and 9 hairs in subsequent segments. A line like that would actually work very nicely with the Backpacking Light Hane tenkara rod. It would cast nicely but be a bit short for the Yamame, although adding an initial segment of 4 hairs would solve that problem. Adding one more segment on the tippet end, (starting with 3 and going up to 9) makes a line that works very nicely with the Amago. Even heavier horsehair lines are used to this very day by a few anglers in northern Italy who use a technique called "pesca alla Valsesiana." Their rods are similar to tenkara rods, although based on the line they use, I suspect they are a bit stiffer. The line was described by Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia®, in a wonderful article entitled "Simple Gifts" which was in the October 2009 issue of Fly Rod & Reel magazine. Mr. Chouinard described the line as tapering from 14 or 16 hairs at the rod end down to 3 at the tippet end.
Compare that to the line that Charles Cotton specified in The Compleat Angler. He indicated that the first two lengths nearest the hook should be of two hairs, the next three lengths of three hairs, the next three after that of four hairs, then 5, 6, and 7 hairs up to the length required for the rod. They used longer rods, and much longer lines than are generally used with modern tenkara rods. With a tenkara rod as soft as the Ayu, you only have to go up to four hairs. The full length of the line that Cotton described (up to three lengths of 7 hairs) is up to 34 feet long. For tenkara rods, going up to three lengths of four hairs can create an incredibly light line up to about 16 feet long. Even that is longer than I use. I make my own "Charles Cotton" lines about 13 to 14' by utilizing slightly shorter lengths. I suspect that most modern anglers believe that Charles Cotton only dapped, and required a breeze from behind in order to blow his line out in front of him. I am convinced that view is incorrect, and that he could cast his line and fly very much like tenkara anglers do today. When describing the line, he wrote that the taper he specified will "cast your fly to any certain place, to which the hand and eye shall direct it" and also that it will fall "with much less weight and violence, that would otherwise circle the water, and fright away the fish." You really don't want to fright away the fish!
The line described by Yvon Chouinard, on the other hand, cuts through the wind just as he says in the article, but I find it a bit heavy for most tenkara rods. It casts like a bullet with the Backpacking Light Hane, though! For fishing in the wind, or casting four flies as in pesca alla Valsesiana, it actually works pretty well with the Yamame and Amago, and also the Stone Fly 390. By varying the number of hairs in each segment, it is possible to make a line for any tenkara rod - from the softest (Ayu) all the way up to the stiffest (Hane). The only problem with horsehair is that it just isn't very strong. Cotton boldly states that he who cannot kill a trout of twenty inches with a line of two hairs does not deserve the name of angler. I guess that leaves me out. I've landed a couple 12" trout on a single-hair tippet, but I've also had a trout that couldn't have gone 8" break a two-hair line when he got into the current and headed downstream.
Ronald Girnus (Wupperfischer on the Tenkara USA forum) has been experimenting with horsehair lines and caught this fine chub with his Ayu on a line tapered down to 4 hairs. One hair broke, but the remaining three were sufficient to land the fish. (From the butt cap to the first green band on my Ayu is 18 1/4". Nice fish!)
Even with that limitation, I love the way horsehair casts, and I enjoy working with it to make lines. My lines aren't historically accurate - I don't whip the knot tag ends with silk thread, as David Webster instructed in "The Angler and the Loop Rod." Doing it that way does look nice, but it takes three times as long to make each line. And I don't leave a "straw's breadth" of tag end exposed, as Dame Juliana Berners instructed in "Treatyse of Fysshynge wyth an Angle." Doing it that way lets all those tag ends catch the line, your tippet, grass, etc. I cut the tag ends short and coat the knot with flexible glue. I'm not a historian or a historical re-enactor - I just like fishing with horsehair lines. Storing Horsehair LinesMuch as I like EZ Keepers, horsehair lines and EZ Keepers do not mix. I do not recommend using EZ Keepers with horsehair lines, and I definitely must warn against allowing a horsehair line to dry while held by EZ Keepers. I recently received a line for repair that by the kinks in the line I could tell had been stored on EZ Keepers. Out of the six segments, five had to be replaced. Of all the horsehair lines I've fished and had to repair, I've never had a break or had to replace any segment other than the last one to which the tippet is attached. When moving between spots on the stream, I use the round blue small tenkara line holders. For storing the line after fishing, I coil it, put it back in the plastic envelope (unsealed) until I get home, where I take it out of the envelope and let it air dry before putting it back in the envelope. The line will have a definite coil the next time I use it, but it won't have any sharp kinks that lead to breaks.If you have any questions about horsehair lines, please go to the
contact us
page.
Buy a Horsehair LineHorsehair tenkara lines are $25. Shipping for your entire order will be $3, both domestic and international (except for books, which are shipped separately).You should know that I cannot guarantee the line against breakage - for any reason. If anything, I can almost guarantee that the line will break if you get it snagged and cannot reach the tippet to pull on. I taper the tenkara lines I sell to three hairs at the tippet end for the softer rods, like the Ayu, Ebisu and the Iwanas. I've only broken a three hair line on a fish once, but I've had several break from snags - even using 6x tippet. Tenkara lines for the Yamame are tapered to four hairs at the tippet end, and I've broken those on snags, too. Lines for the Hane are tapered to 5 hairs, and a 6x tippet may break before the line, but then again it may not. Also, different individual horsehairs stretch at different rates, and you will probably get little half moons where one or more hairs has stretched more than the other hairs in that segment. That is normal for very light lines and does not significantly reduce the casting qualities or the strength of the line. If you wish, though, I can replace the affected segment for $5.
If all that sounds like horsehair lines are delicate and should be in a display case rather than on the end of your rod, all I can say is that I really like the way horsehair lines cast, and even after many attempts, I have not been able to duplicate it with either nylon mono or fluorocarbon. To me it's worth it. Tell me which rod you have (each rod takes a slightly different taper) and how long you would like the line to be. I'll make the line to the weight I like with that rod, with the understanding that if you decide you'd like the line to be heavier or lighter you can send it back (one time) and I'll make a new line a little heavier or a little lighter, to your order, at no charge. Payment is through PayPal but you don't need to have a PayPal account. You can use your credit card. PayPal payments will be made to chris at tenkarabum dot com. Credit card statements will read CM Stewart. Horsehair Tenkara Line - $25.00 Pesca alla ValsesianaPesca alla Valsesiana lines are a bit longer and significantly heavier than tenkara lines (and they take substantially longer to make). I will sell lines for pesca alla Valsesiana for $50. Shipping for your entire order will be $3, both domestic and international. They are tapered to four hairs at the tippet end, and as with the tenkara lines, there is no guaranee against breakage. The lines will be a bit over 13' long and will cast reasonably well with either the Yamame or Amago, although for both rods the line feels heavy. As Andrea from Valsesia says, they like heavy lines because they cast quickly, and the lines do not fear the wind.Horsehair Pesca alla Valsesiana line - $50.00 Horsehair Line RepairIf you fish with horsehair lines long enough, eventually you will get a snag (or maybe even a large enough fish) that breaks your line. Luckily, the lines are fairly easy to repair. I will repair broken lines for $5 per broken or missing line segment, and I'll waive the shipping and handling for domestic addresses. For all the lines I've broken, the breaks have been in the last segment next to the tippet, but there is no guarantee that the line won't break further up, causing the loss of more than one segment. Replacing a broken segment will shorten the line by about an inch.Horsehair line repair - $5 per broken or missing segment Horsehair Line KitThe Horsehair Line Kit solves the only significant problem that keeps most people from experiencing the outstanding qualities of a horsehair line. Horsehair lines cast beautifully. The only real problem with them is that they aren't very strong so they will break. That alone keeps most people from ever trying one. Being able to make one yourself, and better yet, to repair it if it breaks, solves that problem. (It doesn't make the line any stronger, but it makes a broken line a fairly minor event.)
Horsehair line kit - $12 
If you have already purchased the kit and need more hair, or if you are already experienced in making horsehair lines. I do have just the hair for sale. I've bought hair from several different places now, and there is a big difference in quality from one place to the next. This is good hair, though, and what I use for my own lines. Each hank has enough hair for several tenkara lines or a couple pesca alla Valsesiana lines.The hanks are $7 and shipping is $3 (most small items can be shipped together for one $3 charge). Have A Question or Comment?Do you have a question or comment about horsehair lines? Share it! What Other Visitors Have SaidClick below to see contributions from other visitors to this page.
Obtaining quality horse hair
Knots for Horsehair Lines
Return from Horsehair Lines to Tenkara Lines Return to Ayu Rod Review Return to Pesca alla Valsesiana Return from Horsehair Lines to TenkaraBum Home |
