I'm a Believer!

by Danny
(Little Rock)

I met Chris Stewart and Misako Ishimura at the Sow Bug Festival in April and decided to get her book and a TenBum 36. Both gathered dust on a shelf until an August trip to the Frying Pan River in Basalt. (I can't believe I waited so long.) It was a happy coincidence that our guide was into Tenkara and offered to rig up my rod and loan us his to teach us. Within an hour, at pocket water that I would have passed over in the past as not worth fishing, my friend caught the fish of the trip, a nice 16-17 inch rainbow. Later that day I got 7 more beautiful browns using PMDs and Green Drakes. Sweet. On the last day of the trip, I got my rod out again and was astounded as our catch rate doubled or tripled what we had been getting on western rods. Over and over my fly sat high on the water for beautiful drag free drafts. Plus, i was so close to the action that I could see the fish up close as they shot up to take the dries. It was incredible. Looking back on the seven day trip, the two days that I caught the most fish, I was using my TenBum 36. I can't wait to try it on other water and other flies. Headed to the Buffalo National River in October. Bream and smallmouth - beware!

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.