Tenkara is also the absolute best way for a beginner to learn fly fishing. It is intuitive. You can probably pick it up on your own in a fairly short period of time. The emphasis is not on matching the hatch or expensive equipment or casting lessons. It is on presentation: making the fly look like trout food (or bluegill food, for that matter).

Tenkara rods are long telescopic rods, generally 11 to 14.5 feet, but very light so you can cast all day one handed. Tenkara fishing is fly fishing, not just dapping, so casting is not only required, it's deadly accurate. The rods have evolved over hundreds of years in Japan to be light, sensitive and capable of casting a fly with a very light line. They are also so supple that they can subdue larger fish than you would expect, and still protect very light tippets.

Masaki Nakano, Gallatin R. MT

Tenkara lines are usually about the length of the rods, but they are very light - considerably lighter than even a 000 weight fly line. It is ultra light fly fishing in every sense. In addition to accurate casts, the long rod and light line also give you a very delicate presentation of your fly. You can keep almost all your line off the water, so fishing tricky currents is a snap. Getting that perfect drag-free drift is now easy. With much better presentation, you'll catch a lot more fish.

Your line is tighter, so hooking fish is easier. Since you can't let them run (no reel, remember?) the connection to the fish feels very direct. The fight is also shorter because you never have to regain line. For small fish just raise the rod and in comes the fish. For large fish, raise the rod - and the rod just bends! The fight is still shorter, but it's much more exciting.

Is it magic? Of course not. But you probably will catch more fish than you do now, particularly in the small, high gradient streams on which tenkara was developed and refined over hundreds of years. The presentation really is that much better than you can get with a shorter rod and heavier line.

Some anglers are pushing the envelope and using tenkara rods on rivers and lakes, and catching fish much larger than the native trout and charr in Japan. Is it still tenkara? I don't know where you would draw the line. Is it still fun. Oh, you bet!

This site will continue to grow over time, so come back often and I'll try to share my passion for tenkara fishing. Please go to the "contact us" page to tell me what YOU would like this site to contain.