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Tenkara Flies -
The Simplicity Continues

Tenkara flies are an enigma. Wide variations in Japanese regional tenkara fly patterns exist, yet the renowned authority Dr. Ishigaki has used only one pattern for the past 10 years. And apparently, many tenkara anglers in Japan use just one fly pattern. At first glance it makes no sense. Upon reflection it makes perfect sense.

Dr. Ishigaki settled on one pattern because he caught as many fish on it as on any other pattern - so why change patterns? Hundreds of years ago, as fishermen in isolated mountain villages tied their own flies, local patterns developed - and were used because they worked. Two villages perhaps only 30 miles apart developed different tenkara fly patterns, but both flies survived because they worked. That the patterns were different didn't matter. Apparently one was as good as another - so why change patterns?

As with the two villages, two Japanese tenkara anglers may each have their own pattern that they use exclusively. For whatever reasons, each angler will have a favorite that he fishes with all the time. That another angler fishes with a different pattern doesn't matter. They all seem to catch fish.

And if all tenkara flies catch fish, the pattern to choose is the one you like the best or is the simplest to tie. If you tie your own flies, I show the tying sequence for the TenkaraBum flies, with the exception of Hans Weilenmann's CDC & Elk. His own website has a video of him tying the fly (and since it's his fly and the video is excellent, there was no need for me to do a step-by-step sequence here).

Your flies are really great. Much better quality than the ones I'm able to buy in shops around here.
Dave H, Vermont

If you do not tie your own flies, all the flies shown here are available for sale. The TenkaraBum flies offered are tied by me, a tenkara angler, for tenkara anglers. My wife says I should add "award winning." I won first prize in the first fly tying contest I entered, and wisely chose not to enter any other contests.

The TenkaraBum flies are tied on Daiichi hooks. They are sharp - very sharp. Or, as Daiichi's own warning states: Caution: DANGEROUSLY SHARP!

TenkaraBum Flies

Of the many styles of tenkara fly tied and used in Japan, the flies I tie are adaptations of three main types: the Ishigaki Kebari, revealed to the West when Dr. Ishigaki gave a fly tying demonstration in the Catskills in 2009, and two varieties of the flies tied in the Hida Takayama region of Japan, the sakasa kebari reverse hackled fly (probably the best known tenkara fly outside of Japan) and the yarn bodied soft hackled fly.

The simplicity of Dr. Ishigaki's sakasa kebari (reverse hackle) style tenkara flies is very attractive. They only require two materials, and are quick to tie. I don't know what he calls it, but I call the pattern an Ishigaki fly or Ishigaki Kebari.

When you consider that most tenkara fishing in Japan is done in high-gradient mountain streams - not unlike many of our wild brookie streams - simple patterns make sense. In small mountain streams, fish do not have the luxury of closely examining their food. It goes by too fast. Fish in those conditions must eat quickly or not at all. If the pattern looks like it even might be food, and if the presentation is good, that's probably enough.

The Sakasa Kebari style of fly was developed with attention to presentation in mind. Tied with a reverse hackle, whether a soft hackle or a rooster neck hackle, it pulses when the angler tightens and loosens his line. This gives the fly the impression of life, and can be the most effective presentation you can achieve (and you can achieve it better with a long rod and light line than with any other type of equipment).

Many small streams in the US are similar to the streams tenkara anglers fish in Japan. In small streams, trout are not as selective as they are in larger, more fertile streams that support extensive hatches. They are still very particular with respect to presentation, though. You can't get away with unnatural drag or slapping a heavy line onto the water. The tenkara rod and line take care of the presentation, which is important, making the fly choice relatively unimportant.

Of course, if you fish water that is has prolific hatches and sees extensive fishing pressure your fly choice becomes more critical. You certainly don't need to fish "tenkara flies." Your tried and true local favorites should work.

Keep in mind, though, that the the greatest advantage of tenkara, at least with respect to presentation, comes from being able to fish a very light line. You cannot effectively fish big wind resistant flies with a very light line. Similarly, the extremely soft tip sections on tenkara rods limits their ability to set the hook with very heavy flies fished deep. Traditional tenkara fishing in Japan is with unweighted wet flies fished just below the surface. And for smaller mountain streams, you would be surprised how effective that can be.

The Killer Kebari is the fly I tied for the first Tenkara USA fly swap. Although the sakasa kebari is the best known tenkara fly in the US, most tenkara flies used in Japan are not reverse hackled. One of the Hida Takayama tenkara flies is just a fairly thick wool body with a soft hackle of hen or hen pheasant. That is about the perfect description of the fly you would get if you added a soft hackle to a killer bug. I've fished hackled killer bugs and have done very well with them.

The Little Dark Kebari is actually a closer adaptation of the Hida Takayama style than is the Killer Kebari, which has already proven to be an effective and popular fly. The Little Dark Kebari is a bit smaller and darker, and may be taken by the trout to be a little black stone fly or little black caddis, or any one of the small, dark mayfly nymphs that make up a good percentage of a trout's diet.

Inchiki tenkara is not really tenkara. Roughly translated, it is imitation or psuedo-tenkara. The next three patterns are not really tenkara flies. There is no value judgement implied, and I certainly do not wish to say that they are not good flies. I've caught fish (a lot of fish) on them. I just don't want you to get the impression that they are traditional tenkara flies.

Last year, about 60% of my fish were taken on just two patterns. Almost half were taken on Frank Sawyer's Killer Bug. If there are scuds in the waters you fish, this fly should be in your box. The pinkish/tan color it has when it is wet must be very attractive to fish, because I've caught more on this fly than any other, by far.

My second best fly, for the second year running, was Hans Weilenmann's CDC & Elk which is an elk hair caddis variation. For where I fish, the CDC & Elk is the only dry fly I feel I need. Fished dead drift or skittered, this fly draws strikes!

Although the Stewart Black Spider is not a traditional tenkara fly it is an unweighted wet fly, and a generic pattern that does not try to match a specific hatch. One that you could have on your line all the time, as did WC Stewart. The soft hackles also pulse just like those of a Sakasa Kebari. It may not be traditional, but to me it perfectly fits with the simplicity of tenkara.

Kiwi's Tenkara Flies

I've made a deal with Kiwi (Chris Kuhlow) to offer his flies on the TenkaraBum site. Anyone who's participated in one of the fly swaps he's been in knows the quality of his flies. That quality was recognized when he won second prize at the fly tying contest held by the Montana Fly Company and the Outdoor Bloggers Network. I think he would have won first prize, but the first prize was a fly reel, and it would have been a bit of an insult to give it to a tenkara angler.

Five of Kiwi's Tenkara Flies will be offered, the Bubble Kebari in Black and Olive (which was the pattern that won the prize), Ausable Kebari, Royal Sakasa Kebari and The Usual (which like a couple patterns I tie, isn't really a tenkara fly but is so effective that it would be a shame not to include it).

jd_smith's Tenkara Flies

jd_smith's tenkara flies are the ones that got the ball rolling. He's the guy who got me started carrying other tenkara anglers' flies. Even though Kiwi's flies were the first to actually be available, it was jd_smith's idea.

He has a unique set of flies, most of which are modifications of standard tenkara patterns as outlined on Fujioka-san's pages. However, just as I offer the Killer Bug, and Kiwi offers the Usual, both great flies that could find a place in any angler's box, jd_smith offers an Adams dry fly that is sure to get the notice of any trout in the area.

Five patterns of jd_smith's Tenkara Flies are available - is Mino Gujo, Grizzly Akiyamago, Blue Nikko Variant, Green Butt Nikko, and like Kiwi and me, a fly that is not a tenkara fly, but one that has accounted for millions of trout, the Adams dry.

Anthony Naples' Tenkara Flies

Anthony Naples' gold ribbed hare's ear sakasa kebari

Five of Anthony Naples Tenkara Flies are available, and a couple of them are classics (or an adaptation of a classic), for example the Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear Sakasa Kebari and the Brown Hackle Peacock. His Minimalist Sakasa Kebari is pretty similar to my Sakasa Copperbari but uses the wire for just a rib rather than a full body. His wet ants will work wherever terrestrials work, which is just about everywere. Like the ants, his Partridge Caddis Emerger isn't strictly a tenkara fly, but I'm pretty confident it will put fish on your line.

As with all the other flies on the TenkaraBum site, they are tied by a tenkara angler for tenkara anglers.

Outside the Box

Ask ten Western-style fly fishermen about the woolly bugger, and all ten would tell you it's a great fly and catches lots of fish - almost any fish almost anywhere. Probably eight out of ten have at least one in their fly box. Ask ten tenkara anglers about the woolly bugger and all ten would tell you it's not a tenkara fly. Probably one out of ten has one in their fly box.

However, tied in the same size as traditional tenkara flies (size 12, perhaps), without additional weight, any of the rods could cast a tenkara woolly bugger. Fished with the same slight pulsing of the line that the Japanese masters use with their sakasa kebari, it should be an excellent fly.

If you have any questions about tenkara flies in general, or any of the flies I use, please go to the contact us page.

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