First time with the Kiyotaki

by Mike Schelp
(Gladstone, MO)

Being newly retired, I have decided to combine walking for my health and my love for fishing. I’ve been using a cheap “tenkara rod” on my hikes, though I do own a good tenkara rod for serious fishing. Today, though, my Kiyotaki arrived, and I took that with me. What a rod! I used an 8 foot furled line with about 4 feet of 6X tippet and a size 18 black Kujaku Kebari. On my first cast I caught a 3-4” male Long Ear Sunfish. Over the next hour and 3.75 mile walking, I caught around 25 fish, mostly Green Sunfish with a few Creek Chubs and Long Ears thrown in for variety. The largest was about 6” long and the rod handled it with no problems. It felt like it could handle a much larger fish. My next trip, I’m going to use about 10’ of size 3.5 level line and 4’ of 8X tippet. Time to bring out the TINY flies!

“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.

We've all had situations where seriously chewed up flies kept catching fish after fish after fish. It is no sin to tie flies that come off the vise looking seriously chewed up.