Tenkara Fishing for Spring Crappie

by Eric Point
(North Carolina)

I decided to take Friday off and do a little tenkara fishing for crappie. Had a pretty nice day with several large crappie and bass. I was fishing the Diawa Expert and the Nissin Zerosum (16ft #3 level line and 6X tippet).

I found the tenkara rod to be a distinct advantage today (compared to a fly rod or spinning rod). I was fishing a marabou leech (#8, weighted) and found that the longer tenkara rod allowed me to swim the fly through tops of brush piles and along logs in the water. The crappie and bass were holding tight to cover and other presentations would be more likely to get hung up.

The water on this lake is gin clear so the white fly stood out well under the water and I could work it slowing along, avoiding the limbs and letting it sink into the pockets. I lost one big bass (3-4 lbs) after a 3 or 4 minute fight. It didn't break the line but came unhooked.

With the lighter action tenkara rods, I find it more difficult to solidly hook bass as they have a tougher mouth. Pays to keep the hooks very sharp but still lose a fish from time to time.

If you'd like to see a full video of the action, search YouTube for: "Tenkara Fishing for Crappie & Bass, Apr 2020 1Bellcurve".

“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.

Seriously, all the hooks sold on TenkaraBum.com, whether packaged as loose hooks or incorporated into flies, are sharp - or as Daiichi says on their hook packages, Dangerously Sharp. Some have barbs, which make removal from skin, eyes or clothing difficult. Wear eye protection. Wear a broad-brimmed hat. If you fish with or around children, bend down all hook barbs and make sure the children wear eye protection and broad-brimmed hats. Be aware of your back cast so no one gets hooked.

Also, all the rods sold on TenkaraBum.com will conduct electricity. Do not, under any circumstances, fish during a thunder storm. Consider any fishing rod to be a lightning rod! Fishing rods can and do get hit by lightning!