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Tenkara


DougC

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Sitting inside today, trying to recover from the flu, and dying of boredom, I stumbled across an old bookmark for TenkaraUSA and finally bit the bullet. I've always thought Tenkara rods would be a pretty usefull tool on some of the tiny meadows creeks I like to fish for native cutts and on my favorite Athabasca rainbow stream. Its impossible to make a cast in many spots on them because they are so narrow and choked over with willows the only way to catch anything is by dapping, but creeping to within a standard rod length of a decent pool often spooks them because of the deep undercut banks. I ordered up the 11 foot Iwana because it is the lightest model they offer and I'll primarily be using it on tiny headwaters creeks. Anybody else have a Tenkara? and any thoughts/comments on them? I'm looking forward to trying mine out next season.

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I picked up the 12ft Yamame last spring and used it a couple times over the year.

 

I had higher expectations, but each time I used it I found myself at a spot, wishing I could shoot line or wishing it was shorter. I often had issues with the rod and leader being too long for the task and had issues dapping in any breeze.

 

I still have it and used it recently, it is fun and fish on it are great, but I think a light and short flyrod and reel is still a better tool for small streams (the tenkara rod excels in pocket water).

 

My first experience with it:

http://www.sexyloops.com/2011.shtml?0607

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We've used ours for two seasons now and while I do still prefer a lightweight fly rod, it really excels in small streams with dries, especially places with lots of rocks, riffles and small pools. We've used it nymphing in smaller streams and it works well too when you can wade right up to the drop offs. We have the AYU 13' and have have caught little 5" brookies up to a 14" sea run brown in Iceland, it's surprising how big a fish you can land with one.

 

Any stiff breeze is definitely the drawback of a Tenkara, they just don't have the weight to punch through it.

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