Been having fun catching little Bass and lots of Bluegill on the Tenkara Rod. Some video of yesterday's outing at a local pond. Video Clip

Was out runnning errands. Stopped at a little city pond and flexed the Tenkara Rod. Did not expect much, but was pleasantly surprised with a scrappy Goldfish caught on a Damsel Fly. Posted a short Video Clip

35mph gusting to 40+ mph winds made it tough today. But, did manage to do some Tenkara fishing at a local catch and release pond. Caught and released 12 Bass and 2 Bluegill. More than made up for the Goldfish caught yesterday! Today's Video

Nice report and videos there fshng84. Thanks for the updates and for sharing those.

I've been curious about this Tenkara fishing for quite sometime but finally pulled the trigger and ordered one a week ago after reading a little article by John Geirach from one of my fly fishing mag. I've actually known about this type of fishing as a kid but never really thought much about it in this high tech fly fishing world. I like its simplicity and I believe I have the stream where this type of fishing can excel.

Here is what it looked like when it arrived a few days ago on my porch. It's packaged nicely enough and it's really compact and light. The rod in itself extends to 12 ft. in length. It looks fragile and will require a great deal of care from a clumsy guy like myself.

The telescoping rod has a cover protecting the delicate looking tip with the red "lilian" where the furled leader can be attached. Its a good thing the butt section has a screw cap where one can easily access and replace a broken section if need be.

Here is what the packaged furled leader looked like and the optional line holder. I also went ahead and got the cool looking net or "tamo". It is very small, almost perfect for my aquarium. I think I'll make one for myself in a little bigger size.




In anticipation for this Tenkara experience, I went ahead and filled a small fly box with "tenkara like" flies. Might as well give it a good college try.



Close-up of one of the tenkara simple fly.

Looks great Horn_Identity! I have been going with 5x tippets (or 4 lbs test mono when I ran out of 5x). Have not worried about breaking a rod since the leader will break first (cross my fingers)!

So far largest fish on a Tenkara Rod has been a 15" Bass. Rod handled it well and the leader held. Have not used a net yet. Mainly been backing up the bank to bring the fish to shore.

Good luck and good fishing; we look forward to pictures of the days catch!

Thanks fshng84. I was thinking around the same line with the 5x. That is what I usually use anyway majority of the time except when its hopper season where I use a 4x then. I'll get to try my tenkara for some bream/sunnies soon enough as well. I'll sure to post a report.

Couple more flies applicable for tenkara. The more I tie these flies the more anxious I get to try em out with my new tenkara rod. Hope the trout or panfish like em.

Nice looking flies Horn_Identity! Been working the local ponds using a Purple Damsel Fly tied Clouser style. Posted a video clip of today's trip on our Weblog. Good to know that the Rod can handle a 16" Bass, but hated losing a larger one after landing it on the bank. Hook came out as soon as the line went slack; Bass went right back into the pond.

A 16" is good in my book no matter what gear you're using. Congrats. Your videos and report has got me salivating for my first fish with my new tenkara rod. I'll definitley be using that for some bassin now for sure.

What other tenkara rod do you own? It looks like you got one of the Fountainhead tenkara, which one is it and is that a 5:5, 6:4, or a 7:3? I just might pick one up in a 7:3 and match it with a level line.

Thanks Horn_Identity.

Only own one Tenkara Rod - 12' Caddis Tenkara Rod from Fountainhead in a 7:3 taper.

Been very happy with it!

just purchased my first tenkara rod this am, and we will have one available for our auction on may the 3rd. want a chance to get one of these? come to our auction. go to our website for more information.

Good to hear Tour Bum! Tenkara Fishing can get addictive!
... made out this morning and caught a few fish. One was a Bruiser Bluegill that went 9" in size! Today's Video.

nice shellcracker

Thanks Bass Bug, good to know! Saw several others like it that were lingering in the area. One looked even bigger than this one.

Went back out this evening; only little Bass and a little Crappie. Putting together a another video clip!