Tenkara
Tenkara is a Japanese method of fly-fishing that originated in the hands of commercial anglers as an effective way to catch trout in mountain streams. It uses a rod, line, tippet and fly only. No reel is necessary as it is a fixed-line method, the line being tied directly to the tip of a fairly long rod. The first tenkara rods were made of bamboo and the lines were made of horse-hair. The history and culture of tenkara were preserved and, over the years, tenkara became a pleasure and not a necessity.
Daniel Galhardo first visited Japan with his wife in 2007 and, although he’d been fly-fishing using conventional methods for 10 years, became fascinated with tenkara. He was pivotal in introducing tenkara to the USA and, in 2009, left his successful career in international banking to form Tenkara USA. He returns to Japan whenever possible to study tenkara with the old masters and met Dr Hisao Ishigaki who became his mentor.
Nowadays, tenkara rods are made of carbon fibre and are telescopic. They can extend up to 16’ but a typical rod would be 12’, collapsing down to 20” and weighing as little as 3 ounces. Rods of 9-11’ may be more suitable for fishing tight streams and some rods are adjustable and can be fished at multiple lengths. They aren’t graded by weight (as Western rods are) but are graded by action – what proportion of the rod flexes.
Lines are either tapered (generally furled) or level (often hi-viz), each with their pros and cons. They tend to have neutral buoyancy or be slow sinking. A good starting point for a beginner would be to use a line the same length as the rod. The tippet is simple: 4’ of 5X nylon. By holding the rod high, all the line is held off the water and only the fly and tippet are exposed to currents.
"Tenkara has ten colours". It can be used to present a dry fly perfectly with a completely natural drift and the long rod permits presentation in pocket water over current seams. Tenkara is ideal for nymph fishing, close contact being maintained at all times. Traditional tenkara flies aren't classed as wet or dry. They tend to be larger than Western flies (14/12) and the iconic patterns often have reverse hackles (sakasa kebari). These have three attributes: (1) they are cheap and easy to tie (permitting cavalier casting!); (2) they retain a profile in moving water and (3) they allow the angler to impart motion to the fly (sasoi). Tenkara anglers pay little heed to match-the-hatch and many fish all year round with one pattern only. Below, Yvon Chouinard (owner of Patagonia) explains how to tie his "one fly" - the Pheasant Tail and Partridge.
The key to tenkara is good presentation. The tenkara angler has a number of approaches to presentation: dead drift; pulsing; pausing; pausing and drifting; pulling. Tenkara casting is completely intuitive – put your forefinger on top of the rod handle (right at the butt), raise the rod to 12 o’oclock and cast to 10 o’clock: this feels like flicking a loaded paintbrush at a wall. The fly must always enter the water first (tenkara means “from heaven”).
Beginners to Western fly-fishing may find it complicated, inaccessible or intimidating. By contrast, tenkara is simple and unencumbered. The essence of tenkara is the reliance on technique and knowledge rather than on equipment.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that simplicity and effectiveness are mutually exclusive. Buy yourself a tenkara rod, pick up one of the many 2nd hand models available or arrange a rod-share with one of PFAC’s increasing number of tenkara anglers and give it a go. You don’t have to forsake the trusty 7’ three-weight, try tenkara as well.
Daniel Galhardo runs a tenkara business but, more than anything, he is passionate about spreading the tenkara word. He has graciously allowed PFAC access to all the tips and tricks needed to practice tenkara. Other good sources of information are "Tenkara in Focus" (a video series with John Pearson and Paul Gaskell, also offering on-stream tuition) and "Tenkara Angler" (an e-magazine).