I have become quite a fan of tenkara style flyfishing. For those unfamiliar with tenkara, it is a traditional Japanese method of fly-fishing. It reduces fly-fishing to three basic elements, a rod, a line and a fly. It has been used for centuries in Japan’s high mountain streams. What i like most about tenkara is the simplicity. You get to focus on the fishing rather than the gear.

For brook trout fishing in the mountains I use the Tenkara USA Iwana in the 11′ length and 6:4 action. I use a 10′ 6″ traditional tenkara line attached to the tip of the rod with a simple girth hitch. I tie about 9″ of 3x tippet to the end of the line, then about 12-18″ of 5x or 6x tippet to that depending on the conditions.

Because it flex so much in the upper section especially at the tip, it readily protect the delicate tippet. While the rod appears delicate, it has held up exceptionally well under the rigors of fishing, traveling, bush whacking and teaching.

As you will quickly discover, tenkara style fishing gives you incredible drag free drifts. Often 3 and 4 times as long as you might get with a conventional outfit. And those drag-free drifts are one of the most important elements for fishing success.

It is a great teaching tool. It makes teaching the basics very easy, getting the student on the water and fishing sooner. It allows the teacher and student to focus more on fishing technique and not have to work so much on line management and casting skills.

Here are some links with more information about tenkara on the Gone Fishing... page on my blog>middleriverdispatch.com/mrgblo...

You're on Twitter? That's great! I'll be sure to follow you... I hope you noticed that we added some fly fishing imagery to the Anglers' Legacy section!

follow me on twitter
twitter.com/troutscout

Tom I will check out your website soon for it sounds interesting and it may serve as a guide for starting a group here in Southwestern Ohio.