How small is a midge?
Compare Punk Rock Sakasa Kebari in hook sizes 12, 22 and 32 with an actual midge collected on the Gallatin River yesterday:
Closer image:
We’re gonna need a smaller hook.
Compare Punk Rock Sakasa Kebari in hook sizes 12, 22 and 32 with an actual midge collected on the Gallatin River yesterday:
Closer image:
We’re gonna need a smaller hook.
Tying flies on eyeless hooks — that is, flies like this that tie in some kind of cordage as the attachment point instead of a metal eye built into the hook — has been an obsession here at Learn Tenkara for about a year.
It’s fun to tie flies in a traditional Japanese way, and it’s possible that the flies have more natural movement in the water compared to flies tied on metal-eye hooks. And, as Chris Stewart points out in his latest post, it can be much easier to tie the tippet onto a fly with a very wide eye than one with a tiny metal eye that you can barely see.
But Chris also says, “The only problem is finding the silk bead cord to use for the loop.” We’ve also heard this same sentiment from other fly-tiers recently.
But finding silk bead cord is easy! It’s all over the place on da internets. At this writing, there are 142 active listings on eBay for “Griffin Bead Cord #2.”
On Amazon, the same search has 117 results.
Price is around $3 for 2 meters of cord.
There’s a reason we have so much silk bead cord here:
"Griffin woman...pretty woman." Your flies will be pretty, too. Look for Griffin Silk Bead Cord. Size #2 for most flies. Size #4 is okay for really big flies. Many colors available, or just get white and use markers to color the cord yourself.
To get eyeless hooks? TenkaraBum, of course. Or, you can just take the wire cutters to any eyed hook. We’ve been doing that with most of our flies lately, and have not had any problems.
You can use other materials for the loop: fly line backing, Amnesia monofilament, scrap level line, even 2X tippet. But nothing we’ve used is as nice as silk bead cord. It is strong, flexible, and the #2 cord size (.45mm) is not too thick to use for flies as small as 16, while some of the other materials options are just too bulky for anything but larger flies.
The holy grail: Attractive wall art that also tells you how to tie tenkara flies. Just $4.99
The beautiful, high-resolution underwater photos of tenkara flies that we took while producing the Tying Tenkara Flies DVD just could not be revealed in all their glory on a computer or TV screen. So we had them printed up as a poster.
The 18″ x 24″ (46 cm X 61 cm) poster features nine tenkara flies tied by Chris Stewart, with the materials list for each fly printed next to it.
Zoomed-in detail of the poster, which includes the recipe for each fly pattern featured.
The poster isn’t small, but also it isn’t huge…
Holding a mounted poster to show scale.
Don’t you think it deserves a place on your wall?
We’re pricing it to be irresistible. Just $4.99. Plus shipping. (The packing will be done very carefully to ensure that the poster arrives in pristine condition.)
And, like all purchases made here at LearnTenkara.com, the poster comes with a 100% unconditional money-back guarantee. Buy below…
WALL POSTER: “TENKARA FLIES”
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 United StatesShips out: Same Day Arrives in: Price: $4.99 Total: $7.99
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   Outside U.S.Ships out: Same Day Arrives in: Price: $4.99 Total: $10.99
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Tenkara Fly Swap VII
The Tenkara USA Forums “Big Fat Fly Swap” has concluded. Lots of great flies that are perfect for late summer and fall fishing. Hoppers, ants, beetles, a mouse and an aphid.
Much thanks to acheataux for organizing the swap — and for contributing three flies instead of just one.
A hopper by Loften; a hopper and two beetles by acheataux
Two mini-hoppers by stevenlsmith87; Chernobyl ant by eaphilipp
Ant by Erik Ostrander; hopper by (unknown); mouse by Ashley Valentine
Size 26 aphid by Brian Flemming, placed between acheteaux's hopper and a Size 30 Punk Rock Sakasa Kebari for scale
If you want to participate in the next fly swap, just keep up with the Tenkara Flies section of the forums and look for the next announcement.
According to the internets, you can mouse just about anywhere.
(I did my best to match up the flies with their creators, but one fly is unidentified and one tyer seems to be missing. Corrections welcome — I’ll update the post.)
The Punk Rock Sakasa Kebari
PUNK ROCK SAKASA KEBARI (6 FLIES) |
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United States Ships out: Arrives in: Price: $12.00 Total: $12.00 |
Outside U.S. Ships out: Arrives in: Price: $12.00 Total: $14.00 |
| Your order will ship out same-day if you order before 3 pm Central Time, Monday through Friday. Later orders ship the next business morning. You will receive a delivery confirmation number via email when your order ships. Your receipt will read “Beyond Belief Media Company.” | |
Well, the Punk Rock Sakasa Kebari flies were an unexpected hit at the Tenkara Summit, and now Chris Stewart has enthusiastically endorsed the Punk Rock Sakasa Kebari yet again. Chris says “if you haven’t yet fished [the PRSK], you should.” That’s coming on the heels of an endorsement by tenkara guide Ryan Jordan, who successfully uses the PRSK as a staple with his clients. Not to mention all of the comments here at Learn Tenkara from anglers who are using the PRSK to catch not only trout (of course) but also bass and bluegill.
So if you want ‘em, we got ‘em. The flies are now on sale here at LearnTenkara.com.
Six flies for $12. All the flies were tied by me, Ashley. Most will be Size 14 (on a Daiichi 1250 barbless hook) but some may be smaller or larger and/or have some variation like green wire or reversed colors. They will be delivered in a cute little glass vial with a cork stopper. (Gee, wonder where we got that idea.)
PUNK ROCK SAKASA KEBARI (6 FLIES) |
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United States Ships out: Arrives in: Price: $12.00 Total: $12.00 |
Outside U.S. Ships out: Arrives in: Price: $12.00 Total: $14.00 |
| Your order will ship out same-day if you order before 3 pm Central Time, Monday through Friday. Later orders ship the next business morning. You will receive a delivery confirmation number via email when your order ships. Your receipt will read “Beyond Belief Media Company.” | |
If you want to tie your own, here is my first post about the Punk Rock Sakasa Kebari.
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DVD IS SHIPPING NOW |
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Ships out: Arrives in: Price: $24.95 Total: $24.95 |
Ships out: Arrives in: Price: $24.95 Total: $29.95 |
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Your DVD will ship out same-day if you order before 3 pm Central Time, Monday through Friday. Later orders ship the next business morning. You will receive a delivery confirmation number via email when your order ships. Our top-quality DVD is playable in all territories (no region encoding). Your receipt will read “Beyond Belief Media Company.” |
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Discover how to tie your own tenkara flies in LearnTenkara’s new Tying Tenkara Flies DVD.
Tying Tenkara Flies features renowned tenkara master Dr. Hisao Ishigaki, TenkaraBum.com founder Chris Stewart and Tenkara USA’s Daniel Galhardo relating insights and advice on tenkara fly-tying as they tie a variety of beautiful and effective flies.
LearnTenkara has pulled out all the stops for our first DVD release. This top-quality disc is packed with 2.5 hours of video covering 17 different fly patterns, including traditional Japanese kebari, hybrids with Western flies and some patterns that are just plain fun to fish with a tenkara rod.
Whether you want to tie the simple Ishigaki Kebari, the venerable Takayama Sakasa Kebari or new inventions like the Sakasa Copperbari and Punk Rock Sakasa Kebari, this DVD will show you how.
The DVD comes with a 4-page, full-color booklet containing recipes for every fly tied on the DVD.
Featured tying tenkara flies on the DVD are (top, from left) Dr. Ishigaki, Daniel Galhardo and Chris Stewart. All tying videos include crystal-clear macro close-ups of the fly as it is tied. The photo above shows a Sakakibara Sakasa Kebari being tied by Chris Stewart.
If you have ever fished with a sakasa kebari (reverse-hackle fly), you know how effective and fun these flies are to fish. The reverse hackle provides resistance against the rod tip, creating lots of motion underwater to attract fish and opening up new techniques to fish your flies with action instead of just a dead drift.
Japanese tenkara masters have been exploiting the potential of these kebari for centuries, and now you can, too. In Tying Tenkara Flies, you will learn:
–The principles of sakasa kebari design, and why these flies look the way they do
–How to tie a reverse hackle cleanly and easily, without piling on thread wraps
–How to adapt your favorite Western pattern to the sakasa kebari style
–How to fish each fly
–And much more
The videos on this DVD are not limited to the fly-tying bench. You will see fish being caught by Dr. Ishigaki, Chris Stewart and Daniel Galhardo on the very flies they tie on the DVD. You’ll also see many of the flies photographed underwater in fast current. If you have ever wondered how partridge, pheasant, starling and dry-fly hackle differ in the way they behave underwater, you will find out on this DVD.
From Left: Chris Stewart with a 19" brown trout caught on a Partridge & Orange Sakasa Kebari, Daniel Galhardo with a 20" brown trout caught on an Ishigaki Kebari, and the Punk Rock Sakasa Kebari in motion underwater.
The Tying Tenkara Flies DVD begins with Dr. Hisao Ishigaki describing the “one fly” approach taken by most Japanese tenkara anglers. Then Daniel Galhardo surveys various flies he discovered in his travels in Japan, including kebari made of snakeskin and the fuzz of a zenmai fern. In the final introductory video, Chris Stewart offers some brief advice for new fly tiers on equipment acquisition and saving money on materials.
Then it is on to the 19 fly-tying videos covering 17 different patterns.
You will learn to tie:
The Ishigaki Kebari, as tied by all three featured tiers: Dr. Ishigaki himself, tying with his usual sewing thread and preference for speed over detail. Daniel Galhardo, tying his Ishigaki with “a few little tweaks.” And Chris Stewart, who ties a neat and streamlined Ishigaki Kebari with careful touching turns.
The Sakakibara Sakasa Kebari, the signature fly of Japanese tenkara master Sakakibara Masami, known in Japan as “the tenkara demon” (“tenkara no oni”). Tied by Chris Stewart.
A variation of the Amano Kebari, the signature fly of tenkara master Katsutoshi Amano. Tied by Daniel Galhardo.
The Takayama Sakasa Kebari, a legendary sakasa kebari originating in the Takayama region of Japan. Tied by Chris Stewart.
The Pheasant Tail Sakasa Kebari, adapted from the pheasant-tail-bodied flies originally created by Frank Sawyer. Tied by Chris Stewart.
The Sakasa Copperbari, developed and tied by Chris Stewart. This is a useful fly for sinking deeper or faster than a typical kebari will do.
The Punk Rock Sakasa Kebari, developed by Ashley Valentine of LearnTenkara and similar to the kebari tied in the Okumino Itoshiro region of Japan. Tied by Chris Stewart.
The Killer Kebari, developed and tied by Chris Stewart. A buggier variation of the very effective Killer Bug.
And nine more patterns, including: Starling & Purple Sakasa Kebari, Stewart Spider, Tummel-Style Sakasa Kebari, Partridge & Olive Sakasa Kebari (tied by special guest Dennis Galyardt), Peacock Herl Sakasa Kebari, CDC & Elk, Killer Bug, Utah Killer Bug (by special guest Rob Worthing) and Utah Killer Kebari (by special guest Erik Ostrander).
If you love tenkara flies, you are going to love this DVD.
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DVD IS SHIPPING NOW |
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Ships out: Arrives in: Price: $24.95 Total: $24.95 |
Ships out: Arrives in: Price: $24.95 Total: $29.95 |
|
Your DVD will ship out same-day if you order before 3 pm Central Time, Monday through Friday. Later orders ship the next business morning. You will receive a delivery confirmation number via email when your order ships. Our top-quality DVD is playable in all territories (no region encoding). Your receipt will read “Beyond Belief Media Company.” |
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Sakakibara Sakasa Kebari, tied by Chris Stewart
Recipe (as tied in the photo):
Daiichi 1560 hook #6
Black UNI-Thread 6/0
Hen pheasant feather (from back)
Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift wool yarn (Moorit/Shaela)
Sakakibara Sakasa Kebari, tied by Chris Stewart
The Takayama Sakasa Kebari in its natural environment
Recipe (as tied in the photo):
Daiichi 1150 hook, #12
Pearsall’s Gossamer Silk thread, primrose yellow
Partridge feather, from breast
Peacock herl
Chris sells a “one fly” tying kit for this fly.
The Takayama Sakasa Kebari in captivity
This video is from our DVD, Tying Tenkara Flies, which features 17 different fly patterns. Click here to learn more.
Tying the Ishigaki Kebari is a rite of passage for a tenkara fly tier. Named for its inventor, legendary Japanese tenkara angler Dr. Hisao Ishigaki, the fly captures the spirit of simplicity that is intrinsic to tenkara. This pattern is quite easy to tie and requires only a hook, thread and hackle. If you are new to tenkara fly tying, learning the Ishigaki Kebari will give you a solid grasp of the basic structure underlying almost all fly patterns in the sakasa kebari style.
The original, tied by Dr. Ishigaki himself, uses common sewing thread and values speed over detail. Dr. Ishigaki can easily tie a kebari in 90 seconds.
In contrast, in the video above Chris Stewart of TenkaraBum.com employs careful, touching turns and an attention to detail that would probably try the patience of Dr. Ishigaki. Chris Stewart’s version of the fly is streamlined and neat, although he notes that he doesn’t think the fish will actually care.
Here’s a comparison of the Ishigaki Kebari as tied by Dr. Ishigaki, Daniel Galhardo and Chris Stewart:
Three different Ishigaki Kebari (click to expand)
Materials to tie Chris Stewart’s version of the Ishigaki Kebari:
More:
Chris Stewart on “The Ishigaki Fly”:
So, is the Ishigaki Kebari the only fly you’ll ever fish? Almost certainly not. But is it the only fly you need? Well, let me just say that Dr. Ishigaki, who knows more about tenkara than we do, thinks it’s the only one he needs.
You can get an Ishigaki Tying Kit from TenkaraBum.
And here is TenkaraUSA’s famous video of Dr. Ishigaki tying his fly in the Catskills, back when tenkara wasn’t a thing yet in the U.S.
Have you tied and/or used the Ishigaki kebari? Share your experience in the comments…
This Fall, Allan Cheateaux hosted and organized the Tenkara USA Fly Swap V. The theme for tying was “tie a tenkara interpretation of a classic western pattern.” I was lucky enough to be able to participate, tying a tenkara version of the Snipe and Purple fly. With seven participants, the swap was a great success and I now have 14 great flies to add to my fly box.
Allan Cheateaux, host of the Fly Swap V, tied a Hare’s Ear Nymph Variant, using hare’s mask dubbing, Hungarian partridge hackle and copper wire.
Hare's Ear Nymph Variant by Allan Cheateaux
Chris Kuhlow, of The North River tied a South Platte Brassie Sakasa Kebari on size 12 hooks.
South Platte Brassie Sakasa Kebari by Chris Kuhlow
Anthony Naples, of Casting Around tied a Pass Lake Wetfly Kebari. Altering the original western pattern by using black fur instead of a chenille body, snowshoe instead of calf tail wing and and orange tag instead of golden pheasant tippet tail.
Pass Lake Wetfly Kebari by Anthony Naples
Erik Ostander, of Tenkara Guides, LLC., tied a Purple Haze Kebari using purple thread and grizzly hackle.
Purple Haze Kebari by Erik Ostrander
Karel Lansky of, Tenkara on the Fly tied a sakasa kebari take on his Royal Coachman using size 12 hooks, red thread and wire, brown hen hackle and peacock herl.
Royal Coachman Sakasa Kebari by Karel Lansky
Albertyi tied a Glossosoma Caddis Nymph using copper wire.
Glossosoma Caddis Nymph
I tied a tenkara version of the Snipe and Purple using size 10 hooks and purple thread given to me by Chris Stewart. It was my first time using the thread, so I’m glad I got to show it off! As for the hackle, instead of my signature Purple Starling, I used regular Starling hackle.
(Sorry, No good picture of my fly!)
Snipe and Purple by Ashley Valentine
Altogether, the Tenkara USA Fly Swap V was a complete success. I wanted to thank everyone for working hard on all their flies. I’m very impressed with all of them and I can’t wait to try them out. Be sure to check out Karel Lansky’s Tenkara USA Fly Swap post and Chris Kuhlow’s here.
Our Tying Tenkara Flies Vol. 1 DVD features Dr. Ishigaki, Chris Stewart and Daniel Galhardo tying 17 different patterns. Some people are calling Tying Tenkara Flies the best fly-tying DVD ever produced -- and we agree!
Buy or tie the Punk Rock Sakasa Kebari, the signature fly of LearnTenkara.com's editor, Ashley Valentine.
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