VIDEO: Backpacking and tenkara

Backpacking and tenkara go together like fish bones and sake (mmmm…kotsuzake), but there are not enough videos that document the experience of doing the two activities together. This is probably because it is a lot easier to make a video a few hundred feet from your car than a few miles from your car. As I well know, carrying camera gear gets old really fast.

But Daniel Galhardo of Tenkara USA recently strapped on the tripod and documented a 3-day pack trip in Colorado. We were excited to see some of our favorite things in this short video: a beautiful stream, trout cooking on “fish sticks,” and a phenomenon perhaps unique to tenkara backpackers — fishing with your pack on, while hiking, because you can. If there’s a stream along the trail, why wait until you arrive at the destination to fish? (Conventional flyfishers’ answer: Because there’s just way too much gear to set up and break down all the time.)

Thanks to Daniel for taking the trouble to shoot some video while fishing what looks like a perfect tenkara stream.

VIDEO: Ishigaki Kebari tied by Chris Stewart

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:

Materials to tie Chris Stewart’s version of the Ishigaki Kebari:

Barbless dry fly hook, size 14, Daiichi 1190

Black UNI-Thread, 6/0

Dry fly hackle (from Whiting 100 pack), brown, size 12

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…

Technique of the Week: Landing a Fish

Some anglers who are unfamiliar with tenkara tend to imagine that it is difficult to land a fish with a fixed line. However, “reeling” in a fish without a reel is really a non-issue. Really. In fact, tenkara anglers tend to land fish faster than those who have to fiddle with conventional Western gear.

In the video above, Daniel Galhardo demonstrates how simple and easy it is to land a fish with tenkara gear. You simply bring the fish to you and scoop it up with your tamo (net). Daniel uses a relatively long line for a tenkara angler, and we’ve never seen him have trouble landing a fish in the countless times we’ve watched him do it. As he says in the video:

And of course people always ask me, “How do you land a fish when you’re using such a long line?” The idea is that you simply lift the rod — you don’t have to do this [lift rod above your head]. There’s going to be some tension there. Grab the line and quickly bring [the fish] to you. Then subdue the fish in front of you in calmer water.

Lift rod, grab line, net fish.

Ryan Jordan lights a fire

With one spark!

Daniel, Brian and I were all impressed with Ryan Jordan’s fire-making skills.

VIDEO: Playing Big Fish with Tenkara

[Watch on Vimeo]
[Watch on YouTube]

Can tenkara handle big fish? Many Western-style fly anglers mistakenly believe that landing large fish is not possible with a tenkara rod. In this myth-busting video, Daniel Galhardo demonstrates just how well tenkara deals with big fish as he easily handles a 20″ Madison River wild brown trout with his four-ounce, soft-action Ito rod. The trout comes to net at least as fast as a rod-and-reel rig would have done it, and the fish has plenty of energy left as Daniel releases it. … Continue Reading