If you had told me a couple of years ago that tenkara would be the fastest growing segment of fly fishing in 2014 I’d have said, “What’s tenkara?”
I’m not sure anyone other than Daniel Galhardo saw it coming but tenkara has spread like pink eye in kindergarten. And with good reason. Tenkara fishing is a blast. I’ve been doing it for a while now and it has legitimately changed the way I think about some of my fly fishing.
In addition to being fun, tenkara is also a great introduction to fly fishing. I shortens the learning curve and let’s the angler focus on the fundamentals of presentation. I firmly believe that anglers who start with tenkara will be better fish catchers than those who start with traditional gear.
This year Tenkara USA introduced a couple of new rods who’s lengths are adjustable to accommodate a variety of fishing conditions. I have fished both and I own the Rhodo. They are great rods and the length adjustment works flawlessly.
My prediction is that Tenkara USA rods will be the hot item for Christmas this year. I can’t think of a better gift.
In this video Daniel will show off the features of the new Rhodo and Sato rods.
Thanks Louis. Love my Tenkara. I am going to use it to introduce my 9 year old granddaughter to fly fishing. She will be fishing effectively the first day rather than struggling with the cast and line management between the stripping guide and the reel. We can work on casting and fishing traditional rods once she is hooked on fly fishing.
My Tenkara rod was a gift to me from a friend last year, and I took it out the first day and caught lots of fish on my home Tailwater from the jump. It turned out to be a refreshing new way to fish the same water you have known and loved, “starting over” and adding to the pleasure of fishing it. All it took was a little reading and watching on the internet before taking it out… the learning curve is not steep, especially for a current fly fisherman. Now I am also tying amazing Tenkara style flies, which work with Tenkara as well as for regular fly gear.
In addition to everything else Tankara does right, I think length adjustability is a game-changer.
On small creeks I often put the butt section off my rod, put the reel in my pocket, and use the shortened rod to catch feesh.
I forecast adjustable “regular” fly fishing rods in the not too distant future…