I think a great subject to cover in a future episode (if it isn't already) would be different types of lines and also why companies like T-USA and Tenkara Rod Co call their furled lines "level lines". How many people use just a regular spool of mono berkley 2lb line, etc etc. That could be an interesting topic.
I think we could do a deep dive into lines... That would be interesting. Everyone likes to talk about rods and flies, but the line can be just as important in certain situations.
I probably will never fish outside the spectrum of level line such as DRAGONtails 3.5 but I am fascinated specifically of the success stories that people used that they felt the line dictated that success. Looking forward to more of these podcasts.@@tenkaraangler
I think a line discussion would be cool. If I had a personal fishing caddy like a pro golfer. I’d have them carry a bunch of rods with different lines for different situations.
You probably fished Big Cottonwood. It’s such a beautiful canyon but it’s crazy busy all year including winter. I tenkara fish most of the Wasatch Front Rivers. Great listen, I laughed out loud in my car on the “celery” debate. A potential meet in the middle solution is carrots 😂.
I wanted to add something that was amazing to me. Watching 3 Japanese Tenkara anglers fish my homewater of the South Platte is something I won't soon forget. I loved every minute of that trip. Was so much fun to connect with them, tie them flies, and get them into fish. I had a blast. Thanks again Mike and Matt for including me in that.
Anthony, about wet wading, Orvis Pro Approach wet wading shoes are awesome. Been using mine for 3 seasons. Love them. I use a simms neoprene sock with them. Easy.
Anthony, on the wading gear. I have chased this for a few years now because I just hate having to drag on chest wader and hiking in them. What I have finally landed on for all year in east Tennessee area is this. My shoes are Altra trail shoes, I use them backpacking and trail running so they are proven too me and dry fast. Then when i get in the water i use Chota Cloaks that are basically neoprene booties that go over the shoes and have a felt sole so I don't slip (buy them one size bigger than shoe size). In the colder months i just add a pair of SealSkinz winter knee high waterproof socks. If i need to stand in deeper water I use a pair of Chota hippies. These are the best things because they are multi position, hips, down to calves or down to ankles. All of this is very lightweight and packs really small. I am interested in trying the new Korkers All Axis shoes with the interchangeable soles. I do love my korker boots when not hiking in more than a mile.
Have been waiting to hear from someone who has used the Chota Cloaks! I almost bought a set last year and didn't pull the trigger. Something I may reconsider this year. Thanks for that bit of feedback!
Joking aside, while I was crunching some celery, I was mostly thinking about the “simplicity” question. I agree with the answers for the way you are interpreting the question. I do think there is a tactic change ethos in tenkara vs a gear change. By that I mean when fishing is tough instead of changing a tackle or gear item the angler cycles through tactics. Of course this does not mean we don’t buy tons of gear and carry it but we rely more on changing the presentation/tactic/approach rather than a different rod, line or fly. We may in the end change the fly. As for flies, I too dont think many Tenkara anglers carry flies the way some western anglers do with a box for PMD’s in multiple sizes and shades…for example.
I really appreciate the low startup friction of Tenkara … I’m so much more likely to actually go fishing on the spur of the moment. And yes , absolutely on the tactics or approach changes rather than instantly thinking about gear or fly. I definitely reduced the number of flies I carry with Tenkara , though if I know there’s a big hatch in the offing I still like to be prepared for it. I always like to say with rod and reel fly fishing the learning curve is so gear focused but with Tenkara the gear just gets out of the way and lets you focus on skills and tactics. I still do a lot of rod and reel fishing (mostly focused on modern nymphing gear and tactics) and after I’ve been doing that for a few days the switch back to Tenkara is very relieving and stress free.
I can't remember which episode it was but you guys may have mentioned on "over rated or under rated" something about zoom rods. A comment was made about how the extra 12" of a zoom is the equivalent to swinging your arm out. I never though about it but it made sense when I listened. I have been doing a local pond challenge with six of my Tenkara rods. I was only interested in fishing the longest zoom possible since it was still water. I started with the WTR T-Hunter and worked my way down to the WTR Middle Fork. I only fished 12' rods or longer. Since I am a river guy and love dry flies, most of my longer rods have a heavy swing weight and I do not enjoy fishing them as much. An example was the Hydra. It loves unweighted flies on the 11.5 but I can't get myself to love the 13' zoom. However with this challenge, I am fishing exclusively some nymphs and it really redeemed the heavy weights of the Hydra, Middle Fork, etc. I came out of that challenge thinking I would use those shorter zooms on these rods for my river days but anytime a bigger nymph can be used, it's almost like you NEED to use the longer length to get any kind of roll cast or false cast. I lost some desire for zoom rods listening to that Tenkara Angler podcast but some redemption for them dawned on me from this experiment. Still though....I think Zooms are mostly redundant. I just wanted to share that thought to you guys. :)
Interesting experimentation and feedback. I think with zoom rods it's different strokes for different folks. Could definitely see how the longer, heavier weights (zoom or not) could play into a better experience throwing weighted flies. The rod I personally use for a lot of my pond fishing for bass in Florida is the Dragontail Hellbender, and it's always at its fully extended length. Rods are tools and finding the right one (along with the line and fly) for the specific job will definitely make your on the water experience more enjoyable. - Mike
@@tenkaraangler that mixed with we are certainly addicted to collecting rods! 😂 I will admit that I find single length rods more appealing as of late. The Ragnarok may be my top 3 rods. Very excited to see how the newer 12’ Nirvana remake turns out. Looking forward to Tenkara Origins.
Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but my wet wading solution is fairly simple: an old pair of Teva sandals, a pair of polypropolene socks and some quick drying hiking pants. I used to go without socks, but socks keep away the leeches and cuts down on cuts and scrapes. I like this system for speed/simplicity. I also enjoy the feeling of the water flowing over my feet because it connects me to the joy of playing in a creek when I was a kid.
Upcoming topic: Is tenkara reaching the next generation of anglers? The outings I've been to are most populated by a Gen-X and a few boomers. I don't see many millennials/Gen Z involved in the sport.
I know quite a few millenials who have picked it up, some of which I have taught personally, so I think it is spreading to them. I do agree with you that this should be a topic of interest. Mentoring the next generation is important.
I think a great subject to cover in a future episode (if it isn't already) would be different types of lines and also why companies like T-USA and Tenkara Rod Co call their furled lines "level lines". How many people use just a regular spool of mono berkley 2lb line, etc etc. That could be an interesting topic.
I think we could do a deep dive into lines... That would be interesting. Everyone likes to talk about rods and flies, but the line can be just as important in certain situations.
I probably will never fish outside the spectrum of level line such as DRAGONtails 3.5 but I am fascinated specifically of the success stories that people used that they felt the line dictated that success. Looking forward to more of these podcasts.@@tenkaraangler
I think a line discussion would be cool. If I had a personal fishing caddy like a pro golfer. I’d have them carry a bunch of rods with different lines for different situations.
You probably fished Big Cottonwood. It’s such a beautiful canyon but it’s crazy busy all year including winter. I tenkara fish most of the Wasatch Front Rivers.
Great listen, I laughed out loud in my car on the “celery” debate. A potential meet in the middle solution is carrots 😂.
There is no middle ground. Glad you enjoyed the pod. :)
I wanted to add something that was amazing to me. Watching 3 Japanese Tenkara anglers fish my homewater of the South Platte is something I won't soon forget. I loved every minute of that trip. Was so much fun to connect with them, tie them flies, and get them into fish. I had a blast. Thanks again Mike and Matt for including me in that.
We loved having you. Couldn't think of a better person to have with us on that trip.
I like celery. Keeps big foot away.
Squatch definitely prefers Slim Jims.
Anthony, about wet wading, Orvis Pro Approach wet wading shoes are awesome. Been using mine for 3 seasons. Love them. I use a simms neoprene sock with them. Easy.
Thanks. I’ll check them out.
I wet wade in Columbia PFG pants and Astral Loyaks. They are very grippy, lightweight, and dry fast. No socks needed.
I’ve been considering the Astral Rasslers for a while
@@castingaround They make great products! I have their Sturgeon PFD for kayaking as well.
Anthony, on the wading gear. I have chased this for a few years now because I just hate having to drag on chest wader and hiking in them. What I have finally landed on for all year in east Tennessee area is this. My shoes are Altra trail shoes, I use them backpacking and trail running so they are proven too me and dry fast. Then when i get in the water i use Chota Cloaks that are basically neoprene booties that go over the shoes and have a felt sole so I don't slip (buy them one size bigger than shoe size). In the colder months i just add a pair of SealSkinz winter knee high waterproof socks. If i need to stand in deeper water I use a pair of Chota hippies. These are the best things because they are multi position, hips, down to calves or down to ankles. All of this is very lightweight and packs really small. I am interested in trying the new Korkers All Axis shoes with the interchangeable soles. I do love my korker boots when not hiking in more than a mile.
Have been waiting to hear from someone who has used the Chota Cloaks! I almost bought a set last year and didn't pull the trigger. Something I may reconsider this year. Thanks for that bit of feedback!
Nice. A lot of things to research. I hadn’t heard of the Cloaks. Thanks!
Joking aside, while I was crunching some celery, I was mostly thinking about the “simplicity” question. I agree with the answers for the way you are interpreting the question. I do think there is a tactic change ethos in tenkara vs a gear change. By that I mean when fishing is tough instead of changing a tackle or gear item the angler cycles through tactics. Of course this does not mean we don’t buy tons of gear and carry it but we rely more on changing the presentation/tactic/approach rather than a different rod, line or fly. We may in the end change the fly. As for flies, I too dont think many Tenkara anglers carry flies the way some western anglers do with a box for PMD’s in multiple sizes and shades…for example.
I really appreciate the low startup friction of Tenkara … I’m so much more likely to actually go fishing on the spur of the moment. And yes , absolutely on the tactics or approach changes rather than instantly thinking about gear or fly. I definitely reduced the number of flies I carry with Tenkara , though if I know there’s a big hatch in the offing I still like to be prepared for it. I always like to say with rod and reel fly fishing the learning curve is so gear focused but with Tenkara the gear just gets out of the way and lets you focus on skills and tactics. I still do a lot of rod and reel fishing (mostly focused on modern nymphing gear and tactics) and after I’ve been doing that for a few days the switch back to Tenkara is very relieving and stress free.
I can't remember which episode it was but you guys may have mentioned on "over rated or under rated" something about zoom rods. A comment was made about how the extra 12" of a zoom is the equivalent to swinging your arm out. I never though about it but it made sense when I listened.
I have been doing a local pond challenge with six of my Tenkara rods. I was only interested in fishing the longest zoom possible since it was still water. I started with the WTR T-Hunter and worked my way down to the WTR Middle Fork. I only fished 12' rods or longer. Since I am a river guy and love dry flies, most of my longer rods have a heavy swing weight and I do not enjoy fishing them as much. An example was the Hydra. It loves unweighted flies on the 11.5 but I can't get myself to love the 13' zoom. However with this challenge, I am fishing exclusively some nymphs and it really redeemed the heavy weights of the Hydra, Middle Fork, etc. I came out of that challenge thinking I would use those shorter zooms on these rods for my river days but anytime a bigger nymph can be used, it's almost like you NEED to use the longer length to get any kind of roll cast or false cast.
I lost some desire for zoom rods listening to that Tenkara Angler podcast but some redemption for them dawned on me from this experiment. Still though....I think Zooms are mostly redundant. I just wanted to share that thought to you guys. :)
Interesting experimentation and feedback. I think with zoom rods it's different strokes for different folks. Could definitely see how the longer, heavier weights (zoom or not) could play into a better experience throwing weighted flies. The rod I personally use for a lot of my pond fishing for bass in Florida is the Dragontail Hellbender, and it's always at its fully extended length. Rods are tools and finding the right one (along with the line and fly) for the specific job will definitely make your on the water experience more enjoyable. - Mike
@@tenkaraangler that mixed with we are certainly addicted to collecting rods! 😂
I will admit that I find single length rods more appealing as of late. The Ragnarok may be my top 3 rods. Very excited to see how the newer 12’ Nirvana remake turns out.
Looking forward to Tenkara Origins.
Furled lines, underrated.
Slower action rods, overrated. Short tenkara rods, overrated.
well, I'll give you 2 out of 3!
Au Contraire David, furled lines suck, slower action rods are fun and sometimes shorter rods work too. 🤭
Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but my wet wading solution is fairly simple: an old pair of Teva sandals, a pair of polypropolene socks and some quick drying hiking pants. I used to go without socks, but socks keep away the leeches and cuts down on cuts and scrapes. I like this system for speed/simplicity. I also enjoy the feeling of the water flowing over my feet because it connects me to the joy of playing in a creek when I was a kid.
Upcoming topic: Is tenkara reaching the next generation of anglers? The outings I've been to are most populated by a Gen-X and a few boomers. I don't see many millennials/Gen Z involved in the sport.
I know quite a few millenials who have picked it up, some of which I have taught personally, so I think it is spreading to them. I do agree with you that this should be a topic of interest. Mentoring the next generation is important.
I’m a millennial who loves the craft. I live in CT and turned a bunch of xers on to it.
@@Willrobinson06371 excellent!
Has definitely been fun seeing more than a few younger anglers at the various tenkara get togethers.