As the owner and founder of Zen Tenkara, I admit, I’m a little bias on the subject. But, first and foremost I consider myself a fly angler. I began with a fly rod, strictly diverted to tenkara and now, admittedly, I love and appreciate both methods, mostly because they really aren’t very different from each other at all. Okay, I see you rolling your eyes and can hear the “Pfft” sound you just made. Hang with me a bit longer:
I asked Google, what is a fly rod? The response was: “A fly rod is a specialized, long, and often flexible fishing rod used to cast a line, which in turn carries an artificial fly to its target…. rods are categorized by their action, length and weight (which corresponds to the fly line and fish they are designed for).” Then I asked Google, what is a tenkara rod? The response was: “A tenkara rod is a lightweight, telescoping fly-fishing rod from Japan that is used in a simplified method of fly fishing that doesn’t require a reel.” A tenkara rod is a fly rod – just a fly rod that is more simple, portable and easier to use and tenkara fishing is fly fishing, just without a reel. Now that we’ve clarified that, let me tell you why you need one.
- Tenkara rods are super lightweight and telescope down to about 20″ long. Weighing between 1.5oz – 3.5oz, they weigh almost nothing making them highly transportable. They can be tucked into a backpack, a carry-on bag or strapped onto a bike frame. They don’t take up space and don’t require a reel which are heavy and bulky. Bottom line, tenkara rods are the go-anywhere fly rod. Which means any trip, destination, vacation or adventure can also easily become be a fly-fishing trip, fly-fishing destination, fly-fishing vacation and fly-fishing adventure. Just pop it in your bag and take it along.
- Tenkara rods are simpler to set up since they don’t require a reel. Just attach the line with a quick and simple girth hitch. Because the setup is so easy, opportunities to fish which might otherwise be passed up due to “lack of time”, now become doable. Have 30 minutes for a lunch break and you’re near a stream or a pond? Grab your tenkara rod and in 30 seconds you’re fly fishing. That time frame typically wouldn’t be worth it on a regular fly rod. Since tenkara rods can be kept on the passenger or backseat of your car or truck, completely setup besides extending them, pulling over to fish for 15 to 30 minutes is worth it. Spend less time setting up and more time fishing with a tenkara rod. Get one and you’ll find yourself wetting a line more often.
- Tenkara rods are so simple and handy that they make perfect teaching tools. Have a friend, a spouse, apartner or a child who you want to teach how to fly fish? Make it less overwhelming and frustrating for you both by getting them started on a tenkara rod. You’ll increase their enjoyment, increase their learning trajectory and reduce everyone’s frustration. Improve their fly-fishing confidence and independence faster so you both can enjoy the fly-fishing together, quicker.
- Teaching others to fly fish can sometimes lead to accidental rod breaks. Whether the person snaps the rod tip, falls in the river, trips on a rock, accidentally steps on it or closes the car door on your rod. It’s a frustrating and expensive repair. Tenkara rods are easy and inexpensive to fix. Simply go to the website. Order a replacement section and it ships to you. Most brands charge about $20 per section. Some companies like Zen, include a replacement tip section with every rod purchased.
- Tenkara rods teach exceptional fish management skills. Let’s face it, when you don’t have a reel, you can’t let a fish run. You have to turn, steer and guide it. Tenkara rods teach you that quickly and thoroughly. Anglers that use tenkara rods often understand fishing angles better than regular fly fishers, simply because they’ve had to. Learning to control the fishes head, turn them and keep them out of strong currents becomes second nature to tenkara fly anglers. These skills transfer seamlessly over to a rod and reel. No more running fish to death. Land them quickly and efficiently by learning foundational fish management skills on a tenkara rod.
- Traditional Tenkara uses short, light lines that are approximately the same length as the rod being used. Since these lines are very short (about 12ft) and lack mass, they require more acceleration in the stroke to effectively load/bend the rod. Since the the accelerated stroke is loading the rod and not the mass of the line, and because the line is very short, the stroke arc needs to be smaller. In order to do this efficiently, the wrist is engaged. HOWEVER, when you lengthen your tenkara line it becomes heavier. It also takes longer to lay out. The line has more mass. This means less acceleration is require through the stroke. The longer and heavier the line used on a tenkara rod, the slower the stroke and the larger the stroke arc until it is identical to a regular fly cast. Some have said you don’t actually cast a tenkara rod. I argue in fact you do. Instead, you must understand universal casting mechanics and modify your stroke to accommodate for the rod flex, the line length and the line weight. Once understood, an angler can pick up most any fly rod and sufficiently cast it. Tenkara helps you learn and understand casting mechanics faster and more thoroughly. These skills transfer seamlessly to a regular fly rod.
- Tagging onto this, tenkara is a great way to learn spey casting basics. With no reel, shooting line and hauling are impossible on a tenkara rod. How then does an angler cast a 40ft setup on a 12ft rod without the ability to shoot or haul? They water load, use roll casts and Snap-Ts movements to bend and flex their long rods and lift lines into the air to cast. The first time I picked up an actual spey rod it felt very familiar to me due to my time spent casting 12ft – 15ft tenkara rods. Since I was practiced in casting long lines on my tenkara rod I had, unknowingly, already been using Snap-T and Double Spey-like motions. with the long and heavier lines i was using. With a formal breakdown of the casts, I picked up spey with little difficulty and now have added it to my fly-fishing repertoire.
- Tenkara will improve your hook set. These ultralight rods are extremely sensitive. They help you focus and identify the discrete tactile feedback or feel of a take. Whether from a dry fly or a nymph, recognizing those delicate hits can be tough. Tenkara rods let you feel more so you can respond quicker and improve your reaction time. If you aren’t identifying the takes, you can’t improve response time and motoric flex to “set”.
- Tenkara rods are just another fly rod. And we all need, or at least want, another fly rod. You can never have too many. Consider though, that the highest quality tenkara rods, are a mere fraction of the cost of a low to midrange regular fly rod and remember, they don’t require a reel (extra cha ching!) So next time you start craving another fly rod, treat yourself to a beautiful, high quality, high end tenkara rod instead. Or have someone else treat you. Tenkara let you splurge, for less. Much less.
- Finally, the tenth reason to get a tenkara rod; They simply are fun. They are so easy and uncomplicated. Their lightness and flexibility are joyful, and you can stop thinking and working your gear and just fish – like you did as a kid. Even if you didn’t fish as a kid, you’ll feel like one when you get a tenkara rod in you had. the smallest fish feel exciting. The bigger fish are intense, and the really big boys will push you to a level of thrill that makes your heart race and chest feel like it might explode. It’s a pure experience. Just you against the fish. When you land it, you’ll feel such satisfaction, not from your equipment, but from the experience and the intimacy and that direct connection, knowing that you did it all right.
I know, I’m a bit biased. But think about it. The next time you feel a hankering to indulge in purchasing another fly rod, consider getting a tenkara rod. I think given a chance; you’ll really enjoy it. Most passionate fly anglers do.