Posted by Jason Klass of Tenkaratalk.com on August 15, 2017
Over the long holiday weekend, I was able to catch up with my friend Karin Miller of Zen Flyfishing and got my hands on their new tenkara spoolbox. This is a really innovative piece of gear that is as beautiful as it is function.
It’s basically a round wooden box that can hold more flies than you’ll ever need for a day on the water, plus a slot to hold an extra line or tippet. You can also thread multiple tippet spools through the attached cord and then just store your extra line in the slot. There’s even an indented spot for a small label so you can identify which line is on the spool and fly drying patches of foam on the outside. Basically, if you’ve got this, a tenkara rod, and line clippers, you’re good to go.
I’m always impressed with how much innovation comes out of tenkara. To me, the Western fly fishing community seems to have become pretty stagnant but tenkara anglers have been continually inventing new things and pushing the boundaries of the sport through new gear and new techniques.
I have a special connection to this particular piece of gear though. It’s handcrafted by my friend Dave Burchett right here in Colorado. He used to make line spools for me when I had my online tenkara store and whether is a spool, a fly box, or a tying bench, I’m always enamoured with his work. This spoolbox is absolutely gorgeous with trout and the katakana for “tenkara” laser engraved on the plates. It’s also extremely ergonomic and just feels natural in your hand. I’m not sure which type of wood it’s made from but it’s extremely lightweight too. For something so compact, aesthetically beautiful, and versatile, this is a big win design-wise.