The last few months I have spent a lot of time watching videos and reading about Tenkara, a traditional form of Japanese fly fishing involving only a long rod, a fixed length line, and a fly. I love reels (in fact I am currently trying my hand a reelsmithing), but I must admit that the idea of a completely simplified rig is quite compelling. So, this last Saturday I bit the bullet and ordered a tenkara rod, some line, and some tenkara flies. The packages have been coming in all week, and yesterday I came come to find that lovely triangle shaped box that always announces the arrival of a fly rod.

We are on a budget here at T&S headquarters, so I decided to start with the Fountainhead Caddis Fly 360, a 12 foot rod that sells for only $50. Based on reviews, I only expected a serviceable rod that I could replace if I decided to stick with Tenkara. Maybe it is the fact that the rod is make of a fiberglass/graphite composite, but I was pleasently surprised out how good the rod felt when I took it lawn casting. The slow action fits my general casting style, and the rod is lightweight so that I feel comfortable casting, even though it is almost twice the length of my favorite western fly rods.

For line I ordered a braided tapered line and a level mono line from TenkaraUSA (the main importer/producer of tenkara rods this side of the Pacific). I liked the feel of braided line, but the rod really woke up with twelve feet of the 3.5 level line.

I also ordered a handful of tenkara flies from a very good tier on eBay. While I will also probably experiment with my usual soft-hackles, emergers and dries,  I liked the look of these traditional fies. 

If all goes well, I should be able to fish the rod this weekend, if so, I will give a full report.

--Posted by Eben