Hey guys check this sight out,

[www.tenkarausa.com]


Does anyone have any experience with this? Does anyone think there is a 4 piece blank out there you could make a Tenkara rod on. I have a 7wt batson blank that i just put a 13 ft piece f fly line on and a 4ft leader and tried it, seemed to work but a Tenkara level line is just 17lb flo carbon and they add 2 to 6 feet of tippet. Does any one have a short 4wt blank they could run an experiment on before i buy one. I am not sold on Tenkara but i fished a lake a few days ago with a 4wt i built out of my kayak for bream i caught several fish but had to keep my boat straight while drifting a wind down the bank and roll cast the whole way now the roll cast is fine but add a little wind and boat control and it gets complex fast. Tenkara would be an awesome method for whipping a fly on tight creeks and cluttered cyprus flats. I have been shooting crappie jigs all my life under brush and docks but it seems you could draw a Tenkara rod like a bow, (There is a casting video on the sight that goes through the Tenkara casting patterns) and lay right under a brush. Like I said if you could do this on a short 4wt like 7 or 7'6 it would be awesome for many places i fish where you only need 10 to 15 ft of cast, now i know you guys may think i am crazy but there is a huge market for those of you building for profit, a following is taking place.This would be awesome to have on a backpack while walking a small stream for the extra narrow spots, i just dont need a 13 ft rod

Rodney Powell, who helps out at the Expo, bought one about a month ago so I've seen one firsthand. It is essentially a high end "bream buster" type "pole" that collapses down into a very small package. Although I suspect you could achieve the exact same results with any of the B&M bream busters or crappies poles, (Sammy Mickel recently bought a B&M Crappie Buster and he'll quickly tell you that it's made a believer out of him.) the Tenkara USA model is very light, small diameter and collapses into a shorter length, just about 20 inches or so. So you're essentially buying a lighter and more manageable version of something that's already available. You just have to decide how much the lighter weight and shorter stowed package is worth to you.

I spent many years fishing with a man who was a firm believer in his 15' Lew's Bream Buster. I couldn't begin to tell you of the thousands and thousands of fish he caught on that "pole." It was one of the most productive fishing methods I've ever witnessed. No reason the Tenkara won't do the same thing on a variety of species. Just be aware that it is a light, delicate "pole" compared to some of the B&M stuff.

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Tom what would happen if you used a shorter fly rod blank, do you still thank it would work? Like on a 7'6 4wt blank, I guess i could build one and if it did not just add guides?

It's nothing more than a collapsable pole (a nice one, though). The length determines how far out you can fish. A 13 foot rod with 15 of line (which is about right for that length) allows you to reach out to 28 feet.

I would guess that many of the guys fishing very close in, narrow mountain trout streams with fly rods could get by with just a "pole" for much of what they do.


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Tenkara style fishing is gaining popularity slowly in the US. It started in the Catskills and is catching on here in the west for trout fishing small streams.

The characteristics of a Tenkara rod are not only the length (11 to 13.5 ft), but the very lightness and extreme flexibility. With some rod configurations you can almost touch the tip to the butt.

As it is telescoping ( 8 to 10 sections depending upon length of rod) it is compact for traveling especially back packing. Varying combination's of sections can tailor the action for different types of fishing.

The standard line is a woven taper that is very light and flexible and when combined with the rods length and flexibility can produce very accurate casts.

While it mostly fished with dry flies, it also is useful for Czech nymphing due to it's length and lightness.

For those who have not seen the setup.......there is no reel involved, the line is tied to the tip of the rod.

They've succesfully re-marketed an age old style of fishing. I did call and inquire a few things but they are dead set on using the fly shops to get their stuff out. I've seen some other possibilites though. I do like the idea of having one but I'm not dropping any of my 6'6" 3wts.

They started out here in San Francisco (their home office) selling direct until they built up a few dealers. I'm pretty sure the price is the same through a dealer.

You don't need to discard anything, just an added weapon!

Lash LaRue would have been a master caster with one of these,and the reason I say this is because (fishin' with a whip) has been around a lot longer than those rods are. With the weight reduction and degree of durability that todays fibers can achieve it makes sense to return to this style of fishing. Its back to basics without the worry of equipment failure with a quicker presentation . I personally think 1pc whips are the way to go, until it gets broken, then it becomes a tele.
The only insight I have to offer on this subject is to Google a co. called BLAZER, they offer a full line of telescopic rods and replacement tip sections which may have some use in building one of these rods and alot of other items used in the European style of fishing.
I do not mean to distract anyone from the good sponsors of this forum but this info may help Bryan achieve his goal.
Whips are back!
Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)

It may be less expensive to just use a fly blank, or even a spin blank, As many sections as you want. Add a handle, connect a piece of say mono onto the tip of the blank with a loop for a loop to loop connection.

Bill - willierods.com

So, bottom line is that this type of fishing is pretty close to my old 12' cane pole with the line tied to the end,
just breaks down into small sections?
Thing has been hanging on the wall for 40 years now.
Might just have to get it down for a while just to play around with some bluegills.

But then, would likely end the day with misty-eyes and an aching heart for things and places that are no longer available to me.

Ah, well.......

Gary Bechtel
North Channel Tackle Service

Thanks for all the info, i could not find the company referenced called blazer. You guys are great

Bryan, Try here,www.psfishing.com

www.balzer.de

FYI

[www.tenkarausa.com]

Would a 16' telescoping crappie rod work for Tenkara fising? You can still put a reel on it. Only $16.95.

Probably, but it would come at the cost of being very bulky and heavy compared to the Tenkari model. A common 16' Crappie Buster will give you a real workout over the course of a few hours.

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