Saturday was TENKARA DAY!   Tenkara is the traditional form of Japanese fly fishing.  There is no fly reel and no line as we know it, instead the line looks more like a ten foot furled leader.   The line is attached to the tip of an 11 to 13 foot 10 section telescoping graphite rod via a lillian braid.   The set up appears to be perfect for small streams.

Originally I wanted to try the system on the North Yuba in the pocket water first but, we got a late start, so we went to the Bear River in the meadow off Highway 20.   The Bear, in this section, is a tailwater composed of long pools with some  shallow riffles and medium deep runs bordered by willows on both sides.  Having never used the Tenkara system before, I would have preferred to practice on a more open river but you play the hand you are dealt.

After setting up the rod, Pat and I walked down the meadow to one of the more open areas.  I carefully slipped into the water and began to cast using a size #14  elk hair parachute caddis.  I was pleasantly surprised at how well the 13 foot tenkara rod handled in such close quarters.  It was great fun catching 8-10 inch beautifully marked  and colored browns.  Each movement of the fish is transmitted through the light flexible rod.  I must confess, however, that several times I found myself reaching for the line to make a retrieve  or feeling for the reel handle to land fish.  All in all,  it was a very satisfying experience and I am looking forward to doing more fishing with the Tenkara system.  More to follow.

Tenkara fishing on the Bear

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