More Tenkara News (Involving Fave Joan Wulff): Cross Pollinating Fly Fishing With New Techniques a Good Thing?

Category:
Fly Fishing
Fly Fishing for Beginners
joan wulff
tenkara
tenkara fly fishing
Underground Entertainment
Added Date:
Thursday, 28 May, 2009
Summary
The Underground's recent post about Tenkara fishing - a Japanese form of fly fishing that uses a long pole, but no reel - elicited a lot of responses from the Undergrounders.
 
Content
The Underground's recent post about Tenkara fishing - a Japanese form of fly fishing that uses a long pole, but no reel - elicited a lot of responses from the Undergrounders.

Some thought it looked like fun. Others seemed to think it was simply repackaged cane pole fishing - yet another scheme to part fly fishers with their undeserved hard-earned dollars.


Whatever the truth, Tenkara's once again in the news, this time because of a Catskill event which found fly fishing legend Joan Wulff giving the technique a try. The Tenkara USA site's blog (a commercial venture, so don't expect objectivity) reported it thusly:

Saturday's event was a day when "East met West", as participants witnessed the meeting of two giants in the world of fly-fishing, Dr. Ishigaki and Ms. Joan Wulff. Joan Wulff, one of the most recognized names in Western fly-fishing, tried her hand at casting with a tenkara rod, showing at once that tenkara fishing is no "cane-pole fishing". She quickly adjusted to casting with a tenkara rod and formed a nice and tight loop, turning the line and fly over.

Will Tenkara find a home in the USA? It's hard to say.

As one Undergrounder commented, fly fishermen tend to embrace complexity the way Paris Hilton embraces undeserved publicity. Still, even if Tenkara doesn't sweep through the industry (maybe if it had a more extreme name), the cross pollination of new ideas between sports is rarely a bad thing.

Plus, we're always looking for an excuse to run a photograph of Underground Fave Parental Fly Fishing Icon Joan Wulff
- the petite, grandmotherly appearing woman I instinctively offered to help when I saw her stringing up a fly rod, not stopping to think she might have accomplished the task 20 or 30 thousand times before.

See you slinking away in embarrassment, Tom Chandler.

 
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Destinations
Calgary is a modern, cosmopolitan city that has succeeded in maintaining some of its old world charm while blending contemporary architecture and amenities to its urban vocabulary. ... moreRanked as the third largest municipality in Canada, it is also home to the second highest number of corporate headquarters of the country’s 800 largest companies. Among its many distinctions, the Elbow River and the Bow River join together downtown at the site of Fort Calgary, forming an integral part of the city’s history and character.

No stranger to the outdoor life, Calgary was the first Canadian city to host the Winter Olympic Games, an honor achieved in 1988. An affinity for outdoor sports and living may possibly be attributed to the fact that the city rests in a transition zone between the Canadian Rockies foothills and the Canadian Prairies. The city itself actually lies within the foothills of the Alberta Parkland Natural Region and the Grasslands Natural Region, habitat areas protected by the government.

Eco-friendly, the city prides itself in a large number of urban parks such as Fish Creek Provincial Park, Nose Hill Park, Bowness Park, Edworthy Park, Prince Island Park and the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Nose Hill Park is the largest municipal park in Canada. The parks are inter-connected by a citywide network of walking, biking, and skate paths. 

Like any sophisticated city, Calgary is host to many live theaters, active music venues, art museums and other cultural endeavors. It has also become a darling of the American film industry with many recognizable film credits including Brokeback Mountain, Doctor Zhivago, Unforgiven and The Revenant. A city this size has a full complement of lodging choices as well as a large selection of restaurants. Should anyone lose interest in fishing, there are many other things to see and do in Calgary.

The most efficient way to get to Calgary is to fly into Calgary International Airport.
Fishing Waters
Toobally lakes are the largest two lakes in the southeast corner of Canada's Yukon Territory. These two lakes are known locally as 'Upper" and 'Lower" Toobally. They are connected ... moreby the upper Smith river. Both of these lakes are superb lake trout, and northern pike waters. With a depth of 250-feet and many shallow shoals, they offer great fish habitat. The Smith river is a great arctic grayling fishery in its own right.
Makhabn is a Peigan tribal name meaning “river where the bow reeds grow.” When settlers began to arrive in the area the river became known as the Bow, although Big Fish River may have ... morebeen a more appropriate name since this is the reason why the Bow is so famous. Anglers in pursuit of 20+ inch trout need to put this on their bucket list, for the wild rainbows and browns in this river have one of the fastest growing rates to be found on any river system in today’s world.

The Bow rises in the Canadian Rockies inside Banff National Park near the foot of Mount Gordon and flows from glacial Bow Lake southeastward through lush mountain terrain. After passing past the towns of Lake Louise and Banff, the river exits the park and heads eastward and flows through Calgary. Its journey continues for a total of 365 miles before joining the Oldman River and forming the South Saskatchewan River. 

While the river is open year-round for fishing, the optimal time to fish is after the spring runoff from mountain snowmelt. Runoff usually occurs in late May or early June, and in a typical year the river is ready to fish by late June. Most guides agree that the months of July, August, September and October are prime for catching trophy trout.

Downstream from Calgary are 40, highly coveted river miles of great trout fishing. This blue ribbon water is where the really big trout are concentrated and where snagging a trophy is most probable. Most parts of the river are not easily waded, so most guides suggest floating or drifting. If you hanker for a wilderness experience and decide to wade or fish from the banks, tread softly. Wildlife is abundant and active; bear spray is highly recommended.
Game Fish Opportunities:
 (1)
Jackson is the ideal hub for exploring the Snake River, a surging, full spirited river that provides a direct connection between Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National ... morePark. The setting is breathtakingly beautiful – jagged peaks jutting into the sky while the river and its maze of channels and tributaries “snake” their way through the verdant, lush valley. Important to early explorers seeking passage west, the Pacific and Atlantic Creeks reach the Continental Divide at Two Ocean Pass near Jackson and part ways. The Atlantic Creek turns east, merges into the Yellowstone River and eventually flows into the Missouri while the Pacific Creek turns west and merges into the Snake, becoming the largest tributary of the Columbia, eventually reaching the ocean.

Known for its own unique trout, the Snake River finespotted cutthroat can only be found in the waters around the Jackson Hole valley. Considered by experts to have once been the only trout species in the Western interior, it has evolved into 14 different subspecies. To this day, its native range is limited to the upper Snake from Heart Lake to the Palisades Reservoir. Despite the finespotted’s hearty, undiscerning appetite and a seeming willingness to eat just about anything, experienced anglers view this fish as the most aggressive, hardest fighting trout to snare. As a result, when you catch one you earn major bragging rights. 

The most heavily fished areas of the Snake’s run through western Wyoming are the 35 miles in the park between Jackson Dam and the 17 remaining miles flowing through Jackson Hole. This section of the river is ranked as one of the best dry-fly streams in the West. Snake enthusiasts recommend floating the river although newcomers are advised to only go with a guide and veterans are reminded to exercise caution, as the water can be turbulent and unpredictable. Should you decide to wade, be mindful of swift currents along undercut banks and stick to quiet, shallow river sections and side channels. Great stream fishing can be found at Gros Ventre River and Flat Creek.
Trips
$
350
/ Angler
Capacity:
1 - 2 anglers
Days:
Daily
Duration:
1 day
Secluded fishing experience on small streams in the lush Kaua'i rainforest. Fish for rainbow trout on rivers and streams that are practically untouched. Prepare to do some hiking, ... morerock hopping, and expect to get a little muddy while trudging through the beautiful Garden Island. Experience the rustic beauty of our island with a knowledgeable guide that can help you maximize your time while minimizing your impact. 

All gear and tackle is provided, or you can bring your own. Each trip is 4-5 hours long and additional days are available at a discounted rate.
$
4,895
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Days:
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Duration:
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Destination:
Enjoy a week in the rugged Yukon wilderness. Our 2 to 1 fisherman-to-guide ratio means you'll have the guidance and expertise you expect from a worldclass Canada Fishing Adventure. ... moreYou can spend your day catching trophy canadian lake trout and giant norhern pike on flies, or go on the pursuit of arctic grayling to reel in an amazing catch. Our guides have the experience and patience to help you catch your next Trophy Fish. Come as clients, leave as friends.
$
1,100
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$
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/ Boat
Capacity:
1 - 2 anglers
Days:
Daily
Duration:
2 days - 3 days
 (1)
This is our 2-3 day, personalized introduction to fly fishing. You will learn knots, fly selection, how to find where the fish are and soooo much more. Our guides have been fishing ... moreall of their lives, they know what they're doing and are excited to share that knowledge with you! We offer this on the water, individualized, class in two and three day sessions. Besides another great day of fishing in Montana, booking the three day intro will give you a chance to: ask more questions as you learn more and start knowing what questions to ask, see more of a variety of water and better learn to adjust your fishing to different situations, get a better understanding of bug life (entemology) and what part that plays in your fishing plans, as well as more intricate fishing knowledge from one of our professional and experienced guides. The rivers you learn this wonderful sport will be determined by the guide and where he/she thinks you will be most successful. However, if there is a certain river (i.e the Madison) you would like to spend some time on, let us know and we are happy to accommodate.
Outfitters
Grizzly Creek Lodge offers world class fishing adventures in Canada's Yukon Territory. We take a limited number of anglers each year, and our specialty is fly fishing for big lake ... moretrout, arctic grayling, and northern pike.
Type:
Fishing
10 comments
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Wielded. Now I don't have to lop off a digit. Japanese thing. For more on Japanese fly fishing, Tenkara rigs and traditional flies, and some wonderful photography and water colors, see Fujioka-san's Seasons of the Mountain Village site.
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Anyone else remember the FFM piece (could have been a Nick Lyons) at the end of mag about witnessing a Japanese fisherman appearing through the mists? He was clad in straw, and he weilded a long, long rod. And he picked off a fish, stashed it away and disappeared back into the mist.
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Mike, the line appears to be a long-ish furled leader, and I don't think it's fluorocarbon since it sort of floats. I grease it with Mucilin. Then I put 3 or 4 feet of tippett. Because the rod is so long, you can keep a belly from forming without too much trouble. With nymphs I just high stick it, steelhead swing, or do the Leisenring lift business. With stonefly and other weighted nymphs I put a ... more sinker on, and high stick. That is particularly deadly, because you just flip the rig into the slot you want it to drift through, instead of attempting to cast something with physics resembling an Argentine bolo. I tried putting a bobber (sorry, strike indicator) on, but that was getting too Huck Finn for me. When the Force is working, you know when to pull up. All the foregoing is is just the results of my limited blundering, since the rig comes with little information on the "proper" way to fish with it. Doubtless there are practitioners far more skilled than me. But that's another part of the fun. An utter beginner, especially in a drift boat, might get a sense of how to drift a fly, and catch a few fish, without the additional distractions of reeling, casting mechanics, back cast caught in trees, etc...kind of like running a glider instead of a motorized plane.
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Philip, Thanks for the lowdown on the rig. Were you able to get a look at the sink rate of the braided line relative to the nymph? I'm wondering how much of a "hump" there is in the fly line as it sinks. Thanks, mike
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I got my start fly fishing by connecting a short piece of level fly line to a plain old bream pole. A short piece of mono sufficed for a tippet. It worked, so much so that my older brother never advanced beyond our own "tenkara" rig.
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So I bought an outfit a few weeks ago and now have spent a couple of days on a spring creek with it. Observations: 1) The rod is nicely made and packaged, and the little glass vials with the flies are georgeous. 2) No, it won't replace your regular outfit, but it's a lot of fun. 3) Nymph fishing is deadly. 4) You won' t have to lie about being able to cast a whole line 5) The soft tip makes it easy ... more to miss strikes. Basically, if the fish does not hook itself you are SOL. There is probably a trick to this that I do not understand. 6) Fighting sizable fish is much more successful than you might think. Remember, the Japanese are the ones who developed ju-jitsu; behave appropriately. You won't be able to horse a big guy out of a log-jam, but since the fish is fighting the whole rod, and because the extra length gives you both control and the ability to move his head around in myriad ways, you can tire a good fish in less time than it takes with a regular outfit. 7) This could be a godsend for an angler who has lost, or lost the use of, an arm or hand. (Yes, I'm getting to the age where strokes and such are possible...) Those rotten "automatic" reels never worked well anyway. I hope someone in the physical therapy world gets to know about tenkara.
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I was thinking about tenkara the other day after fishing the local bluegill pond with my 4 year old. We bought wax worms, and I had two spinning reels rigged up. We could see our venerable opponents suck in the worm and then spit it out, we caught a few, but not as many as we should have. These fish are properly trained in the art of worm robbery. I took an Elk Hair Caddis and tied it to the end of ... more the 6 lb mono, and proceeded to do a bow an arrow cast. The fish went nuts for it, coming completely out of the water, we slayed them! I went home and thought man I should get a tankara rod for that! If its good enough for a Wulff its good enough for me!
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Theo: Thanks for the link. Murdock: I can vouch for this - I have visual proof of Tom doing this. Chivalry isn't dead, but it's possible too many of my brain cells are.
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"the petite, grandmotherly appearing woman I instinctively offered to help when I saw her stringing up a fly rod, not stopping to think she might have accomplished the task 20 or 30 thousand times before." I can vouch for this - I have visual proof of Tom doing this. I think she was even wearing the same outfit. http://flyfishmagazine.blogspot.com/2008/09/ffr-show-2008.html
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More objectivity? http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2009/may/28/528_fly/
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