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Tell a little about you: I love to go hiking and backpacking, thankfully those often lead to fishy places but not always. Anything outdoors really. That's not to say I don't enjoy indoor activities also. Watching movies with friends and family. Playing board games. I'm a HUGE fan of monopoly, I used to have 10+ different versions. In 2018 my home town of Paradise, California was essentially erased by the Camp Fire. I still live within the neighboring communities, but there's definitely a different vibe now. Thankfully though a lot of the creeks and rivers around me weren't as affected, and you can still find the natural beauty of Paradise there. How long you have been fishing tenkara? I purchased my first tenkara rod in August of 2020, so about 3 years now. I've referred to this as my "third season". Favorite place(s) to fish: The High Sierra is hard to beat, as is anywhere in Desolation Wilderness (see my trip reports on www.tenkaraangler.com to find out why), but the Feather River and its MANY tributaries hold a special place in my heart.
Favorite rod Phew! That's a tough one! I've really been loving the Tenkara Rod Co. Kita 330 rod lately, but I think the T.R.C. Yari rod would be my favorite if I had to pick one. That rod is like an extension of my hand. Favorite fish Golden trout. It's not even close. Favorite book I used to have a series of books that were a retelling of the Star Wars saga, but written like a Shakespearean play. It even had little illustrations, like Luke holding a storm trooper's helmet in the way Hamlet held Yorick's skull. They were silly and fun. I believe the author has even written more now for the newest set of sequels. Favorite Quote, Motto or Personal Saying "Piscari Dua Piscis" which is the motto of the Fixed Line Freaks (a group of like minded anglers) that basically translates from Latin to "fish your own fish". That's to say, do things your way. In long-distance backpacking, there's a saying that goes "hike your own hike" to not let the way other people hike affect you. Piscari dua piscis was our way to pay homage to that thought process. A message to anyone or everyone! Let's go fishing!
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FEATURED ANGLER PROFILE
How long have you been fishing tenkara? I've been fishing tenkara for four years now and can't wait for the fifth year! I love tenkara and its simplicity! Favorite place to fish? Hmmmmm..... I've been out West and yes the mountains are phenomenal, but id have to say the Driftless of Wisconsin is my fav. There is one specific stream in the WI driftless that is a pine relict stream, which are sandstone bluffs with old pines growing out of them. the stream itself runs in and out of the feet of the bluffs, crystal clear spring fed too! its full of brown trout and perfect for tenkara. it's my dream stream!
What is your favorite rod? Oh man, that's a tough one! So far on my tenkara journey I think that if i am throwing a kebari and have overhead casting room..... I really love the Tanuki Tenkara 375! Its super lightweight, well balanced, cast great and can handle a bigger fish trout! Favorite fish I have 2 favorite fish, if thats ok? haha. I do love a fall colored up brookie and the other is a Rio Grande cutthroat! The way their throats are colored up, black spots then fading away down towards the tail! Exquisite! Favorite book "Tenkara" by Daniel Galhardo Favorite Quote, Motto or Personal Saying "SET THE HOOK! you never know if its a big fish" and "OPE!"  What tenkara wisdom would you like to share? I think this one goes for all fishing, but I didn't know it when I began. In my first months of tenkara fishing I lost tons of kebari.... why? Well, because I was not wetting my knots. I would cast and hear a "SNAP!", like a whip cracking sound and cast to rising trout, see the take, and set the hook only not land that trout. So wet your knots. HAHA. FEATURED ANGLER PROFILE
The trout fishing in England is super-technical, the fish often very very spooky, so it’s maximum stealth and fly-only presentations a lot of the time. If I was based somewhere like Colorado, I would probably fish tenkara pretty much exclusively, but I don’t. I live in a shire in southern England, and I have rivers, chalk streams, canals, lakes and ponds right on my doorstep - with many different fishes to enjoy trying for. So I’m a multi-species, multi-approach angler, I make no apology to purists, and after all, “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but often times better than a master of one.” At least in my world. How long have you been fishing tenkara? I have been fishing tenkara since spring 2016. On my very first outing I chanced upon another angler, a bait fisherman. He was Japanese. He looked at my rod and asked what I was doing. Tenkara, I told him. He said he had never heard of it. Favorite place(s) to fish This is going to chime with you Dennis, the Krimmler Ache in the Austrian Alps must be right up there, particularly that pool! At home I seek wild places with wild fish - like the Atlantic southwest peninsular of England where tea stained streams drain down from the high moors and out into the ocean, and also the more landlocked streams of my country’s northern high peaks. You’ll sometimes find me fishing a quintessential English chalk stream but my true heart lies with the wild and unkempt lesser known rivers. I’m particularly fond of small streams that run through woodland and forest, they have a special energy, a special magic.
Favorite rod Karasu 400. I’ve tried other rods in this length but they only serve to remind me how perfect the Karasu is, for me at least. It is very accurate, can cast very light lines with delicacy and poise yet somehow manages to boss big fish when they put in a show. I love this rod so much I bought two. Favorite fish With tenkara there are a handful I like to fish for - brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout (we do have some wild ‘bows over here). Of the non-salmonid species, my favourites on tenkara are grayling, chub (ours grow big) dace, roach and rudd. I can’t say I have an absolute favourite, but ifpushed, I was recently introduced to brook trout, and they are very high up on the list. I admire their prehistoric swagger and bold colouring. But to name my one true all time love I have to step outside of tenkara, for it is the “biggest fish of all”, the fish that in England swims in so many young angler’s dreams - the mighty perch. Favorite book The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, because it inspired so many of my childhood adventures exploring the fields, woodlands and rolling hills of my own ‘shire,’ and it inspires me still. Favorite Quote, Motto or Personal Saying Well I have a few, but the one that I try to always carry with me, because it weighs virtually nothing and fits all occasions is “Do as you would be done by.” A message to anyone or everyone! Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again!
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 Tell us about yourself: I grew up in the Pittsburgh suburbs and still live there. Outdoor activities were always a part of my life - a heritage passed from my father and his before him. Hiking, camping, hunting and fishing around western Pennsylvania. We were of modest means growing up so my activities were always fairly local. I’ve ranged a bit since then of course and love the CO mountains and the desert southwest but I have to admit I still feel most at home in a countryside of rolling hills, farms and woodlands rather than in the larger mountains of the west. That sort of setting is just a part of me I guess. I’d have made a good non-adventurous hobbit I think and felt quite at home in the Shire. I’ve lived in State College while attending Penn State (where I took up fly fishing) and also in Maine while in grad school. But I’ve been back in the Pittsburgh area since about 1997. Tenkara history: I began fly fishing around 1992 and then I took up the stick and string of tenkara in 2009. Man has it been that long?! I reckon it will be 14 years then in October. I still break out the rod and reel from time to time. I do enjoy messing about with euro-nymphing techniques but the vast majority of my trout fishing is with tenkara rods. Favorite rod: I’m biased. It’s not the greatest rod ever made - far from it I suspect. But the rod I’ve spent more time fishing than any other is the rod that I helped to create, the Three Rivers Tenkara Confluence. There’s something to be said for picking a rod and sticking with it I think (assuming that the rod is half-way decent). When you fish a rod a lot, you just get so used to it that you fish better. You cast better and land more fish. You know how it performs and don’t worry about it. If I’m not going with that sentimental favorite, next up is probably the Tanuki Tenkara 375. Favorite fish: I’ll probably catch it for this … being from Appalachia I’m probably supposed to say the brook trout. But … I love catching brown trout. Favorite book: There are so many that I love. But I have probably read (or listened to the audio book version of) The Lord of the Rings more than anything else. So … maybe not the most cerebral answer I could give but it’s honest at least. 
Favorite fly: Choosing a favorite fly is like choosing a favorite child. And frankly I’m a bit fickle when it comes to flies. They come in and out of my life like moods. There are a few that are always in my box though, whatever the flavor of the season is. A beadhead muskrat nymph, my variation of a bead-head pheasant tail nymph, a soft-hackle caddis pupa, and a variation of a Pass Lake Special wet fly. But a curious thing, and I hadn’t really thought about it till I read this question but maybe my favorite is a Brown Hackle Peacock wet fly. It’s simply a peacock herl body, with a brown hen hackle and a tail of hackle fibers. I think you usually see it with a red tail, but I use brown (or maybe just leave it off). In a few sizes it is just a great simulacrum of so many aquatic bugs from mayfly nymphs to caddis pupa to stonefly nymphs. It looks like nothing in particular and so a bit like everything. Fish it deep, shallow, dead drifted or on a swing or lift - depending on what the fish want.
Favorite place to fish: The first stream that I cast a fly upon was Spring Creek outside of State College, Pennsylvania. I remember the day very clearly. I have fished Spring Creek more than any other stream. It’s my “home” stream. It’s a limestone spring creek and so I have a real soft spot for limestone streams of Pennsylvania and also those in the Wisconsin driftless. I know that a valley limestone stream is not the “natural” setting for tenkara but it’s the water I love to fish. Limestone streams feel somehow genteel and tweedy. It appeals to that whole hobbit village lifestyle I yearn for I guess. Favorite quote: Do you remember that movie “What About Bob?” with Bill Murray? Bill’s character suffers from all sorts of phobias and anxieties and his therapist gives him a sort of mantra to use. He suggests that he think about things in “Baby Steps”.So as silly as it sounds I find myself relying on that mantra all the time. Whenever I’m starting a large task be it physical or mental, and I’m feeling overwhelmed I just think to myself “Baby Steps”. And it really helps me. Though if you’re looking for a fishing quote, this is one of my favorites: “... ‘sophisticated angler’ is an oxymoron. And if it wasn't, it would be nothing to strive for. Angling is where the child, if not the infant, gets to go on living.” -Thomas McGuane, The Longest Silence
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Tell us about yourself: I am a husband, father of a special needs adult, proud US Army veteran, published author and business coach/consultant. 18 Months ago, I was brought back into fly fishing by a client and was amazed at how much mental and emotional health I experienced as a result. It is the only thing that turns all the noise in my head off. I found tenkara while trying to learn as much as possible about how to be better at fly fishing. I think it was a blog about fishing tenkara in the winter that started me down the rabbit hole. Tenkara history: New to the 18 months and about 50 sessions Favorite rod: I would have to say it is the One Type 1 with the Riverworks ZX-4 ’ being a closing second. My preferred way to fish is tactical nymphing, but I am falling deeper in love with ONI style after a guided trip with Rob Worthing. Favorite fish: Native Brook Trout Favorite book: Essentialism by Greg McKeown. No matter one’s ideological background, doing what is most essential is critical to the best expression of our own humanity. 
Favorite fly: Wow, this is difficult. I would say Walt's worm (sexy too) for nymph and Jason Klass’s version of the Balloon Caddis for dry. Learn to tie Jason's version of the Balloon Caddis here!
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Tell us about yourself: I am a 5th generation Colorado native, and grew up on the banks of the North Fork of the South Platte River in Bailey, Colorado. I spent a 20-year career in the United States Army, retiring in 2001. During my Army career I graduated from Sterling College with a Bachelor of Science degree in business management. After my Army retirement, I spent 21 years teaching Army Junior ROTC at Cañon City High School, and retired in May 2022. My wife, Mary, and I have been married for 27 years and have raised three beautiful daughters. When I don't have a rod in my hand I enjoy hiking, backpacking, and hunting. Tenkara history: I've been fly fishing now for around 45 years, and was an early adopter of tenkara back in 2009. In 2010 I became one of the first tenkara guides in the US, specializing in backcountry and wilderness trips. Since then I've greatly expanded my use of tenkara, taking it to many types of water in North America. I've also spent a lot of time writing about tenkara in various online and print magazines, as well on my blog. In 2015 I started designing specialty tenkara lines, and now produce them commercially. I've guided tenkara trips for RIGS Fly Shop and Guide Service in Ridgway, Colorado, and since 2015 I've been on the guide and fly shop staff at Royal Gorge Anglers in Cañon City, Colorado, where I live. Favorite rod: As a backcountry angler, and as an angler who fishes and guides on a large freestone river in Colorado, I like tip flex rods. My rods need to be able to cast weighted nymph rigs, large dry flies, and control larger fish in heavy current. I own many tenkara rods (my wife says way too many!). I fish a DRAGONTail Hellbender on larger freestones, tailwaters, high lakes, and in Alaska a lot and so do my clients. For small stream fishing I absolutely love my Daiwa LT33SF. My favorite small water rod for fishig kebari and dry flies is a DRAGONTail Kaida. Favorite fish: Wow, that's a difficult question! My favorite fish here at home in Colorado are brown trout on the Arkansas River! My favorite fish from my travels have to be, without question, the giant rainbow trout in the Bristol Bay region of southwest Alaska! Second place from my travels goes to the huge Arctic Grayling that live in the Delta Clearwater River in interior Alaska. Favorite book: I read a LOT! I grew up in a home that was filled with thousands of books (we had one big room as a dedicated library), and our home now may not have that many, but we have a lot of books. As far as fishing books go, I love to read anything John Gierach has written. However, one of my favorite fishing books is "The Habit of Rivers" by Ted Leeson. For non-fishing authors, David Petersen, Reg Darling, and Jon Turk stand out. I just finished a really good biography entitled "A Splendid Savage", about the life and times of Frederick Russell Burnham. Favorite fly: Killer Kebari Found this fun instructional video here! Favorite place to fish: Wilderness streams and high lakes Favorite quote: "Really, the only thing a psychiatrist can do that a good fishing guide can't, is write prescriptions." —John Gierach Words of wisdom: If there's a secret to fishing tenkara, it's to fish a lot. Learn some basics, and then fish at every opportunity you can. There is no substitute for time on the water.
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TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF: I’m originally from Western New York where I grew up fishing freestone streams for trout and the Lake Erie tributaries for salmon and steelhead. I moved to Colorado for graduate school and fell in love with the mountains so I stayed. In addition to fishing, I also enjoy all the requisite Colorado outdoor hobbies like hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing, and of course (my absolute favorite), tying flies! Even if every stream in the world dried up, I would still tie flies. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN FISHING TENKARA OR FIXED LINE? I’m often referred to as a “tenkara OG” since I was part of a handful of early adopters in 2009 who not only passionately embraced the technique, but were earnestly committed to fostering its growth in the U.S. Since then, I’ve used tenkara exclusively for trout. FAVORITE PLACES TO FISH: Rocky Mountain National Park. In one day you can fish several completely different types of water: medium-grade freestones, slow, meandering meadow streams with undercut banks, fast-flowing pocket water, and lots of alpine lakes. All of which are against gorgeous backdrops of stout pine forests, glowing aspen stands, rolling meadows, and snow-capped mountains. And there’s always a good chance of having some interesting wildlife encounters. To me, it’s almost as if RMNP were specifically designed to give the tenkara angler an all-around picture-perfect experience. Coincidentally, it’s where I tried tenkara for the first time so it also hols quite a bit of nostalgia for me. 
FAVORITE FLY: Ichiban Kebari
This is my version of a Takayama-style sakasa kebari. The red silk body is highly visible to trout and triggers a predatory response. The peacock herl adds iridescence and provides contrast forming a clearly defined “target” for the fish. The pheasant hackle is very supple and gives lifelike movement to the fly underwater. And the glass beads not only help it sink, but add flash. By using two small beads instead of one large one, it pushes the tying point back the hook shank to the ideal distance from the eye for a proper sakasa-style hackle. The Ichiban Kebari incorporates all of the most effective attractor characteristics from the most successful fly patterns into one, highly versatile, easy-to-tie fly. It’s my signature pattern and on the stream, before I even think about which fly to try, I’ve already tied on an Ichiban. FAVORITE ROD: Oni Type 1 I own one of the originals that Oni assembled himself back before they were being mass produced. It’s so light and crisp in the hand it almost feels like it has some kind of magical anti-gravity superpower. And the fast tip recovery fits my casting cadence perfectly. I also own a Type one with a bamboo handle that I only bring out for special occasions. FAVORITE FISH: The one on the end of my line. FAVORITE BOOK: Walden by Henry David Thoreau. His overall philosophy runs parallel to the core ethos of tenkara. If Thoreau were alive today, he would be a tenkara angler. FAVORITE QUOTE: “The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of that which is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope." - John Buchan TENKARA WORDS OF WISDOM Tenkara is so diverse and vast, it affords us limitless number of different paths you can take with it. Don’t worry if “your tenkara” doesn’t match someone else’s. Find your own path.
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TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF: When I am not fishing I enjoy lounging around my house and playing with my black cat, Vega. She enjoys watching tv with me. If I am not watching tv and spending quality time with my cat, I am tying flies and attempting to learn new patterns. As of September 2022, I opened up an Etsy shop that I sell my flies out of and enjoy spreading the word about tenkara through my flies and Instagram. My girlfriend’s name is Rachael and she is an avid hiker and nature/bird photographer. I moved away from the Northeastern US because she has a job as a watershed manager at a Riverkeeper organization in Charlotte, NC. She has inspired me to want to be more Earth conscious, travel more and get out of my comfort zone in the Eastern US and start to venture out of this mountain range and hopefully to the West coast as well! I have a habit of leaving kitchen cabinets open and lights on in rooms when I leave. This may be due to some undiagnosed ADHD, but time will tell with that. Depression has been a part of my life for a while ever since my brother passed away from suicide in 2014 and I have found myself grounded in my nursing career and tenkara ever since. This has allowed and encourage further exploration of my heritage as a half Japanese woman and who I am as a human. TENKARA HISTORY: Started the summer of 2020. That was when I consistently started using my tenkara rod.
FAVORITE BOOK: My favorite book isn’t a fishing book, but is a children’s book. It is a book that I learned about in my AP French class in high school. It is called “The Little Prince” and has since been made into a cartoon and can be streamed somewhere on the internet I am sure. It is my favorite book because of all of the life lessons that can be taken away from it for children and adults. I even have a tattoo of the fox and the boy on my arm. FAVORITE QUOTE: My great grandmother used to say “never take yourself too seriously” and I tend to remind myself of that when I start to get frustrated or otherwise not laissez-faire throughout the day either at work, on the stream, or wherever I might be! SOME WORDS OF WISDOM Ideally, I would love to be fishing a mountain stream with a weightless kebari, any and every day of the week. But my style of fishing isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea…and that is ok! Handle fish properly and do what you love for “your style”. One of the things that draws me to tenkara is the simplicity in bringing you closer to nature and the fish… I have a deeper appreciation for nature because of tenkara and I am only growing closer to the world around me because of it. I am so thankful for this. Don't forget where tenkara has taken you or what it has brought to your life as a result.
FEATURED ANGLER PROFILE Aldo Menghini  Also is seen here holding a new Satoki Rod by Tenkara USA a.k.a. "Tenkaldo" Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tenkaldo/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aldo.menghini TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF: I am 59 years old and I live in an ancient and beautiful city in Central Italy, Ascoli Piceno, founded 1600 years before Rome!!! I have been working for almost thirty years in a composite material company (carbon, fiberglass, Kevlar, etc.). I am Married, have a daughter and two female cats…I'm surrounded by women!!! In addition to fishing, I play tennis and I am passionate about books, I like to read horror stories (Stephen King and H. P. Lovecraft are my favorites) and ufology books. I also have a fishing library of about 150 books I can't stand people who talk too much: we should talk less and reflect more. TENKARA HISTORY: After 35 years of fly fishing, I met Tenkara and I have never left it. My first fishing trip was with Daniel Galhardo: unforgettable. Every fishing season I choose a “One Fly” and I fish with it all year round. FAVORITE PLACES TO FISH: Rivers and Apennine streams in Central Italy, places very similar to the Japanese rivers where tenkara was born.
FEATURED ANGLER PROFILEMartin Montejano AKA: "Sageheart Tenkara" Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sagehearttenkara/ TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF: I've grown up in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. Over the past few years I’ve been exploring more of our local area as well as all of the scenery that California has to offer. Fishing has been a catalyst in that aspect. When there’s no fishing to be done in an area, there’s always a hike that takes you to some gorgeous views. Outside of fishing and traveling, I enjoy producing music as well as dabbling in a little bit of graphic design. I used to brew meads and ciders fairly regularly, but that has fallen to the wayside a bit since my interest in exploring has grown. I hope to return back to that hobby soon. TENKARA HISTORY: I'm currently in my fourth year of fixed line fishing. I was introduced to it by a friend and from that point on it's been the style of fishing I enjoy most. FAVORITE PLACES TO FISH: The little pocket of the Sierra Nevadas that I live in is littered with so many great streams. There's one fork of a watershed in particular that is my favorite, but I would prefer to keep it less known. 
FAVORITE FLY: The Idaho Killer Kebari has to be my favorite fly. I like to tie mine with pink thread, "mist" yarn, and blue dun. That seems to be the popular combination on the waters I fish.  FAVORITE ROD: The rod I spent the most time fishing last year was the River Peak Kiwami 380. I like the action of the rod, and the ability to easily cast a 2.5 level line with it. But, the Nissin Zerosum Oni Honryu is my go-to rod for fishing my favorite river. FAVORITE FISH: I love the feisty ambition of brown trout. FAVORITE BOOK: The Tao Te Ching. Everytime I read through it, it seems that different pages or concepts stand out. Maybe it's what is relevant to my perspective at the time, but the book resonates with me and helps me to keep abalanced mindset. FAVORITE QUOTE: "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." - Anais Nin / Talmudic saying. BEST TENKARA ADVICE: Fishing should be fun, but you make it what it is. Fish the way you want to fish, there are no rules in the sport. Enjoy your time on the water and in nature! |
