Some Changes and a Big Thank You

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. - John F. Kennedy. 

It's time for some changes at Teton Tenkara. I started this blog in January 2012 with the goal of sharing my journey into the world of tenkara fishing. I discovered tenkara in 2011 and found that it reinvigorated my passion for fly fishing. I was excited about what I had experienced in starting tenkara-style fishing and, being taught by my parents to give back and share what knowledge I had with others, I decided to enter the blogoshere.

A picture from one of my first blog posts in January 2012

Here on Teton Tenkara I have tried to take you with me on many of my fishing outings via the written word and through video clips. I have tried to review rods, lines, nets, and other tenkara related items in a detailed and systematic fashion, mainly so that you might have some idea if that item might work for you. I have periodically shared some of the tips and techniques that I have found on my tenkara path. I'm certainly not an important tenkara knowledge bank, but I felt that some of the mistakes I made or successes I had might enhance your experience on your journey. And, I have tried to maintain some posting volume regarding tenkara -- you know, keeping the blog alive. I know that others have done this better than me (Troutrageous, for example), but I wanted to play my part in sharing and giving back.

From my first "real" rod review -- February 2012. I measured rods, and did not take what was advertised at face value.

But now I'm getting tired. I'm not sure if I have anything of value left to share.

I have steered away from the philosophies and controversies regarding tenkara the past few years, mostly because others like Jason Klass of Tenkara Talk approach these topics so much better than I do. His questions are insightful and his answers are always thought provoking. I haven't shared many techniques lately because who am I to give advise. I have been told by many (mostly online, but occasionally to my face) that because I am not a guide nor run a tenkara equipment business nor have written a book nor have been to Japan that I shouldn't be giving tenkara advise. I have always (at least I have tried to) clearly communicate that I am not an expert, just some guy with a blog.

I even reviewed the guides -- this is (Erik O.) from my Tenkara Guide LLC trip in March 2012. 

So where does that leave the blog? Mostly acting as a travel journal and recording rod reviews.

There are some really good blogs out there that are basically travel journals. Small Stream Reflections and Tenkara Rising blogs record their outings much better than I do. Their blogs are such a pleasure to read. I have tried to journal my outings too, but I fear that that gets too boring for most readers. To avoid that boredom I've tried to be creative in my journaling, such as taking video in 3rd person view, like the video below:






Now we come to the reviews. I started doing reviews, especially rod reviews, because I couldn't find much reliable information regarding the rods. By reliable, I mean quantifiable data. Most all rod reviews use very subjective words to describe any given rod. In my reviews I too use those words, but I also tried not to take anything at face value, so I weighed, measured, compared rods in an objective manner. Chris Stewart does the best reviews, in my opinion, and I have often felt that my reviews are redundant to his. At one point there were few options for good quality tenkara rods outside of Japan, but now, as John Vetterli of Tenkara Guides LLC says, "it's hard to buy anything that's sh*t". You have to go really out of your way to buy a bad rod nowadays -- you can still achieve that goal, but you have to pretty much have to work at it. Because of this, I feel that my rod reviews are becoming less and less of value to the tenkara community.

So, Teton Tenkara is going though the change -- tenkaropause, so to speak. I'll post when I feel like it and not feel compelled to post something just to keep things up. I've removed the paid advertising (their contracts were up anyway) and "Donate" button from the blog. That way I won't feel guilty about not having frequently published material.

If a rod maker wants my opinion regarding a rod I'll be happy to do a formal review as I've done in the past. If I want to share a fishing outing or video, then I'll post it. But as for high volume sharing and information, that will be left to you guys on the newer platforms of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Most of the traffic goes there nowadays anyway.

With that, thank you for all your support over the past many years. Thank you for being loyal readers and contributing financially to the blog.  And thank you for your comments and criticisms. This blog's not going away, just changing -- taking a deep breath; a sigh. Thank you for being part of that change.

Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future. - Walt Disney