Low Water August Trout - August 16, 2021

 We had a very poor water year in 2021. I'm praying that we get a better snowpack in the greater Wydaho region this winter!

Campanella Tenkara Rod Series (new release)

Most modern tenkara rods are telescoping in design, but this, of course, is not traditional. Traditional tenkara rods were made of bamboo, and were either one or two piece, or four or five piece (or more, depending on the design). These sections did not nest inside each other, but were joined together with slip joints. 

Kawaguchi Wazao traditional bamboo tenakra rod.

To try to match the traditional design, but incorporate modern carbon fiber for strength and durability, Campanella has introduced their Tenkara Series rods. These rods are four or five piece, and join together with slip joints or ferrules. Two rod length are offered, 270 and 330 cm.

The handle section appears to have a built in line winder (it can be seen in the photos, but is not mentioned in the description). The handle is cigar shaped and black cork. 

If you are in the market for an unusual tenkara rod design, then one of the Campanelle Tenkara Series rods may be for you! They are expensive ($450+ USD for the 330 cm), but they might be worth it. If you buy one, leave a comment below and let us know what you think of the rod!

Genryu, Keiryu, Honryu, Oh My! Part II: Genryu Tenkara, Keiryu Tenkara, and Honryu Tenkara

What?! Genryu Tenkara? Keiryu tenkara? Honryu tenkara? Yes, those are the proper terms. Are you one of the anglers who thought keiryu was just a type of rod and honryu was, well, whatever it is? A quick reminder, genryu, keiryu and honryu are Japanese names for parts of a Japanese river system. If you didn't get a chance to read Part I, then first refresh your knowledge by clicking this link. 

Now you know about parts of a Japanese river system, you can see that tenkara can be applied to each section of a typical river system. In headwaters, it's called genryu tenkara. In tributary portions of mountain streams, it's called keiryu tenkara. And when applied to the mainstream of the river, it's called honryu tenkara. See, that's pretty easy. 

From Discover Tenkara. 

So what is keiryu tenkara and honryu tenkara? Well, it's easier (and safer) for me to point you to the Discover Tenkara website. They have a section in the website called "Tenkara Knowledge". Every essay is worth reading and will fill your head with valuable (and reliable) knowledge on tenkara. 

So that addresses keiryu tenkara and honryu tenkara, but what about genryu tenkara? Well, there's a section for that too!  Take a look and broaden your knowledge even further!

See, don't you feel empowered now?  Knowledge (truthful knowledge in particular) is power! Tenkara is more than just using a fixed-line rod. Tenkara is more than just thinking you fish tenkara because you use a tenkara rod. It's knowing that you really fish tenkara. What, you don't live near a trout-laden mountain stream? No worries! Fish your waters for their resident fish with your tenkara rod. That's no crime. Just remember that you are now an authority on tenkara, and you, of all people, know what tenkara is and what it isn't! So, get out there! The fish are waiting!

New Water - August 4, 2021

 I fished some new-to-me water in Wyoming this past August. It was a long drive to get to it, but I found the drive worth it. I hooked some really nice cutthroat, but unfortunately many got off quickly. I hadn't realized that there would be that large of fish in the creek and so I wasn't mentally prepared for the fight.

 I did return to the creek at a later date and I got my revenge. I came with a different rod and line, but more importantly I came more mentally prepared! 

Genryu, Keiryu, Honryu, Oh My! Part I: Japanese stream ecology.

Back in 2017, Adam Trahan published an article on Tenkara-Fisher that was written by his friend Keiichi Okushi. Keiichi-san is a tenkara angler that lives in Japan, and in the article he talks about the ecology of a trout stream in Japanese terms. 

Since many American tenkara anglers don't understand the proper terms for stream ecology, and how they relate to tenkara, I post a link to Keiichi-san's article. My thanks to both Adam and Keiichi for teaching us the proper nomenclature for the streams we love to fish, and how those terms define which method of fixed-line fishing we use.

Genryu, Keiryu, Honryu and Seiryu by Keiichi Okushi

In part II, I'll link an article on techniques to fish keiryu (mountain stream) and honryu (main stream), how they are similar, and how they are different.