Duh
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Game on Adam! Looks like we will be quoting each other using music videos!
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How I like this forum!
Why arenāt Japanese friends participating in this discussion? It is interesting to hear their opinion.
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Me too.
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This pretty much sums it up. I just shifted from online back to real life where it all matters so much more. I would like to engage with the community on a real life level more than onlineā¦ its too easy to spend too much time trying to respond to every comment or argument calmly and effectively and really thatās whatās needed to āwin people over.ā
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Hi Jason, figured Iād respond here to add a little context. At first there was very little arguing because pretty much nobody even knew what Tenkara was. Then some people discovered more, while others chose to just plow forward with logical conclusions based on nothing but guesses and intuitionā¦ Its very astute of you to notice the two ācampsā where most conversations lead.
Iād just like to speak to those ideas for a moment if you donāt mind. Iād like to suggest we not really use the word ātraditionalistsā for A. Traditional Japanese tenkara is really kind of irrelevant to this particular discussion simply because it was practiced chiefly for survival, in a time now past, using bamboo, horse hair and no modern technology.
What we go back and forth on is really more āModern Japanese Tenkaraā the sport as it was defined in the 80ās and 90ās by Japanese Tenkara clubs looking to help preserve Tenkara as as style of fishing. Most first hand/second hand knowledge seems to point to tenkara club meetings in which anglers and leaders of the sport tried to help modernize tenkara while re-naming the sport from ākebari tsuriā which was the same word for western fly fishing at the time.
I also would caution one to consider if āevolutionistā is the right word for the other side of the argument, in terms of terminology. Evolution is a natural thing based on a foundation of what ACTUALLY CAME BEFORE. What most of these tenkara āevolutionistsā as you call them are saying is that its ok to learn absolutely NOTHING about what they want to āevolveā and then call whatever theyāre doing āevolutionā of Tenkara. That is laughable on a theoretical level as well as in real life, in many peopleās opinions. Its an ideology based on laziness and ignorance, sometimes also based on shame when someone is justifying their lack of commitment to learning something, or practicing something and just want to āgo do it.ā I hope this makes sense?
So now let me re-frame A) and B)ā¦ The argument is all about A) Tenkara anglers that recognize that this sport is from Japan, that there are many methods from Japan, and that they should learn at least one if not more of those methods before attempting to go out and teach oneself more/develop oneās own style and then call it evolutionā¦ vsā¦ B) Anglers that have no interest in engaging in learning at any level from the source of the sport they are participating in, and would rather justify with logic-based arguments what they personally want and do rather than creating a solid foundation from which to become an expert from.
āI can see how new people get turned off from reading forums and blogs, especially when individuals become pretentious about their own camp.ā Iād also like to address this quote because I think that its multi-layeredā¦ what is pretentious? People in camp A might say that pretentious is someone that never learned anything about what they are doing and then goes around pontificating about said thing to everyone, even if it means sharing falsehoods or misleading people like you who are new. People in camp B, however, might say that pretentious is someone that tells you that you are wrong and spells it out. Camp Bās definition of pretentious, in my experience, is about defensiveness, as well as other complex psychological phenomenon that are perpetuated online.
Now forgive me, let me push you in what I intend to be a friendly way to think about this part of what you said: āI, for one, donāt really care how long a person has been fishing Tenkara, if they were an āearly adaptorā, how long their blog has been in existenceā, who they were taught by, etc. I like the style of fishing, find it effective, and would like to learn more effective strategies for the environment I live in."
Iād like to break this down. All of the things in that statement are very different. āI for one donāt care how long a person has been fishing tenkaraā¦ā Before you get to this conclusion, have you spent any time evaluating if the theoretical individual you are listening to/talking about here has been fishing one of the actual styles of modern japanese tenkara taught to them by a japanese angler? Or might you conclude that said individual has been short line nymphing and dead drifting flies with a fixed line rod made by an american company in china that they bought drunk at 3AM on kickstarter? These are important conclusions to make before deciding if you value a personās knowledge accumulated over time, and should listen to them at all. āCritical listening and evaluation skillsā are employed here to determine.
āā¦if they were an āearly adaptor, how long their blog has been in existenceā¦ā Yes you nailed it on this part. We shouldnāt care about most early adopters at all, nor judge their worth on how long theyāve posted forā¦ because what if they never cared to listen or learn from the Japanese? What value does made up knowledge have? What if they focused on āhow can I use this thing to do western fly fishing stuff betterā and āwow look how awesome this long rod is for dead drifting.ā And therein is the difference between logical conclusions in learning. The end result can both lead to catching fish, maybe even the same number of fish. Its nice to pat oneself on the back and say āI used logic to figure this out and succeedā but I would suggest that one then thinks about "what was missed by not learning and by just logically assuming? Turns outā¦ A LOT! I hope some of this is registering 
āā¦who they were taught byā¦ā But why wouldnāt a person care about this? Should one think that anyone is qualified to teach equally? Would learning ātenkaraā from someone like Paul Vertrees, an accomplished angler and accomplished backcountry guru but who only fishes with fly lines and prefers a hopper-dropper rig to a kebari be the same value to you as learning Tenkara from a Japanese angler who spent years learning from other japanese anglers that had to earn the right or commit the time to even learn this style from others decades ago? Do those things not hold different values not only in idea, but in terms of the knowledge itself?
āI like the style of fishing, find it effective, and would like to learn more effective strategies for the environment I live in.ā Now I hope this doesnāt offend, but please think about this statement too. What would you know about āthe style of fishingā if you handāt ever learned the Japanese techniques? Nothing. So to know if one likes it, one must actually try it first.
As to the learning strategies for the environment you live inā¦ well first Iād emplore you to ask yourself āis tenkara fishing the style of fishing for my fishing environment?ā
This is how you avoid falling into the eventual ātrapā of person āBā in our theoretical argument.
Moving onā¦ I sadly have also been shunned or laughed at many times over for Tenkara. Its shitty. So if youāre going to do something that people donāt believe in, that they shun or make fun ofā¦ is it not a THOUSAND TIMES more important to make sure we know what the fck we are doing out there? That we represent the sport as it actually is defined in at least some form? That we know how to explain to a western fly fisherman that yes, we can do a lot of western fly fishing techniques with a fly rod better than a tenkara rodā¦ but then show them what makes tenkara so effective with its DIFFERENT techniques?
Nobody is going to shun you for not fishing Tenkara āexactly the way some japanese individuals decided to do it in Japan.ā When someone (like me) were to point out to someone like you in a forum or a group that you were ādoing it wrongā why would you not want to ask āthen what is doing it right?ā What is the thing inside that compels you to rebel against this? Is it the punk rocker in you? Because Tenkara is not very punk. Its more about respecting what came before rather than rebelling against it. Maybe youāve hit on something good here that helps people understand the psychology of resisting the learning.
Iāll end it with thisā¦ I canāt disagree that infighting has caused the original online tenkara community to be partially destroyed. It has been fractured. However, I would like to make the final point that this is not only good, but is necessary for Tenkara to grow and spread and survive long term. Iād like to point out that infighting has often been āblamedā on those trying to push people to learn more about the origins of the sport and who are quick to point out what is ānot tenkara.ā
I would just say that instead of dismissing people who want you to learn, think about where the conflict and the in-fighting is coming from. Are the āgroup Aā people who want to help Tenkara spread in a way that aligns with its roots actually fighting? Are they attacking? Are they actually doing anything bad? Or are they just stating what they learned and sharing it with others who couldnāt be exposed to that knowledge first hand?
And then Iād say maybe evaluate if the āgroup Bā people are truly āevolvingā the sport, or are they ājust fishingā for fun however fits their waters and their choices? Ask yourselfā¦ are the āgroup Bā people maybe just overreacting to the simple things that the āgroup Aā people post because it doesnāt fit their personal definition of what they do with their chinese rod that says ātenkaraā on it? Is that even the āgroup Bā peoplesā faults, or have they been mislead by early adopters that immediately chose to be āgroup Bā people as well?
Tenkara is a difficult method of fishing. It is not just a way for beginners to catch fish with less gear and for less money. Its a complicated, nuanced niche within in a niche and ignoring where it came from and instead using a copycat rod not even designed to any japanese tenkara rod specifications to catch as many trout as possible is ānot tenkara.ā
The simply realities themselves can sometimes offend and reacte defensive reactions, and thatās all Iāve ever seen in my 10 years doing this and interacting online.
Iāve largely shifted away from long comments like these, but felt it was maybe worth reaching out to explain it great detail all of these ides. Hope it makes an imprint and helps you choose who to listen to in your learning.
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@Jason_Seaward
Much of this is really really difficult to summarize in a thread and almost impossible to put into words.
The problem with this format is that it is really hard to read intent and tone. @NotoriousToker has taken some time to write that dense nugget. Try to digest it and read between the lines in an objective way.
In general there is a crazy scale of experience and advice on the www. For any topic or discipline. Information can be all over the place in terms of quality. We generally pick an choose what we want to absorb and it is a free world.
That said. Like any discipline no matter the topic. Its always best to learn about a disciplineās origin and history and build skill based on those core concepts. Sort of like fine art painting or mathematics. It is best to build a foundation based on the folk who have the most understanding and skill. Just like fine art painting or mathematics, one could branch or deviate into ones personal theoretical path early in their development, but it would not be the same result as mastering all documented techniques and concepts first. Once mastered, then using that experience to build onesā own branch. Some guys may never master the core. Some guys think that they have already. For me I dont think I will ever master it and will continue to work on it forever.
Fishing in general for me is both skill and philosophy. Just like fine art painting and mathematics. Like anyone I like to jump ahead to the fun parts of the process, but also enjoy the journey and the effort to refine my skill. I think a lot of folk catch fish and that is all they care about. This is fine and might be their end game. There are others of us who not only want to catch fish but also delve deep into more sophisticated techniques to convert fish.
A master fisherman can often convert fish when they are not in an active feeding mode.
Any fisherman can catch fish when the fish are actively feeding.
I have fished with guys who out fish me 30 to 1. I have been fishing most of my life, so I am not a novice. The difference in the fish counts come down to a difference in skill and philosophy.
Most guys who are labeled as tenkara elitists are actually operating on a level that many anglers cannot understand. Often that is the problem with the communication. They are not talking the same language. Sort of like how a master mathematician would not make sense to the majority of a general audience. Some people donāt react well when their ignorance is exposed or when they donāt understand something. It takes great effort from both parties to come to an understanding.
Anyway. Catching fish is only a small piece of tenkara. The bigger chunk is philosophy and technique.
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Iām too new - naive to understand the ādramaā but the post from @NotoriousToker provides a good explanation. I frequently take ribbing from friends in the fly fishing club Iām in about preferring Tenkara on most trout streams around here but the western fly fishing community has its own A & B (C, D, Eā¦) groups and gets way more fired up at each other than what Iāve seen in the Tenkara community over the two years Iāve been learning about it.
Back on topic.
After some lawn casting that went pretty well with an unweighted fly I finally got an opportunity to give it a try on the beach. I spent about 1 hour testing-working with the rod. Casting a weighted #8 reverse spider into a steady 5 knot wind in the face with occasional gusts using either the 33ā tapered line or a 25ā #4 fluoro line resulted in a lot of tangles and short pileups.
The worst part was when the 10m tapered line began to straighten in the current, there was 2-3 meters of tapered line sagging onto the water; not good.
I tried the #4 flouro line and quickly wound up with a tangle at the lillian. I gave up.
It was painful.
I had my 9.5ā 6 weight beach rod (Airflo 40+ WF6 shooting head fast intermediate sink tip) with me and gave it a try. Got hooked up on my 2nd cast (of about 70ā) with an unweighted version of the same fly (#8 T200, orange chenille, Golden Pheasant hackle and tail). Take came at about 50ā but quickly came unbuttoned.
10 minutes later I landed a Sea Run Cutthroat trout.
I am a real āTenkaraā fan. Though my western gear stream buddies havenāt been converted, I think they notice how easy my T-rods are to transport on long hikes and when bushwhacking. They also see I catch a pretty fair number of fish (and consistently more than they do). What they havenāt experienced is how astonishingly fun Tenkara rod is to fight and land good sized fish.
I will probably continue to figure out how (and when it is appropriate) to use a fixed-line rod in the salt but figuring out (why) where and when fish that migrate in search of food will be present at a given beach in the 100 mile long fjord is a tough enough nut to crack all by itself. And a balanced western ābeach rigā for fishing in coastal waters is pretty darned effective in a very wide variety of conditions. Also there is harmony and a sense of accomplishment in being able to shoot 35ā+ of line with 1 or 2 double haul false casts into the wind and for now my ābeach rigā is the better tool for the task. So be it.
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I think this is a fair assessment. I find those longer rods really operate best with literally no wind.
I am an obsessed beast in the salt, but my weapon of choice is spinning. I dabble in some fixed line in the salt but not enough to claim any skill at itā¦more like some amusement.
Most conditions in the salt that are best out here are no good for any fly flicking devices. I am always impressed with guys who try. Niche conditions inside of niche conditions.
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Tenkara has never been so easy as to learn as it is today.
Sebata san came to America in the 90ās and made a video about it. Many different tenkara schools in Japan made books and videos. There is a school of tenkara near Tokyo. Japan has active masters that tour and teach tenkara. There are current Japanese magazines that feature tenkara content. Masami Sakakibara comes to America to teach it.
Tenkara has never been so easy as it is today. There are English speaking fly fishing experts that are translating tenkara content. It has been available for free and a deeper focus has been for sale for many years. Keiichi has been helping English people learn a sub set of skills that go along with tenkara. Yoshikazu Fujioka has an extensive knowledge base in English that has been available since 1996 on the Internet.
There are pathways into a pretty deep knowledge base of tenkara that attract anglers of all skill levels, beginners to experts.
I can provide further proof of every single instance of my claim here but this is not my argument. Itās yours and you have attracted quite a following with it.
I do not think it is the best way to grow tenkara the way you present it.
Daniel at Tenkara USA was PERFECT for it. Thatās why HE is widely accepted by all tenkara experts in helping get the information out there. Further down the timeline there are a few others that have been chipping away at it.
There is so much more about this very subject that you make difficult that just isnāt so and people come to you because they donāt know what you know about tenkara but I do.
I will not argue your points.
Itās arguing.
I will not engage in counterpointing you because you do reach a certain sub set of people and have fun and that is cool. I can appreciate that.
It takes all kinds to make a community.
It is a community that is pretty cool but I donāt like to see people tear it apart and I will definitely identify that but not argue it because that is contributing to that type of division.
I think it is healthy to have discussions.
It isnāt healthy for tenkara to make it difficult when it isnāt.
The history around tenkara is detailed here and there in Japanese and English. The information stream is well known and it is not necessary for me to provide pathways to it but I do for free.
I suggest meeting with tenkara experts in Japan or when they come here. Read the old stuff, read the current stuff.
But actually practice the Japanese way.
Itās not hard.
People make things hard but they arenāt.
Peace to you Adam.
Have a good day.
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In another small digression from the OPās topicā¦
Wild Coastal Cutthroat Trout spawn in freshwater streams that drain into the saltwater. Recent studies in the Puget Sound (PS) fjord are showing some of the progeny stay in freshwater for their entire lives making them an ideal quarry for Tenkara. But an as yet unknown percentage of them move to and spend most of their lives in the salt estuaries becoming Sea Run Cutthroat (SRC) to aggressively seek out forage fish (sculpins, salmon fry, Sand Lance), arthropods (shrimp), and cephalopods (squid) and generally grow larger than their freshwater brethren. They can travel quite a distance from their natal streams but tend to stay in relatively shallow water; seldom greater than 10 feet deep to pursue their prey that either live close to shore or retreat there to find shelter from the strong inland tidal flows and predators such as harbor seals. For some reason, though the studies show the SRC in the South PS region where I live may move to freshwater to spawn and feed more than once a year at staggered times over a 6 month period, they spend very little time in freshwater. Perhaps thatās because of the bounty in the salt and partially due to Chum salmon that are prevalent in South PS area of the fjord migrate to the salt very shortly after emerging from their redds as fry making them easy targets in the salt, so itās a year-round C&R fishery.
I am primarily a small stream guy but this makes SRC a dandy quarry to pursue with a 5 weight, or preferably 6 weight fly rod in saltwater from fall into the spring months when most streams are closed. On some beaches with a lot of structure such as big boulders to use for cover, it may be possible to creep within Tenkara range but most of my hookups are off of open point beaches with a pronounced tidal rip caused by structure, often with a creek mouth nearby, 15ā to 30ā offshore, in water three to four feet deep following a 60ā - 70ā cast while the fly is swinging in the current, and about 40-50 feet from where I am standing. I also occasionally land āJackā Chinook and āresidentā (to the Puget Sound - donāt migrate up to Alaskan waters) Coho Salmon from the beach.
In gratitude for your continuing encouragement and support, if you ever get out this way look me up and Iāll ghillie for you!
Now back to the originally scheduled programming
@Brian_Miller
Right on. Thanks for the info.
I am actually on an inverted schedule from yours. Spinning in the salt most of the yearā¦tenkara in the winter mostly. I moved to tenkara because the salt fishery is in trouble. It is an augment to my fishing addiction.
Thoughts of things to try.
One of the key tactics to stalking trout with a tenkara rod is stealth. To not be seen.
Fishing rips is like fishing fast water in a stream. It provides the angler with the cover of broken water and water movement sounds. Wading and fishing edges of reefs is where I have had the most luck with fixed line in the salt.
One thing about saltwater environments is there is often no shortage of casting room. Consider fishing dark into greylight or greylight into dark. If you have success fish at night too. That visual cover will give you an edge. I fish the salt at night a lot. Most large models of any species are most active at night. You might find that you have better success. Give it a try if you have not already.
For lights I like the blackdiamond storm for its white light when I need to see everything and its red light for changing lures and unhooking fish. The red light keeps your night vision and is better for transition tasks. The storm is very water resistant. We swim to rocks out in the surf and that sucker is always in the water.
Most people are scared to fish at night with out a light, you will scare fish away if you fish a with a light on. Once your eyes acclimate its amazing how much you can see with very little light and full moons are so bright they might as well be daylight. I never turn on my light on of full moon, I can see everything. In general very few people fish at night as they are scared of the boogieman. If you fish at night you can be like meā¦I am their local boogieman creeping around.
Thanks for the tips on fishing the greylight to dark hours. But nearly all of the beaches with public access in my area are at parks and closed to the public from dusk to dawn. I have noticed when fishing rips in the daylight hours that on a few occasions Iāll have a fish follow my fly to within 20ā but have yet to hook one that close.
Over the several years Iāve been fishing SRC I have learned that arriving at a beach to rig up and walk to the water about two hours before the first high tide of the day and fish until up to two hours after high tide is usually productive. Iām retired, and am able to schedule midweek fishing trips at convenient times to both avoid competition with other anglers and rush hour traffic, yet catch fish on 90% of my outings; but perhaps not the numbers Iād see if I was a dedicated early bird or night owl. I live just 30 minutes from two productive beaches and have ticklers on my syncād mobile and computer calendars noting what days have high tides between 11:00 AM and 1:30 PM from now until the end of May when streams open again. I also have ticklers beginning in April for evening flood tides where I could fish until dusk.
I also live within 1 hour of three streams designated year-round for trout and carefully monitor the CFS levels if there are (cold) clear weather periods for a week or so in the winter (infrequent in the PNW) and will head out with my Tenkara rod if they drop to safe wadable and fishable levels :).
Using the term āfixed lineā in the salt helps differentiate the different styles or types of fishing.
But I know what you mean.
Personally, you can call it anything you want because it isnāt my argument.
I understand how people are passionate about what tenkara really is.
Fixed line fishing is effective for sure.
Most parks will allow after hours fisherman even with the closure notices. You could inquire to find out. Sometimes it is just a matter of getting permission or a free permit. I suspect the closure dusk to dawn is to reduce the partying and sketchy goings on. It might also be a legal thing whereā¦if you are there at night and get hurtā¦you cant bring them to court over it.
Fish may not follow far from the safety of their structure. They may turn because they see youā¦or because there is a limit to how far they will move from home base. In open water they are vulnerable to birds of prey, where they may be safer under the cover of the rip chop.
Fishing ocean or rivers with tidal influence is a complicated and exciting thing. Lunar stage has a huge part in all kinds of things including water flow and bait patterns. A lot of guys keep a log because it is so complicated. I dont but over the years you get an instinct for the patterns of success. Wind, lunar stage, tide, and time of year.
Many anglers get preoccupied with high tide. There are high tide spots, mid tide spots, and low tide spots. Incoming stage spots and outgoing stage spots. Some structure will not fish well until a certain water level is achieved. Sometimes fish will not even be on that structure until that water level is just right. It is fun and complicated and requires a lot of experimenting. The good thing with guys getting preoccupied with high tideā¦all the other stages of tide are practically angler free. Dont be afraid to zig, when everyone else is zagging.
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I wrote a couple of articles on Honryu tenkara. The place where I practice it is amazing.
I mix it with some packrafting. In Japan, there is a contingent of anglers that use the portability of packrafts to head across dam made lakes to get to streams and genryu type fishing upriver.
Packrafting is a lot of fun, especially when tenkara is involved.
I make my long lines from this material.
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But you did āargueā my points even in saying you wouldnāt do letās continue.
Also I disagree with you. Itās not arguing if you donāt get all upset. Iām done being upset or caring about those who disagree with me because I know from experience how right I am overallā¦ and I only understand that now more based on how wrong I used to be in the early days of learning when I was part of the ātenkara is whateverā camp. I learned.
Also you canāt learn tenkara from videos and half translations. We both should know that weāll having been to Japan and working with Japanese anglers. Iām surprised you disagree since you yourself benefited greatly from that.
Nothing about my words, my actions or my methods is tearing anything apart or creating any ill will or negativity. 10 years ago Iād have felt differently but not today.
Itās important for people to recognize and discuss certain realities and I donāt think you really have much to argue against here since your statements about yourself seem to put you in the exact same boat as I am in
We may be more alike than you think and instead of trying to oppose me while actually agreeing here, you could also choose to reflect on yourself and think about how much alike we are and how we just execute differently.
Your public posts are all about trying to cover every angle and therefore have everyone agree with you. Itās part of your online psychology and this is not the same you that I know from real life.
My public posts are all about taking the route of presenting what I believe to be true based on what Iāve learned ā¦ and therefore being true to myself and my beliefs rather than trying to make everyone like me by saying so much that Iām saying nothing at all.
In real life you appear more like me in your tenkara practices and beliefs. Iām Japan you appeared more like me and spoke like I did to all the Japanese guys. Online you appear less like me. Online you donāt agree or say the same things you said in Japan. Thatās just my personal observation. Itās hard to have discussions when you get two versions of the same person. Thatās why we got along great in real life and have issues online. Iām unabashedly proud of my perspective and confident in it. I think you arenāt as confident in yours and I encourage you to explore the idea of not caring if some people donāt agree or donāt like you online. Real life is what matters. Youāre a good guy in real life and Iām glad we got to spend time together. I always wish more of that version of you was available online.
I probably come across nicer in real life than online but I donāt really say things differently, itās just that people can see my expressions, my mannerisms, and hear my tone. Thatās missing here but we canāt write our ways out of it.
Iām pretty sure you and I are in full agreement on most things related to tenkara - we just have different ways of wanting to be perceived online, and therefore say things differently.
I stand by my belief that even if it is easier now than ever to learn, Tenkara is still very difficult. If that was even the point you wanted to āargueā or to me ādiscuss?ā Or were we discussing the merits of how I need to change myself to appeal more to others?? (I think itās the latter.)
Also I forgot to touch on your point with Daniel. Now that weāve both had falling-outs of sorts with his company Iād expect less of the pedestal thing for TUSA.
But instead Iāll just remind you that he kicked you to the curb same as me and same as all the other tenkara anglers who actually cared about learning about Tenkara.
Where is he now?
What happened to his project with Fujioka? Never materialized. What about the English Ishigaki videos he announced at the summit in 2017? Never happened. How about new content from Japan? Crickets chirping
Daniel gave up, got bored, stopped caring about tenkara, got discouraged by competition and arguingā¦ whatever the reason he is largely gone from Tenkara.
TUSA could be leading the charge on education. They have the name and the resources to make educational films that would make DT look childish. But he doesnāt do it.
Youāre right he WAS perfect for growing tenkara until he sold his soul to bluegill anglers for some rod sales. Thatās how a lot of people feel. He could be continuing to share and contribute to tenkara beyond selling rods from his Chinese factory at a good profit Martin. But he doesnāt. Not sure why anyone is still interested in what heās doingā¦ thereās nothing happening over there at all at TUSA.
Anyway none of this is personal itās just me being me and being honest and direct as usual. I canāt wait until you come around full circle and we can agree more easily down the road 
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Iād be interested in opinions on what authoritative resource(s) to go to for Japanese Tenkara learning. Iāve been to Oni School twice, did the guide trip with Oni, consumed the discover Tenkara resources, read blogs and books, etc. I still feel like Iāve only scratched the surface of trying to figure out the Japanese style of Tenkara. Of course Iāve played around with tactical nymphing and applying western styles using Tenkara gear.
There seems to be a ton of noise in the Tenkara space that makes it tough to filter. I did have an eye opener fishing with Masami where I realized how much I didnāt know. It would be nice if there existed a more authoritative source for Japanese Tenkara knowledge, maybe it does. Iām thinking in the form of a book or video series rather than having to travel to Japan.
I feel like mostly it is about styles. You can use Tenkara gear combined with Euro / Tactical nymphing gear, suspension nymphing, dry dropper styles, etc etc. Itās mostly about how you want to play the game, sometimes when I try my understanding / level of the Oni style I donāt get results. I can switch to a tight line nymphing style and catch a ton of fish. For me Iāve realized there are many styles that can be used to play the game and I want to learn and deeply understand many of them.
I do enjoy the Oni style of the game and watching a trout rise to a manipulated kebari pattern. There is something magical about that style of Tenkara. What may confuse people coming into it is the nuance of all the styles.
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