I would venture to say that the Rocky Mountains are just as good, if not perfect to develop and evolve Tenkara to the next level.
I love Japan and have sampled streams in many mountain ranges there, beautiful, exotic indeed.
Colorado by far has an abundance of Tenkara water just as perfect and pristine as Japan. I have and will continue my focus there. More and larger fish, excellent backpacking opportunities and easily accessible.
Far easier to develop exactly the same skills.
With Colorado in our backyard, it is possible to hone skills, every bit as much as Japan offers, if not more.
Colorado is it for tenkara and travel far as I’m concerned.
I’ll return to Japan to visit my friends but Colorado?
I honestly haven’t looked that much into CO, but the photos and videos I’ve seen, it looks superb. Streams that aren’t huge like “out west”, but not just a bunch of Rhodo hell like here in the SE. Looks like a happy goldilocks zone.
Chris, trust me, Colorado is not worth your time. Let me know when you want to go. This is a trip to make with out the wife and kiddo. We’ll call it a military operation with land navigation training.
There’s loads of tenkara perfect places. Bits here and bits there.
I’ve loved some colorado locations with tenkara (Rocky Mountain National Park for one) - other bigger rivers are really outside of my personal “tenkara perfect zone” . Of course with only about 5 colorado trips there are plenty of places that i have never )nor will ever be in CO).
My current “tenkara perfect” place is the Wisconsin Driftless. Loads of wild trout in spring creeks with tons of easy public access - and not that many anglers (or at least plenty of creeks to spread them out).
Lots of casting room (especially before all the weeds get neck high)- not to say you don’t need to have good casting skills to hit targets and maximize success (you do of course) - but in general there is way more backcast and overhead casting room then I get on my southwest PA brook trout streams.
And fishing meadow and pasture streams is just a blast.
And don’t get that picture of the placid weedy english chalk stream in your head - the streams are not that way (for the most part) - way more structure than that. It’s generally not big pool fishing. But fishing runs and riffles leading into small bend pools and undercuts…
Yeah, we have "Tenkara Perfect water here, that’s why I used to go to Colorado, because it is perfect. But I don’t go there anymore after the destruction, the place is trashed, too many people, no fish, too many fences, in short it sucks. I’m not going to go there ever again. I’ll never dream of fishing there ever again. For the last 35 years I’ve been going there chasing small stream dreams, never again.
Nope.
Can’t think of a better place to go, maybe to Disney? Or Vegas?
Japan was the best place to go after Colorado, but I’m realizing, Colorado has everything, we, had everything everywhere…
I forgot about that, weeds everywhere in Colorado. They are proud of it too. Seems they aren’t interested in cutting back on the weeds either. They just ignore the weeds and it’s everywhere.
Hmmm, when I lived in Hawaii, the Hawaiian word for Wacky Tobacco referred to a particular plant, don’t know if that’s the wacky weed you’re referring to.
Dr. Ishigaki’s most recent two blog post are about the potential of Hokkaido ( 北海道, which appears to literally mean - North Sea Road).
北海道のポテンシャル その1 Potential of Hokkaido part 1
北海道のポテンシャル その2 テンカラ天国 Potential in Hokkaido Part 2 Tenkara Heaven
Last summer several videos of him fishing in Hokkaido were uploaded to the amagochan6332 YouTube channel, a newer one was uploaded six days ago, it’s linked in the potential2 blog post.
Here’s one from a day ago, lake fishing.
The Fish and Bike (aka South 2 West 8) website, is an outfitter place, but they sometimes also post fishing reports for Hokkaido streams. They also appear to be a Sakura rod (サクラ・竿) dealer.
Wow! “South2 West8”!
This is new brand for products from Tenkara and bicycle thoughts, simplicity and so on.
I’m looking for the Tenkara wears by this brand!
Another Tenkara video from South 2 West 8, uploaded 16 Aug. TENKARA SESSION in Asahikawa, Hokkaido 〈SOUTH2 WEST8〉MOVIE #2
It would be great to fish a stream like this.
Police Chief Brody wanted a bigger boat. These guys needed a bigger net.
I so seldom hook anything in the 18 - 20 inch range I usually don’t play them well.
Don’t fail to notice the:
Fat Kebari at 3:13
Camouflage of a Different Color at 9:20
Let me know when you want to go. This is a trip to make with out the wife and kiddo. We’ll call it a military operation with land navigation training.
