Anyone else planning to attend the White Mountains Tenkara Camp Out?? I was hoping to hear from someone who has gone before! Looks like its going to be a lot of fun!
No, not going.
I’d advise a little caution if you do. Nothing about the event or those involved with it, rather it’s with the state of NH. Last I was aware (I haven’t checked for about 5 years), NH is NOT tenkara friendly. Many of the best fishing waters are fly fishing ONLY and fly fishing is (or was, last I looked) defined very specifically in NH law as a rod, a REEL, fly line, and an artificial fly.
There had been a small group of people who had been trying to convince the state to change the definition of fly fishing, but had failed.
If you are caught in violation on a fly fishing only water, they can legally seize all of your gear, including your vehicle.
You can fish tenkara on other waters without problem; but, not fly fishing only designated waters.
I’d be happy to learn I’m now wrong and this has changed, but don’t know. Look into the regulations before you go and/or how a river or stream is designated. Many of the streams and rivers in the WMNF are designated fly fishing only. New Hampshire has a list of all streams and rivers that are fly fishing only on their fish and wildlife website.
As a side note, if you’re driving up from the south, be sure to check out Stone River Outfitters located between Nashua and Manchester. They have a huge selection of fly tying supplies. They don’t know much about tenkara, but are very nice people. I have no affiliation with them, I just like their shop. The times I’ve stopped in there, I have always found good deals.
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Thanks for the heads up @Peder ! The river closest to the site of the event isn’t listed on the NH Fish & Game website as fly fish only, but that’s good to know if I’m ever exploring out that way, I’ve run into the same thing in Maine.
I’ll definitely try to check out Stone River Outfitters on my way up there! Thanks for the reccomendation!
Edit: Seems Maine updated their definitions to be more Tenkara friendly!! From their site:
Fly (Artificial Fly): A single-pointed hook dressed with feathers, hair, thread, tinsel, or any similar material to which no additional hook, spinner, spoon or similar device is added (Title 12, §10001-26).
Fly Fishing: Casting upon water and retrieving in a manner in which the weight of the fly line propels the fly (Title 12, §10001-27).
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@RedMapleOutdoors That’s good to know about the event location and I’d presume it may have been chosen because of that reason. There are some amazing places to fish in the WMNF and it’s just a shame (in my opinion) that tenkara isn’t “legal” on all of them. The ironic thing to me is that all fly fishing, regardless of country of origin, started as fixed line.
Yes, I had heard that Maine had become more friendly to tenkara in the past couple of years. Thanks for confirming that! There are a few people up that way who have put a lot of time into making that happen.
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I’m glad to read this. I am headed to Maine in June and I was concerned about whether I could fly fish or not
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I was happy to find that too, I’m usually up there a few times over the summer
I went last year and had a great time. NH has some “fly-fishing only” sections of the Saco River, where they require a rod to have a reel, but the mountain streams and many other places are fine. I caught a few really pretty brookies last year. Looking forward to going again!
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