So the Tenkara rod I ordered from Amazon arrived the other day. I didn't want to break the bank on this whimsy in case it's not my cup of tea so I did a bit of research and decided on a 12ft telescopic job marketed by AnglerDream. The rod gets reasonable independent reviews and comes with furled leader, line holders, 5x tippet and fly box with some flies.
The rod itself seems fine for something under £50. I wouldn't be keen on the tippet but there's not much of it anyway and the fly box is ok. The flies themselves are like no Tenkara flies I've seen; big, garish creations guaranteed to frighten the bejasus out of the wee timid trout on our river. Fortunately, Tenkara flies are simple for the most part and easy to tie. I've included a pic of some of mine -
Before you laugh, the forward sweeping hackles are intentional in many of these Japanese traditional flies; it's not just my rubbish tying. When tugged against the current they are supposed to pulse in a manner attractive to trout.
There is no reel in Tenkara; just a leader tied to the rod tip and about 4 feet or so of tippet. The idea is that nothing contacts the water except fly and some tippet. This is close range stealth trouting.
A few practice casts in the garden after checking online videos proved the rod easy and intuitive to cast. Just have to catch some trout now. Watch this space come March.
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