Way old school

[lucabrasi]

Tenkara.
Cleaning out my car yesterday and my little 3wt fly rod was broken. My favorite small stream rod. I use a 7wt on my board when fly fishing but I had been looking at Tenkara rods earlier this summer and thought it looked pretty fun. Ancient Japanese fly fishing is what it is. Really geared for small streams but plenty good for other waters.
They pack down small and it's simplicity in it's true spirit it seems. I pass so close to carp while cruising around on my board it just seems the perfect fit for much of what I see and try to do. I am going to order one today. Hopefully have in hand by next weekend. I will wait on the 3wt replacement and get one for bigger fish now. I not sure I can land many of the carp I see and target but holy cow........what a blast a 10 lber would be with this on a board. I think the board with it's built in drag will benefit landing big fish. Hopefully good weather, success, and pictures to follow in the next few weeks.

[Velasco]

Lucabrasi -

Order a Daiwa Kiyose 43MF from www.tenkarabum.com - there is even a used rod section there that has some gems from time to time.  I have landed 20"+ carp with this rod.  And that was from land.  With the added feature of using the board as drag, you should have a blast! 

For flyfishing, I don't have Western Fly gear below 5wt.  This is the area where I am mainly using my tenkara gear - way less expensive to acquire (no reel, line is very inexpensive) and with the right rod (or rods) you have all the reach you could want at this lightweight end of the flyfishing spectrum - how far can most people cast a 3wt line anyways???  I said "rods" because at some point you start collecting them - same problem I have with western gear... but that's for a different post/forum.  If you are hiking into a headstream, the shorter and softer rods will draw you in to catch wild trout.  If you are only going for carp or bass, the "keiryu" range of tenkara rods (stiffer and usually longer) - the Daiwa Kiyose 43MF fits this bill.

I still use my 5wt when I go to big, open water so I can reach further out - but it is usually blind casting.  And when I am out on the salt, I'll use my 8 wts - the right gear for the right conditions - but tenkara certainly has earned a place in my quiver of fishing tools.

[lucabrasi]

Thanks Velasco. Yep, another collection. 
I ended up getting that one. His site is one of the best but the store part is not the easiest to navigate. I had been looking at the ones he compares it to, the Yamame and others from them, and went this route. I actually was thinking more all around (cheaper) and decided not to fall into that trap. Thanks again. I won't need my small stream one till next June or so and with what I will do with the rest of this season and early next season, I need the backbone. I was out yesterday and only saw one fish cruising although plenty of mud boils and jumpers. Water has turned over and in a funky state right now.
Yes, as far as I ever cast my 3wt and the waters I fish with it, a Tenkara rod is all I really need for that.
I got another 3-5 weeks of season left here for my carp lake and days are short enough now that it makes it tough to go out during the week for me so see what happens. I do think I will get some more days in for sure even if right now the forcast for next weekend is highs in the upper 30s to low 40s. Yay.

[PonoBill]

I love 3wt and 2wt rods, even for fairly big fish. You just fight them further down the rod. My fave is this little Orvis, that i found thanks to this post. I went digging and also found a 8wt sage pack rod that i thought i had busted long ago. Time to go fishing. 

[Velasco]

If money and space were not objects, I would have two of every size (two is one - one is none; a lesson learned on a far away island with two 8 wt rods and some bonefish).

Paired with the rods under 5 wt would be simple reels - click and pawl drags (I'd keep those light and just palm them if needed).  Above the 5 wt rods I'd get sealed drag large arbor reels.

And I'd have two lines of tenkara rods - stiffer and softer.

I used to have a problem acquiring and never letting go of boards - SUP, shortboard, longboard, kitesurfing, windsurfing, and even boogies.  A couple of years ago I started culling that herd and now just have what I regularly use.  Now i have a new problem and it is called fishing equipment...

[lucabrasi]

Oh my, fishing equipment. My wife decided to count my rods and reels a while back......dozens. Boards, kayaks, skis, all in that category for me but getting better with some things. 
 I hadn't bought a new fly reel in years till 4-5 years ago. Some nice, nice reels now.
The reel for my 3wt doesn't hold any backing and I even had to cut some off the end of the fly line to get it so it isn't binding up. Way mini. Can't find another like it. Original setup was Flylite rod and reel and they seem to be no more. It was a 5'6" rod and the handle needs some work (maybe this winter finally) and found a 6'6" to replace it which is what broke. Way fun little set up. This is a quarter I put on the reel.
Bill, cool table, I like...is that a jelly bean?
As far as Tenkara......I had made an offer on an Amago that I didn't think would get accepted.  Looks like I got two on the way.

[lucabrasi]

Quick update on Tenkara. I have been able to get out 3 times on my board since getting the set up. The Kiyose 43MF is beautiful and I feel I got the right one for what I want to do. Thank you.
I did not hook into anything on my board but we were cruising over mud boils for 45 minutes to an hour two evenings, saw only a few fish cruising, and were blown off the lake one of the days. Water temp was 46-49 so that could be factored into not hooking anything rather than our skill. I will stick to that. 
I did find out tho, this is ideal for what I am doing when chasing carp on my board. When I saw the cruiser I was able to get multiple casts to him with nice presentation far easier, quicker, and better than my traditional 7 wt I use for carping. His complete indifference to the treat I offered him just makes me want to go more and more. Cruising over the mud boils in 2-3 feet of water it was the ideal weapon also.
With the board I am pretty certain I could have played a big fish. Not quite sure how big but decent for sure. I did decide I would definitely need a net tho and with using such light tippet so as not to break the rod it will be quite the adventure when I do hook into one.
My brother in law is here helping fix some stuff up and I gave him the Amago and he has got the fever also. I got another lighter rod which I did catch one on the river after we were blown off the lake and I can now fish nymphs in moving water with some confidence. Far easier to get a nice float and see the take. A great way to fish.

[Velasco]

Awesome!

I just picked up a Suntech Field Master (for my birthday - I didn't get home fast enough and my wife intercepted it - she insists on wrapping it and keeping me from opening it until my actual birthday a couple of weeks away).

I just counted by rods - 7 tenkara to 5 conventional.  My spinning rods add another 7, my casting/trolling another 3. 

Man I have a problem... not enough time to paddle and fish!!!