The Tenkara Project

The Tenkara Project

After several years of seeing and reading about Tenkara and the popularity it has gained, I got the chance to get my hands on some gear and my interest as well was spiked. Enter my 11yr old son new to fly fishing and the light went on. He's going sufficiently well on warm-water with his bass setup, but gets frustrated on streams with standard gear, line management and whatnot. One look at the rods and his eyes lit up. He could wade, fish the small streams we frequent & not mess with anything else. SO, with the upside of "keeping him in the game" I began the search for a rod. Not wanting to dump dollars equivalent to a western rig on an experiment that may or may not take, I turned to EBAY. It was not hard to find a myriad of rods and options, and after a bit of research I settled on a 12ft 7.3 action rod for less than $50.

The arrival of the rod came yesterday, and on first glance it is very well made and balances nice in the hand. 

The aluminum tube is a nice touch and should extend the life of the rod in the hands of an 11yr old

The Unveiling

On inspection the rod has no flaws and is ready to go. 


Unfortunately, the -2deg weather and wind will not allow me to test things just yet. And of course "Dad" will need to make a thorough evaluation prior to handing it off to the young fisherman as well.

Next to come, a couple of 14' furled leaders and things will be ready!

I will post a follow-up once some time on the water is completed. And hopefully it will include a few fish in hand accompanied by a young smile.

See you on the water.