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Oni Tenkara School 2019: Catching and landing

8/24/2019

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Catching and landing fish on a tenkara rod

This is footage of Masami Sakakibara demonstrating his techniques at Oni Tenkara School 2019, on the Provo River in Utah. There is a lot to be learned by watching him fish. This video shows 4 different "Catching and Landing" instances, each of which highlights fundamental techniques in practical use. 

1: This is a textbook example of tenkara rod fishing. Oni targets the bank and rock pile in the lower left corner of the screen. The casts are accurate and produce a fully extended line. The drifts target specfic presentation angles in relation to the structure, and last only as long as they are "good". After the strike, Oni moves the fish into landing position inside calmer water, then gently hand lines the fish to complete the catch/release cycle.

2: Oni is working a downstream, topwater presentation into the same structure that produced the first catch. Note that the tenkara rod tip is pointed slightly upstream to maintain proper line tension and control. The fly is being held in place over a target zone and gently pulsed at the end of a drift; while the fly isn't visible, you can see this action in both the tip movement and grip manipulation. A moment after the strike you can see a definitive "set" as Oni breaks his wrist upwards, and then he sets the rod into a power curve and moves the fish. 
 
3: Many elements of the first few videos are shown, but this fish was bigger and got advantage by shooting downstream of Oni in strong current. To keep the fish on the hook and bring it under control, Oni moves his position with the fish's as required. As he moves, he is careful to maintain the rod's power curve. He frequently alternates dropping the rod tip parallel to the water on the left or right side, giving the fish little option in formulating an escape. 

4: Again, Oni has caught a trout in faster water. He checks for potential overhead snag hazards, then moves quickly to a more stable position where he can better control the situation and get clear of them. Having gained control of the line, he eases the fish into calmer water and brings it to hand very slowly. This is a great example of situational awareness being the difference between a caught fish and one that slips off the hook. 

Note on using your "off-hand" to stabilize the rod:
You will often see anglers bring their off-hand up to brace and stabilize the rod against a bigger fish or tough current. It's important to only contact the rod with one finger as you use this technique, and to only lean the rod against the finger. You want to avoid "grasping" the rod - doing so changes its ability to flex so much that it may cause damage. 

-Matt @ Badger

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DESERT CANYON TENKARA ROD FISHING

8/23/2019

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Fishing a remote desert stream packed with brown trout with a tenkara rod

I caught word of the canyon from a fellow adventurer. "Red rock, brown trout, and the remains of an ancient culture." It was a no brainer. The trail wound near the tiny creek that was simply too tight to fish for the first two miles, then opened up into a spring pond that looked to harbor trout pushing 2 feet. "Only brought small water tenkara rods, I'll see you tomorrow" I told them as I continued upstream.

Soon the vegetation opened and I was able to prospect the glass clear water. The fish were wary, but slow movement and experience stalking spring creeks in the Driftless paid off. On many casts, previously hidden trout dashed from hiding under cutbanks to charge the fly. Small, dark, and simple kebari patterns drew strikes, with a variety upstream and downstream techniques bringing a few dozen 6-12 inch browns to hand. 

The Kurenai HMR30 made an excellent tenkara rod choice for fishing this kind of water. It's shorter length and near weightlessness are well suited for tight, technical creeks. Most of all, it's action makes fish in the 6-12 inch class a dogfight! 

Having enjoyed the fishing and the 126 ft waterfall at the end of the trail, I headed back to camp, mind wandering upon ways I'd approach those big cruisers in the spring pond. Probably should have been paying more attention to my footing, maybe I wouldn't have rolled my ankle a mile from camp. In any case, I was limping pretty good the next day and had to leave without targeting the pond's heavy hitters. Best to leave something for next time, right? 
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Oni Tenkara school 2019 video

8/11/2019

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Oni school is America's premiere learning opportunity for tenkara anglers. 

An overview of this year's two sessions hosted by Tenkara Guides LLC. The school included casting instruction on both lawn and stream, plenty of on stream demonstrations, and lots of fishing time. Each student received one on one tenkara instruction from Masami Sakakibara. Topics included "fly first" casting, rotational motion for aerial mending, water reading and prospecting, and playing fish in fast current - among many others. 
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