When we first encountered tenkara rods, Mike and I were instantly enthralled. We took every chance we could to push the limits of what we could do on our local waters and species. It wasn't long until we decided we wanted to share the fun with others, and after not too long we started Badger Tenkara with the intent of making tenkara rod fishing accessible and welcoming for as many people as we could. 

Just like the currents in a stream, life and business can get complicated. Time passes, things change, and suddenly you find that what was working for you...is no longer working for you. This the case with the Badger store and our product line of tenkara rods. Changes in both the "tenkara market" and in my personal life have led me to the tough conclusion that it is time to bring this project to an end. We are grateful for your business, the trust you put in us and our gear, and for being blessed with the ability to walk this path of discovery and exploration with so many. It was truly joyful to share so many of your "first catches" and other great experiences on the water with you all. 

​It's been a little over 5 years since Badger released our first rod. Along the way we've had the privilege to help thousands of anglers get started on an exciting new hobby. We've spoken at clubs, schools, and fishing shows - and we've given instruction on the water, over the phone, and by video. Our customers (and our rods) have caught fish on the Nile and Amazon rivers, and on every continent except Antarctica! Perhaps most importantly, we've put a lot of time and energy into getting rods into the hands of young anglers and the organizations that serve them. We feel confident that we have met our goals in expanding appreciation of tenkara rods in the outdoors community.    

We do have some rods and gear left in the store, and are happy to let the remaining stock go at a discount. The Badger store will remain open until they are all sold or until May 1st. If you want spare parts for a rod (beyond spare tip sections) please contact me and I will do my best with what is still on hand. 

​While the shop is closing, Badger Tenkara is not going to disappear. The website will remain and will soon begin an entirely new kind of tenkara rod fishing adventure!   

Thank you for doing business with us. We hope you enjoy your gear as much as we enjoyed sharing fishing with you. 

Best regards and tight lines -
Matt @ Badger

$65 CLASSIC and UNC Tenkara Rods!

Here at Badger, we are all about getting people on the water and having fun with tenkara rod fishing. We've been trying to think of ways that we could drop prices and give you even more for your dollar. Our solution to that challenge is to offer our proven, popular rod designs in group buy opportunities! This way, we can drop our prices down to the absolute minimum. It's an easy way to save. If you can be a little patient, you'll get you more than 50% off Badger Tenkara's world renowned fixed-line products.

​TOO EASY! 

One gentle flick of the wrist, and the light line soars forward, dropping the kebari precisely on target. A native brook trout rockets to the surface and crushes it, turning for safety in the rocks below. The angler feels the rod flex all the way down to the grip as the fish connects and runs, moving it deftly to hand after a spirited fight. 

High-flex tenkara rods offer a refined fishing experience that is ideal for fishing lines and flies with traditional Japanese tenkara techniques. They also make any small to medium fish a sportier pursuit.  

What is High-Flex and why offer a 5:5 action? 

​What are we talking about when we say "5:5, high-flex"?

Typically, manufacturers rate the action of a Tenkara rod with a ratio, like 5:5, 6:4, and 7:3. The first number is the amount of sections that are stiffer; the second number is the amount of sections that are more flexible. This also gives you a general idea of where the rod flexes - a 6:4 is most flexible 60% up the rod length. Badger Tenkara rod specifications give a ratio and general description such as "medium-flex". 

With most medium or low-flex actions, the rod bends further out towards the tip. The angler feels the "tug" of the fish further out away from them, because that is where the rod is loading and flexing. 

With a high-flex, 5:5 action the angler can usually feel the rod "flexing" all the way down into the grip. Paired with proper line tension, a high-flex action casts and fishes some techniques with much greater control and feedback than less flexible actions, because - 

1) They cast light lines very well. 
2) They transmit subtle moves for delicate fly manipulations.
3) Strikes and fish fighting are felt to maximum effect. 

We spent over a year testing several designs with 5:5 actions in 2016. You see, every time that we order rods, we get a few extra in different lengths and actions to experiment with, and to get a feel for what our factory is able to produce when we ask for "different" designs. During that year, we became very confident that we could produce some exciting high-flex action rods, but we did not think there would be enough interest to support adding a high-flex model to our tenkara rod line-up.

Then we found out we might be wrong! Lots of recent  community discussions prompted us to take another look at the matter. We ran a poll to gather some feedback and get serious about a design...

We are happy to announce the dates for the 4th annual Midwest Tenkara Fest in Coon Valley Wisconsin! ​MWTF 2018 will be held May 5th and 6th at the American Legion Hall. Stay tuned for more "details" - but here are the basics:

1) Featured Presenter: We are honored to be joined by international ambassador of the world of fly fishing 
Misako Ishimura, co-author/ contributor of the book Tenkara Radically Simple, Ultralight Fly Fishing. She is recognized as one of the earliest ambassadors of tenkara to the United States and has a unique body of fly fishing knowledge to share! 

2) Film Fest: Create a tenkara or fixed line fly fishing movie to share with the world! We'll show as many submissions at the 'Fest as we can. The theme is "In the Zone", and videos must be no more than 10 minutes. 

3) Fishing-friendly schedule: We know that many people travel from all over the country to attend MWTF - and we want to make sure that you have time to fish the incredible trout streams of the Driftless! To that end:

The event will run from 3pm-10 pm on Saturday and from 9am-Noon on Sunday. We will have doors open and the event hall staffed Saturday morning from 9-11 to provide information to people who are looking for a place to fish, or need other info about the area. 

We look forward to seeing you at MWTF 2018! 

​- Matt & Mike @ Badger
 
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One of the coolest things about owning a tenkara rod company is getting messages from happy customers after they have fun on the water. We got an exciting email with pictures last week from our friend Ryan L. that we just had to share with you all! He wrote "The steelhead steams that I fish are really small, and having a reel provides little advantage in these streams...I had a hunch that steelhead could be landed on light fixed line gear." Turns out he was right - read on! 

"Tenkara-No-Oni" Masami Sakibara is extremely mindful of his surroundings and how they relate to his fishing.

While casting and fly manipulation are key aspects of tenkara fishing, they really only take us to the point of getting a fish on the hook. There is significant work to do afterwards! In this post, we'll look at what takes place after we draw that strike, and how we can maximize our chances of landing the fish he we put on the hook. Watching "Tenkara-No-Oni" Masami Sakibara provides excellent lessons in situational awareness, so lets look at video of him landing an average trout on the Provo river during Oni School 2017. Being highly aware of the environment and the task at hand, Oni shifts between being very stable and very mobile as the situation demands... 

September 2017 was an outstanding month for tenkara enthusiasts in the US. Two of Japan's most renowned anglers gave instruction on subsequent weekends in Utah and Colorado. This was too good of an opportunity for Badger to pass up, and it made a fine excuse to make a 15 day road trip to the Rockies for some tenkara adventures! This post is the first in a series of reflections from that trip. Rather than make a simple trip report and bombard you all with "vacation photos" - I wanted to take some time to digest things and share whatever insight developed. In this post, we'll look at a short video of "Tenkara-No-Oni" Masami Sakibara and Dr. Hisao Ishigaki making casting demonstrations (at the 2017 Oni School and the 2017 Tenkara Summit, respectively) and I'll share some thoughts on the technique we observe.  

Iowa stockers make for easy tenkara nymphing in Wisconsin's "off season".

When you think of road trip fishing destinations, you probably don’t think of Iowa. But the North East corner of the state is home to the southern edge of the Driftless region, and that means excellent tenkara fishing! The landscape will be familiar to those who have fished the Driftless region in Wisconsin: rolling hills and valleys with small to medium-size limestone spring creeks winding their way towards the Mighty Mississippi. This little slice of the Driftless is about two hours from our home base in Madison, Wisconsin. Making the Iowa run is do-able for a day trip. Their trout season is open year-round, so when the weather cooperates, it is our choice destination for off-season trout fishing.

We'll collect your feedback and take a thorough look at how we can offer a full flex tenkara rod that meets Badger's standards for a quality and a fun tenkara fishing experience. Please feel free to pass along any ideas you have that you feel will help us design a great rod. As always, our goal is to help you "Fish more and Fuss Less"! 

Driftless small streams in late summer mean high grass, and that means you better be ready to dial your game in tight.

Nope. Badger don't believe in any "solar eclipse magic" nonsense! That being said, I hit the water on Monday hoping that some extra darkness would give me an edge for tenkara fishing, but the truth is I don't think it made a lick of difference. Maybe it looked a little more like a gloomy February day then a gloomy August day, but the fish didn't seem to care. They were tucked safely into rocky cut-banks protected by tall grass overhangs that blocked most of the clear casting lanes. It was a good opportunity to hone my skills, so despite extremely overgrown condition of the stream, I got to work.

The target zones were small. 1-3 feet wide, and 2-4 ft long. Depths maxed out around 3-4 feet, but that was only on a few holes, mostly I was working water about 18 inches deep. Every space had cut-banks and overhangs for the fish to dive for once hooked, so all of the fights were short and focused on landing as quickly and cleanly as possible. It was sweaty, hot, and tiresome pushing through tall grass looking for spots to cast to - but I brought close to 20 brown and brook trout to hand in about 3 hours! Sizes ranged from 6-14 inches. How did I make my tenkara fishing produce in such restricted terrain?

1) I fish a rig I am well practiced with. I can sense the casting range, balance, and weight shifts very easily because I am highly familiar with it.
Practical Consideration: Get to know your rod and rigs, introduce disruptive system changes slowly and as a last option. Learn the feel of the casting range of the rig. This is critical and extremely useful!

2) I've developed confidence in dealing with snags. In many cases now, I can gently pull and lift most grass snags back and recover them. 
Practical Consideration: The key to this may be found in the cast and the way your fly presents. If you are watching it present and it falls on grass - don't yank or pull back hard, causing a "hard snag" that requires an up close and personal recovery. Instead, freeze - then bring it back softly and see how many less snags spoil those nice bends you are targeting.   

Brook trout caught at the time of Eclipse totality.

​​3) Using the system familiarization from point #1 to dial in my tenkara fishing, I do a of casting to target zones that I simply cannot see. But If I know the zone looks clear, then I can stay out of fish sight lines to deliver the cast and work the drift.
Practical Consideration: Using your ability to sense balance and weight on the system, and watching your line to maintain proper tension, you can still get excellent drifts in the in the top water column. A secondary consideration to this is knowing just where to stop your cast to make sure you do not lay too much line down and spoil the drift, or too little and leave the fly dangling in the air. 

4) I work shorter drifts and accommodate for obstacles. 
Practical Consideration: Focus on delivering solid technique, and make those presentations count for the short amount of time you have. Be prepared to alter your drift and technique to address obstacles as your line navigates the course. I have executed drifts were I guided the fly slowly through a 4 ft section, moving the rod tip gently to ensure that the line stayed clear of grass overhangs along the way, and picked up fish 3/4 of the way through the drift. You have to steer without disturbing the fly's drift or action, and maintain proper line tension while doing it. 

This hefty 14-inch Brown was the best of the day.

Like most things in life, there is no magic shortcut to productive tenkara fishing in challenging conditions. It requires a focus on the fundamental skills, attention to detail, and a willingness to push your limits. The cool thing is, if you work hard on that - it may start to feel like you ARE working magic!

​- Matt @ Badger