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
 
​

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

The Scout (angler) battled this catfish like a champ, and the SCOUT (tenkara rod) didn't break a sweat.

The National Scout Jamboree gathered over 40,000 Scouts at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia from July 19 to July 28, 2017. It was a perfect opportunity to introduce the Scouting organization at-large to tenkara rods. It was also a perfect opportunity to put them to the test. Personal experience and customer satisfaction tells us that they hold up well to long term use by an individual anglers - but how would they do in a "camp" setting with high user volume by young anglers? Our sponsorship of the Fly Fishing Merit Badge area at the Jamboree gave us a proving ground to illustrate the advantages and capabilities of tenkara rods in a youth camp setting. The SCOUT tenkara rods delivered!

Over 70 Scout leader volunteers staffed the various activity centers in the Jamboree fishing area. I provided a "101" class and demonstrations for the whole team, and more in-depth training for the fly fishing staff itself. They took it in quickly, asked great questions, and were excited about learning. Any anxiety I may have brought with me disappeared quickly as I saw the level of dedication that Scout leaders have for teaching young anglers to fish. It was clear from the start that the entire team was professional and serious about making certain that every youth that visited received high quality training and had a great time doing it.

There was a bit of a buzz floating around the Jamboree, word was on the street that the fly fishing area had something new and exciting to share. We got a visit from BSA National Commissioner Charles W. Dahlquist, who wanted to give our tenkara rods a try. He had a bluegill on the line after his second cast, and a big smile on his face the whole time. Then he passed the rod to Scout leader Nancy, who had never caught a fish on a fly before. After just a few minutes of coaching, we got her onto a nice largemouth bass!

BSA National Commissioner Charles W. Dahlquist enjoying tenkara

Nancy shows off her first fish caught on a fly!

We soon opened up and got the Scouts fishing, eight at a time, for 20-30 minutes each. Each group would receive a short orientation talk explaining the basics of tenkara and demonstrating the cast, then we would get them on the water. Instructors would move from student to student, giving feedback and answering questions to help the Scouts get dialed in and catch fish. 

The rods were rigged with a wide variety of flies - drys, nymphs, streamers, and wet patterns. All of them produced at various times, and it gave the Scouts a chance to explore different techniques. The lake was well stocked with panfish, bass, and catfish. Many of the Scouts got onto fish quickly, especially earlier in the day. Even when midday heat and sun made conditions challenging, catching continued at a steady pace. Some Scouts caught their first fish on a fly, some caught their first fish ever, and some even got to catch fish on flies they had just tied in the fly tying tent! ​

Lessons Learned:

1) We staffed the tenkara area with two instructors, myself and one of the trained Scout leaders who would rotate in. With 8 young anglers, a 1:4 instructor to student ratio worked well. When any Scout needed help landing a fish or required direct instruction, another Scout would invariably get a fish on the hook too - so the second instructor was necessary. Even with barbless hooks, many Scouts still need help getting the freeing the fish and getting it back in the water, especially if they have never done it before. 

2) While we taught the Scouts how to properly extend and collapse the tenkara rods and demonstrated the capability, we kept the rods fully extended for the duration of the day. The only time we collapsed them was when a snag or tangle demanded it for maintenance. At the end of the day, we would then collapse and store the rods. Minimizing the amount of collapse and extend cycles will help guard against potential breaks. 

3) Young anglers followed instructions pretty well, but they did have a habit of dipping the rod tips into the water. This started to create a build-up of muck on the top sections, which can be a pre-cursor to damage if and when it gets in between the sections. In a camp setting, regular cleaning will be required to keep the tenkara rods operable.

4) The other big habit that I saw, was a lot of "climbing the rod" to land fish. Instead of holding onto the cork grip when bringing the fish in, they would begin to move their hands further and further up the rod. This has the potential to inhibit rod flex or create stress angles that can seriously damage the rod. To counter this habit, we pointed out the potential risk, and then added that it is a lot more fun to fight the fish with the rod by holding on to the cork grip. This really helped the Scouts focus and improved their fishing experience too! 

5) The BSA National Fishing Task Force is very pleased with what they saw at the Jamboree. They believe that the event proved the suitability and durability of tenkara rods for high volume use in Scout camp settings. In fact, the tenkara rods out-caught "western/conventional" fly rods by a significant margin!

​It was a privilege introducing so many young anglers to tenkara at the National Scout Jamboree. Our sincere thanks to all of the BSA National Fishing Task Force, Certified Angling Instructors, and Scout leadership who made Badger feel welcome, and worked hard in the West Virginia heat to deliver an outstanding fishing program - FISH ON! 

​Matt @ Badger 

It's no secret by now that tenkara is an excellent way to introduce children to fishing. We've discussed it in our blog posts (Tenkara and Kids & Family Fun with Tenkara*) and both of us have done a lot of fishing with tenkara rods and young anglers. It has proved itself a standout choice among kids fishing rods because it is easy for kids as young as 2* to catch fish and have fun! This is important to us because here at Badger, we believe that positive experiences with the outdoors as a child are the foundation for healthy relationships with the outdoors as an adult. We believe this because that is how we became avid sportsmen ourselves!

We were both participants in Scouting as we grew up. Our troop was exceptionally active, with a camp-out every month (even in Winter!), and week-long summer camps. We hiked, camped, learned first aid, paddled canoes, fished, and did service projects; all under safe supervision by dedicated volunteer adults who set excellent examples of leadership and citizenship. It was a highly positive formative experience for us, and we both feel it set the tone for our outdoor adventuring as adults. 

The Badger Tenkara SCOUT rod will be introducing participants to tenkara at the National Scout Jamboree

This is why we are honored to announce that Badger Tenkara is proudly sponsoring the Fly Fishing Merit Badge Activity Area for the 2017 National Scout Jamboree! For the first time in the event's history, tenkara will be available in the fishing activity area; over 40,000 Scouts will have the opportunity to explore tenkara at the Jamboree by using our SCOUT tenkara kids fishing rods.

We first started discussing the merits of tenkara with Scouting leadership a few years ago. After a long conversation at a trade show, they quickly recognized the advantages that a collapsible, ultra-lite, fixed line rod offers young anglers on outdoor adventures. 

At that point, we began to support the BSA National Fishing Task Force in their evaluation of tenkara style fly fishing. They were well suited to perform an extensive assessment and determine how tenkara could best fit into Scouting. The testing occurred over several months, and we were excited to serve as a resource for the process. 

The Scouts have reached an important conclusion that we are very excited to have been authorized to share with you:

Tenkara fly fishing rods are now officially​ a valid choice of gear to use when Scouts are completing requirements for the
​Fly Fishing Merit Badge!

Matt will be at the Jamboree getting the SCOUT kids fishing rods rigged up and spending a few days fishing with Scouts as the Jamboree begins. Stay tuned to Badger Tenkara for updates as we make tenkara history, and introduce a record setting number of young anglers to tenkara!