Lefty Kreh on tenkara
The Hatch Magazine’ s Tom Sadler wrote an article about tenkara and Lefty Kreh’s thoughts on tenkara. We were excited to hear both a big name like Lefty (change his tune on “tenkara is just a fad“) on the same page we are and to see it in print. So much of what we do, as a guide service and fly shop, is to enable anglers to understand the possibilities of all gear and locations. To explore tenkara is to understand where it works and where it is not ideal; to understand what the traditional approach is and how you can alter it to fit your needs and desired results. There is no one tool that fits all in most sports and fishing is no different. Tim Patterson, owner of RIGS Fly Shop and Guide Service compares it to golf. “Although you could try and play the game of golf with just one club, there is a tool for each situation for a reason. Tenkara falls in the category of a pitching wedge or a putter – deep creeks and fast-moving small streams – it works great in those locations but will not make a long drive or take you salt’s flats fishing.”
Since the beginning of our involvement in tenkara in 2010, we have attempted to create alternatives and options that fit what we were looking to get out of this type of tool, with lines alternatives, fly deviations and pushing where it can work, creating a lot of fun for our clients and ourselves. Book a trip with RIGS to learn more about tenkara and nontraditional approaches to tenkara. Enjoy the read!
One of fly fishing’s greatest voices offers his thoughts on tenkara. by Tom Sadler
Last July at the International Fly Tackle Dealer show I had the chance to sit down with Lefty Kreh and talk tenkara. Visiting with Lefty is one of the great experiences in fly fishing. Despite all of his notoriety, he is generous with his time and a very entertaining raconteur. His wealth and breadth of fly fishing history and knowledge are astonishing.
As I sat chatting about tenkara with him, I was struck by his genuine interest in the method and how he sees it in the larger fly fishing world.
One fly? Maybe not.
We talked a bit about how tenkara has been both marketed and portrayed and it was clear that he doesn’t have a lot of patience with the “one fly only” crowd, a position we have in common. He suggested that the notion that a tenkara rod and one fly was always going to bring about a satisfying fly fishing experience was overblown.
“If someone buys one tenkara rod, uses only one fly, and doesn’t catch fish — they are going to be disappointed. Tenkara is a technique; you have to learn a procedure or technique and use it properly,” Kreh said.
A man’s got to know his limitations
He also was concerned that the tenkara style of fly fishing not be oversold. He pointed out there are limitations with tenkara, just as there are with any other type of fishing gear or approach. We all know it makes no sense to fish for brook trout in mountain streams with a Spey rod.
“I think we need to make people aware that there are limitations to tenkara just like any other kind of tackle,” he said……..Read More at the Hatch Magazine
