Tenkara Trip in WNC

[Ryan Tucker]

I took my Iwana 11 out last week and had a great day. I landed 21 fish. A 18', 16', 15' and 11' the rest were split evenly between 5-6' and 7-9' fish. One brook which got off the hook before we could get a pic and 2 brown with the balance being bows. It was a great day. It rained all day long though. I was impressed with the way the Iwana handled the larger fish.

I drove up late and slept in my Outback. I am a little long for it, but I have some ideas about creating some extra space. I used my backpacking gear to make a cup of coffee and heat some water for bacon and eggs meal I have had for almost a year.

I never really thought about catching larger fish on my Iwana. I will have to invest in a net so I don't have to handle them so much. I split my time between wild streams where the best fish I caught was a 9.5 inch brown and delayed harvest streams which is where I caught the larger fish.

[Phillip Asby]

You caught some nice looking fish!

[Ryan Tucker]

Heading back tomorrow. Hope to have a bit more luck. I picked a net up this week. It isn't a lightweight option but my backpacking rig is just a neck lanyard with a small fly box. I take a bit more gear when I am fishing out of the car.

[Ryan Tucker]

Much slower today. I fished a higher elevation targeting brookies. Only caught 3 before moving lower to catch 3 supported bows and managed a decent 14 inch 1 minute before I had to leave to head home.

[Adam Klags]

Great pics, especially the underwater brookie! Iwana can handle plenty big fish, I've found it to be a great "all around rod"…

I tend to fish for Brookies on a 7'8" Nissin seiryu rod, but its smart to have the stiffer rod out for the bigger ones! Have you ever tried nissin rods? They are much more fun to cast than the Iwana. I love TUSA, but at the same time, its worth fishing with some Japanese rods, they have different flex and feel.

[Ryan Tucker]

I have only fished with my Iwana, before I was a western rod guy. I enjoy the simplicity of Tenkara, but haven't gotten into anything other than just catching brookies in Montana and now the fish (some wild/some delayed harvest stockers) in NC. I have thought about a second rod mainly because its a 3 hour drive to the fish and if I had a technical issue I would hate to have to pack up and go home. I can't take credit for the underwater photo that was a friend. All I got is my iPhone.

[Greg Mihalik]

"I have thought about a second rod mainly because its a 3 hour drive to the fish and if I had a technical issue I would hate to have to pack up and go home."

Oh, yes! You definitely need another rod. Maybe two. Don't hesitate. Order Today!

:-)

(Disclosure: I have to confess to owning many rods.)

[Ryan Tucker]

This is true, but I need so many other things. :)

[Adam Klags]

If you opt for a second rod and you like to fish for brookies (so they are bit smaller) you might really have fun with a more sensitive rod. Smaller more flexible rods make up for the size of the fish :)

Just switch to 7x tippet and you'll be totally fine. Take a look at the nissin air stage 290 and the suntech kurenai HM30R, both great rods for smaller fish.

[Ryan Tucker]

In an attempt to go with something that is multi use I have been contemplating a Rhodo so I can use it in the high streams and also teach my 8 year old daughter with a 8 foot level line attached. I saw on the Tenkara Bum sight that there is a Nissin that is for kids as well. I have been very satisfied with Tenkara USA in the 5 years I have fished my Iwana. The Nissin look great though.

[Adam Klags]

"I have been very satisfied with Tenkara USA in the 5 years I have fished my Iwana."

Sure, nothing to be unhappy about… UNTIL you try the Japanese rods, that is. I really like and respect Daniel and TUSA, so in no way is this meant as a knock against them, especially because the Rhodo and Sato are much more "tenkara" than the Iwana is, and I think they are absolutely moving in the "right" direction. I used to have 2 Iwanas, now I just have one for "back up."

I've been to Japan to fish Tenkara with some of the guys over there… they don't all use rods with cork grips and they like to use rods that may be categorized as Keiryu for Tenkara too. Just trust me when I say that none of us know shit about tenkara rods until we try a bunch of them. Its pretty amazing what else is out there.

My eyes were opened. The Iwana is a bit stiff. Its a great rod, and its a great "multi-use" and "do it all" rod, because you can take it on the "average" US river and catch and LAND fish. However, I'd want to point out that its not all that "tenkara" compared to many many other rods I've fished, in terms of its flex and overall feeling while fishing.

Nissin is just one example. Suntech is another. Daiwa is yet another. Don't be limited to cork grip rods either… I've found that my favorite rods tend to be classified as "keiryu" or "seiryu" rods that have no cork but tenkara action rather than stiffer or too light action.

I only use shorter rods where the cover is low, from your pics it looks like a 9-11 foot rod is not out of the question… don't be worried. Tenkara rods are insanely light, and just because they are long won't mean your daughter can't fish them. Just explain that its a very long magic wand :) The longer the rod and the shorter the line, the better your drift and the more you're going to focus on your skill and river-reading skills… all stuff you probably know already.

The key is to have a very sensitive rod tip for tenkara… which means, if you want bigger fish, you need a longer rod. If you "compromise" you'll end up with a rod that is stiff, and can land "big" fish. But what you really want is a proper balance in your rod, and where you use skill and the water to land your fish, not just a big rod that pulls however you want it to…

[Ryan Tucker]

Thanks for the info. You clearly no more than I about the topic.

[Ryan Tucker]

Today was a good day. Landed 20 or so with one decent 15 inch bow. I managed a bow, brown and Brookie in about a 10 minute window. Most fish were 10-12 inches. Went high late and caught a few bows on a elk caddis. It is raining now but hope it is decent again tomorrow.

[Ryan Tucker]

Shoulder to shoulder on the delayed harvest I chose at 10:30 this morning. I did manage several decent fish before the crowd showed up.

This was the best fish today.

Once it got crowded I went up high and fished for hours withouts seeing another soul. Mostly tiny fish, but it was fun they were hammering elk caddis and parachute adams.

This guy was 7 1/2 inches the best wild I caught today. He also rose out of the water to hit the PA.

This was yesterdays best fish. He was a fun fight…

Managed to get in a couple of hours of wild brookie fishing Easter night. Caught a few tiny brookies and this guy.

[Adam Klags]

Dude, excellent fish there. The second little wild brown has really beautiful markings. I've caught one like that in CT before.

See those fish would be SO fun to catch on a little rod like the Nissin Airstage 240 or the suntech kurenai. But it matters not for the success of catching fish, and you clearly are doing well!

What a beautiful little stream it is up high too… you ever tried an ausable bomber out there? I wonder if it works magic for the wild trout the way it does out east :)

[Ryan Tucker]

I normally throw caddis and pa's at the wild stuff. In a deep pool I will run a nymph through from time to time. Later in the summer I will float insects as well.

On the delayed harvest stuff I normally use san juan worms. I caught everything on that today and most of the delayed catches yesterday. Sometimes I will use eggs and other nymphs with a san juan trailing. People also use wooly boogers and jig them but I haven't had much luck with that tactic. June 1 delayed harvest becomes put and take and the big easy fish are gone till fall when they restock. I am trying to hit the delayed harvest stuff early before the crowds arrive so I can fight bigger fish then I try to drift to a secluded wild stream and chase trophy fish that are in the 10 inch range.

I fished a very technical wild stream yesterday a bit. The fish see a ton of pressure. I managed two decent bows. You really have to be on your game there, but it was fun and frustrating. :)

[Ryan Tucker]

That 2nd wild trout is a brown? I thought it was a bow because of the light pink stripe. The larger black patches were unique to me though.

[Adam Klags]

Yeah could be, its so hard for me to tell when they're young. Totally could be a bow too!

The brookie stream looks epic. PERFECT tenkara water! Nice pics there too.

[Ryan Tucker]

Got my Rhodo this week. Took my daughter out to a local pond and she caught her first Tenkara fish. When I took it off the hook she asked if it was a brown or rainbow? :) Caught several brim and I am looking forward to trying the rhodo on some wild trout I can see the improvement in entertainment fighting fish with it.

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