Fishing Questions

[David Gever]

I had my some success with my Tenkara rod last week, and caught my first 2 fish.

I had the whole river to my self, and found being on the move to really help. Is that a technique I should continue to use?

I also had a few fish go for my fly that I missed. What likely went wrong, and should I move on to the next hole after that happens?

[James Marco]

Well, there are two schools of thought about that. The first is you stand your ground and keep on casting. If the fish did not feel the hook, he may just assume he missed the fly as it took off. (Besides, you may simulate a "hatch" with enough casts.) Second is you might just as well move on. If he felt the hook/line, then you likely spooked him. He will usually take 30-60 minutes before he will settle down, again.

Moving on a stream? Yes. That's what I do. Carefully, with the sun at my flank or in my face, step, cast, step, cast, step cast, step, cast…into the hole or pocket. Sometimes it is only one or two steps. Sometimes it is ten or twelve. I try not to disturb the bottom. No rocks clunking, or loud splashes. Even the grate of gravel can be heard quite a distance, if there is no current noise to cover it.

[David Thomas]

To echo, in different words, James' thoughts:

Stay in one place and try different flies until something works (I have neither the patience nor the fly selection for that).

Or cast into a new hole a few times and move on. The few times I go "fishing" (mostly I go "catching"), I do that – move 50 meters and try again. It often happens that we'll get one or two fish on the first cast or two and then nothing "Oh, man, they got Fred!". So we move along and repeat in a different pool.

James: To the extent that sediment and scents move downriver, is it better to move upriver?

[Jenny A]

Congrats on your Tenkara setup and success!

I actually find that I miss quite a few fish, often because I just don't react quickly enough to subtle line movements, and sometimes because they have trashed my hook. (Maybe that's what I get for buying flies made in China….) I am still mastering the art of setting the hook at the right time in the right way instead of jerking it out of the fish's mouth. Tenkara is fun!

Your movement patterns probably depend on the water you are fishing. Bigger water = more places for fish to hang out, maybe fish one spot longer? Small water (beaver ponds, small creeks) = instant panic after one fish caught and all the fish scatter. Also, on smaller water I'll tend to walk upstream as I fish. If you can see fish hanging in clear water, they face upstream waiting for goodies to float down. I sneak up on them from behind/downriver and try to present the fly so it comes to them from in front/upriver. And sometimes you are limited in how you can present things so you just fish!

[Yuri R]

I prefer to move. If i don't see fish in the water or get bites, then i move around. Sometimes I would also switch flies based on my expectations of what kind/size of wish is in the water.

Also if there are any "Features" to the stream or river, then definitely work those. Fish likes to sit and wait behind bottlenecks where water with potential food is forced and where food would be taken by current and drag. Sometimes that can be behind a rock, a log, or in a slight dip after a bend. Fish likes to preserve energy and spend as little of it as possible, so it finds spots and situations where food is more likely to come to it instead of going out and searching for it.

[Adam Klags]

So the answer to your question about moving is definitely a personal thing, but I'll just share my experiences and perspective…

I find that most anglers like to camp out in one spot and fish a hole. This clearly works better on larger rivers and big water. Sometimes the fish are smarter, bigger, and the hatches on big water are definitely more specific. Feeding patterns are more erratic. Early morning and evening tend to be the best for this.

BUT if you are fishing tenkara, arguably the best water for tenkara is small streams.

When fishing small streams, trout tend, generally speaking, to be way easier to spook, and yet way less selective on what they eat.

A big meal is rare and they go for big insects, bigger flies than the average fisherman would guess, and they don't hesitate to slam your fly.

So I have found that moving up stream, being careful not to cast a shadow on the water, and by walking AS LITTLE in the water as physically possible (to disturb and scare less fish) the more you will catch.

Sometimes the fish are concentrated in one pool, yet two picture perfect pools above and below that will be practically empty. This happens to me all the time, and is one of the reasons I'm a huge proponent of walking up the stream fishing as you go. If I don't get a hit or hook a fish in a pool after 3 good casts to each lie, I move on. No sense in beating a dead horse.

Plunge pools and pocket water are the best for tenkara. Stand at the base of the pool, cast your fly up and into the waterfall/plunge, and let the water sink that fly. Use a bead head if you aren't a purist. Make sure the fly is really buggy and ugly, around size 12 or 14. Something like an ausable ugly is PERFECT for wild trout.

You can fish dead drift, or jerk the fly a few times to get attention. IT WORKS.

I've fished Tenkara in Japan and they never stand in one place fishing one hole, and in fact, they rarely change flies.

I use two flies in 99% of my fishing – Asuable ugly for under the surface, ausable bomber for surface fishing. And when they are rising but nothing else works, I throw on my third fly… the usual. The rest of the time I fish Kebari that I tie myself for fun, but the success rates are slightly lower :)

Tight lines and enjoy Tenkara. Feel free to pick my brain if you'd like, I spend WAY too much time fishing tenkara instead of doing what I "should" be doing.

[NJ Drew]

I cant speak to Tenkara fishing as I only "western" fly fish, but in general I agree with everyone else is saying. I jump from hole to hole with about 10 casts or so per hole. If I cast and miss I will give it a couple of more tries, then move on. If I sting a fish and it disrupts the water I just move on. The only exception to this would be rivers with heavy fish density. Fishing the South Fork in the Bob, you can catch a fish land it and hook-up again in the same spot on the next cast. It seems that there are so many fish that even if you spook 10 fish in that hole, there are 10 more that are willing to bite.

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