Tenkara – yes or no

Give Tenkara a shot.

Low cost of entry and potentially a high return on investment. I absolutely love my Iwana 12'er for the intermountain west's alpine lakes and streams.

Tenkara…Just do it!

Tenkara is awesome. What rod were you using by the way? Many companies have astounding return policies. Aside from the obvious no reel, tenkara is slightly different from western fishing, yet very enjoyable.

Tenkara is fun and ideally suited to backpacking. I recommend giving it a try. The Fountainhead Caddis Fly rods are an inexpensive way to try it out. That said if you are used to using a rod and reel you may want to replace the rod as well.

Rivers or lakes?
Stealth or distance?
Romance or efficiency?
Windy or calm?
Mostly dry flys or wet?

Tenkara is very effective for upstream euro nymphing or swinging wets, but a challenge on still water.
With 25' of "reach" stealth becomes critical.
Aside from hatches, I typically out fish traditional. (But I'm still learning, so we'll see…)
Tenkara in a wind (>10) is difficult. You are casting "leader" not heavy fly line.
Drys in the foam are fun. Drys in the film becomes a challenge due to proximity.

Spend a $200 and see if you like it. You can get by will less, but as an experienced fisher, you will appreciate a good rod.

I did not fish much when I backpacked in the past because I usually don't have a lot of time to fish. The weight, size and fiddly aspect of fishing had me leaving everything home when backpacking.

Tenkara changed that. It is lighter and less fiddly than with a reel.

I use one of the systems where I leave the line and fly setup so that I can fish during short breaks without having to setup the rig each time.

I switched over to Tenkara after struggling to find harmony with my western gear and have loved the simplicity, pack ability, and form that it has. I started out with the Fountainhead rods after reading a few good reviews and have been thoroughly satisfied with the quality and feel of both rods they offer. You can get into a setup for right around a $100 with a rod, lines and some flies.

http://tenkaraflyfish.webs.com/apps/webstore/products/show/1671933