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An Introduction to Simple Fly Fishing
"The lesson that we learn from fishing with a tenkara rod is that we shouldn't fear that a simpler life will be an impoverished life. Rather, simplicity leads to a richer and more satisfying way of fishing - and more importantly, living." - Yvon Choiunard
By Yvon Chouinard
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Since the fifteenth century, every nuance of fly fishing has been written about in the utmost detail, leaving us to endlessly reinvent what has already been discovered. A tiny change on a classic fly and the 'inventor" gets to name it after himself and collect a dime for each one sold. Many of the books on technique are like business books where a minor theory is spread out over three hundred pages, when all it really merits is a magazine article.
Heaven knows we fly fishers are suckers for every new gizmo we think will give us a leg up on catching fish. We wear vests with twenty pockets and waders with even more storage. And as if that isn't enough, we have lanyards, waist packs, and backpacks to carry even more impedimenta. Hundreds of fly lines are now available to us, yet I seriously doubt you will catch one more trout with a line fine-tuned to the conditions than with a classic double taper. The no-nonsense fly fisher Rob Brown, from Terrace, British Columbia, looking over a steelheader's array of fly boxes filled with hundreds of garish flies, said it best when he asked, "When did the green-butt stop working for you?"
I would offer that this proliferation of gear is supported by busy people who lack for nothing in their lives except time. Our "time-saving" communication devices, like tablets and smartphones, make slaves of their owners. We are unwilling, or unable, to put in the 10,000 hours needed to become a master fisher, hunter, or mountain climber. Instead, we load up with all the latest stuff and hire guides to do everything for us - including tying on the fly and releasing the fish. The guides have become enablers rather than teachers. How many bonefish would average anglers catch if they had to work out the tides and wade and spot fish themselves instead of waiting for a guide to bark, "ten o'clock, forty-foot cast now! Wait . . . strip . . . strip"? The guides leave clients so unsure of themselves that they think there must be some secret, unattainable knowledge that only the guide possesses.
As author Sheridan Anderson says in The Curtis Creek Manifesto, the objective of fishing is to catch fish, but in the pursuit of the catch you will gain so much more. The higher purpose of practicing a sport such as fly fishing, hunting or mountain climbing is to affect a spiritual and physical gain. But if the process is compromised, there is no transformation.
ARTICLE OUTLINE
Introduction
The Day I Learned to Kayak
THE TENKARA ROD
# WORDS: 2030
# PHOTOS: 4
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Yvon Chouinard is an American mountain climber, environmentalist, passionate activist, itinerant adventurer and iconoclastic outdoor industry businessman. His company, Patagonia, which was founded in 1973, is known for its environmental and social initiatives. Chouinard is also an avid surfer, skier, kayaker, gardener and falconer and is particularly fond of Tenkara fly-fishing. He has written about climbing issues and ethics and on mixing environmentalism with business.
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"I would love to add Tenkara fishing to my backpacking experience but I'm kind of afraid to just buy a rod and try it on my own."
Don't be. That's exactly what I did, though I did watch a few youtube videos. I hadn't fly fished since I was 15, and that was with (and for) very heavy stuff in Salt Water, so opposite end of the spectrum. "Tenkara Classes" might be a bit of an oxymoron, though there is a chance of them being fun I guess. I'd say get the rod, a level line, some tippet, and a few flies and then just do it. It you aren't able to do a decent presentation with a Tenkara rod with 1/2 hours practice I will eat my nippers. After that its not that much about the pure mechanics, but what you do with it. Beyond the techniques to actually catch specific fish in certain areas, the actual Tenkara-specific parts are pretty rudimentary, and I would try it first for a while before worrying about whether you are doing it "right". But there is one caveat some people have made – that if you are already a serious flyfisherman you may need to UNLEARN some stuff. LOL
"So I was wondering if there are any classes or tutorials in the Bay area region that I can attend."
Post that question on the TenkaraUSA.com Forums . Chances are good you can find someone to go out with.
That said… if you already fish – know where to find them and how to trick them – you can learn all you need to know from the TUSA site about rigging, casting, and flys.
If you Don't fish and you need to learn about fish behavior, holds, etc., start with the Curtis Creek Manifesto and ignore the advise about "smart fish" and the need for a gazillion flys, and read it before seeking classes.
Learning how to find fish is Way more difficult than learning a technique like tenkara. There is a program in Seattle where they take middle school kids to a "fish rich" spot, hand them a tenkara rod, and say "Do it." Almost every kid catches a fish.
And if you are interested in learning traditional tenkara, don't bother ordering "Simple Fly Fishing". That book should be titled "Yvon's Technique of Fishing".
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