Tenkara – no – Oni — Masami Sakakibara’s World of Tenkara —

テンカラの道具

For Beginners

Tenkara Rods for Beginners

For those still learning the basics, we strongly encourage them to purchase

“strong” Tenkara rods.  Often times the kebari would catch a branch, rock,

etc. and many beginners tend to use force trying to remove it (never a good idea).

There are some high-end rods that are made specifically for delicate

techniques and are not for rough use.  Since many pick up Tenkara to fish in

smaller streams, we recommend 3.0~3.5m rods. Also, your casting will improve

faster, if you keep your casting line about the same length as the rod.

 

Level Line for Beginners

Anyone still learning to cast with level lines should use #4~#4.5.

Once your casting is accurate and you’re not having line trouble,

you can move down a size at a time.  Similar to other methods of

fishing, smaller lines give advantages such as; more gentle

presentation, less chance for fish to notice the line and reduction of

the line drag (back towards the tip of your rod). Nylon and taper

lines are also recommended, but nylon lines are difficult to

straighten out and taper lines are often too heavy.

 

Harisu for Beginners

You can use either nylon or fluorocarbon harisu.

Fluorocarbon is stronger and nylon is better for casting. Masami used to use

only the nylon, but today he uses both.  Remember to change the size of

harisu for size of kebari.

For example, 0.6 for #15 hooks, 1.2 for #8 hooks, 2 for #4 hook and such.

(All harisu size in Japan Specs.)

 

Kebari for Beginners

Masami uses mainly black, yellow, and brown patterns.

For those just getting started, you should have a wide selection of kebari/flies so

you gain experience.  More importantly, you will lose a lot of them from catching

things other than fish in the beginning.

The ultimate Tenkara experience though,  we believe comes from catching a fish

on a kebari made by yourself.

 

Basic casting form

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