The Ebira is a rod quiver for tenkara fly rods such as Tenkara USA rods and the Backpacking Light Hane. It features a removable pocket to hold a fly box and tippet spools that can be accessed without taking the quiver off. “Ebira” means “quiver” in Japanese and while they were traditionally worn over the left shoulder, this Ebira can be converted to both right and left handed use. To learn more about the Ebira, visit the Ebira page in the gear store.
After my recent blog post on how to tie the balloon caddis, a lot of people emailed me asking if they could buy them somewhere because they don’t tie. Today, I’m happy to announce that the Balloon Caddis is in the gear shop. For now, I’ve only got it in size #10 (which is a great prospecting size that mimics hoppers, large caddis, and stoneflies). I’ll soon be adding a #14 size. Between the two, I think this fly offers a very multi-purpose pattern allowing backpacking fly fishers to carry less and do more.
A while back, I wrote about a simple fly fishing setup for backpacking. As fly fishers, we have an intrinsic advantage when it comes fishing on overnight and multi-day backpacking trips. Unlike other styles of fishing, we aren’t condemned to carrying heavy, bulky tackle like spinning reels, weighted lures, etc. However, fly fishers also tend to be gear addicts and it’s easy to convince ourselves that we have to have every fly and gadget in the book in order to be prepared for every contingency. I once knew a fisherman that carried every fly pattern he owned all year round (even flies that wouldn’t be hatching for another 2 months). This might not be such a big deal when your just out for the day, but when you’re on the trail, weight and bulk are more critical since you have to carry everything on your back. Here are 5 things you can do to lighten up your backcountry fly fishing gear, and still catch fish! [click to continue…]
Many of us who have fished Trico hatches probably have a love-hate relationship with them. These notoriously prolific hatches bring a lot of fish to the surface but it can be impossible to pick out your #22 imitation from the thousands of others on the surface. A fish could strike your fly and you wouldn’t even know it because there are so many rises surrounding it. Probably many of us have wished we could fish a larger, easier-to-see pattern that we could distinguish from the mayhem during these exciting hatches. This led some people to design double and triple Trico patterns that were a littler easier to see, but were unrealistic because of the way they are tied in perfect alignment (trunk-to-tail so to speak). After years of observation, I had an epiphany that led to the creation of the Traffic Jam. [click to continue…]
If you’ve ever wondered what to do with your Tenkara line when you collapse your rod to move from spot to spot, here’s a simple, cheap DIY solution that might work for you. BTW, if you’re not fond of the red color, the Fuji EZ Keepers are also available in orange, blue, purple, and black. I prefer red or orange just in case the O-ring fails and I drop one in the field (it will be easier to find and the O-rings are cheap to replace). Let me know what you think.
Anyone who has fished on a backpacking trip and retired to your tent for the night has probably had a thought lurking in the back of their mind before drifting off to sleep: Am I going to end up as bear dinner? Luckily, this biodegradable soap takes the fish smell off your hands so you can sleep easy. In this video, I who you how I repackage it so that you don’t have to take the whole bar (which would be overkill on an overnighter or shorter backpacking trip).
To a Western fly angler who is used to a nail knot or handshake connection (loop to loop) to connect their leader to their fly line, connecting a Tenkara fly line to the rod can seem a bit baffling. Here’s a quick demonstration on how to connect a Tenkara fly line to your new Tenkara fly rod.
The Balloon Caddis is one of my favorite all-time caddis flies. It’s versatile, durable, and easy to tie. This innovative pattern designed by Austrian fly fishing mogul Roman Moser (one of my fly tying heroes) belongs in every fly box (especially for the backpacking angler).
Materials
Hook: Partridge Mike Weaver Arrowpoint #12 – #18 (substitute any standard dry fly hook) Thread: 8/0 UNI Thread (color of choice) Abdomen: Antron/Rabbit Blend (color of choice) Thorax: Same as abdomen (variation: peacock herl) Balloon Head: Closed cell foam (original pattern calls for yellow but any color could be used)
The Balloon Caddis can be fished in either an upstream or downstream dead drift presentation just as you might fish an Elk Hair Caddis or any other dry Caddis pattern. But during a hatch, when trout are competitively chasing pupae, it’s most effective to skate it across the surface. Position yourself as if you were swinging a wet fly downstream. Cast at a 45 degree angle to the fish you’re presenting to, let it dead drift until the leader is taut, then start lifting the rod while slightly wiggling the tip back and forth such that the Balloon Caddis “dances” upstream in short, jerky skips. Be prepared for a hard strike as enticed trout won’t want to let your fly get away.
Anyone thinking about getting into Tenkara fishing should visit Tenkara Bum. Chris Stewart has put together one of the most extensive collections of information on Tenkara gear and techniques in the English language (no Kanji required!). As an early adopter of Tenkara fly fishing, his in-depth reviews will not only help you decide which rod to get, but also give you some great tips on technique and flies along the way. Every page of the Tenkara Bum site exudes Chris’s experience and it’s all delivered in a down-to-earth writing style that is in harmony with the natural simplicity of Tenkara style. Be careful though: Chris’s passion for Tenkara rods is contagious and just might cause you to spend all of your hard-earned money acquiring the entire Tenkara USA lineup leaving you on the streets (or, in this case, the banks?).
For those of you who couldn’t go fishing today, here’s a little Tenkara porn. At 1:57 you’ll see one method I use to store my like when moving between spots where it might be brushy. Sometimes, I wrap it around the rod instead. What do you do with your line when you have to move between spots?
