The elk were nearby, I could sense it. I had raced up in the dark to the high North
facing slope and was now creeping slowly through the dark timber. I was letting the cool musty smells of an
early September morning awaken my inner predator, when my olfactory senses
detected that barnyard odor indicating elk were imminent, and I had the correct
thermals. I picked out some nearby cover
and took a knee. Immediately, I heard
the snapping of twigs as large forms approached through the din. I felt some tension on the string as I
readied my mind, scrutinizing the lead cow for a potential shot. Suddenly, I was startled by a sharp bark as a
previously unseen cow to my right caught my wind. Elk exploded, seemingly in every direction,
as the panicked herd crashed away leaving my heart pounding loudly. The forest gradually returned to peaceful
silence. I sat there re-living what had
just happened and I realized a large smile was plastered across my face. Failure to connect, but a supreme success at
having such an opportunity.
Gradually, the cool of the morning began to melt
away by the rising midday sun into hot, dry, and dusty conditions. My brother and I had set up a bivy camp about
5 miles back in a South Colorado wilderness area, and I was dreading the 1-mile
trip back to camp. My belly was
grumbling, and all I had waiting there was yet another round of freeze dried
package meals. Unfolding my topo map, I decided on a route back to camp that
would take me through a new drainage to scout for potential elk sign along the
way. The draw had a grassy meadow that contained
a small stream running through the center, entering from a high, dark, wooded basin.
I eased closer to the two-foot-wide trench and
could see swirls, from what turned out to be cutthroat trout, darting from the
undercut banks. I was prepared. Backing off a few feet and taking a knee, I
took off my back quiver and extracted a 15-inch telescoping flyrod. In a under a minute, I had the elegant rod
extended and was flipping a cast into the center of the cool high meadow
stream. A surprisingly large form
immediately torpedoed from the murky depths. The stillness of the water erupted
into an explosive froth of white splashes.
In short order, I had a decent sized trout landed. I would eat what felt like the lunch of a
king that day. Catching three other nice
sized fish in about 20 more minutes, I had more than enough food for both my
brother and me. We returned to this stream a few more times over the week of
hunting, and we both caught several more meals. I now look back fondly upon the
fishing as a highlight to the hunting trip.
The gear I used, which was superbly suited for the ultra -light
backpacker hunter, was called Tenkara.
Tenkara is a Japanese method of fly fishing that
originated at least 200 years ago. Much like the bamboo longbow, Tenkara
is an extremely simple method of casting a fly and catching a fish. The
method was designed to catch Japanese trout in cold high mountain
streams. Tenkara’s popularity is expanding in fly fishing circles. Much akin to traditional bowhunting, the
technique historically emphasizes simplicity and the skill of the angler’s
presentation, over gear or complex fly patterns.
The rods were historically very long simple bamboo
poles, complete with a whippy soft tip. The long length allows precise
presentation of flies in small pools on narrow mountain streams without complex
casting techniques. Modern day Tenkara rods are telescopic carbon fiber
poles, from 11 - 15 feet long, with a short section of braided heavy line
connected directly to the rod tip. Here the tippet is connected above a
stopper knot with a simple hitch that can be quickly untied. There is no
reel, reel seat, or eyelets which allow the system to telescope down to tiny
lengths and diameters compared to other types of fishing gear. The handle
has a similar cork grip feel of a western fly rod, minus the reel
seat.
Traditional flies are tied in a simple
reverse-hackle wet fly design, but any fly can be used by the non-purist. The
traditional methods relied only on a few patterns or colors. The fly was used
both as a dry or wet, fished upstream or down, depending on the need. I typically carry a few extra of each style
in a small plastic tube container taking up minuscule space. I like to
keep my tippet and fly tied to the rod during travel and I simply wrap the line
around the cork handle after collapsing, but many keep a slim plastic disk
loaded with the line and fly ready to hitch onto the braided tip line.
The following concept would ignite horror on the
face of a fly fishing purist, but some have also been known to use the gear
effectively drifting live bait. Some may
find that appealing when the main goal is to quickly catch fish and resume the
hunting. My experiences however, are
that mountain trout are typically eager to take the fly.
The feather weight and long length of the system
allows precision control. The fly can be
“noodled” by dropping the fly straight down into a pool on a narrow stream using
the long length of the pole. If a longer tippet is used it can be cast easily to
lengths of over 30 feet. Though I find
it very difficult to use much more line than the length of the rod.
The casting technique for Tenkara is slightly
different than that of Western flyrods. Considered
a major flaw in American casting form, the wrist is flexed while keeping the
elbow close to the body. The grip is
such that the index finger rides extended atop the cork handle and allows the
fisherman to simply “point” to the target. A sharp flip of the wrist brings the
rods long length into play, and delivers the fly with surprising accuracy and
gentleness. The overall design of the rod system enables this technique. There are many fine videos available online
demonstrating this simple, but hard to describe maneuver.
Catching and landing a fish with Tenkara is fun -
with a capital F-U-N! The long and
lightweight rod with flexible tip is a blast.
Even small fish put up quite a fight, and I have caught largemouth bass
up to 3 pounds with my trout Tenkara.
Landing a fish when the line is longer than the rod can pose a challenge
that can be overcome by walking the fish backward onto land, or by grasping the
line and pulling the fish in carefully using hand over hand.
The Tenkara system is light-weight and
ready to fish in minutes. Mine weighs in
at only 3.5 Ounces, and is 15 inches long once collapsed. I don’t even know I am carrying it. A
traditional flyrod with reel is heavy and bulky in comparison. In my back quiver a Tenkara set-up rides much
like a thick arrow and does not interfere with anything for me. My
brother doesn’t use a back quiver and carries his rod in his day pack.
My rod came with a heavy duty protective screw top
tube that was great to protect the rod during flights in my checked baggage. I have seen new rods for sale on popular
auction sites for under $50, and high-end rods can go for upwards of $300. A
complete Tenkara kit including line and flies can be had for around $70.
The benefits of Tenkara for the ultra-light
backpacker are many. Eating freeze dried meals for every course can get
old quickly. Supplementing meals with freshly cooked trout that is smoked
over a crackling open hardwood fire, can boost the morale of the most
downtrodden elk hunter. If fishable streams or lakes are in your hunting area,
you may want to consider a fishing license and Tenkara.
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