It’s time once more for the annual Tenkara Angler holiday gift guide! We reached out to all of our favorite tenkara, fixed line, and outdoors brands looking for their top picks and deals for this holiday season. Luckily (for all of us), most of them replied with some wonderful ideas that are sure to make either yourself, or the tenkara angler in your life very happy!
Don’t miss the highlighted deals and coupon codes for additional limited-time savings!
(Note: all discounts and coupon codes have been provided by the brands listed in this article. Tenkara Angler does not take responsibility for price discrepancies or expired coupons.)
DRAGONtail Tenkara
Moonlit ML062 Barbless Hook: This is Brent Auger’s favorite hook for sakasa kebari fly tying. It has an excellent curved shape that is easy to tie on and the forged standard wire has great strength without the bulk, plus it is extra sharp. Plus, DRAGONtail Tenkara and Moonlit Fly Fishing are part of the same company, so when you buy Moonlit hooks you are supporting a hook company that helps grow the tenkara community and tenkara product options. MSRP $5.29/25 hooks
NIRVANA Mitten Scissor Clamp Extra-Small: This is the perfect stocking stuffer and on sale at an awesome price. The Extra-Small size is perfect for any minimalist tenkara pack, taking up very little space and can clamp onto anything so you don’t need a lanyard. This is what Brent carries on his pack. MSRP $16.99, now $9.99
Shadowfire 365 Tenkara Rod: If you are looking for a rod to get a loved one or a friend into tenkara fishing, the Shadowfire tenkara rod is a fantastic all-around rod that they will not grow out of anytime soon. The performance of this rod goes well beyond its price but it is an excellent affordable option. MSRP $85
Special holiday discount of 15% at DRAGONtail Tenkara with coupon code ta15 now through Christmas for all Tenkara Angler readers.
ikari
ikari is as a series of fishing and biking accessories for your outdoor adventures. Made to order in Brevard, North Carolina, they are ideal for small stream fly fishing, tenkara, backpacking, and biking. Save 10% off your purchase using coupon code TENKARAANGLER.
ikari C: Multi-purpose bracket that attaches to your bike’s water bottle mounts using 2 bolts included. It is designed to hold fishing rods (esp. tenkara rod tubes), but also hold a bear spray canisters, water filters, pumps, snacks, beer cans, and more. MSRP $40
ikari L: Feature-packed flagship version of ikari. The lid is attached via magnets and the container pierced with a removable paracord. It can be used for attaching additional spools of line and tippet and can be used for carrying. Brass toggle-stop adjusts the cord. ikari L comes in two color options: cherry or black. Acrylic or wood+leather lid upgrades can be chosen as an option as well. MSRP $125+
ikari M: Pocket-size option of ikari with a singular magnetic fly chamber and 2 line spools. It features the ikari Clip System and can be accompanied by included ikari Rod Clip (zip ties included) that also can be used as a temporary line spool. It comes in two color options: cherry and black. Acrylic lid upgrade can be chosen as an option as well. MSRP $55+
Red Brook Tenkara
Ranger Backcountry Tenkara Rod: Red Brook’s backcountry adventure rod for recon on smaller, tighter streams and rivers. Ideal for thin blue lines on topo maps where fishing is all about the adventure, chasing wild brook trout, and less about crowds and stocked fish. Available as a rod, or as a complete starter kit. MSRP $144.99, now $130
Lucky 13 Fly Assortment with Fly Box: Red Brook Tenkara’s 13 favorite flies included in a slim silicone lined fly box. A great selection for a successful day on the water. MSRP $29.99, now $25
Royal Gorge Anglers / Paul Vertrees
Tactical Tenkara Nymphing Line (TTN): A purpose-driven tenkara nymphing line, the TTN line takes advantage of a weight-forward taper to ensure smooth, efficient casting of weighted nymph rigs. The TTN line has been tested on small streams and larger rivers from Colorado to Alaska. Unique light-gathering “Depth Dots” along the length of the line provide hi-vis depth indicators, and used in conjunction with the sectional color transitions, give the angler enhanced visibility of the line on the water, and the ability to accurately control the depth of the nymph rig, getting it in the “zone”. The low-memory fluorocarbon line material has great sectional density, and gets your nymphs down fast! MSRP $29.95
Tenkara Weight Forward Floating Line (TFL): The new and improved TFL features an even smaller diameter zero stretch core, and non-PVC super durable outer coating in a stealthy olive green color, that makes this line float like a cork. It comes with an inline hi-vis sighter which tapers down to a transparent monofilament tip section, ending with a stainless steel tippet ring with a low-vis black nickel finish. All transition points along the line feature a streamlined coating. For use with mid-flex (6:4) or tip-flex (7:3) tenkara rods. Effective for tenkara fishing in windy conditions. Great for casting dry flies, terrestrials, or dry-dropper rigs. MSRP $29.95
Backcountry Tenkara Guided Trips: Royal Gorge Anglers’ tenkara guide, Paul Vertrees, specializes in backcountry trips in the canyons of Colorado’s southern Rocky Mountains, with a focus on small water effectiveness with fixed-line fishing. Paul can accommodate a wide range of experience levels, ranging from anglers who are just starting out with tenkara, to experienced tenkara anglers who are looking for new backcountry adventures. Your personalized trip can cover everything from traditional Japanese methods and fly patterns to cutting-edge American tenkara techniques such as nymphing, “matching the hatch”, and terrestrials to name a few.
Tenkara Adventure Outfitters / river peak
20% off all TAO branded tenkara rods: From the UNC and WISCO models, to the more traditional Classic models, Tenkara Adventure Outfitters has a rod for you. Incredible performance at awesome prices.
river peak Kiwami: Looking for a more traditional tenkara rod straight from Japan? You wont get any better then the Kiwami. The Kiwami is very lightweight and well balanced in the hand. It has been designed to match the traditional feel of a bamboo Tenkara rod. If you want a finesse rod that can offer a delicate presentation this is the rod for you! Comes with a free spool of #3.0 Yamatoyo line with every purchase. MSRP $188-198
$5.00 off select Yamatoyo level lines: Get 50m of high quality fluorocarbon Japanese level line at an excellent price. MSRP $18.49, now $13.49
TenkaraBum
TenkaraBum.com has held a Black Friday / Cyber Monday sale most years, but it has usually been pretty limited. This year Chris has decided to have a Thanksgiving Sale – giving thanks to everyone who has helped make TenkaraBum.com successful over the years.
Starting Wednesday, November 24th, all rods will be 15% off. Tenkara, keiryu, seiryu, tanago – every one. No coupon code will be required. The discount will be applied automatically. The sale price will be good only for rods that are in stock while the sale is on.
Other than the Daiwa Hinata tanago rods, all the rods on sale were made in Japan. Tenkara is Japanese. Shouldn’t your rod be?
Tenkara USA
Complete Ito Tenkara Rod Set: The Ito is a true delight to fish on any open mountain stream. It is Tenkara USA’s longest zoom rod, with the lightest possible feel, making it an excellent recommendation for larger rivers and ponds. The innovative “zoom” function offers versatility by allowing the rod to be fished at two different lengths, 13ft and 14ft 7in. Pair it with the starter kit, and you’re all set! MSRP $310, now $245
Complete Hane Tenkara Rod Set: The Hane is a super compact all-around tenkara rod that will quickly become your favorite adventure rod. It is the perfect rod to include on a hiking, biking, or climbing adventure when you might encounter water to fish. Measuring just under 15 inches when collapsed but extending to 10ft 10in (330cm), the Hane fits nicely inside a small day pack. Along with the starter kit, it makes a great gift for the novice or experienced tenkara angler. MSRP $210, now $175
Tenkara Kit: On your way out the door, grab your tenkara rod and this kit bag, and you’re ready to go. Just add a tenkara rod, fishing license, and water! This starter kit comes in a custom mesh bag and contains all the essentials to start tenkara fishing: Nylon Tapered Line, the Keeper™, 3 flies, tippet, forceps, nippers, and an instructional booklet. All you need for tenkara fly-fishing is right here. MSRP $50
In addition, Tenkara USA is having a sale from the 20th of November until the 1st of December – nearly 30% off on most Tenkara USA rods and other items throughout tenkarausa.com.
Tenkara Rod Co.
Yari Tenkara Rod: Originally Tenkara Rod Co. only made a limited quantity of the Yari. But they set aside a few dozen of this “Made in Japan” rod for the holidays. They just put some in stock and TA readers are some of the first to be able to grab one before they are gone, for now. MSRP $325
Tenkara Rod Co. x Trailwaters hip pack: Tenkara Rod Co. teamed up with a new company called Trailwaters to create their ideal hip pack. Not too big, not too small. They have actually been fishing with them for the last 6 months and have been really impressed with the quality, small attention to details, and the usefulness of them. MSRP $79
Additionally, Tenkara Rod Co. is running a large holiday sale. They have many discounted products currently on the site. In addition, use coupon code bf21 for 20% off sitewide!
Trout Buddy Driftless Guides
Mike Warren’s Trout Buddy Driftless Guides service out of the Driftless Area of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa has been operating guided tenkara & fixed line fly fishing trips since 2014 and is Tenkara USA certified. His expertise on the local waters will certainly shorten the learning curve for any new (or seasoned) tenkara angler. Contact Mike though his website troutbuddy.com.
TYROAM
I don’t buy a lot of kebari, but when I do, I usually buy them from Tyrone Espinoza at TYROAM. Why? Decades of fly tying experience along with pride of craftsmanship are applied to each and every fly pattern while only superior materials (e.g. Firehole Outdoors hooks & tungsten beads, Whiting Farms hackle, etc… ) are used. Check out Ty’s wading staffs as well, they are functional pieces of art.
Special 10% discount in appreciation for Tenkara Angler valid through March 30, 2022. Use Shop Coupon Code: TA2021
VEDAVOO
Vedavoo packs, bags, and gear are proudly (and sustainably) made in the USA. This tenkara-friendly manufacturer suggested three models – the Tightlines Sling, Hip Pack, and Sidekick Shoulder Bag – as items that would complement any angler on stream. Scott (the founder) also wanted everybody to know that while not listed on the website, tenkara rod holding loops can be added on the Tightlines sling by request, a modificaiton I have on my personal pack.
Wasatch Tenkara Rods
If you’re looking for a beefy, almost unbreakable fixed line rod, the Daikyu T-Hunter from Wasatch Tenkara might just be the rod for you. Instead of trying to go lighter, Ruben Garza, being a quality assurance & operations manager for most of his career, focused on adding reinforced carbon fiber and maximizing balance. Whatever he did it must have worked as evidenced by the impressive steelhead brought to hand by one of his customers. MSRP $185
Wasatch Tenkara has kindly provided a coupon code for all Tenkara Angler readers!
Save 10% off your purchase at their website using code tenkaraangler10
Zen Tenkara
All Purpose Floating Tenkara Lines (Available in 6 lengths): Super light and easy to cast these lines are pure pleasure. They can be fished “traditional tenkara style” (off the water) or be laid on the surface. Built-in connection loops, tippet ring and hi-vis, bright orange sighter section for great visibility.
New Fusion Tenkara Lines (Available in 3 Grain Weights & Diameters): Zen Fusion Line Series blends the best of both worlds – the casting in regular fly fishing with the simplicity of tenkara. These silky, smooth lines are so intuitive and lay out beautifully. Light and Mid-Weight come in 3 lengths and will cast on most brand rods. Big comes in 2 lengths and is designed for the Zen Kyojin and Zen Sumeinka or other big fish rods.
Zen Tenkara Handcrafted Wood Line Holder (Available in 2 Sizes): Store your line on and off the rod with a functional piece of art. The Large holds long or thicker lines and the Small is our traditional line holder. With an adjustable Velcro strap for a secure fit, rod pads on the bottom to protect your rod’s finish and a foam fly pad on top to hold your fly, these are designed smart and look great.
In addition, Zen Tenkara will be running two big promos – Black Friday’s 30% off all rods + Free Shipping $99+ and Cyber Monday’s 20% entire site + Free Shipping $49+. But if you happen to miss those, fear not. Zen is also extending 10% off coupon code TA10 to Tenkara Angler readers through January 3rd, 2022.
Tenkara Angler
Oops, almost forgot to mention that we sell some Tenkara Angler logo gear as well. The easiest place to find it is on Amazon (t-shirts), or Spreadshirt (stickers and other miscellany). So if you’re interested in repping the Tenkara Angler brand, we’ve literally got you covered!
Last, but not least…
Finally, (and unfortunately), not all of the brands that Tenkara Angler reached out to had time to reply by our gift guide submission deadline. However, we still encourage you to pay some of these favorites a visit, as you never know what sort of last minute deals or offers they may be running.
Discover Tenkara | Riverworks | Tanuki | Team Oni USA | Tenkara Guides, LLC | Tenkara Path | Tiny Tenkara | Yonah Packs | ZimmerBuilt
Oh, and should you find a deal or two that we didn’t mention, please feel free to mention them in the comments section below!
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Thank you all so much for this!
I just wanted to give a plug to Wasatch Tenkara Rods sister company, Utah Tenkara Guide.
We started during the pandemic, because we were looking for a way to teach people and help them connect with this awesome style of fishing.
We specialize in helping people get out on the water, and teaching them that one doesn’t need to overcomplicate things to catch fish.
While we primarily utilize WTR rods, we prefer a client bring his/her own, as that is what they will be using when they leave us.
Since our inception we have taught over 100 people from all across the US. We have bookings going into next year, but are offering a 20% discount if you contact us between now and the new year for a 2022 booking!
http://www.utahtenkara.com
Email: nathan@utahtenkara.com