Tenkara Angler was “born” back in the Fall of 2015 as a bit of a publishing experiment. Meeting some success, it continued to plug along for several years after, following several peaks and valleys in tenkara’s popularity. One of those valleys eventually got too low, and a change was required.
Tenkara Angler as it exists today was created on May 21st, 2020. That was the day Jason Sparks joined the team, partnering with Matt Sment who came aboard only a few weeks earlier, and myself. The duo brought a new focus and enthusiasm to the now online publication. Previously feeling a bit burned out, I definitely welcomed the boost of energy and fresh ideas. The three of us have been off and running ever since, (with your help & support, of course!)
Today, a quick peek behind the scenes finds Matt perpetually scoping out leads on new gear and always thinking outside the box. The sheer quantity of business ideas and boundary pushing Matt brings to our team is endless. He definitely keeps our group chat lively. Matt is the spark behind Tenkara Angler finding ways to eventually scale. Introducing co-branded educational resources to the masses (the upcoming Wisconsin Tenkara Schools) being a recent example.
In parallel, Jason has thrived in his role of community engagement and outreach. Not only delighting many as our in-house “storyteller,” Jason’s been extremely keen to combine his role with Tenkara Angler with his stewardship of the Appalachian Tenkara Anglers Facebook group. This has created some really awesome grassroots opportunities, such as the recent TenkaraCamp in the North Carolina Smokies. Plus, Jason’s the creative force behind all of the cool designs in the Tenkara Angler merch stores found on Spreadshirt & Amazon.
It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with Matt & Jason over the past two years. I’ve been fortunate to not only get to know each a lot better than I previously did, but also find two partners and friends who are continuously pushing to make Tenkara Angler the best possible community-centric resource and sounding board for all of our fixed line friends. No small feat for something we all do in our “spare time.”
So Happy Anniversary guys, the last two years have been a ton of fun. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!
Do you have a story to tell? A photo to share? A fly recipe that’s too good to keep secret? If you would like to contribute content to Tenkara Angler, click HERE for more details.