Article by Rich Robinson
My final trout of 2022 was winkled out of Consols pool on the Stennack River, St. Ives, Cornwall, England – behind Hellesveor Methodist Church. I do not expect the tenkara method has ever been fished on this pond before but the size seemed perfect.
After many family holidays of walking by in both directions in and back out of town, I have never seen anyone fishing it, despite its location to one of the busiest tourists spots in the entire UK – not one soul ever with a fishy looking sniff around them. If tenkara has only been on the English scene about 14 years I do really doubt anyone one has or will do, for at least for a few more seasons.
Having made my wife and son briefly stop on a yearly basis, I would gaze over this pool thinking, “A week off work – looking forward to good food, plenty of booze, and chill on the beach… but NEXT year, I must bring a fly rod for a few casts…”
This year the prophecy was fulfilled.
My wife and I walked the mere 30 yards from our Airbnb at Tom’s Yard around 9am on a dull, warm morning with a 30-minute self imposed curfew. I had already strung up my Tenkara Rod Co. 10 foot Beartooth slightly tipsy (well, very tipsy if truth be told) the night before with a self tied size 14 claret bodied F fly. Simple claret seal, bushy dubbing body, and sparse CDC wing. Claret thread and a barbless Tiemco 14 hook.
My very first cast saw a quick flick of rejection but my pulse very much quickened as at least ‘something’ moved beneath. A large minnow? Years of anticipation of catching anything here had already made my mouth dry. Almost nervous. A couple of false casts, a full laid out level line soon saw a small but bright rudd flipping and splishing on my second landed cast. Upturned bottom lip, golden hue and bright orange-red fins.
With her returned, I glanced up and paused a while. The odd tiny rise I probably didn’t notice previously when unspooling the tipsylyly {hic!} tied leader when I wasn’t even fully stationary.
A few false casts to dry the F fly, I landed her just a few feet to the right of a pimple rise. The moment the fly landed the line went taught and a slightly more boisterous tugging. My initial thought was a bigger rudd; the pool of this river was probably stuffed full of them. Until the fish was closer and it was a lovely marked Cornish wild brown trout!
Job done. Executed far more quickly than I had imagined, but the years of just thinking about fishing the spot had created a zen like wormhole shortcut to glory. I was right. It looked a trouty pool on a river, not a mile from the sea, that contained trout. A light tenkara set up was just the ticket.
Even my wife was surprised when I spooled the tippet back and shimmied the rod down, cap plug inserted and back in the pack. “Done already?” she smiled. My grin told everything!
Next stop – find a pub open before 11am for a victory beer. Life was indeed like a song on pool on the River Stennack, with the last trout of 2022.
Note: Yes, the rudd did poop on me
Rich Robinson lives in Warrington, England. Discovered tenkara a few years ago online and never looked back! He’s planning on writing an extended pieces on tenkara in the English Lake District – Becks and Tarns. Life long Gierach fanboy!
This article originally appeared in the 2022-23 issue of Tenkara Angler magazine.
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