Quick, name a kebari. Sakasa… Futsu… Jun… some might say Ishigaki, Takayama, Killer Kebari, or even the Red Ass Monkey. I doubt any of you mentioned the Ryuta kebari.
I received a Facebook message from my friend Giorgio Fattori last Thursday. It was a simple one, “I don’t remember if I have sent you this image. It’s a Ryuta Kebari; do you know it?”
Hmmm… well the appearance wasn’t super familiar. It certainly didn’t look like any of the kebari most people talk about when they bring up tenkara flies in discussion.
And then it clicked, Giorgio sent me some flies about a month ago; among the beautifully tied specimens were two Ryuta kebari! (We’ve mentioned Ryuta Okano in two articles, although not in this particular context.)
He followed up, “There is a Japanese angler who lives in Italy, he is my friend Ryuta Okano. His fly is very popular here in Italy, almost every tenkara angler have some Ryuta kebari in their fly box. I would like to understand if this fly is used in the States or not.”
Call me crazy, but I would guess this fly is not very popular in the United States. I wonder how many even know about it?
After doing a little more digging on Google, Giorgio was correct. There were tons of mentions of the Ryuta kebari, but they were all written in Italian and on Italian websites or found in Italian videos such as this. The lone example I could find in English was a citation in an interview with Uberto Calligarich by our friends at Discover Tenkara. (He gets into detail around 26:20 mark.)
Giorgio added, “You can use it on the surface of water when fish rise to insects. You can also let it go a couple of inches under the surface and animate the fly moving slightly the rod. If you hold the Ryuta kebari when it flows in the current you can stimulate the fish to bite. With the correct technique you can also make the fly go very deep in a pool.”
In any event, all of the above is why planning on adding the Ryuta kebari to my fly box this year. There’s nothing wrong with adding a little Japanese & Italian flavor to your fishing. Especially when Giorgio boasts about its versatility.
Why Don’t You Join Me?
Tie a few up with the help of this Materials List & Video:
- Size 12 or 14 dry fly hook, with straight shank
- Black sewing thread (thick to build body quickly)
- Orange or Red tying thread (head)
- Silver tinsel
- Brown rooster hackle
- White deer hair
After you do, show off your creation by tagging @tenkaraangler on your favorite social media. I’d certainly love to see your interpretations. Even better, I encourage you to fish them in your favorite waters too. For trout, bass, panfish, whatever strikes your fancy. Let’s see this unique kebari pattern catch fish all over the world!
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First Look at this pattern says – “Flying Ant” imitation.
Body bulges – tinsel for attention getting flash- wings ( yes thicker but providing wing silhouette and angler visibility) – red head.
Variations of this pattern go back 60+ years in my fly tying experience.
It definately Works.
Do you think of the royal coachman?
Yes, the RC does come to mind. If you look back in FF history you will see many anglers and tiers who believe that the Royal Coachman is a very visible version of an Ant pattern ( especially in the 14-20 size range, and don’t forget the size of carpenter Ants in the larger sizes).The Peacock when wet appears “ blackish” ( similar to an Ant body). And the silouette is Ant similar. And if you read articles by Jason Klass – you will see him explain that the colors red and blue are the two easiest colors a trout can see.
Remember that in ( relatively) sterile Mountain drainages the Trouts diet can be upwards of 80% terrestials due to the lack of headwater nutrients and biomass that limits( heavier) Mayfly/ caddis streamborne populations.
Whatever the fly mimics the fact that its easier for both the Trout and Angler to see is a winning combination.
Bottom line is it works and we’ll never really know for sure but it sure makes for some stimulating conservation.
Tight Lines!
I remember this fly! The late David Walker posted about it in 2017: https://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/showthread.php?57153-Ryuta-type-elk-hair-kebari
But since then, I haven’t heard of anyone using them here in the U.S. THanks for bringing this to light!
Ryuta fly is a wet fly, coachman is a dry fly. Personally, I like to cast and to fish with Ryuta kebari than with the Sakasa kebari. Casting with Ryuta fly feel much better