Article by Steven McCaslin
Do you know that feeling when you’re at a public gathering and THAT person shows up? The whole space falls silent for a brief moment other than the mutters of, “Who invited this guy?”. Well, hey y’all, my name is Steven McCaslin. I am that guy. No, I don’t crash parties nor make situations awkward (well at least not too awkward I don’t think). Instead, I am a tenkara angler who has never casted a dry fly on my setup. In fact, I have never casted a nymph either. I am that guy that most of you might be wondering who invited me or how I got here.
Living in Texas my whole life with most of that time being in Central Texas, I have always been an avid fly fisherman and bird hunter. I usually spend my time wading Central Texas creeks and rivers in search of our unique native species, the Guadalupe bass and Rio Grande cichlid.
Earlier this year, I met Dorion Adams, the owner of Hill Country Tenkara, who really tried to talk me into tenkara fishing. After convincing me that he had rods capable of large streamers and handling big fish, I set out with a rod made with our Texas streams in mind. Yes, I throw small craw imitations in a style similar to nymphing to target the cichlids, and it has been a blast chasing them in a new way. Even better than that though, I have been having way too much fun throwing big lunch money flies at Guads and largemouth. Our Guadalupe bass are much more aggressive than largemouth for their size, so it has been insane chasing them with a fixed line!
My current goal is landing another native fish, the longnose gar. So now I’m throwing 6 inch flies made only with nylon rope, defiling tenkara fishing even more. I know I don’t fit into traditional tenkara, and if my non-traditional tactics upset you, just know it’s all Dorion’s fault!
Instead of being the most practical tactic for catching bass, tenkara has been a way to challenge myself in how I approach sneaking around the creeks. It has been so much fun challenging myself even more in this sport. I know I’m not like everyone else at the party, but I am just glad to be invited to join y’all in all the fun. I hope I can, if anything, encourage others to also get out in their local waters and chase fish in new, creative ways!
Steven McCaslin is an avid fly fisher and bird hunter who likes to carry around a camera. His goal is to encourage others to get outdoors by showing that amazing outdoor excursions can happen anywhere and at any budget through his Instagram: @streamsandskies.
This article originally appeared in the 2024 print issue of Tenkara Angler magazine.
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Always happy to see another warm water tenkara heather! Cheers from the east coast!!
That should read “Warm water tenkara heathen”
Thank you autocorrect! lol
Welcome Steven! My mind is now turning to Guadalupe bass… A long way from here in Wisconsin, but maybe someday… And you fit right in – since as tenkara anglers, all of us were probably at some time “that guy” or gal who crashed a traditional fly fishing party, with our weird fixed line set up.
“Welcome to the party pal”- John McClane