Article by Mike Graham
2023 was the first year I dedicated the majority of my fishing time to tenkara since picking it up a few years ago. I’ve always kept a tenkara rod on hand since starting, no matter if I were fishing with a spinning rod or a western fly rod, I always had one on hand “just in case”. Really though, if I’m being honest, I have no idea what the “just in case” was for. In case of what?
This year was different though. This year I grabbed my tenkara gear and never looked back. I decided that I would see how far I could go fishing fixed line only. I wanted to see how many different species of fish I could catch on a Camp Made Tail Tucker nymph, (It was eight different species). At this point in the year I can safely say I’ve loved every second of it. Every challenge, every lost fly, every tangled line, and every tree snag all of it was incredible.
So, what changed? What pushed me over the edge?
To start, on my birthday my wife bought me a ticket to the White Mountains Tenkara Campout organized by Red Brook Tenkara. It was my first fishing-related social event and the first time I’d been camping since I was a teenager. I was going up there by myself as none of my fishing buddies had taken up tenkara…. yet. I had no idea what I was in for, and admittedly I was a little nervous.
I packed up my car and pointed it north for an almost four hour drive on Friday afternoon. The drive was nice and I got almost all the way to the mountains before it started raining. By the time I got to the campsites it was pouring and I was running late. I did a quick and very wet set up of my tent. Then when it was time to go to the presentations and dinner at a local brewery I was introduced to Justin and his dog Django who would be my fishing and camp buddies for the weekend. Honestly, they are some of the best ambassadors to the event and community that you could ask for.
Right away that night I could tell this was a different kind of experience than I was used to. Everyone was so friendly and the entire event kicked off with such a warm, welcoming vibe. Everyone was so excited to be there and hang out with other tenkara people. It was infectious! Before I knew it I had met several new friends and we were all buying rounds!
What followed for the next day and a half was a whirlwind of fishing, hiding from the rain, fishing in the rain, not taking enough pictures, making new friends, and feeling like I finally “found my tribe”. Eventually, it even stopped raining!
Highlights from the weekend included catching my first trout ever, a tiny native brook trout. Meeting lots of tenkara people I’ve chatted with online face to face, campfire hangouts and beers, and making new friends. It was a transformative experience for me that I really feel I can’t do justice to in writing. If you’re on the fence about attending one of these campouts anywhere near you, don’t wait just do it!
Also, the White Mountains are gorgeous and it gets harder and harder to leave every time I’m there.
Eventually, I had to return to normal life, but I did so with a renewed vigor for fixed line fishing. I was determined to challenge myself with it back on my home waters and keep the enthusiasm I had caught at the campout going all season long.
It’s been my goal to catch a State Sportsman’s Award size sunfish, which in my state is 10”. Now I really wanted to do it with a fixed line rod. I came pretty close a few times too! I caught eight different species on the Tail Tucker Nymph. All of this just fueled my passion to keep going and travel further down the tenkara rabbit hole.
This enthusiasm was noticed by my best and most frequent fishing buddy too, my son Vincent. He’s seen me use fixed line rods since I first got bit by the bug and he’s tried using them a little bit here and there, but he never really wanted to give up his trusty Zebco.
One day over the summer we were having a particularly tough morning getting anything to bite. After trying every lure combination I could think of to get something to bite his line, I managed to find the time to extend my DRAGONtail Mizuchi and get a few casts out. After a few casts I caught a tiny sunfish, which was the first fish of what was quickly turning into a very hot day.
Vincent noticed and asked if he could try using my rod, saying he just wanted to catch a fish today. He took the rod and with minimal instruction made a very nice cast out into the pond. With that first cast he caught a really nice eight inch bluegill, which qualified him for a kids sporting award! It was his first of three that day alone!
Before the end of summer Vincent had caught a total of 6 sunfish that got him state pins as awards for catch and release fishing in our state. He also asked for his own tenkara rod for his birthday! It was a beautiful thing, to see him light up when he caught his first fixed line fish and really rewarding to have him want his own rod.
Enthusiasm in its purest form is something we can all pick up on in others and, like a yawn unintentionally pass on to the people around us. I found this enthusiasm when I attended the camp out and I’ll do my best to pass it along to those around me!
Mike Graham is one of the founding members of the “Esoteric Anglers Club” and arguably the most esoteric member so far.
This article originally appeared in the 2024 print issue of Tenkara Angler magazine.
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