This was the first year I attended the annual Tanuki Tenkara Bootcamp event that has taken place in California since the late 2010s. I was invited to attend as a volunteer instructor and got to fish, teach, and hang with over 40 tenkara anglers who drove from all over the west coast. The one day event took place in the Eastern Sierra Mountains in Bishop, CA on September 28th and was hours away from the more populated cities in the state. Many of the attendees had attended a session before and on average, I would say, that most people drove 3+ hours to be there.
The Day Of…
In the morning, a light breakfast of donuts and coffee was there to enjoy while comingling with the other anglers and instructors. This lead up to the morning presenters of Frank Burr (the Golden Trout Dude), Fred Rowe and Richard Lancaster, me, and Jim Vandagrift. The presentation topics included (in order) the golden trout and its habitats discussed by Frank, local expertise and fishing information provided by Fred and Richard, I spoke about the Native Fish Coalition and Heritage Tenkara Project, and Jim spoke about his trip to Italy with Luong.
In the early afternoon, after a pick-your-own lunch from a famous local spot, Erick Schat’s Bakery, Luong spoke about his fishing techniques and adventures which includes his whimsical videos and silly jokes. We ended the day driving to a local canal and Luong and I presented some casting and kebari presentations on the water. The wind was a challenge but presented a unique experience for the attendees to learn to tenkara with the naturally occurring harsh wind in the high desert.
The Future
I plan to help instruct at the bootcamp again in the future. I also am making sure to create a PowerPoint to stay on track and give visuals to what I am talking about. Speaking with a few attendees, I was encouraged by their enthusiasm to see me continue my journey in tenkara and the Heritage Tenkara Project. Many people were excited to hear about Native Fish Coalition and what their mission is as well.
The presence of Frank, Fred, and Richard as local guides was welcoming to give insight into the local fishing spots and how to approach them. Jarrett Coons, owner of Sierra Mountain Trout Guide Services, was also in attendance to offer services. I really enjoyed these presenters and what they specifically had to offer to tenkara anglers. It was a very friendly environment and I hope to see many of the same faces next year because of this.
Overall, I really enjoyed meeting and speaking to people I had only “spoken to” on the internet. It was nice to put names to a face and it reinforced my love of teaching and hands-on approach to reaching other anglers in the communities across the country.
I am also proud to say that there was a >20% attendance rate of women at the event! HOW EXCITING! We didn’t get a full picture with everyone at the event, but maybe next year. Some people had to leave early or arrived late, but it makes me happy knowing that there truly is an interest in the community to keep putting out content of random places I visit and fish I catch which encourages more women to go outside and tenkara! After all, the outdoors is for everyone.
Luong also stated there was feedback to include a second day to give more time for hands on and instruction. So, next year, expect that to be the case and try and plan for an extra day of some wacky adventures with Tanuki himself.
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Looks like it was a great time for all! I wasn’t able to make it this year, although I was hoping to. Count me in for next year 😁