A Great Tenkara Mail Day – New Items From river peak & Etsy

The pre-season is a time I take to get my gear in order. It’s also a time to get a little experimental and plan to try some new things out. I don’t often write about “great mail days” here on Tenkara Angler. However, I recently found some really interesting new items in my mailbox that I wanted to pass along. Two items from river peak and another from one of our friends who ties and sells flies on Etsy.

river peak Trick Caster Tenkara Line

The first item to talk about a bit is the river peak Trick Caster Tenkara Taper Line. I was sent samples of two of the three available lengths:

• 4.5m intended for 3.3m rods and shorter
• 5.5m intended for rods 3.3 to 4.0m
• 6.5m intended for rods longer than 4.0m. (I was not sampled)

The Trick Caster is a multi-strand fluorocarbon braided line produced by Yano Silk Line, a top maker of Japanese silk fly lines. It has a loop on the thicker end to allow to girth hitch to your rod’s lillian, and as well as a loop on the thinner end in which to tie your tippet. There is no tippet ring or swivel. I’m going to give it a go with my river peak Kiwami 3.3 or the Nissin Pro Entry II 320 the next time I fish for trout.

The most interesting part of this line is that it was developed for a specific style of fishing. The technique is being called “Kojiro Tenkara” after river peak field staff Mr. Kojiro Yama. The method centers around presenting flies in a unique way that can’t be done with level or heavier braided lines.

Here’s a video where Kojiro explains the line and the technique he developed to fish it. There is also an interview with Mr. Koji Yano on the Trick Caster line’s production at the end. (Don’t forget to turn subtitles on!)

I understand the “Kojiro tenkara” cast is directionally made with a bit of a loop in it. The intent is for the thicker section of line to anchor in the current while sasoi manipulations are made to the kebari. Anchoring the line in the current keeps the fly’s movement in a static location near the fish. This is unlike other manipulations which pull the fly back toward the angler. This “ignites” (entices) the trout to strike in a defensive nature – an aggressively active, not passive fishing technique.

(Hopefully, I understood everything correctly, let me know if you interpreted the video differently. I also reached out to Kojiro on social media to try and learn more.)

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river peak Stream Tag

The second item is the river peak Stream Tag, which hitchhiked along in the line shipment. It’s a block of soft rubber with two retractor cords extending from the bottom. One for forceps, the other for nippers. The rubber block serves a dual purpose. First, you can clamp your forceps to it when not in use so they don’t just dangle and flop around. Second, it doubles as a fly patch. The Stream Tag attaches to your vest, pack, or waders by way of a safety pin on the back, or an included mini s-shaped carabiner clip.

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Jay’s Kebari Shop on Etsy

I also had some futsu kebari from Jay’s Kebari Shop hit my mailbox on the very same day. Jay is a tenkara angler from New Hampshire that I met at last year’s White Mountains Tenkara Campout. He’s also one of the more active folks talking about #tenkara on Bluesky. When he announced he was opening up a shop on Etsy, I ordered a dozen or so flies immediately.

The three patterns – the Dark Futsu, Dark Honryu Futsu (beaded), and the Badger Peacock Futsu – are all well tied. They will be included in my fly boxes this upcoming Spring and I’m excited to fish them. I’ve also listed Jay’s Kebari Shop in our Tenkara Angler Gear Shop, so be sure to check it out!

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