DRAGONtail’s first camp-on-the-water event catches on strong!
The event was held at Baumgartner Group Campground in the Sawtooth National Forest, about 2.5 hours east of Boise, Idaho. The campground itself is perched on the banks of the south branch of the Boise river. It is one of those locations where if you want it, you better bring it with you, because the there isn’t much resupply in the immediate area. Despite the remoteness, we had it good. Brent Auger provided free satellite internet each night, along with hot dogs and s’mores. There was even a hot springs close by where people could soak away sore muscles. Deluxe!
The event was informal, without classes or presentations. Turnout was excellent, with every spot in the group site taken, and some folks even visiting for the day. It was just the right size for meeting new people and having a lot of fun around the fire. As you can always count on at tenkara gatherings, the company was friendly and lively. But what about the fishing?
The fishery offered any type of mountain water you could want. Open honryu mainstream fishing, check. Larger feeder creeks where you can cast from one bank to the other, check. Tiny blue lines holding unlimited amounts of small wild fish, check. These waters hold a diverse set of species – mountain whitefish, rainbows, cutthroats, and even bull trout! Additionally, the campout lined up with the run of the local population of landlocked kokanee salmon, so the waters we fished were dotted, and in some place carpeted with these bright red pilgrims making their way up stream. Most folks seemed to be catching fish where ever they could find them – and many people caught new species for the first time!
Great fishing, good people, and a breathtaking location made for a first-rate event. I’m really looking forward to news on the dates for 2026!
Extra NIRVANA Kokoro 400 Sneak Peek!
Besides the good company and unique location, the highlight for me was getting to fish the final prototype of the just-released NIRVANA Kokoro 400. I’m a big fan of rods in the 390-410 cm range, so this new model is right in my sweet spot. Its extremely well balanced and offers exceptional tip control. While I’ll leave the numbers and technical breakdown to Tom Davis, I can confidently say that I was impressed. It fishes very closely to the Nissin Oni Honryu 395, my long time favorite rod. I will 100% be buying one for myself.
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Glad to hear it was a hit! The PNW has been pretty sparse on Tenkara events since the Tenkara Bug out.
Would love to make it next time.
That was a great trip. Hope to see you all again, next year!
That is a very fun area to fish stoked everybody who came to Idaho got to experience it. Nice to see some bull trout in there as well.