Hey everyone, it’s Mike. Just checking in and saying “hello” to everyone out there reading this post. I don’t write “blog” articles like this here all that often, but I thought with the new year upon us (we’re actually two weeks into 2026 already… yikes!) I’d give some updates on some goings on here at Tenkara Angler, as we plan what should be another great year!
Personal Update
First off, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! As for me? I spent time with family in Pennsylvania. It was fun to celebrate Christmas with my nephews, but man, it was bitter cold! Living in the South for the past decade has definitely made me soft. That said, on the drive back to Florida I took a small detour and fished in the Smokies. I was fortunate enough to get my first few fish of 2026 on the board on January 2nd. It was a nice break, and certainly got me back in a fishing & tenkara mindset!
Website Update
You probably noticed things have been a little quiet over here lately with us only publishing two articles so far this year. (A bit of a departure from our 2 or 3 articles a week cadence). We’re starting to ramp back things up, so you should expect to see more regular posts moving forward. Full transparency, I’ve been a little sick the last week or so (chest crud with a cough) and haven’t been much in an editorial mood. Bed time over screen time has been my preference. That said, Tom’s still cranking out rod reviews behind the scenes, we have some reader submitted articles in the works, and maybe even a fly tying materials giveaway ahead…
P.S. if you need a content fix sooner, Amanda‘s been releasing entries of the journey along her personal Oregon Trail over at the Lady Tenkara Bum website, they’re quite enjoyable, and no signs of dysentery (yet), so I highly recommend checking them out. Here’s a link to the first one in her series!
Print Magazine Update
You probably thought I forgot about the print magazine, didn’t you? Well, I’ll be honest, the submissions were far more than in recent years (20+ articles!) so it’s just taking a little more time to finish. For perspective, the last two years’ issues each had about 12 articles. I had hoped to have it done around New Year’s, but we’re not there yet. If all goes well, we’ll be looking at the end of January. It’ll be worth the wait!
Podcast Update
2025 was probably the best year of podcasting we’ve done. At least that’s what the numbers suggest. The Level Line Podcast had a record volume of streams on Spotify while also helping build our YouTube channel. We recently crossed 3,000 follower mark on YouTube – thank you! The podcast is becoming more and more interactive, as folks seem to also enjoy commenting on our YouTube video versions. We love that! We’ve got a new fly box-centric episode of the Level Line most likely releasing this upcoming Monday, so if you’re off from work for the Martin Luther King Day holiday, we’d welcome you to give it a listen or watch.
In Closing
I guess that’s mostly it for now. We’ve been kicking around a few ideas as a team – anything and everything from more tenkara rod giveaways, updated Tenkara Angler merch, hosting online fly tying nights or group chats, and even holding an in-person event. But nothing is firm quite yet, so more to come. (Although speaking of events, be sure to check out our Events page, as details of some other tenkara-themed gatherings are slowing being released. We’ll continue to update that page as more are brought to our attention.)
I speak for everyone on the team by saying THANK YOU for the continued support, and that we’re so thrilled to part of this small, but growing community of fixed line friends. And while this might sound cliché, “our door is always open.” So continue to send in your thoughts, ideas, and feedback, or just share a cool photo of a fish you recently caught. We enjoy reading all correspondence, and especially love seeing great fish pics. There are many ways to contact us, through this website, our socials, or our email, staff@tenkaraangler.com.
Here’s to an excellent 2026!
Do you have a story to tell? A photo to share? A fly recipe that’s too good to keep secret? If you would like to contribute content to Tenkara Angler, click HERE for more details.