Happy Sunday! We’re deep in that weird late-August stretch where many people are looking ahead to fall, but the summer just hasn’t let go quite yet. My daughter went back to Ohio to for her junior year of college this week, which means it’s getting darker earlier and earlier by the day, and before I know it, I’m not going to be able to sneak any neighborhood pond fishing time in after work anymore. Ouch!
However, that’s a problem for another day, so let’s wade into those Riffles…
A Master Class, Properly Credentialed
Fish The West Films teamed up with Tenkara USA to launch a proper Tenkara Master Class series, and Episode 1 has veteran Pat Jaeger walking through the why, the gear, and the how for anyone still on the fence about picking up a rod. It’s polished, it’s clear, and it’s exactly the kind of thing you forward to the friend who keeps asking “wait, no reel?”…
First Time East of the Rockies
Tenkara Addict has fished every state out west, and finally pointed the rod eastward for a trip to New York. Watching a die-hard western angler size up unfamiliar eastern water is always a treat, and the Tiny Tenkara 3 zoom rod gets put through its paces along the way…
Alps First-Timer
Over on r/Tenkara, u/stephano288 landed his first wild stream trout in the Italian Alps, and the photo of that little butter-bellied brown against the net mesh is doing 70 upvotes worth of heavy lifting. There’s nothing quite like the first one in a new country…
Central Oregon Delivers, Twice
Also from the subreddit, u/Drexele set both a personal best and a second-best catch in the same Central Oregon outing, which is the kind of day that makes the drive home feel shorter. Fifty-plus upvotes and a solid comment thread say the community agrees…
Ultralight, Meet Alaska
Rob Pelton took a Tenkara Rod Co. Backpackr on his very first tenkara outing, in Alaska, which feels like starting your driving lessons at the Daytona 500. He loses a rainbow right at the net, learns a lot in real time, and the scenery alone makes the twenty-four minutes worth it…
An Invitation to Long Island
Karin Miller of Zen Tenkara is taking the tenkara gospel to the Long Island Flyrodders on September 1st, and her post is a nice reminder that club talks like this are still one of the best ways this sport spreads. If you’re on the Island, go bug her with questions…
Turkey River, Warm Water, Good Company
Vlog #135 from Gary Mineart’s Tenkara in the Iowa Driftless documents a Monday evening on the Turkey River in Howard County. Nothing fancy, just two guys chasing some serious fixed line smallies…
The COMPA Gets a 2.0
Skiddy Fishing posted a PSA on Facebook that the Rocky MTN Tenkara Compa rod has been quietly upgraded to a version 2.0, featuring Kevin Canfield‘s companion video breaking down what’s changed. Worth a look if you’ve had your eye on a pack or pocket rod…
As Does the DRAGONtail Line Winder
DRAGONtail quietly reworked their Snap-On Line Winder, the little clip-on widget that’s become the default line management answer for a lot of us, and the tweaks are the kind only an actual user would think to make. Rounded ends so it stops kinking your line in storage, lock tabs so the foam insert quits wandering off, and the whole redesign came out of a 3D-printing collab with fellow tenkara angler Guenther Shepherd. It’s on sale for $9.99 right now too, so if yours has seen better days, there’s your excuse…
Tenkara Angler Article Roundup
A full slate from us since the last Riffles! I gave some early impressions on the ESZ fly tying lamp, passed along news that the Seiyu Therapy 33 V2 is now up for pre-order, and closed out the week troubleshooting common casting problems for anyone still fighting their line. Busy week on the site…
ESZ Ultra-Portable LED Fly Tying Lamp – Initial Thoughts
Unless you’re paying close attention to the tenkara space, ESZ Fishing might have flown under your radar. Those who have discovered them…
The Seiyu Therapy 33 V2 is Available for Pre-Order
You may remember that back in the summer of 2025, we asked the tenkara community to get behind Tony Parmenter’s Kickstarter campaign…
Troubleshooting Common Tenkara Casting Problems
We recently received an email from a reader who had invested a lot of time and energy into learning tenkara, sitting through…
Do you have something you think is worth mentioning in the Sunday Morning Riffles? Pop us a note at staff@tenkaraangler.com using the subject line RIFFLES to let us know.
When you buy something using the retail links within our articles or Gear Shop, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Tenkara Angler does not accept money for editorial gear reviews. Read more about our policy.