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Tenkara Fish Outing Report

Fishing with a Tenkara Rod... South Fork, Boise
by Luong Tam

I love winter fishing because it is less crowded and fun. Fish are feed primarily on midges.

This time of year, it is very cold in Idaho. I attended the Boise Fly Fishing Expo on the January 12 weekend after I was invited to fish with a few Tenkara fishers on the South Fork Boise. I was eager to demonstrate a special casting technique that I had been practicing for months.

Unfortunately, no fish were rising because of the snow and the temperatures. So, I had to resort to nymphs. We all caught three fish each. I would have taken more pictures, but it was too cold to operate my iPhone camera!

On the way back to the car, I hooked a monster male rainbow that was over 19 inches. Fish of this size  is not uncommon on the South Fork Boise. At first, the fish fought very hard. Then, I took a few steps toward the fish. He immediately relaxed and stopped fighting hard. Instead of forcing him or flipping right and left to confuse or wear him out like I used to with a fly rod, fighting with a Tenkara rod is much easier and more relaxed than with my fly rod. I just tightened the rod enough and guided him downstream like walking a dog and brought him closer to the bank. The rod provided a smooth feeling, as if I was holding the line and gently pulling the fish. For more info, go to www.tenkaratanuki.com/single-post

BTW, I didn’t have to worry about icing guides, and I had gloves on both hands!

FYI. Luong is hosting a Tenkara Workshop on March 3 at the ponds and a Fish Outing to the Eastern Sierras in May. Contact Glen (glozawa@yahoo.com) for more information.

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