Tenkara Fly Fishing Diary: 2022

This was by far one of the best Tenkara Fly Fishing season I’ve had prior to now 10 years. Regardless of a horrible summer time drought, I used to be in a position to make use of my data of the White Mountain’s drainages to search out fishable water from Might via September and into early October once we bought a good quantity of rain. With the top of the New Hampshire fishing season on Saturday, October the fifteenth, I believed I’d jot down some notes so I can keep in mind what I did proper subsequent spring when the trout get up once more.

Tenkara Fishing and Climbing/Backpacking

The very best Tenkara Fly Fishing is on small rivers and streams that it’s essential hike into to achieve. Positive, you possibly can fish from the highway like many trout fishermen and fisherwomen, but it surely’s far more satisfying to establish a blue line on a topo map, plan a visit to achieve it, and fish in an attractive place that few, if any, have ventured to earlier than.

Some individuals eat the fish they catch, however I throw them again in. The native New Hampshire trout don’t get very massive (no less than not those in streams) so there’s not a lot level in consuming them. Whereas the rainbows do get enormous, I don’t fish a whole lot of rivers the place they stay and I throw these again in any method. Using non-barbed hooks helps reduce harm to the fish, though it makes it far more troublesome to land fish since they will wiggle off your hook.

What’s the purpose of fishing on a climbing or backpacking journey? They complement one another. Until you hike alone, it’s very troublesome to concentrate to the trivia round you, and much more so in the event you’re dashing to a vacation spot. Fishing slows issues down and allows you to take note of the small print you miss in the event you’re simply climbing via. The fish, the geology of the streams, the circulate of the water, insect life…there are all types of issues occurring within the forest which you could uncover and study that enrich your outside expertise.

One of many causes hikers and backpackers like Tenkara Fly Fishing is as a result of it’s so light-weight and easy. My complete backcountry fishing package, which is pretty elaborate, weighs lower than a half pound. You don’t have to hold stay bait, Tenkara rods are comparatively cheap, and also you don’t need to be taught any fancy casting methods.

River and Streams

I visited a whole lot of small rivers and streams this 12 months, however I spent essentially the most time on the Ellis River and the Dry River, that are each close to my cabin within the Whites. There’s a downstream part of the Ellis that’s “reel” solely, however I fish it method upstream in its headwaters, the place the reel-less methodology of Tenkara Fly Fishing is authorized. The Dry River is in a Wilderness Space the place it’s additionally authorized to fish and not using a reel. The truth is, there are only some rivers which can be “reel-only” in New Hampshire. They’re listed within the New Hampshire Freshwater Fishing Digest. 

I additionally fished fairly a couple of different streams and rivers this 12 months, normally on day hikes and backpacking journeys.

There are additionally many rivers and streams I needed to go to that I simply couldn’t get to as a result of I didn’t have the time:

• West Peabody River within the Nice Gulf
• Mad River in Mad River Notch
• Synder Brook on Mt Madison
• Monroe Brook on Mt Monroe
• Whiteface River and the Wonalancet River close to Mt Whiteface
• Chilly River and the BeeBee River within the Sandwich Vary
• Cascade Brook in Franconia Notch
• Lifeless Diamond within the Second School Grant

Flies

I expanded my use of dry flies this 12 months and it made all of the distinction. Historically, Tenkara flies are nonrepresentational, which means they don’t imitate bugs, not like non-Tenkara flies that are virtually all the time representational. I fish each as a result of I’m extra fascinated with what works.

Flies are both moist flies, which means they sink beneath the water’s floor, or dry flies, which float on high of it. It helps to hold each since you by no means know what the trout will need on any given day. Up to now, I’ve principally fished moist flies and a few dry flies. However this 12 months I fished dry flies virtually solely and my success price jumped by an order of magnitude. There was seldom an outing after I didn’t catch 10 or extra brook trout. I used to be shocked by the distinction.

There’s little or no distinction between fishing a moist fly and a dry fly in a mountain stream or river. You continue to have to know trout habits and methods to learn trout water, which implies understanding the kind of river buildings the place the trout lie, ready for meals to drift by within the present. You continue to wish to hold your line out of the water and to comply with the fly downstream with the rod tip with the intention to reduce drag. The one actual distinction is the place of the fly within the water and the truth that you possibly can normally see the strike with a dry fly in the event you’re paying consideration.

The star of this summer time’s catch was a bleached Elk Hair Caddis dry on a dimension 16 barbless hook. Mine look extra like snowballs than a basic Elk Hair Caddis, however they’re tremendous straightforward to tie and the trout go after them like loopy. I additionally fished Adams, Parachute Adams, and Ausable Wulfs this 12 months, however my Elk Hair Caddis was the hands-down most profitable fly all season. Whereas I tie most of my very own flies, I usually make variations within the supplies or patterns I take advantage of relying on what sort of feathers or animal hair I’ve in my tying “desk”.

Method

I targeted on my “presentation” method this 12 months to make my flies behave extra like bugs within the water. My focus was on eliminating any drag between my line and the fly with the intention to create a pure drift that wouldn’t spook the trout. This concerned rigorously monitoring the tip of my rod with the fly because it floats downstream. I additionally used an extended tippet with dry flies, so I may float them into place whereas minimizing drag. That labored very nicely.

Mentoring

Now that I’ve develop into a reliable Tenkara fisherman, lastly, I’ve began to take my mates out to introduce them to the game as a result of it’d be good to have firm on my journeys. I really feel that I’ve some insights into methods to train novices, together with individuals with no fishing expertise since I’m self-taught and needed to choose a whole lot of issues up the exhausting method.

Plenty of Tenkara is muscle reminiscence so it simply takes a lot of apply and expertise fishing totally different streams and rivers, at totally different circulate charges and at totally different instances of the 12 months. However there are fundamental points of trout habits, studying trout water, rod setup, and presentation methods that may prevent a whole lot of frustration if somebody would simply present them to you. I took 5 mates out for classes this 12 months and can in all probability proceed with that stage of outreach subsequent 12 months.

Wrap Up

There’s 2″ of rain forecast for tonight and Friday, which doesn’t bode nicely for the final day of the 2022 Fishing Season this Saturday, for the reason that water will get too quick for the fish to hover midstream after an enormous storm. Which means I’ll in all probability be fishing the Ellis River for the final time this 12 months when you’re studying this entry. Wanting again, it’s form of superb simply how a lot fishing I managed to get on this 12 months, given how a lot climbing I did, which was lots. I simply hope subsequent 12 months is pretty much as good as this one was for each.

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