The Shokuryoshi Experiment
I’ve said it before, but I do really enjoy casting a tenkara rod. As I’ve branched out to learn and become more acquainted with other forms of fishing, the first and biggest issue I usually have with them is that they just don’t cast like a tenkara rod.
Over the summer, I’ve started to introduce the keiryu rod into my setup. I’ve been running a parallel experiment, of which I recently wrote about in a post titled…
Maybe it’s my shallow depth of knowledge in keiryu-zuri, but I just don’t find casting this rod as “artful” as a tenkara rod. The reason, I think, is the weight. With that said, the weight is really what contributes to the success of the keiryu rod in times where fish won’t come up to eat off the surface. This is a big reason why tight-line nymphing is so popular - the fact that trout consume the larger portion of their food below the surface.
While many anglers seem to love tight-line nymphing with a tenkara rod, I have to admit that I’ve never been a big fan of the style. Maybe it’s due to not being very good at it. I haven’t spent a lot of time in the past really working to understand all that goes into it, though, I do see how effective it can be. This summer I have made an effort to spend more time fishing this technique to better understand the concept and to add to my own fishing knowledge.
From what I do understand about tight-line nymphing and its rigging, is that part of what makes it such a deadly technique is the connection directly to the fly. At the same time, this is part of where I feel I struggle, or have struggled in learning more about it. Trying to get the right drift, in the depth that fish are feeding has given me trouble in the past.
Where I see some of the success with the keiryu rod coming in, is the fact that the weight (in traditional rigging) is generally 8”-12” above the fly (or more traditionally, the bait). This allows for the fly to drift a little more “naturally” in the current. I would say that I tend to have more strikes with this rig than I do with the little time I’ve spent fishing a tight-line system.
On the other hand, the issue that this style rig presents is the lack of contact with the fly. With the weight in the system being your point of contact, sometimes there are instances where I realize there was a strike just a little too late.
In my short experience fishing this style, I have found that a little less weight can make a difference in both rigs. Too much tension, caused by the weight, seems to decrease the amount of hook ups.
So, now that I’ve spent plenty of time talking about keiryu rod rigging, how does it pertain to tenkara?
A technique that I found helpful in the past is known as “Kikiawase,” which is the same rigging as the traditional keiryu setup in essence - that is a split shot (or weight) attached to the tippet somewhere between 8”-12” above the fly.
One big difference between doing this on a tenkara rod, and a keiryu rod, is that with a keiryu rod the lines are generally very thin and clear with yarn markers attached to be able to track the line and depth. With the tenkara rod, I don’t use any different line setup, just the normal casting line to my sighter and then to my tippet. This does affect how fast the weight will drop in the water, and how much influence the current has on the line. So, depending on how deep the pool you’re fishing is, you may have to use more weight on a tenkara rod than you would with the keiryu line system. Another issue, is that with too little weight, the bend in the casting line of a tenkara rod will pull the fly back toward the rod tip, influencing the drift of the fly as well.
As far as fly selection goes, I generally opt for a larger fly in a brighter color. In the past, I’ve had issues with small fish swallowing the hook. I’ve found the larger fly helps prevent that, and using one that’s brighter makes it easier to track in the water - which allows me to sight fish and watch for when a fish takes the fly.
When it comes to casting this rig, I find it easiest to lob the weight (and the fly) into the area where I want it. Generally, I try to target where the water is coming into the pool, so as to not scare any fish with the plop of the weight landing.
The drifts are generally a little longer when fishing this rig. This is because of the distance I place the rig away from where I suspect a fish is feeding, and also due to trying to drift the fly more naturally in the “strike zone” close to the river bed.
As far as strike detection, I generally look for a subtle pause in the line, but sometimes you can feel the strike when more aggressive fish take the fly and hook themselves.
The times I find myself fishing with this technique is in slower moving pools, especially when the temperatures are a little higher and I know fish will be holding in deeper water. I prefer to use tungsten putty and keep the container for the putty handy in the front pocket of my pack so that I can quickly remove the putty when fishing a riffle section that requires accurate casting of just the kebari, and then place the putty back on when I reach another spot where I may want to drift the fly a little further down. The putty is also a little easier and faster for me to add or remove, and I tend to not lose my tippet as often in the event it gets snagged.
I have found "kikiawase" to be a good way to bridge the gap between the benefits that the keiryu rod offers, and the strong points of a tenkara rod, without having to switch rods. It does have its shortcomings though, and range can be one of them. The keiryu rod tends to offer a little more reach, and a stronger, more decisive hookset. Tenkara rods can be a little too soft at times, especially if the situation requires a relatively heavy weight to get the fly down. With that said, I find I use this more in smaller sections of the river, or the local creek where the water isn’t too wide or too deep.