East and West on Hesse Creek...It's all Good at the Farm

During a recent visit, I had the chance to catch up with Milt Chun, one of our die hard fly fishing guests. Among the many fish tales that were told, Milt told me about his experience fishing with his new Tenkara rod. I have heard many things about Tenkara, but up to this point I had not had anyone share their thoughts on it. To clarify, Tenkara is a centuries-old Japanese fly fishing method used for fishing small streams. The rod is upwards of 12’ long, but telescopes down to 20.” The major difference is that there is no reel, but instead simply a fixed length of line and your fly. Here is what Milt had to say about it:

“I have been fishing Hesse Creek every year since 2000 with western fly rods and Tenkara since last year. I enjoy both styles. Both styles catch fish. I'll fish a western rod with a streamer for larger fish and carry my collapsed Tenkara in my waders...and switch to my Tenkara if the trout get finicky, and I need a perfect drift with a dry fly or a Kebari (a Tenkara specific fly)...without leaving the creek (very cool)! I have caught, so far, up to 2lb. trout with my Iwana rod and 5lb. with my western rods. Tenkara eliminates the more difficult line management of Western fly fishing. I like the simplicity of Tenkara, yet I still love all the western gear. Fishing styles aside, after 12 years I will still fly 5000 miles to fish Hesse Creek!”

As you can see, there are several advantages to using a Tenkara outfit, especially on small mountain streams such as Hesse creek. For starters, it is easier to learn how to cast using Tenkara because you only cast one length of line. Likewise because of the fixed line length, line management is much easier when on the water, eliminating the need to learn how to strip, reel, or let line out. The long rod length makes casting a bit easier because you have more of a lever to accelerate the line, and it allows you to control your drift much better, especially when you use the rod to pick all but the tip of the leader off the water, really allowing the fly to move as if it isn’t attached to a piece of string. But Tenkara does have its pitfalls; the biggest concern being managing a larger fish. Often larger fish will warrant you to “give them line,” or to take line off the reel, so that there isn’t so much pressure created that it snaps the leader or tippet; hence why Milt mentions that he has caught smaller fish on his Tenkara outfit. Pros and cons aside however, Tenkara is a great new tool for the western fly fisherman, especially the one that loves to fish small streams like the ones found in the Smoky Mountains. If you are interested in learning more, stop by the Grey Drake or drop me a line and we will be happy to share what we know with you.

Oh, and next time you see someone fishing Hesse Creek after dinner with a headlamp, say hi to Milt.

Thomas Krajewski

Activities Manager

During a recent visit, I had the chance to catch up with Milt Chun, one of our die hard fly fishing guests. Among the many fish tales that were told, Milt told me about his experience fishing with his new Tenkara rod. I have heard many things about Tenkara, but up to this point I had not had anyone share their thoughts on it. To clarify, Tenkara is a centuries-old Japanese fly fishing method used for fishing small streams. The rod is upwards of 12’ long, but telescopes down to 20.” The major difference is that there is no reel, but instead simply a fixed length of line and your fly. Here is what Milt had to say about it:

“I have been fishing Hesse Creek every year since 2000 with western fly rods and Tenkara since last year. I enjoy both styles. Both styles catch fish. I'll fish a western rod with a streamer for larger fish and carry my collapsed Tenkara in my waders...and switch to my Tenkara if the trout get finicky, and I need a perfect drift with a dry fly or a Kebari (a Tenkara specific fly)...without leaving the creek (very cool)! I have caught, so far, up to 2lb. trout with my Iwana rod and 5lb. with my western rods. Tenkara eliminates the more difficult line management of Western fly fishing. I like the simplicity of Tenkara, yet I still love all the western gear. Fishing styles aside, after 12 years I will still fly 5000 miles to fish Hesse Creek!”

As you can see, there are several advantages to using a Tenkara outfit, especially on small mountain streams such as Hesse creek. For starters, it is easier to learn how to cast using Tenkara because you only cast one length of line. Likewise because of the fixed line length, line management is much easier when on the water, eliminating the need to learn how to strip, reel, or let line out. The long rod length makes casting a bit easier because you have more of a lever to accelerate the line, and it allows you to control your drift much better, especially when you use the rod to pick all but the tip of the leader off the water, really allowing the fly to move as if it isn’t attached to a piece of string. But Tenkara does have its pitfalls; the biggest concern being managing a larger fish. Often larger fish will warrant you to “give them line,” or to take line off the reel, so that there isn’t so much pressure created that it snaps the leader or tippet; hence why Milt mentions that he has caught smaller fish on his Tenkara outfit. Pros and cons aside however, Tenkara is a great new tool for the western fly fisherman, especially the one that loves to fish small streams like the ones found in the Smoky Mountains. If you are interested in learning more, stop by the Grey Drake or drop me a line and we will be happy to share what we know with you.

Oh, and next time you see someone fishing Hesse Creek after dinner with a headlamp, say hi to Milt.

Thomas Krajewski

Activities Manager

During a recent visit, I had the chance to catch up with Milt Chun, one of our die hard fly fishing guests. Among the many fish tales that were told, Milt told me about his experience fishing with his new Tenkara rod. I have heard many things about Tenkara, but up to this point I had not had anyone share their thoughts on it. To clarify, Tenkara is a centuries-old Japanese fly fishing method used for fishing small streams. The rod is upwards of 12’ long, but telescopes down to 20.” The major difference is that there is no reel, but instead simply a fixed length of line and your fly. Here is what Milt had to say about it:

“I have been fishing Hesse Creek every year since 2000 with western fly rods and Tenkara since last year. I enjoy both styles. Both styles catch fish. I'll fish a western rod with a streamer for larger fish and carry my collapsed Tenkara in my waders...and switch to my Tenkara if the trout get finicky, and I need a perfect drift with a dry fly or a Kebari (a Tenkara specific fly)...without leaving the creek (very cool)! I have caught, so far, up to 2lb. trout with my Iwana rod and 5lb. with my western rods. Tenkara eliminates the more difficult line management of Western fly fishing. I like the simplicity of Tenkara, yet I still love all the western gear. Fishing styles aside, after 12 years I will still fly 5000 miles to fish Hesse Creek!”

As you can see, there are several advantages to using a Tenkara outfit, especially on small mountain streams such as Hesse creek. For starters, it is easier to learn how to cast using Tenkara because you only cast one length of line. Likewise because of the fixed line length, line management is much easier when on the water, eliminating the need to learn how to strip, reel, or let line out. The long rod length makes casting a bit easier because you have more of a lever to accelerate the line, and it allows you to control your drift much better, especially when you use the rod to pick all but the tip of the leader off the water, really allowing the fly to move as if it isn’t attached to a piece of string. But Tenkara does have its pitfalls; the biggest concern being managing a larger fish. Often larger fish will warrant you to “give them line,” or to take line off the reel, so that there isn’t so much pressure created that it snaps the leader or tippet; hence why Milt mentions that he has caught smaller fish on his Tenkara outfit. Pros and cons aside however, Tenkara is a great new tool for the western fly fisherman, especially the one that loves to fish small streams like the ones found in the Smoky Mountains. If you are interested in learning more, stop by the Grey Drake or drop me a line and we will be happy to share what we know with you.

Oh, and next time you see someone fishing Hesse Creek after dinner with a headlamp, say hi to Milt.

Thomas Krajewski

Activities Manager