Gear Review RIGS Tenkara Nymphing Hi-Vis Line

This review has been more than overdue but I didn't want to just post a review of my first impressions (even though they have been confirmed having fished with this line now for last number of outings).

RIGS Fly Fishing is the first and only Colorado fly shop that officially carries Tenkara USA equipment and is also part of the Tenkara Guide Network. Tim and Matt have fully embraced Tenkara and it shows. RIGS has come up "own" tenkara lines, a Floating Line and a Nymph Line. I own both but have fished significantly more with the Nymph Line and this review will focus only on the Nymph Line.

The RIGS Tenkara Nymphing Line is, as per RIGS, a depth control indicator system designed for fishing sub-surface weighted nymphs on larger streams. The main line is a regular hi-vis level line and the hi-viz indicator sections, coupled with clear running line sections, allow for maximum depth control and added strike detection without sacrificing visibility. The line is hand-tied and constructed out of 100% fluorocarbon plus a tippet ring and a transition loop. It comes in one length only, 12.5ft., which should fit most needs and rods unless you want to fish with a rod that is significantly shorter.

product picture @ RIS Fly Fishing

I fished this line with a number of rods (TUSA Iwana 12ft, TUSA Ito, Daiwa 43MF, Suntech Suikei 39) and it it performs well on all of them. The main/running line is the yellow Tenkara USA hi-vis #4.5 which gives you more mass to cast heavier flies and will also punch better through wind than a light line. That being said, I personally have been fishing #3 or #3.5 level lines exclusively during last year and at times, the line felt a bit heavy. Others who only fish #4 or #4.5 lines will definitively like how this line casts. The hi-vis indicator sections are a great idea and make it easy to track how deep you are fishing. The clear line in between the hi-vis sections make it also a bit stealthier than a simple hi-vis level line.

As the description says, it is most suited for depth control. A lot of creeks that I am fishing are not very deep, however, if you have this line already rigged, it obviously fishes also very well those shallower creeks taking advantage of the "stealthy" clear line.

Should you feel that the line is too long, you can simple remove the transition loop that you would tie to the lilian, add any length of level line to it with simple loop-to-loop connection and add the transitional loop to the end.

This line has also been reviewed by Jason Klass of Tenkara Talk here.

Conclusion:
This line is designed to fish nymphs with "depth control" and that's what it does very well. I like and fish this line a lot (even in shallow creeks) and should remember to order the #3.5 level line.

Where to get it:
The RIGS Tenkara Nymphing Hi-Vis Indicator Level Line is available online through RIGS's website here for $18.95.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with RIGS Fly Fishing nor did I receive any compensation to review the Tenkara Nymphing Line. However, received it free of charge for testing & reviewing from RIGS Fly Fishing.

There is Hope!

Finally!

The extra day off during the Presidents Day weekend allowed me to finally head out back on the water again. Yesterday, I teamed-up with my buddy Graham to harass some trout on the South Platte, on the only not frozen solid piece of water within a reasonable drive.

We initially wanted to hike into Cheesman Canyon since we heard that even the Deckers area had ice and slush. Driving up the river we saw a lot of ice and slush, even entire sections of the river completely covered by ice and snow. We even joked that we should have brought an auger to do some ice fishing, still hoping we would fine some water that's not "on the rocks".

When we got to Denver around 9.30am, the river was slush free and we decided that we probably should spend time fishing instead of hiking into the canyon.

We pulled all the way up to just below the cable, separating the public section from the private property of the Wigwam fishing club.

It was a beautiful but cold day, even my net froze to my waders. But it was a spectacular and beautiful day, there was just a bit of a snow blanket from the night before that covered the ground, rocks, hills, tress with a white sparkly blanket.

The water was extremely low and clear. I consider 150cfs a healthy flow but since the end of January, it was barely 40cfs. The fish of course were wary. We could see pods of a dozen and more fish not even a rod lengths from us. They could see us, too. The only chance to catch them was to present a fly from behind a obstacle where they could not see you prior to your presentation.

While walking upstream I was able to find some cover behind some brush and cast just forward of two feeding fish. The first fish ignored my offerings but the next fish up took the first drift of my Killer Bug1 I managed to finally hook and land one of the elusive winter trout, a chubby rainbow trout measuring 17". The moment I hooked the fish I also realized that my camera was still in the car. Too bad as this fish was a beauty.

I managed to hook 2 more fish, a 13" rainbow I was able to land and a bigger one that actually chased my fly, took it, and continued running downstream and broke off.

next time I need to remembe tohave the camera on me when I catch the big one!

Looks like I finally shook the winter skunk off...

Colorado Back Country, August 12, 2012

I knew I was in for a treat. Paul Vertrees of Tenkara Tracks, and avid backpacker, tenkara fisher and tenkara guide for Rigs Fly Shop invited me to fish a little creek in the back country of Colorado. I knew Paul from online forums and Facebook's Colorado Tenkara Anglers and we finally met in person at the Tenkara Summit in Utah a few weeks ago (right, we both traveled all the way to Utah to meet even though we live only 2h away from each other). We hit it off pretty good and made plans to get out.

The creek starts off as just a muddy ditch, not a place you would expect trout to thrive.

the muddy ditch

But just about 100 yards down the trail, there are some springs that feed the creek and transform it into a small bubbling current, creating a little green oasis in the arid high country.

this is where the springs transform the ditch into a creek

as it tumbled down through the rocks, it creates pools with cold water and provides habitat for trout

We hike further downstream and the creek meets the valley and creates even more habitat for trout.

We continue to hike down the valley for another 2 miles or so, have a rest, snack and start fishing our way back up. The fish were pretty spooky due the crystal clear and low water, so we had to bring on our best game in sneaking up on them. I started fishing with a sakasa kebari and got immediately a few hits with a nice sized brown trout taking my fly as it drifted along the undercut bank. I lost track of how many trout I hooked or landed, but we had continuous action for the entire day.

one of the many fine brown trout 

Paul in action

focus...

reward! this was the finest trout of the day with some gorgeous big black spots

Even though I started out with a sakasa kebari, I switched to a little hopper. It was just too much fun not to experience how those trout thrashed the hopper.

hopper victim

On our way out, we run into a herd of bighorn sheep that were completely unfazed by our presence. How cool is that?

This was an epic day of fishing, the trout were cooperative, the weather was perfect and the company was great. What a contrast to fishing RMNP the day before. I am truly blessed to live in this beautiful part of this country. Thank you Paul for sharing such a beautiful place with me.

Oh, I almost forgot. Don't ask me which creek it is or where it is, I can't tell.

Days on the water: 24

2012 Fly Fishing Show in Denver

While living in the NYC area, I used to go each year to the Somerset/NJ Fly Fishing Show and the Fly Tying Symposium but felt each year that it is pretty much the same show with nothing really new and interesting to me. Once I moved to Denver in 2008, I went twice to the ISE just to realize the same. Actually, the ISE wasn't really my kind of a show since a large part of the ISE is about hunting and other outdoor pursuits than fly fishing that do not really interest me.

Fast forward to 2012: This is the fist time that Tenkara USA is represented at the Fly Fishing Show in Denver through RIGS Fly Fishing and in Somerset/NJ with their own booth, so Jason Klass of Tenkara Talk and I decided to visit the show and provide some support to Daniel Galhardo of Tenkara USA. I was curious how tenkara will be received at the show given some folk's hostility to it on forums and blogs.

Well, let me say that I was pleasantly surprised by the interest visitors showed at the RIGS Fly Fishing booth and Daniel's casting presentation. I counted something around 60-70 folks watching Daniel's presentation at Pond 2 and whenever I walked by the RIGS booth, someone was engaged in a conversation about tenkara and/or actually buying tenkara equipment. It looks like tenkara is starting to be accepted by the "establishment". I hope my observation is true and will continue with Daniel's presence at the Fly Fishing Shows in Massachusetts and New Jersey. 

Other than that, I was surprised by the number of booths and visitors since the Fly Fishing Show was in direct competition with the ISE that was taking place during the same weekend in downtown Denver. I have to say that I actually liked it better than my previous visits back in NJ. Walking the isles, I did not see any new earth shattering developments or products (other than tenkara of course). But I did take advantage of browsing some fly tying supplies and equipment that was to be found at a discount compared to regular retail prices, but at the end of the day I did not find anything that I "needed" to have, so I left the show with  some stickers, business cards and freebies (Allen Fly Fishing was giving out samples of their hooks). 

It was also a very nice opportunity to catch-up with some friends and make new contacts and introductions. Oh, and I finally got to meet a friend of Daniel's, fly fishing author and trout bum John Gierach:

your's truly and John Gierach, photo courtesy of Jason Klass of Tenkara Talk

Did you go to the show or do you plan to visit the upcoming ones?

Tight Lines, -K