Fly Tying Tutorials - Simple Flies: Takayama Sakasa Kebari

Welcome to my 2nd instalment of my new video series where I tie for you today a

Takayama Sakasa Kebari

As with the Ishigaki Kebari, there are lots of variations in terms of size, body color and hackle color, size and position but they all have the following in common:

1. a scud hook of your choice
2. color of thread of your choice
3. your soft hackle of choice
4. if you want to go fancy, add some peacock herl

Pretty simple, isn't it?

I hope you enjoy the video; let me know if you have any questions or feedback.

Tight Lines, -K

PS: Please don't forget to check out my YouTube Channel Tenkara on the Fly and subscribe!

A few hours in Waterton Canyon

Encouraged by my earlier trip to Waterton Canyon, I headed up there yesterday morning for a few hours of fishing. Again I biked the 6 miles from the parking lot to the uppermost stretch that in my opinion is the best water for tenkara.

The flows were still low at around 63cfs below Strontia, unusual low for this time of year. I remember being up there in the Spring with flows ranging form 600-800cfs which makes the canyon pretty much unfishable.

Anyway, it was a beautiful morning to cast some flies and catch the occasional brown trout on a purple sakasa kebari and watch some Big Horn Sheep hang out on the trail.

Tight Lines my friends!

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.

Waterton Canyon

I haven't fished Waterton Canyon once last year after it reopened, so I thought I would check it out today and see if all the bad news of no fish, bad conditions etc. is true. Waterton Canyon is a part of the South Platte system, arguably the last stretch of this river that can sustain a year-round trout fishery (yes, there are trout caught occasionally below Chatfield Reservoir but I doubt the flow of 0cfs during summer is helping the few trout that escape Chatfield much).

Waterton Canyon is part of the Colorado Trail (end or beginning depending on your view) and access to it is either by foot or by bike. No motorized vehicles are allowed. It is apx. 6 miles from the parking lot in Kassler to the dam of Strontia Springs Reservoir (the 6th reservois of 7 before the river hits Denver). I am not much of a walker, especially if I want to start fishing below the dam and 6 miles would take me a while in my waders. With my "tenkara bike", this is much more manageable. And I get a good cardiac workout, too.

The Tenkara Mobile and Tenkara Bike

tube attached to frame to transport collapsed rod (MUCH easier than with a fly rod!)

The reason why I drive all 6 miles up to just below the dam is that the fishing - and fish stock - is significantly better. The flow is typically higher out of Strontia Springs than below the Marston Diversion Dam which is about halfway up. Regulations for the upper stretch are artificial and flies with a 2 bag limit of 16"+. Below the Marston Diversion, regular Colorado regulations and bag limit apply.

Strontia Springs Dam

The weather was nice, lower 60ies as a high, a bit chillier in the morning and the shade of course. At times a bit windy but nothing that would spoil your casting for long. Flow was 32cfs below Strontia Springs and 15cfs below Marston.

I thought this would be more of a scouting trip, not having heard really good news about the fishing last year. Luckily, I am happy to report that at least in the upper section trout are still around, spooky, yes, and typical South Platte residents - focused on the small stuff. I still managed to to land 5 nice browns, the biggest around 13" or so (longer than the handle of the Iwana 12' I was fishing with yet. A few more got away, as always.

looks almost like parr marks of a juvenile rainbow... never saw those on a brown before

spots....!

BWO's were coming off and fish were feeding on the emergers. All fish were caught on a gray RS2, fished as a trailer behind a beadhead little black stone fly sakasa kebari and a generic green sakasa kebari. Go figure.

Bamboo Tenkara Line Holder

The other day I was fishing with Jason of Tenkara Talk and as always, we chatted about new tenkara "stuff" while gearing up. Often times, Jason brings some new cool gear he bought or received for review and this time he brought a bamboo tenkara line holder of the Tenkara Fly Shop.

The Tenkara Fly Shop is a pretty new website of Jim Wright in NY State who specializes in "simple tools for the tenkara angler". Jim has constructed some unique rustic tenkara fly boxes, line holders and his signature bamboo fly box (Jason posted reviews here and here). I understand Jim is also working on his own tamo design (sweet looking pictures on the the Tenkara Fly Shops facebook page!) and a bamboo tenkara rod.

Back to the bamboo line holder: I always loved the "old fashioned" line holders and what Jason showed me before hitting the water was just that. In the past, I always thought it would be nice to use this type of line holder but it found most of them too long and not really ideal "on-stream". While I was fishing that day, I just couldn't let go of pondering what attributes a line holder should have to be attractive to me. First, it should be fairly short. I don't worry about line kink since I made it a habit to straighten out every line before rigging it to the lilian. Second, holding two lines is not quite enough. What I was looking for  was a system I could transport 4 or 5 lines, rigged with flies, that would not take as much space as 5 individual spools. Why not design a line holder that holds 4 or 5 lines instead of 2, right? Size matters so I thought that the ideal dimensions should be around 4.5" long and about 3" wide. This size fits any smaller bag like a chest pack or even my shirt pocket. 

I reached out to Jim through the Tenkara Fly Shops facebook sitehttps://www.facebook.com/TenkaraFlyShop and started a conversation about such design. Jim was very open and within a day, he had a prototype developed which I received today in the mail. I have to say, I was blown away by the beauty and simplicity of this new accessory. Simple, easy, effective:

4.5" long, 3" wide, holds 5 lines

hook the fly to one of the cross bars, wedge the end of the line between the line compartments

fully loaded with, from the top, a TUSA Level Line, TUSA Traditional Line, RIGS Nymphing Line, Tenkarabum Level Line and RIGS Floating Line

compact and easy to transport

It is worthwhile to mention that I will be using the bamboo line holder to transport lines I intend or might be using that day. Once on the water, I store the line in use on the rod with a Fuji EZ Keeper system and will put the line back on the bamboo line holder once I am done fishing with the line.

I am very much looking forward using this new accessory on my next outing!!

Thank so much, Jim!!

Tight Lines y'all, -K

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...

Gear Review: Fishpond Piney Creek Tech Pack

As a gear and particularly as a bag junkie I went through a lot of  different packs during my fly fishing and tenkara career - side packs, over the shoulder packs, sling packs, chest packs, back packs etc. - you name it. I have two or three packs I like for fishing light, but I still have been looking for a pack for full day trips. The closest I was able to find that worked for me (other than just a plain backpack) was a sling pack but it was a bit too small; just by bringing my light weight rain jacket I would have used almost all space available.

the sling pack with my rain jacket outside (!!) so that I
actually could put into the sling pack: not a great solution

the "plain" backpack - worked but not quite... 

So, when going on day hikes and fishing "away from the car", i.e. when hiking-in a few miles before fishing, I packed everything I might need in a plain backpack which left me wishing I had my essential stuff (i.e. fly box or two, nippers, extra line etc.) not "back there" but handy upfront so that I wouldn't have take off the backpack and try to find what I need. This was especially not convenient when I was in the middle of a creek or river and had to wade back ashore to retrieve what I needed.

This Fall I "rediscovered" Colorado based Fishpond (I own a very nice but not often used Fishpond fly fishing vest)  and realized that some of their packs might be what I have been looking for - a combo of a fishing backpack and a chestpack. After a very nice email exchange inquiring what Fishpond would recommend for a tenkara angler, Fishpond was generous enough to send me their Piney Creek Tech Pack for review.

The Piney Creek Tech Pack is one of three Chestpack/Backpack combinations Fishpond offers (there is a bigger Tundra Tech Pack and a smaller Double Haul Chest/Backpack. As mentioned above, the pack is a combination of a technical fly fishing backpack and the Tumbleweed Chestpack. Both the backpack and the chestpack can be used on their own but what is really cool is that the chestpack attaches to the backpack's straps in the front OR to the back of the backpack. This way you can decide how you want to be setup during the hiking portion and fishing portion of your trip. To my, it's obvious that it is more comfortable to have the chestpack attached in the back while "en route" to the creek of fishing spot and once there, you switch and attach it to the straps upfront so that you have all your fishing accessories handy.

So, what are the spec's you ask? Here they are:

BACKPACK FEATURES (from Fishponds website)

• Volume: 1,220 cu. inches
• Dimensions: 10.5" x 7" x 19"
• Lightweight, waterproof and breathable fabric
• Padded, contoured shoulder straps for load control and carrying comfort
• Modular design allows the chestpack to dock on the front and back of the pack
• Two large backpack compartments
• One small accessories pocket for quick access to the necessities
• Two zip-out rod tube holders
• Wading staff lash point attachment system
• Net attachment D-ring
• Holds up to 100 oz. hydration bladder (optional, not included)

CHESTPACK FEATURES (from Fishponds website)

• Chestpack is the Tumbleweed Chest Pack
• Dimensions: 5.5" x 3" x 9"
• Lightweight, waterproof and breathable fabric
• Modular design docks to the front and back of the larger backpack
• One main storage compartment that can accommodate large fly boxes
• Signature, zip-down fly bench with replaceable foam
• Integrated floatant holder
• Gear attachment tabs, and loops
• Neck and waist straps included for use as a stand-alone chestpack

The volume of the backpack is plenty sufficient to hold anything I could need on a day-hike and probably even an overnighter (unless you camp out and need to pack a sleeping bag, tent, etc.) in a cabin and you need a change of undergarments after a hard day's fishing. On the few trips I took, I was able to pack my rain jacket, fleece jacket, first aid stuff, water bottle, extra fly boxes, fly lines, food/snacks etc. and still had room for more. There are many adjustment options and strap, almost too many for someone like me who never owned such a technical pack. It took a little time to figure out what the purpose of each strap is and how/when I should be using or adjusting it. But once I figured it out and overcame my own clumsiness, the backpack turned out to be very confortable and I barely noticed I wearing it, even after hours of fishing.

An interesting feature for tenkara anglers that I would like to highlight are the zip-out rod tube holders. Obviously, this pack wasn't developed for tenkara but this feature is extremely valuable to tenkara anglers carrying multiple rods. Most backpacks have side pockets where folks usually store their water bottle or a rod. The zip-out rod tube holders are basically an extension to that side pocket, you open the zip and gain a few more inches of room and allowing the storage of your rod to be more secure from accidentally sliding out. The picture below should give you an idea how this works. Each side pocket is big enough to carry a total of 4 to 6 tenkara rods (4 if all your rods have cork handles, 6 if some of your rods feature no cork handles, i.e. like the Daiway Sagiri, Soyokaze or Kyose rods).

CHESTPACK FEATURES (from Fishponds website)

• Dimensions: 5.5" x 3" x 9" 
• Lightweight, waterproof and breathable fabric
• Modular design docks to the front and back of the larger backpack
• One main storage compartment that can accommodate large fly boxes
• Signature, zip-down fly bench with replaceable foam
• Integrated floatant holder
• Gear attachment tabs, and loops
• Neck and waist straps included for use as a stand-alone chestpack

Let's face it - the backpack will probably hold more stuff than you will ever need during a day's fishing. In the big compartment there is enough space for my rain jacket, a fleece, first aid kit, water, food, snacks, extra fly boxes, all my fly line spools, hat, glasses etc. The smaller compartment is still big enough for additional line spools, another fly box or two, a map etc. It holds everything you might need for a day trip into the back country and maybe even for an overnighter (well, that means a change of essential clothes if staying in a cabin, not a camp-out trip, the pack is obviously not big enough for a sleeping bag, tent etc.) There are a lot straps and adjustment options that make this a very comfortable backpack - once you figure out how what all those straps are for. Not having had much experience with technical packs and being a bit clumsy it took me a few dry runs at home before I figured it all out. One cool feature I would like to point out are to the tenkara angler are the zip-out rod tube holders. I know this pack was not designed for tenkara, but the tenkara angler will find those zip-out rod tube holders, one on each side at the bottom of the side pocket, are a great way to carry your tenkara rods. I was able to stuff them on each side with two traditional tenkara rods (with cork handles) and 3 "cork-less" tenkara rods (i.e. Daiwa Sagiri, Soyokaze, Kyose, etc.). That is a total of up to 6 rods!! Being able to carry that many rods size of the backpack would make this a suitable bag for a tenkara guide or for the tenkara angler who wants to be ready for changing stream conditions and stream sizes or field test new tenkara rod models.

that's three rods on one side, and three more on the other

the backpack also is great for air travel - it held all I needed for a long weekend 

The chestpack is just the right size. The front pocket can hold for the minimalist some flies in Fishpond's removable "fly bench" (basically a sheet with rows of closed cell foam, attached with velcro) or while removed, my custom made tenkara fly box (which is what I do). The main pocket holds for me another medium sized fly box, pocket knife, snack bars, one or two line spools and my fishing license. Forceps, nippers and other accessories can by attached in various places on various gear attachment tabs and loops. Of course the chestpack comes with a comfortable neck and waist strap so that you can use it without the backpack.

front pocket of the chest pack with "fly bench"

front pocket of the chest pack without "fly bench" - this is where I keep my custom made tenkara fly box

Conclusion:

The versatility of this pack makes it one of my favorites for my fishing needs. If I go up to RMNP for a day trip, I pack the backpack with what I need (and probably some stuff I don't need) and being able to attach the chestpack in the back makes for easy and comfortable hiking. Having the option of carrying a few rod choices safely is a bonus, especially should you break one far away from your home or car. It also allows to adopt to changing conditions on-stream should you need to break out that super short or super long rod. The chestpack is just the right size for smaller trips close to your car or if you are have only a few hours to go fish. Leaving the chestpack in your car would allow you to be ready to fish whenever you are close to water holding fish. Both the backpack and the combination is comfortable to wear and the only gripe I had was to figure out the straps and adjustment options (I blame myself for most of this issue since I tend to be a bit clumsy).

Where to get it:
The Piney Creek Tech Pack is available online and through your local fly shop that carries Fishpond gear. The prices as listed on Fishpond's website is $179.95.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Fishpond nor did I receive any compensation to review the Piney Creek Tech Pack. However, received it free of charge for testing & reviewing from Fishpond.

Last but not least, I also would like to thank Kara who was very helpful in selecting the pack and coordinating the delivery of the pack.

South Platte 2012 10 13

Yesterday was a BWO day if there ever was one. Not your usual Colorado weather (sunny) but cold, overcast, drizzly, windy and rain. The sun tried hard to get through the cloud cover but it never happened.

My new friend Phil Echelman and hit the river hoping, in vain, it would warm up at least a little bit. With the wind setting in early afternoon, windchill set in to make things worse.

Fishing began a bit slow, I started with a Copperbari and teased a fish to flash but that was it. I decided to add my a small purple something from a tenkara fly swap and promptly hooked up with a acrobatic rainbow that I lost to bad know. Since it looked like they were into the small stuff, I tied on my old friend the RS2 as a dropper and things got a bit more interesting, hooking another fish or two. 

We moved downstream around the bend and started working some interesting looking runs and pockets I knew were holding fish. Remember I mentioned it was BWO kinda day? Bingo, around noon I started seeing noses of some nice fish come up and picking up little sailboat like BWO duns off the surface. I watched a few them floating through the seam just to be picked up leisurely by a trout. I cast my Copperbari into the seem, kept a tight line to drift the kebari as high as possible in the column and promptly hooked up and realized that those were not the same trout I was catching during the Summer in various creeks, those were trout with shoulders from a quality tailwater; well fed and strong. 

Since the Copperbari was a bit too heavy, I tied on a green kebari tied with thread and some grizzly hackle that I found at the bottom of my fly box. This made it a bit easier to keep it riding on top and the trout surely approved. I hooked and landed a good number of feisty rainbows and brown trout and Phil joined into the action also. But as suddenly as the hatch started, it ended as quickly. 

Phil in action...

... but unfortunately my camera finger was too slow to capture the fish before it slipped back into the river

The rest of the day left us in search of more trout further downstream, hooking up here and there before the wind and rain had us pack up. 

I sure was glad having ventured back to the South Platte for some quality trout before "really" cold season.

Tight Lines, -K

PS: Jason - even you would have lost your South Platte skunk today.

Days on the water this yer: 28

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