Aloha,
Stan
Simplicity is sacred in Japanese tenkara technique of fly-fishing
Posted: 02/13/2013 12:01:00 AM MST
Updated: 02/13/2013 10:16:44 AM MST
By Scott Willoughby
The Denver Post
Daniel Galhardo of Boulder launched Tenkara USA in 2009 in an effort to introduce the streamlined Japanese style of fly-fishing to Americans. (Scott Willoughby, The Denver Post )
PARSHALL — The fact that Daniel Galhardo has fly-fished for more than four years now without a reel, weighted fly line, leader, split shot or strike indicator is intriguing. The fact he has used only one fly to catch trout for the majority of that time is astonishing.
To devotees of the discipline known as tenkara, however, the notion falls far short of extraordinary. The traditional form of Japanese fly-fishing holds simplicity sacred, so it stands to reason that one basic fly pattern — albeit in four sizes and two colors — is all that's really necessary to fool a fish into biting.
"It's not really about being stubborn," said Galhardo, the founder and CEO of Boulder-based Tenkara USA. "I think you can catch a lot more fish by not changing flies. It is one of the most difficult concepts of tenkara to understand and to embrace, that you can use just one fly pattern. But it is by far the most liberating and most effective part of tenkara.
"My philosophy with fishing, and I solidified it after discovering tenkara, is that technique is much more important than gear."
Through the company he created in 2009 and moved to Boulder last year, the Brazilian-born 30-year-old has dedicated himself to spreading the simplicity of tenkara fly-fishing beyond its native Japan and sharing it with those interested in distilling the sport to its essence. With tenkara, only rod, line and fly are used.
"I think when I discovered tenkara, it kind of seemed like fly-fishing was becoming frustrating. I had been fly-fishing for a long time and I was pretty good at it, but every time I went out it kind of felt like the line was getting wrapped around my leg or getting tangled everywhere," Galhardo said. "I was pretty good at managing line, but it didn't feel relaxing. So when I discovered tenkara, it was kind of like the perfect combination of the cane pole fishing I did as a kid, which was just simple and relaxing fishing, with the cool things about fly-fishing — the idea of using a fly, the elegance of casting. That's kind of what really got me into it, that nice combination of things."
While the tenkara rods built by Galhardo and other, primarily Japanese, companies adhere to the minimalist principles of no reel seats, line guides or ferules, they are a far cry from cane poles. The lengthy, telescoping rods — typically around 12 feet and ranging from 10 feet to nearly 15 feet — are built of carbon fiber and collapse to a mere 20 inches with an average weight of about 3 ounces.
Still, they scream simplicity. The compact portability of the one-piece rods makes them ideal for backpacking in to mountain streams. Lightweight line attaches directly to the tip of the rod. And the winter fishing experience is enhanced due to the lack of frozen guides and a technique that calls for keeping most line off the water, where it can ice up.
"Mountain streams, that's really where you see tenkara shining. You have this long rod and you are casting across a bunch of currents. But the line stays off the water entirely, so there's no need for mending, and the drifts are perfect every time," Galhardo said. "I don't usually talk much about limits on the size of fish, but it is kind of ideal for targeting that 8- to 20-inch mountain trout. That's really what it's designed for."
The principles of tenkara date back centuries to commercial fishermen of Japan. Galhardo stumbled upon the art while researching fly-fishing opportunities before visiting the country with his Japanese-American wife, Margaret, and has since studied under the tenkara masters, most notably his sensei, Hisao Ishigaki, considered the most prominent tenkara angler in Japan.
That was in 2008, the same year Galhardo packed up his fishing reel and streamlined his vision. Tenkara USA's sales have doubled every year since 2009, enabling him to move the company from San Francisco to Boulder, where a robust tenkara community thrives alongside Rocky Mountain streams.
"The best way to understand tenkara is to think about the original tenkara angler, who was a commercial fisherman in Japan, trying to catch fish for a living. He really had to make it as uncomplicated as he could. And he had to be very effective at it," Galhardo said. "He had to catch as many fish as he could, and he had to do that with the least amount of equipment and overhead as he could. He wouldn't want to go home and tie a bunch of different fly patterns. He wouldn't want to second-guess his fly choice.
"So if we only think about that original commercial angler who is catching a lot more fish than most of us catch on a regular basis, without changing flies, without using floatant, without using anything else, then we understand how simple fly-fishing can be."
There is a school of thought that believes it is human nature to make things more complicated than they really are. Among fishermen, it's called tenkara.