I Think I'm Doing it Wrong but I'm Having Fun

by Steve Brockwell
(Elgin, Oklahoma)

I've been fishing "Tenkara" style for a couple of years. I put Tenkara in quotes because I use a cheap Chinese knockoff collapsible rod 12 feet long without a cork grip. I usually use 10 feet of a red thin monofilament and 4 feet of #6 leader line. The fly I use the most is a home-tied Utah Killer Bug size 10. Sometimes I use a tiny black gnat but its rare. I have about $30 dollars in my rig. Add a necklace of para cord with medicine bottles for flies and a set of fingernail clippers and cheap forceps and I'm ready.

I like to fish ponds here in Oklahoma like the 3 little ponds at a roadside park not too far away. Yesterday I fished there for 90 minutes and caught 90 fish. I quit when I lost my fly. Its not unusual for me to catch 100 or more on a decent day. I catch crappie, largemouth bass, catfish, bluegill and sunfish. Most are small but when you start getting one pound Rock bass or a 2 pound largemouth you can really have fun.

No expensive rod (couldn't justify the cost when I started) very little variety in flies.

Like I said, I think I'm doing it wrong but I am having fun. To me its just fishing. Quiet, fun, genuinely relaxing.

Steve Brockwell
Elgin, Oklahoma

Comments

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Oct 8, 2020
You can't go wrong getting out fishing!
By Les Albjerg

Steve - I began my Tenkara adventure using a cheap Chinese rod.  My question is "Why settle for hamburger when you can have a Wagu (Japanese) steak?"   I have found the JDM rods to provide a fishing experience that far outweighs the expense of the rod.   They cast better.  You can feel every shake and move of the fish.  The bend profiles give you a thrill every time you fight a fish.  The fit and finish is pleasing too.   One of the guys I follow on YouTube who fishes in Idaho, like me,  just did a video fishing a Nissin rod after fishing a cheap Chinese import for a long time.  He couldn't say enough good things about the Nissin.   When I have the opportunity to fish, I want the best equipment to maximize my experience.  My time is worth investing in a good rod!  If you get any of the TenkaraBum rods you will be amazed at the difference.  The TenkaraBum 40 has become my go to rod.

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