A half day Tenkara fly-fishing at the beautiful Jenks Lake!...):}+{:(...

[The Fishing Queen]

5/19, woke up to a nice sunny Saturday, just being lazy and relaxing in the house. After a good rest, all of sudden a thought crossed my mind - How about we go visit Jenks Lake? I shared my thought with my husband and we quickly worked as a team as usual - I pick the destination, and he googles the map.....It's always nice to have a 'Honey do' and that makes my life much easier and sweet. I didn't even know how long it would take for us to get there, as he was driving, I took a nice nap with my seat down in the car.

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We arrived Jenks Lake parking lot at 3:45pm. I got my 11' Tenkara rod and headed down to the lake. The sun was strong and the weather was very warm. The water was crystal clear, with tall pines and other large trees surrounding it. It made this small lake look like a hidden gem.

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I fished on the pier and saw some trout were swimming in the deep water. I cast out a size 16 Elkwing Caddis dry fly, the trout were only interested to check it out, but no bites at all. I heard someone say that trout fishing was tough today due to the hot weather. We were walking around the lake and chated with others and only saw a few people were lucky with 1-3 trout on their strings.

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We hiked around the lake and I started to sight fish. I found a wide open spot right across from the fishing pier where the water was deeper and the weeds were taller and thicker than other side of the shore. I cast out the fly towards the weeds and saw a couple of trout come out of the cover and inspect it.

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I repeatedly cast over their cover and once I got a hit, I quickly raised up my pole. The trout swam from left and right and tried its best to get off the hook. I extended my arm all the way up and raised its head up. I slowly leaned my body back and pulled it closer and landed it on the shore. This rainbow trout had beautiful color all over its body.......

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After my Elkwing Caddis dry fly snagged on a tree branch, I was fishing with a size 16 Adams Parachute dry fly. I continued fishing that area and had one more hit on the fly. This time I hooked up a baby bass. I moved to different location and fished for a while and hooked another trout, it fought hard and I lost it half way in during the battle.

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Around 4:30pm, the wind blew strongly in my face, and I was frustrated with getting wind knots on my line and snagging the fly up in the trees. I had to give up trout fishing and move to the opposite side of the lake to fish with the wind at my back.I discovered this side of the lake was much shallower and an area more like a sandy beach. Maybe because of this reason, I only saw two little trout swim by.

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There were a few spots that I spied on had some under cover bass and green sunfish. They were so crazy about my Adams fly, and they attacked the fly aggressively. They kept me so busy with the catch. With in 3 hours, I mix matched 29 pretty sunfish and 11 hand sized bass. ( all fish were released safely, included the trout!)

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At 7:30pm the sun went down and every one who fished by my side had left. The park looked pretty empty, so we joined the club and hurried back to the car. It turns out that park closes at 7pm, and we two didn't know until we got to the parking lot. Luckily the man who is supposed lock up the gate was busy doing something else and didn't even bother to kick us out. That gave me another 30 mins of time to have fun. What a lucky girl I am!....


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[Fishnfun]

[QUOTE=The Fishing Queen;607500]http://i1156.photobucket.com/albums/p561/TheFishingQueen/TFQ3.png/QUOTE]

From this picture, I can see you are using great Tenkara Master fishing form. With all the fish you caught, I must have left my lucky mojo on that rod.

Great report. Great pics. Great day of fishing. Looks like you are expanding your fishing areas. Lucky for your husband that after your morning of "just being lazy and relaxing in the house", you did not decide you wanted to go fishing in Hawaii :Big Grin:. Your husband is just too good to you. Jenks lake looks beautiful with the clear water and all the tall pines. As usual, you did not take the easy way out and went out hunting for productive fishing spots instead of just putting out a lounge chair and hoping a fish swims by. Nice variety of fish. You may never fish the Pudd again. Looking forward to your next report.

[Troutcz swimbait]

Great report and nice looking sunfish,finally I see your net in use.

[christainmetalhead909]

great pics!!!!! thanks for the report

[fishermanx14]

good job, i got the skunk at the pudd yesterday :( whish i went there instead

[The Fishing Queen]

great pics!!!!! thanks for the report

Thanks for the comment on my report!



good job, i got the skunk at the pudd yesterday :( whish i went there instead

Thanks fishermanx14! Sorry to hear about your skunk. I went to the pudd for a couple hours and only caught 7 small panfish today. It was a very strange day for fishing, a few people also got skunked. The water looks very murky and muddy. Carps were spawning all over the lake, mostly near the shore, and that might disturb the fishery. I haven't seen you for a while, I bet you were busy studying and preparing for school finals right?

[TonyLisa]

Nice! always good seeing some fly action good job queen

[The Fishing Queen]

Great report and nice looking sunfish,finally I see your net in use.

John, thanks for following my reports, and thanks for your kind words as always! As you know I put a lot of time and work into each of my reports and hopefully some people will read and appreciate them just like you.... Every fish that I caught had very rich colors, very different colors than the sunfish of the Pudd. And yes, I love my new net, it works great for catching and releasing trout.

[The Fishing Queen]

Nice! always good seeing some fly action good job queen

Thanks! I think fly fishing is doing well these days, I bet you and Tony would agree with me on this. I saw a couple of your reports and know you guys had fun catching panfish and bass on flies too.





From this picture, I can see you are using great Tenkara Master fishing form. With all the fish you caught, I must have left my lucky mojo on that rod.

Great report. Great pics. Great day of fishing. Looks like you are expanding your fishing areas. Lucky for your husband that after your morning of "just being lazy and relaxing in the house", you did not decide you wanted to go fishing in Hawaii :Big Grin:. Your husband is just too good to you. Jenks lake looks beautiful with the clear water and all the tall pines. As usual, you did not take the easy way out and went out hunting for productive fishing spots instead of just putting out a lounge chair and hoping a fish swims by. Nice variety of fish. You may never fish the Pudd again. Looking forward to your next report.

Hawaii,...... Not a bad idea!!!....Ok, ok, I agree that your lucky mojo brought me better luck! Glad that you liked the report, and thanks for your continued support! I love the outdoors and the mountains and I might pay more visits to fish in other areas instead of just local lakes. Especially when summer comes and my kids are out of school and no more 'taxi mom', or 'mom on call'. Then I don't have to stay local for their convenience (that why I mostly fish at the pudd because it's only 7-8 minus away from my house)..... And YES, a big credit goes to my wonderful husband Scott, for his great support of my passionate sport - which means I fish nearly 300 days a year and for buying me all kinds of tackle and never having any complains (except that I want a fish finder for the kayak that he bought me and he says that I don't really need one because I am the fish finder). He just got me a 4 pcs fly rod combo for easy packing yesterday, so I can go fly fishing in river and mountains. And as we talked last time, my order for the Tenkara USA 13' Amago rod is going to be on it's way.......

Charlie, I went online last Sunday and I saw Orvis is having some items on sale, so I am planing to shop in Orvis this afternoon. I needs more flies and floating line for my future upgrade. I know you live near Pasadena, if you need something like that, you should pay a visit to that store or check it out on their website. Take care!*

[Fishnfun]

Charlie, I went online last Sunday and I saw Orvis is having some items on sale, so I am planing to shop in Orvis this afternoon. I needs more flies and floating line for my future upgrade. I know you live near Pasadena, if you need something like that, you should pay a visit to that store or check it out on their website. Take care!*

Hi Fishing Queen - Not sure if you will ge this message in time, but if you're going to Orvis and you plan to spend at least $50, ask them to put you on their mailing list and see if they will give you the current coupon to use. The coupon is spend minimum $50 and get $25 off on full price items. They currently have the coupon good until 06/17/12. Have fun shopping!

P.S. Check your PM.

[Skyler]

Nice. I love that lake. You should get a float tube and tenkara from it. The trout action is wide open in the middle of Jenks.

[Fishnfun]

Nice. I love that lake. You should get a float tube and tenkara from it. The trout action is wide open in the middle of Jenks.

Skyler,

Don't give Fishing Queen any new ideas on getting any more fishing equipment. Next thing you know, she will be floating out on the middle of Jenks Lake in a new pink float tube :Smile:

[Natural Lefty]

Fishing Queen, it's really nice how your husband helps you out, but I can't help but wonder, doesn't he go fishing too? I would think that watching you catch all those fish, the desire to join you in fishing would be irresistable. I was wondering how you went fishing so often. I have to work and need/want to do a lot of other things, too. That's nice that you can go fishing while the kids are in school.

By the way, those are Green Sunfish at Jenks Lake, not Bluegills. I haven't been there in about 10 years, but the only sunfish I have ever caught there were Green Sunfish -- no Bluegills, Pumpkinseeds, Redear, Crappie, or any other kind.

[VIVID_FLY]

WOW .... trout in a lake on the TENKARA thats my next thing on my "to do list" ... is there a TENKARA USA or FOUNTAINHEAD in the future...???

[The Fishing Queen]

WOW .... trout in a lake on the TENKARA thats my next thing on my "to do list" ... is there a TENKARA USA or FOUNTAINHEAD in the future...???

Pretty good rod that I got from you! I caught a good sized bass, and a good sized trout, plus countless of mixed panfish with it. I bought a 13' Tenkara USA rod, called Amago (like yours), Charlie bought a 13' Tenkara rod, called Stone Fly 390 from Fountainhead.

[fishermanx14]

Thanks for the comment on my report!




Thanks fishermanx14! Sorry to hear about your skunk. I went to the pudd for a couple hours and only caught 7 small panfish today. It was a very strange day for fishing, a few people also got skunked. The water looks very murky and muddy. Carps were spawning all over the lake, mostly near the shore, and that might disturb the fishery. I haven't seen you for a while, I bet you were busy studying and preparing for school finals right?
sadly yeas haha cant wait until i get out of summer school and football practice is over on july 12th....going to take a week long trip to the serrias

[The Fishing Queen]

Nice. I love that lake. You should get a float tube and tenkara from it. The trout action is wide open in the middle of Jenks.


Skyler,

Don't give Fishing Queen any new ideas on getting any more fishing equipment. Next thing you know, she will be floating out on the middle of Jenks Lake in a new pink float tube :Smile:



I don't have a float tube, but I do have a fishing kayak. I like to fish in the middle of the lake when the weather gets hot and fishing is slow. I never use an anchor to tie down my kayak, most time I fish with lure and paddle around the lake. So I have a question for you, or others who use a float tube or kayak for fishing here, what weight anchor should I buy for my kayak?

[The Fishing Queen]

Fishing Queen, it's really nice how your husband helps you out, but I can't help but wonder, doesn't he go fishing too? I would think that watching you catch all those fish, the desire to join you in fishing would be irresistable. I was wondering how you went fishing so often. I have to work and need/want to do a lot of other things, too. That's nice that you can go fishing while the kids are in school.

By the way, those are Green Sunfish at Jenks Lake, not Bluegills. I haven't been there in about 10 years, but the only sunfish I have ever caught there were Green Sunfish -- no Bluegills, Pumpkinseeds, Redear, Crappie, or any other kind.

Lefty, you are not the only one who had this kind of question regarding my other half. Well, my husband used to hunt small game a lot in up state New York. I like to fish. I don't think he likes to fishing that much, but since I'm passionate about this sport, he will come fish with me once a while. Now I'm more into fly fishing and I do a lot of walking, he likes to be with me and watch me catch fish. Sometimes he will bring a book to read or listen to his podcasts. We both enjoy the outdoors and the scenery. If I am fishing and busy catching, I don't feel hungry and forget about the time. He would patiently wait for me to finish. I can say that he is very good to me, that's because I am a good woman for him to keep, ha, ha....

People who I fish with always wonder about why I'm fishing all the time and what do I do for living? I am a strong willed person, I like to be free and do whatever I desire. I'm very lucky that I can do what I wish, and I am grateful that my family always stands by and supports me. These couple of years I have just been overwhelmed with the kids busy schedules and I always acted like a super mom without the cape. I decided to take two years time off, take care of myself and have fun. These sculptures were done before my break. I think that I'll go back to my art work after I have a few months of rest.

These photos were taken by VIVID_FLY, thank you Chuck for your help!!


Singing With The Wind

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The Couple

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The Depression

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[Troutcz swimbait]

Cool I didnt know you made stuff like that,maby you can make me a trout so I can mold and make a swimbait out of it.

[Natural Lefty]

Fishing Queen, I saw your artwork on low resolution as I usually have my computer, so I tried to see them in high resolution, but I waited a long time and nothing showed up. My computer is really slow. Your artwork looked good but I couldn't really see it very well in low resolution. My wife used to be a rather famous artist in Taiwan. She did sculptures and paintings just as you seem to.

I am glad your husband is so supportive whether or not he is into fishing. My wife and I went to upstate New York a few years ago in August, and fished there. I must say the fishing was really good for shorefishing or pierfishing for panfish. They were all over jigs in most places. We caught a lot of large Rock Bass, Yellow Perch, Redbreast Sunfish, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, and I caught a Northern Pike on a jig. Our favorite lake was Lake George. (We were in the Adirondack area.) The fish were crazy about jigs there. That was before I joined this site so there was no report on the trip.

I don't feel hungry that much while fishing, either. My friend Bowler (Greg) mentioned the same thing. I also tend to forget about time when I am fishing. I tend to stare endlessly into the water, watching the fishies swim around. Then I dangle my bait in front of the fish and say "here, fishy fishy." If I have an aquarium to look at, I will give them a bit of food and watch the fish swim to the top of the tank to eat. The next thing I know, it's getting late and time to go. :EyePop:

[HighSierratrout]

Pretty good rod that I got from you! I caught a good sized bass, and a good sized trout, plus countless of mixed panfish with it. I bought a 13' Tenkara USA rod, called Amago (like yours), Charlie bought a 13' Tenkara rod, called Stone Fly 390 from Fountainhead.

I'm currently looking at upgrading to either the Amago or Stone Fly 390. I currently have a Fountainhead Caddis 330. Did you have a chance to use both of them enough to give a recommendation if the Amago is worth the extra money?

I've hit up Jenks twice in the past few months, once with my western fly pole and ultralight spinner, the other with my tenkara pole (330 Caddis Fountainhead) and it was a blast, much more fun with the tenkara pole. I caught more trout and enjoyed it much more not having to manage the line and trees with my old fly pole. The trout loved a #18 griffins gnat when I was there and hit it almost instantly.

thanks in advance.

[The Fishing Queen]

I was fishing with 'Fishnfun' last Friday, and I tried his new 13' ( I think he measured it and told me it was only 12'6"?) Fountainhead stone fly 390 rod, I liked it. Even though it is 2' longer than my 11' Chinese Tenkara rod, it felt much lighter than mine and it is well balanced. I watched Charlie (Fishnfun) catching panfish and noticed that it bends between the top two to three sections of the rod when he landed a hand sized crappie..... I just received my new 13'6" Amago rod made by Tenkara USA this past weekend. I tried it out today at the lake and I broke it in right after a couple of casts. I caught over 40 panfish in 3 and half hours. The rod performed well for it's super long size. I feel it is lighter and softer than my 11' Chinese rod. When I pulled in a hand sized panfish, it bends mostly between the top one to two sections. Those bluegills fought hard just like a decent sized trout. So I believe that it has a stronger backbone and it definitely could handle a larger sized trout without any doubt.

Tenkara USA makes a good quality Amago rod, it comes with a hard carrier tube, but it also costs twice as much as the fountainhead stone fly 390. I think stone fly 390 is a decent rod with much better value for it's quality. It's well made, a little softer than the Amago and it also has enough backbone to land a larger trout, but it doesn't come with a hard carrier tube. They are very similar in size and weight( Amago is 1 foot longer, and a couple oz heavier) except for the price and the brand. It all depends on your own budget and taste, just like choosing between a BMW and a HONDA. Those cars do the same work and get you anywhere you want to go. These rods would also both work for you to get the fish on.

[Fishnfun]

I agree with Fishing Queen. I have the Stone Fly 390 and like it, especially considering the price. My rod actually measured about 12'9". The rod easily handles the panfish I have been catching. My guess is catching the average size trout would also be a lot of fun on the rod. I consider the Stone Fly as a middle of the road rod. Not too stiff, but also not too soft. If I were targeting larger fish and throwing bigger flies, I think the Amago would be better. The Stone Fly could handle it, but the Amago would handle it better. It comes down to what type of fishing you will be doing. I would love to get a Amago as my second tenkara rod to cover the heavier stuff. I would still use the Stone Fly for the lighter fishing. Since you already have a 330 size rod, definitely go with the longer length of the Amago or Stone Fly 390. The longer length comes in handy when fishing on a lake, especially when fishing from the shore.

[HighSierratrout]

thanks for the tips. I'm just stuck looking at the price difference wondering if I'm really going to notice that big of a difference in quality, or am I going to get a marginally better pole with a name brand? I want one that can handle larger bass, 3-5lb, and brown trout, 3-5lb, hopefully bigger. So I'll need to use larger flies, poppers, etc to land the larger bass and some serious backbone to bring in large browns from the Eastern Sierras. I'm also curious about finding a way to rig it so I can use a panther martin or bouyant for trout in lakes, curious if its possible on the larger, stiffer Amago.

the 330 is great is small areas, actually measures about 10'6", and works well with hand sized bluegills, and rainbows. Largest rainbow I've caught so far was about 12", good sized and that fish fought, it was a fun catch, and at Jenks Lake. Maybe if I get the 390 I'll spend the savings on flies and hand tied lines from tenkarabum, haha

[Fishnfun]

thanks for the tips. I'm just stuck looking at the price difference wondering if I'm really going to notice that big of a difference in quality, or am I going to get a marginally better pole with a name brand? I want one that can handle larger bass, 3-5lb, and brown trout, 3-5lb, hopefully bigger. So I'll need to use larger flies, poppers, etc to land the larger bass and some serious backbone to bring in large browns from the Eastern Sierras. I'm also curious about finding a way to rig it so I can use a panther martin or bouyant for trout in lakes, curious if its possible on the larger, stiffer Amago.

For the type of fishing you described, the Amago is a better choice. The tip of the Stone Fly would be too soft. Not sure if any tenkara rod can handle a panther martin or thomas buoyant.