Tenkara on Jenks Lake, San Bernadino Mtns
Last Friday, 5/11, I took my new Tenkara pole (Fountainhead 330 Caddis, 11', using 15' hi viz flouro, 3' 6x tippit) to try and catch some trout for the first time on tenkara. I had used it for the first time a week ago at a local pond and caught 6 bluegill in about 45 minutes using a #18 elk hair caddis, man was that a blast. Got to the lake about 5:30am with a buddy, and a little early for the fly and I was bummed. We took out the lightweight spinner, tied on super dupers, and got after it. I caught 2 nice bows in about 45 minutes, plus one tiny 5" bow. About 6:30 the sun got started to pop over the ridgeline and fish started rising, and so did my blood pressure and heart rate. I love the sight of bows popping up all over the water with that early morning glare. I got out the tenkara pole, tied on a #16 griffin gnat, extended to the 11' and started after the bows. It took a little bit and the sun to get a little higher over the ridge, but eventually I had my first trout on a tenkara pole, then I lost my first trout on a tenkara pole. haha. about 3 seconds of sheer joy followed by a bummer. I had a few more hits and risers over the next 30-40 minutes, but the fish weren't that active in I was fishing in deep water off a pier, probably 10-15ft deep.
My buddy got his line messed up so i leaned my tenkara pole against the pier and put the fly on the ground by my feet. Somehow the fly slipped through the openings in the wood on the floor and got down to the water and a large trout took the fly. I noticed my line taking off and grabbed it, but it was stuck between the slats. I yelled at my buddy to get the net and I was going to hang over the pier and try to net the trout while holding the line. I got a glimpse of it and it was big, real big. Unfortunately before I could get the net over the edge the bow broke my 6x (2lb) tippet and took off with my fly. Darn, first big trout on the tenkara and first tippet broken, caught through an gap between boards on the pier.haha
A little later I moved off the pier to a shallow area where trout were rising and the water was crystal clear. I moved around, hiding behind bushes and trees, casting into places I could never do with my western fly pole, and the bite was on. Over the next two hours I caught and released about a dozen bows, all good size and keepers if you were eating them. the smallest was about 8" and the biggest about 12-13". Others were fishing with spinners and power bait and catching occassionaly, but the bows wanted the fly. I had a blast with the tenkara and will probably never take my western fly pole out again. Here's some pics of a few of the catches. I tried to keep them in the net as much as possible so they'd stay healthy and somebody else could catch and eat them.
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Originally Posted by teejay
