Bluegill - Big Bluegill

Do you love big bluegill?

Has anybody messed around with this tenkara stuff? Im mostly wondering about the rods how is the action do the fish put up a good fight? Alot of the area that I flyfish for gills is close to shore so the short line length isnt an issue and I know the flies will work because theyre all basicly soft hackles and those are usualy killers.

Views: 7893

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

never bought any but have researched it and it looks pretty cool but pricey.have seen some on ebay from china that go by telescopic carbon fiber rods .they seem very light and can bend in half.i think they go up to 18 feet.might be a blast on the beds.the tenkara of america rods were all over 100 bucks but seemed well made.i think it would be fun tho,you could also use live bait on these set ups i think.i think it would be fun to just dap the surface with a live cricket.

Jim

Need to be careful, not all telescopic carbon rods are tenkara. The main difference is that you cast a fly with a tenkara rod. Most tenkara rods are between 11 and 14 feet. I also pole fish with Japanese carbon rods. They are great for bait fishing but would not cast a line with a fly. You can certainly dap and I use that method a lot. 

yeah the ones I was looking at were about 150-200 for a setup. mostly wondering if it would be more fun than a 3wt flyrod thats 100 for the combo.

Mike

Just to put it in perspective, tenkara is considered 000 weigh fly fishing. Sage's 000 weight rods list for about $650.00 

Mike

I've been tenkara fishing for over a  year.The action on the rods are amazing. You can feel the fight in small and large fish. IMHO, there is nothing like the direct connection between yourself and the fish. No reel , no drag just you and your ability to play and land. Never felt under gunned and landed over 200+ bluegill with this method. 

 I use a Fountainhead 11 foot Caddis Rod ($55.00). If you like level lines, you don't need to purchase the special Tenkara lines. Just use 12 #  flurocarbon .285 dia. This line is equal to a #3 tenkara line.  My favorite set up is using  11 feet of level  line with 4 feet of  #6 tippet.I use a tippet ring and  usually fish dry -  #12 - 14 Adams or Black Gnats.

Hope this helps,

JDA

ok thats sounds like a good deal, is there a reputable website to find them?

Just Google Fountainhead Tenkara . If you have any questions, just let me know.

Larry
That's exactly what moved me to try tenkara. I still fish with a 9 foot Mr Crappie telescopic pole and use it to dap flies. I limit my line size to either 1 or 2 lb. test and fish with dry flies. Sometimes I have to use a #10 shot to swing the fly out if it's windy. The micro weight allows for better placement.
JDA

Larry ,since you mentioned it, I plan on using unwaxed dental floss as a blow line to actually Dap a dry fly like they do in Scotland. Google dapping to see what I mean. 

 

Very cool. Dapping in the US is usualiy the direct placement of a fly on the water. Traditional  dapping is using a long pole  to carry the fly via the wind, on a blow line and very short leader. I would think it has to give a more realistic presentation.

Let me know how it goes. I'll be trying my grand experiment about mid March.

Larry

You're going to have a blast. The flies that worked best for me were the #12 Adams and #12  Black Gnat. I also purchased a few new flies for this season. I'm going with  #12 Sawyer Killer Bugs and #12 Stewards Spiders. I'm also thinking of picking up a few Orange Scuds

Joe, who sells the fountainhead rods. This is very interesting to me.

RSS

Latest Activity

Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion Panfish Species of North America- Which Ones Have You Caught?
"Some quality Warmouth I caught in my early years on the Albemarle….."
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion Panfish Species of North America- Which Ones Have You Caught?
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion Panfish Species of North America- Which Ones Have You Caught?
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion Panfish Species of North America- Which Ones Have You Caught?
"Thanks for sharing John……you have patterned your available species pretty good over…"
Wednesday
John Sheehan replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion Panfish Species of North America- Which Ones Have You Caught?
"Only caught five of these Species up here in New Jersey. Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Red Breasted…"
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

Crackers Saved This Morning Behind A Cold Front…..7/23/2025

If I get out the remainder of July it will probably be a crappie stalk on the coastal marsh……
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a status
"Slow Moving Cold Front Went Through Overnight and Shifted the Wind to the North so our rivers were dumped, but we wanted to go anyway…."
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion Panfish Species of North America- Which Ones Have You Caught?
Tuesday
Jeffrey D. Abney replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion Panfish Species of North America- Which Ones Have You Caught?
"There’s multiple variations in the Spotted Sunfish….in Louisiana the Red Spotted…"
Tuesday
Jeffrey D. Abney replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion Panfish Species of North America- Which Ones Have You Caught?
"Growing up in Louisiana into a fishing family I got many introductions to the Sportsman’s…"
Tuesday
Jeffrey D. Abney replied to Jeffrey D. Abney's discussion Panfish Species of North America- Which Ones Have You Caught?
"I have personally caught 11 of the 12 panfish featured in this discussion. I have never lived in…"
Tuesday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a discussion
Tuesday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Monday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Monday
DAVID L EITUTIS commented on DAVID L EITUTIS's photo
Thumbnail

THIS COLOR COMBINATION SEEMS TO WORK THIS YEAR

"Yup blue and white is an essential with my oldest son......."
Monday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a status
"My glass boat is going to the shop tomorrow, need an ignition system tune up, figured I would give it up during this extended heat wave.."
Sunday

© 2025   Created by Bluegill.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service