I was a little worried about the size of the fish we might encounter... A river large enough to float a boat can hold some big fish.... perhaps too big for a Tenkara rod to handle? But on the other hand there are also a lot of fish that would be just the right size.
I love using a grasshopper fly and watching the fish come up from the clear depths and smash it as it floats along on the surface. I will also add that a Tenkara rod is much lighter than a western style fly rod. Sitting there for several hours "mending" the line had my arm and wrist hurting. The Tenkara was a relief... I could also cast it with either hand... and no "mending".
We were doing a lot of nymph fishing... a big brown cockroach looking thing with rubber legs and a super tiny little fly on a dropper. We used a "thing a ma bobber" as a strike indicator. I was a little worried on what might break if I snagged the bottom. When your floating the fast water parts of a river there is no rowing back up stream to try and unhook your stuck fly... or grabbing the line to break the leader. Fortunately I didn't hook the bottom and the Tenkara rod handled the nymph rig like a champ.
I had a great time and those Montana rainbow, brown trout and whitefish gave my new Tenkara a real work out. We used nymphs, grass hoppers and tiny dry flys... everything worked. I can see why you guys love trout fishing so much.
Mayhaps on a future trip I'll get to do a little wading. But then sitting in that comfortable chair, drifting down the river while the guide does all the work is really nice.
