Tenkara for bass

[Deleted]

I've decided to try my hand at Tenkara for smallmouth bass. I don't know if you've got smallies in Blighty, but would definitely appreciate any pointers.  I currently fish for trout with a 12' Iwana and a traditional (furled) line with about 5-6 feet of 5x fluorocarbon tippet, and I'm trying to stick to traditional kebari.  What are some of your recommendations for type of rod, line (level or traditional) as well as tippet length and strength.  Also any wisdom on favorite flies for bass.  Thanks in advance for your help.   Irv

[Paul G]

Hi Irv, the nearest small and large-mouth bass to us are found in Spain and France but I've done some largemouth bass fishing in California (Lake Casitas) near my brother's house in Ventura.

What size fish are you targeting?

[Deleted]

Hello Paul, I'm in Virginia where the bass are plentiful, and can get quite large - just the other day a spin fisherman landed a 22 inch 10 pound largemouth in the Rivanna River on a plastic worm. That's quite unusual for that stretch of the river, but 16 to 18 inch smallmouths are not at all uncommon. Did you fish the California waters with a Tenkara set-up?

[Paul G]

Hi Irv,
No I was fishing a drop shot rig with a soft "roboworm" on light spinning gear (dead sticking). Casitas doesn't really lend itself to a tenkara approach so well I think (although I'd be happy to be proved wrong )

If your bass are willing to hit surface lures, then a rod that is happy with bossing decent fish (like the TUSA Amago or Yamame models) with either large Japanese kebari (see Masami Sakakibara's bigger fly patterns for inspiration) or foam popper type "western" flies will be a ton of fun I'm sure. It would be great practice to get your "fly first" casting delivery going (so that the only splash the fish experiences is from your fly - rather than from your line). It will also be great for getting to grips with pulsing the rod tip just the right amount to get nice attractive movements from your fly.

If you need to fish sub-surface for them then you may need a fly that approximates their regular food (whether that is crawfish, small "fodder" fish etc.). Very Rough size/profile approximations and fly dressing materials with good mobility will be really helpful there. As (perhaps) will an appropriate sized tungsten bead within the dressing (possibly think about using the Czech-style "jig" nymph hooks for tying these on. N.B. those hooks are designed to be used with a "slotted" bead rather than one with a circular hole bored through them).

For either surface or sub-surface fishing, because the flies will be relatively large, it will be worth using heavier (100% fluorocarbon!) level lines in the #4 or #4.5 range (on the Japanese scale). I'd start out with perhaps a 4ft 6" tippet as a decent compromise between control/accuracy and stealth/separation from the brighter line. You could go longer or shorter by way of experimentation thereafter.

Also, it would be worth looking on facebook for some of the, quite numerous, pages for US anglers who fish for a whole range of species on their tenkara gear.

Let me know how you get on - I'd be very curious to hear!

Paul

[Deleted]

Hello Paul - Thanks for the very helpful reply. I'll rig up a level line #4.5 (I happen to have a spool handy) and get out to the Rivanna River. I'll also check out Masama Sakakibara's patterns. Right now, I'm going to try a Mickey Finn in a size 12 (I think the Iwana can handle that) - which I've had great success with on smallies in the Rivanna. As far as a new rod is concerned, I have promised myself and my wife that I will slow down just a bit on equipment purchases. So, my new rule is that I have to hook and land 500 fish with any new rod before I add yet another to my arsenal! Cheers - Irv

[cm_stewart]

I haven't fished for smallmouth bass in rivers, but in lakes a wide variety of flies work. Your Iwana will cast some of them, others would do better with a stiffer rod. www.tenkarabum.com/tenkara-flies-for-bass.html gives a few that have worked for me. Your 4.5 line is fine, and with line that heavy you can cast larger flies than you think. Size 12 is definitely on the small size. I fish a 6 (of course, not with an Iwana, although you could). I'm not sure if the TUSA website still says 7# tippet is OK with their rods, but whatever you use, check it frequently for abrasion. Bass are not known to be line shy, so I'd reduce your tippet to 4' or a bit less.

[Deleted]

Thanks Chris, Appreciate your helpful info. As I said in an earlier message, once I get my self-imposed limit on the Iwana, I'll be in touch to discuss a faster rod.