Post by fdking on Jun 27, 2017 14:30:33 GMT
I've had my Tenkara rod for 1 1/2 years and bought a 13 ft rod so that I could use it on the Wharfe at Ilkley - so I thought I'd better give it a go! On Sunday there was a gusty wind blowing from the west which ruled out upstream fishing in most of the water. However, there is a stretch that runs roughly south-north so the wind is mainly from behind. The river was extremely low and very clear, so I fished the rapids/riffles using a straight fluorocarbon line and two nymphs, total length of the line about 15 ft to the point nymph. The fish were very fussy and it took me a while to find the only nymph they were taking. After that I caught 5 trout and two grayling in the afternoon session, the best trout being just over a 1lb and the grayling about 3/4lb. I got used to the level line pretty quickly with the weighted nymphs. I usually fish this stretch with a 3wt 10ft rod and a french leader. Conclusions:
Pros: The rod tip is very sensitive, so I could detect even the smallest nibbles.
The length of the rod enabled me to reach across to the quieter water on the other side of the river and keep the line off the water without having to wade into the fast water.
Cons: The 1lb trout in the fast water bent the rod to the limit, so did the 3/4lb grayling. I wouldn't want to catch anything larger, but then the larger fish are not normally in the fast water.
I only had a short-handled landing net so I had to play the bigger fish for much longer than I normally would to be able to get them to the net. This tired the fish out and I had to hold them in the water facing upstream for quite a few minutes to let them recover, especially the grayling. Maybe I could use my longer-handled net and double it up as a wading stick?
I'll probably use the Tenkara again but only when the river is again low when the water flow is not so fast.
In the evening I tried dry fly on one of the pools, again with the wind behind me. The rising fish were mainly grayling and taking virtually any small (size 18/20) fly that was olive or grey. I couldn't get used to the level line so switched to a furled, tapered line. The takes were lightening fast and with the small hooks I didn't manage to catch anything, missing over 20 bites. However, I did catch one grayling by 'cheating', using an olive-bodied fly on a size 16 hook, but tied only half way along the shank so it looked like a small fly! I also caught another grayling on a size 10 yellow may dun, as there were a few of them about. With the wind, I often didn't need to cast, just lift up the line and let the wind take it. I liked it because the longer length of the rod meant that I could reduce drag. The downside was that I couldn't get to the fish rising further out.
Pros: The rod tip is very sensitive, so I could detect even the smallest nibbles.
The length of the rod enabled me to reach across to the quieter water on the other side of the river and keep the line off the water without having to wade into the fast water.
Cons: The 1lb trout in the fast water bent the rod to the limit, so did the 3/4lb grayling. I wouldn't want to catch anything larger, but then the larger fish are not normally in the fast water.
I only had a short-handled landing net so I had to play the bigger fish for much longer than I normally would to be able to get them to the net. This tired the fish out and I had to hold them in the water facing upstream for quite a few minutes to let them recover, especially the grayling. Maybe I could use my longer-handled net and double it up as a wading stick?
I'll probably use the Tenkara again but only when the river is again low when the water flow is not so fast.
In the evening I tried dry fly on one of the pools, again with the wind behind me. The rising fish were mainly grayling and taking virtually any small (size 18/20) fly that was olive or grey. I couldn't get used to the level line so switched to a furled, tapered line. The takes were lightening fast and with the small hooks I didn't manage to catch anything, missing over 20 bites. However, I did catch one grayling by 'cheating', using an olive-bodied fly on a size 16 hook, but tied only half way along the shank so it looked like a small fly! I also caught another grayling on a size 10 yellow may dun, as there were a few of them about. With the wind, I often didn't need to cast, just lift up the line and let the wind take it. I liked it because the longer length of the rod meant that I could reduce drag. The downside was that I couldn't get to the fish rising further out.