Midwest Tenkara Fest - Coon Valley, WI USA

[mspaddler]

There are several Tenkara meetings in the USA and Europe throughout the year. This week I get the chance to attend my first overseas gathering of Tenkara enthusiast.  Check out the lineup at www.mwtenkarafest.com/.  Should be fun, a report will follow when I dry out as rain is in the forecast, actually rain doesn't need to be forecast all that is needed is for me to set up a tent!

[mspaddler]

I'm back in our condo by Lake Michigan following a great 4 days in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin.  I have fished the beautiful meadow streams of the Driftless in previous years but this visit was to attend the Midwest Tenkara Fest organized by Matt Sment of Badger Tenkara.   The 'Fest' was held in a hall in Coon Valley on the banks of Coon Creek.   The weather was awful!  no opportunity for outside demos during the day and a half of the 'Fest' but the program inside the hall was interesting and varied.   Presenters included Daniel Galhardo from Tenkara USA; Rob Worthing from Tenkara Guides; Anthony Naples from Three Rivers Tenkara; Luong Tam of Tenkara Tanuki and Bob Long from Chicago who gave a very detailed and interesting talk on fishing for Smallmouth Bass with Tenkara rods. 

I spent 4 nights camping and yes it rained everyday except the day I left for Sheboygan!  In spite of the weather and to some extent the state of the Rivers/Creeks we managed to fish each day when not attending the 'Fest'.   The campsite was in a county park alongside the North Fork of the Bad Axe river.    The Bad Axe produced many trout over the 4 days during the after dinner sessions, remarkable really considering the fishing pressure.   In fact following a frustrating final morning on the West Fork of the Kickapoo river when just about everything I did resulted in either a miss or a loss of flies I went back to the Bad Axe tied on one of my tatty black kebari and managed to land half a dozen nice brown trout in just over an hour.

I hope to be back to the 'Fest' next year, before then I'll be back in The Driftless fishing for Trout early next month and I hope combine that visit with a guided day fishing for Smallmouth Bass with the T rod.