Tying Tenkara Flies - A Beginning

[William Anderson]

Okay, this can't be that difficult, but I know there is a whole culture surrounding these flies that I have only been exposed to, not emersed in, so I'm looking for input from anyone with an opinion or advice to move this process forward. I won't attach the japanese stylistic type to any of these, they are just standard flies moving toward the Tenkara method. I'm happy to share my clumbsy entry into a tying style and philosophy and would welcome any input of any kind. Please post any patterns that you think will further the discussion and understanding of the flies, techniques and fishing methods that dictate aspects of the flies.

At present I'm under the impression that many if not most of our typical soft-hackled flies will work very well in tenkara water, using the fishing methods that best compliment the rods and set-ups. Not that it's as narrow as that. But there is a particularly active drift technique that can require forward facing hackles to resist current forces in order to achieve a pulsing impression of life. This I'll have to see for myself, but the tying of flies that are also distinctly tenkara-like is interesting and I would like to explore the facets involved.

Yes, these are fussier than the style apparently requires, but really...if you're going to sit down and tie a fly, why not put some thought into it and make it tidy? Did that extra 30 seconds really matter?

Here are a couple more from today. the first is tied tying off in front of the hackle

Tenkara-esque Light Hen and Turkey Tail 1250



The second tied off behind the hackle. There is a larger tie off than I wanted but I need it to lock that hackle forward. I was trying to avoid adding a thorax.

Tenkara-esque Dark Hen and Turkey Tail 1250


please...tear em apart.

w

[CreationBear]

Ha, critiquing sakasa kebari is just so gaijin of you, grasshopper. (But like the man said, "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function." )

If you're worried about "looks," I think the tie-off behind the hackle could be fudged a little with a bit of dubbing to soften the transition between the pheasant tail and collar. To be honest, though, I still like the non-traditional "Western" whip-finish at the eye...it might help to use Mark R.'s trick of using a section of a coffee stirrer to hold back the hackle when you're tying-off. (The straw stays on your bobbin tube as you begin the fly, then you slide it up the thread onto the hookshank.)

BTW, here's a nice video from Davie-sama if you've not seen it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-oWwsEs_0Q

[Mataura mayfly]

Or you split the section of straw so it can be slipped off past the bend and point of the hook. Also a good way of storing tubeflies and sparrow ties until you get the tippet tied, slip off the straw and the hackle doesn't get all messed up by twisting whilst tying.... or tangled in the knot.

Mighty fine looking run of flies you are producing though William.

[tie2fish]

I know from my own Tenkara tying experiements that working the thread up through the hackle and then tying off in front requires some doing ... I had problems with trapping hackle fibers and creating a gap in the hackle collar. From what I've seen on the internet, the traditional Japanese tyers are apparently not enough concerned with "neatness" to bother with this, and simply tie off behind the hackle. In any event, these two patterns both look good to me, w, and I'm sure that your style will continue to evolve.

[William Anderson]

Thanks for the input. I guess in my own method I'm just putting this up and asking for correctional notes as a way of flushing out what makes the tenkara flies unique. I'll get back to this in a bit but I got my alotted 5 mins at the vise this morning, so here's what I came up with.

CdL hackle and Golden Pheasant tail (3 fibers) twisted with two lengths of primrose silk, tied off at the head.




Medium Dun Hen and Quil 1250, tied off behind the hackle.



Gotta run.

w

[gig]

They all look great and I'm sure they'll catch fish

[CreationBear]

Ah, both of these will fish, but I'm drawn especially to the first one--I'd be sorely tempted to put a peacock herl head on it, though, the phrase Tenkara purist being the oxymoron it is.

[Donald Nicolson]

I like your ideas William, the reverse hackle can be a bit awkward at first, especially tying off behind the hackle, where concealing the final turns of thread. I found that using a technique from bead head flies was useful. Before the final whip finish, some dubbing to match the fly behind the hackle is added and the whip pulled and disappears through the dubbing. Another is the way Chris Stewart finishes at the tail end of the fly.
As there are other flies similar, but not Tenkara I usually like to referer to them all as 'Reverse Hackle Flies', remember, not all flies fished in Japan with a Tenkara rod are reverse hackled.
Like the Italian Alpine flies they were intended for use on fast mountain streams, but they do very well on other small streams.
I first posted the Italian Alpines on my site in Jan 2004, after a bit of research in books by Taff Price and W. H. Lawrie.
The U. S. West Coast Reverse Spiders were from an article in FAOL in 2006.
http://donaldnicolson.webplus.net/page590.html

[William Anderson]

Thanks again. And thank you, Donald for the link. I'm sure I've read your site ten times over but there are always a few surprises to be found. I hadn't seen the West Coast reversed hackles.

The reverse hackle is kind of beautiful, differently than a soft-hackle. And granted, it's not much of a stretch from tying North Country spiders or any other of my favorite soft hackles but it is interesting and a little bit of a change. I'll keep at it...probably a lot until I get to get out and twitch a few.

I like the idea that a few folks go as far as to tie and fish only one pattern. To each their own. For me that would restrict some of what I enjoy about the sport. At an absolute minimum you could improve your catching by carrying a lighter toned fly and a darker fly. Maybe a small and a large? I don't see ever going down that path but there is something intriguing about that approach.

[narcodog]

William the idea of one pattern is a slight misnomer. The do tye them in different colors and sizes. Also with different materials. The pattern is a kebari but as I stated it is tyed with different materials.If you look here it will give you a good definition. my best streams tenkara, just Google it.