In Episode 23 of the Tenkara Angler Level Line podcast Anthony, Bill, Dave and Tom discuss various tenkara presentation and fly manipulation techniques. Dead drift, upstream & downstream pulling, tomezuri, and "pon pon" are covered emphasizing their effectiveness in catching fish and the best equipment to use to execute each.

The podcast isn't meant to be a comprehensive seminar on tenkara techniques but rather an introduction. The idea is to familiarize anglers with the basic concepts of active fly manipulation. The Tenkara Angler crew share their personal takes on how they use active fly manipulation in their own fishing. The goal is to help anglers add to and develop their own tenkara tool boxes.

Show Notes & Links:

0:00:08 - Introductions

0:02:41 - Books & Resources
- Tenkara by Daniel Galhardo
- How to Fool Fish with Simple Flies by Paul Gaskell & John Pearson
- Super Clear Level Line Tenkara by Dr. Hisao Ishigaki

0:05:00 - The Importance(?) of Dead Drift

0:16:40 - The Pause and Drift Technique

0:21:00 - Pulling Presentations

0:25:05 - The Importance of Gear Selection

0:31:45 - Understanding the Upstream Pull

0:37:13 - The Concept of Tomezuri

0:47:30 - Exploring the "Pon Pon" Technique

00:57:57 - Strategies for Catching the 'Gatekeeper' Trout

01:01:55 - Bill's Book Club
- Understanding Trout Behavior by John Goddard & Brian Clarke

01:04:51 - Lifting and Swinging Flies
- Leisenring Lift

01:10:17 - Final Thoughts

Brand Affiliates Mentioned in this Episode:

In Episode 22 of the Tenkara Angler Level Line podcast, Amanda, Anthony, Bill, Matt & Mike discuss current events in the tenkara fishing community, including online kebari tying classes, new rod releases, and upcoming events.

The conversation then turns holiday gifts that anglers really want. No "Big Mouth Billy Bass" wall decorations here. The team shares humorous and practical takes on fishing gifts they'd wouldn't mind giving or receiving. Our discussion wraps up with some memorable fishing experiences from the past year as well as an announcement of a special art contest ,"Paint Matt's Adventure Van" with great prizes that you don't want to miss!

Show Notes & Links:

0:00:06 - Introduction

0:01:37 - Current Events
- Online Kebari Tying Classes
- Rocky MTN Compa Rod
- Taunki Kunoichi Rod
- White Mountains Tenkara Campout
- Wisconsin Driftless Tenkara Campout
- Tenkara Angler Events Page

0:17:24 - Holiday Gifts Tenkara Anglers Really Want
- Nippers
- Orvis Fishing Shirt
- Fly Winder Pro Mag Mount
- DRAGONtail Furled Lines
- Miss Mayfly Waders
- Airbnb Gift Cards
- Tenkara Angler Gear on Amazon
- John Galligan Books
- Tippet Guide Spools
- Trouthunter Tippet
- Gift a Fishing License
- 2024 Tenkara Angler Gift Guide

0:35:18 - Meandering Conversation
- Gas Station Food: Wawa, Sheetz, Kwik-Trip, Kum & Go
- Christmas Trees
- Name Anthony's Irritable Betta Fish

0:38:44 - Looking Back Fondly on 2024

0:52:09 - "Paint Matt's Adventure Van" Contest

0:55:08 - Closing Remarks

Brand Affiliates Mentioned in this Episode:
DRAGONtail, Tanuki, Rocky MTN Tenkara, Red Brook Tenkara

In Episode 21 of the Tenkara Angler Level Line Podcast, Mike, Anthony, Matt, and Bill discuss various topics related to tenkara fishing, including current events in the tenkara community, the significance of Tenkara USA's 15-year anniversary, and personal experiences with tenkara over the last decade and a half.

The conversation then swerves briefly to the 'Overrated Underrated Game,' before Anthony leads our primary discussion into the various types of tenkara fishing lines, reviewing their characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages. We explore level lines, furled lines, floating lines, and tapered monofilament lines, providing insights for both beginners and experienced anglers.

Show Notes:

0:00:13 - Introduction
- A View of Tenkara in Austria

0:05:30 - Tenkara Community News
- Tenkara USA 15 Years
- Men's Health 10 Manliest Hobbies on Earth
- New DRAGONtail rod / Japanese Salamander
- Zen Hachi Closeout - $80!
- Tanuki 2025 East Coast Boot Camp?

0:26:08 - Overrated / Underrated
- Midcurrent Barbless Hooks Article
- Tim Traver's - Lost in the Driftless: Trout Fishing on the Cultural Divide

0:47:00 - Tenkara Line Discussion

0:49:19 - Level Lines
- Nissin PALS Oni Line / Varivas Special Nylon / Cortland Indicator Line
- Shooter FC Sniper BMS / Seaguar Tatsu Clear
- 1.5 YGK ULTRA Sight & Sakura Markers

1:03:00 - Furled Lines
- DRAGONtail Furled Lines / Nissin PALS Line SP

1:12:24 - Floating Lines
- Daiwa PVC Floating Line / Cortland Monocore Euro Line

1:17:37 - Tapered Monofilament Lines
- Fujino Tapered / Daiwa Tapered

1:21:50 - Tenkara Angler Housekeeping
- Level Line Podcast T-Shirts & Gear
- 2025 Print Magazine Deadline - November 29th

Brand Affiliates Mentioned in this Episode:
DRAGONtail, Tanuki, Tenkara USA, Zen Tenkara

In Episode 20 of the Tenkara Angler Level Line Podcast, Amanda, Anthony, Matt, & Mike hold our first ever Tenkara Fantasy Draft - picking rods, lines, flies, locations, and a special "wild card" item. The clock was ticking and strategies were abound. It's such a fun conversation!

Be sure to comment ON OUR YOUTUBE VIDEO and tell us who "won" the draft... who dropped the kebari... or what YOU might have picked instead for the opportunity to win a tenkara-related prize!

Show Notes:

Anthony's Inspiration: Bandsplain Podcast

Want to see more? Visit ⁠⁠⁠Tenkara Angler

In Episode 16 of the Tenkara Angler Level Line Podcast Anthony Naples talked with Jonathan Antunez about his style of active wet fly fishing that is inspired in part by H.C. Cutcliffe and other anglers of bygone eras but which is being given new life by utilizing modern state-of-the-art fixed line tenkara rods.

In Episode 19 Anthony revisits this topic with Jonathan. We hope that you catch the bug like he has and you give this style of fishing a try.

Show Notes:

In Episode 18 of the Tenkara Angler Level Line Podcast, Matt, Amanda & Anthony discuss the recent White Mountains Tenkara Campout, stream etiquette, terrain and tenkara style, and more.

The White Mountains Tenkara event hosted by Red Brook Tenkara happened recently in New Hampshire and Tenkara Angler team members Amanda, Matt and Mike were in attendance. Amanda and Matt share their thoughts on the event and the area.

Then the team discusses a little bit about stream etiquette and expectations inspired by frequent Tenkara Angler contributor Dennis Vander Houwen's recent article The Unwritten Rules of Fishing Etiquette.

Matt Sment poses the question about how terrain and background affect tenkara fishing style. And finally, there is some discussion about everyone's upcoming plans.

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Show Notes & Links:

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Gear Mentioned in this podcast:

Tenkara USA Satoki

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Want to see more?

Tenkara Angler: ⁠https://tenkaraangler.com

In Episode 17 of the Tenkara Angler Level Line Podcast, Mike, Matt, & Anthony touch on some current events in their fishing lives.

Anthony discusses some learnings he's made fishing the same water consistently in May. Matt recaps the Driftless Tenkara Campout. Mike frets over where the "too much vs. too little" line is drawn when it comes to packing for an upcoming trip.

Finally, Anthony spends some extended time with Roanoke, Virginia based angler, Mike Garrison. Mike discusses his entry into tenkara, why he enjoys it so much, the similarities (and differences) between a euro-nymphing & fixed line (tenkara) nymphing setup, as well as the value in fishing with guides.

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Show Notes & Links:

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Mike's Blog: Guide Waters: Exploring Fly Fishing & Life

Mike's Instagram: @blueridgeflyguy

Mike's Business: Strategic Referral Team

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Want to see more?

Tenkara Angler: https://tenkaraangler.com

Episode 16 of the Tenkara Angler Level Line Podcast is doing double duty as a "Supersized" edition of the Tenkara Moves series. In this episode Anthony talks to Jonathan Antunez about fishing wet flies with tenkara rods.

Show Notes:

Want to see more? Visit ⁠Tenkara Angler

In Episode 15 of the Tenkara Angler Level Line Podcast, Amanda, Anthony, Matt, and Mike answer listener (& reader) submitted questions from the tenkara community. The topics reviewed include a discussion of furled vs. level lines, a "go to" fly, beginner tenkara skills, rod breakage, Patagonia, bucket list tenkara fishing destinations, and the difference between tenkara vs. fixed line fishing.

In Episode 14 of the Tenkara Angler Level Line Podcast, Amanda, Anthony, Mike, and Tom cover several topics in a grab bag of conversation. Starting with current events, we discuss the new print issue of Tenkara Angler, the Appalachian Tenkara Anglers fly swap, and an upcoming Tenkara 101 course. The conversation then transitions into a deep dive of what techniques each angler uses to find and scout new-to-them waters. We also play the overrated / underrated game with two topics sent in by a friend. To close, the back half of the podcast features an interview with Casey & Kevin Canfield of Rocky MTN Tenkara to learn a little bit about their backgrounds, their interest in tenkara, and the direction they're taking the company.

Level Line Podcast Episode 14 Show Notes:

00:10 - Introduction

01:12 - Current Events⁠⁠⁠

09:40 - Scouting Water⁠⁠⁠

28:07 - Overrated / Underrated

40:59 - Q&A Ask

42:40 - Interview with Rocky MTN Tenkara

48:50 - Fishing in New Mexico

51:38 - Rocky MTN Tenkara's Niche

54:35 - Rod Lineup - Chico & Rio

1:00:34 - Conservation

1:02:38 - Where to Find Rocky MTN Tenkara