In this installment of the Tenkara Guide Spotlight, we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Pierce II of our Tenkara Guide Network. Daniel Pierce has been a great help to Tenkara USA and the north eastern tenkara community for some time now. Dan guides classic trout waters in his home state of Maine, wild places with beautiful native book trout, landlocked salmon, and smallmouth bass. Besides guiding, Dan is very active at teaching tenkara at area events and can usually be found in the Tenkara USA booth when we are in New England.
Besides tenkara activities, Dan works as a middle school counselor, enjoys spending time with his family, and bow hunting for deer and turkey, all of which influence his fishing and guiding. Dan genuinely enjoys sharing the outdoors with others, as his responses below will support.
What types of environment do you guide tenkara anglers and how long have you been guiding? About how many guide trips and tenkara guide trips do you do in a season?
I guide in the great state of Maine. The number of days I guide changes year to year and depends on the weather but it is usually 20-25 days a year of guiding with clients and then a few tenkara classes through out the year. I work full time as a school counselor at a middle school and started guiding when people asked at fly fishing shows where they could find a guide in Maine. I saw an opportunity and jumped on it! People come from New England to fish in Maine with me because of the native brook trout we have here and because there are so few tenkara guides in New England.
Do you guide only tenkara or also western fly-fishing (or spin fishing)?
I exclusively guide fixed line fly-fishing which has given me my niche in Maine. Maine has a number of outstanding fishing guides but only one tenkara guide!
What would you say are the advantages and disadvantages of guiding with tenkara?
Tenkara is great for people who are new to the sport of fly-fishing because there is a quick learning curve if you have someone knowledgable with you. I have found tenkara to be a great “add on” activity to recreational guiding here in Maine. Disadvantages would be sometimes people don’t fully understand the limitations of tenkara fishing.
What are your favorite Tenkara USA rods for guiding on your favorites and are your personal favorites different that what you guide with?
Ever since I got the Rhodo and Sato, I have never looked back. There are times I still fish my Amago but 95% of the time both guiding and fishing on my own, it is one of those rods. The rods are well made and reliable which is why they are my go to rods. Between the two rods I can effectively fish a rod between 8 and 13 feet.
What types of rigs do you fish as far as terminal tackle, i.e. single dry fly, indicator rigs, dry dropper, etc. ?
Especially when I am guiding, I do not get very technical with rigging. Many of my clients are looking for simplicity and effectiveness. For this reason, we rig with level line, tippet, and a single fly.
Has there been anything about fishing and guiding with tenkara that has been a surprise to you compared to your initial impressions of the fishing method?
My biggest surprise was the effectiveness of this method of fishing and the range and variety of fish I have been able to target with tenkara.
As a guide, what are your thoughts on using few (or one) fly pattern?
So we come to the question of fly choice. I generally guide people who are interested in being outside, learning something new, and hopefully catching fish. For this reason, I fish very few fly patterns. From 2011-2014 I fished one fly; a black hook, black thread, grey turkey feather sakasa kebari. Early in 2015 I started to mess around with killer bugs AKA ( UKB, Sawyer’s, Crane fly larva). I now fish a sakasa kebari 3 different colors and a killer bug in 3 different colors, although 9 out of 10 flies I tie on is a black sakasa kebari. My general philosophy is the more time my fly is in the water, the better chance I have of a fish seeing it.
Do you have a favorite fly? What is it?
Most people would think spring in Maine means early season fishing, when really it means turkey hunting. The two spring male wild turkeys I shoot each year will give me enough feathers to refill my fly box for the season and beyond. I started using turkey feathers in 2011 and have exclusively used them for my sakasa kebari since then. The feathers are a blackish grayish color that have an unbelievable amount of action and turn almost translucent when underwater. So my favorite fly is a simple one; TMC103bl size 13, black thread, turkey feather sakasa kebari.
Do you have a fly fishing or tenkara based online blog? What is the URL?
No blog yet but keep your eyes open!
Do you have an social media presence for your services? What are your Facebook or other social media accounts names?
You can find me on Facebook.com/Mainetenkaraguide and on Instagram @Mainetenkaraguide.