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Available tenkara rods
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Dealer Items
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Lines
Our Tenkara fly lines have been developed for effectiveness and versatility by experienced Tenkara fishing experts—just enough weight for casting, but light enough to not sag under the rod and get dragged by currents. Browse our selection of Tenkara lines today.
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Non-Dealer Items
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Now Available at Tenkara USA
Tenkara gear back in stock, or new offerings by Tenkara USA
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Prints by Jeremy Shellhorn
Tenkara art prints by Jeremy Shellhorn. Depicting how tenkara rods are used and become part of life
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Rods
All tenkara rods for sale by Tenkara USA include a hard case and woven sock to protect your rod. Tenkara USA rods are backed by our Lifetime Tenkara Care™ Guarantee, where our very responsive team of tenkara anglers will make sure you quickly get back in the water if your tenkara gear has any problems.
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Sets
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Specs : Rods
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Tenkara Accessories & More
Tenkara Accessories & More
We have the full range of tenkara fishing accessories for your ultimate fly fishing experience. Perfect your fishing performance with our fly fishing accessories.
Purchase Daniel Galhardo's book: "tenkara - the book", the most complete book on tenkara in the English language.
Also find other tenkara accessories and items of interest to tenkara anglers, such as the Tenkara Magazine, Tenkara USA gift cards and more.
Browse the widest selection of tenkara fishing accessories in our full catalog.
Click here to see our entire catalog.
Looking for more tenkara products? Browse our collection of tenkara rods, tenkara flies, and tenkara lines.
Tenkara Apparel
Tenkara Apparel
The Tenkara USA apparel line offers the best apparel and accessories for you to enjoy fly fishing in comfort and style. With original designs by Jeremy Shellhorn and Daniel Galhardo on high-quality fabrics and materials, tenkara apparel ensures ultimate customer satisfaction. Tenkara fishing apparel and equipment are also great conversation starters for any fisherman.
Browse our range of products and add your favorite men's fishing apparel and women's fishing apparel to your cart.
Tenkara Flies
Tenkara Flies
Tenkara flies (aka. tenkara kebari) place less emphasis on imitation and more on presentation. They reflect a tenkara philosophy of relying on technique instead of gear.
Most Japanese tenkara anglers only use one fly pattern, each one having his favorite one. We only offer 4 tenkara fly patterns, which we learned from our teachers or designed ourselves, and which are effective in a variety of waters and regions and offer motion under water.
How to choose tenkara fishing flies
• Size 12 tenkara fishing flies are a good starting point, not too big, not too small. The Amano and the Ishigaki kebari are easy go-to flies. The Amano will have more movement under water.• Larger Japanese flies, like our size 8 Oki, will be more easily seen by most fish, so they may be good to catch fish in faster running water. The Oki is a popular fly fishing choice when stream is running a bit fast, or perhaps if it is a bit murky.
• Size 16 flies, the smallest we carry, like the Takayama, tend to be good when nothing else seems to have worked. Or, if you notice fish might be rising very subtly and perhaps even coming for your large flies but not taking them.
All Tenkara USA flies are tied on barbless hooks. The tenkara rods are very good at keeping tension on the line and keeping the flies hooked. Barbless hooks are much easier to remove from fish, but also from thumbs, eyes and clothing.
Tenkara Gear for Backpacking
Tenkara lends itself very well to backcountry fly-fishing activities, and even urban adventures. Backpackers love the portability of tenkara rods, and the minimal kit necessary to fly-fish anywhere they go. Here are the things you need to fly-fish when you go backpacking or to bring along with you on any adventure you choose.
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Tenkara Gear for Big Fish
Tenkara rods are capable of landing pretty large fish. We have seen 29-inch pike, 7-lb bass, salmon, carp, and everything in between being caught on our tenkara rods. And this is the tenkara gear we recommend if you're often after large fish. But as we say, the best tenkara rod to catch large fish is the rod you have with you. While the rods on the page are the ones we recommend as they will make landing larger fish easier, all rods in the Tenkara USA lineup are strong carbon fiber rods. Large fish will be more a test of your feel for how to play a fish than a test of the rods themselves.
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Tenkara Gear for Small Streams
Small, tight streams present their unique challenges to tenkara anglers. The trees around you require not only extra attention but perhaps a short tenkara rod. These are the items available for
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Tenkara Lines
Tenkara Lines
Tenkara lines must have enough weight for casting, but be light enough to not sag under the rod and get dragged by currents. Start with a tenkara line about the same length as the rod, but feel free to play with a longer line as well. To the end of the line, tie about 4ft of tippet.
Tenkara USA lines are versatile and highly visible so you can detect strikes and follow your fly. Any of our different lines, including the tenkara nylon line or tenkara furled line, can be paired with any of the tenkara rods we offer. The Keeper is a popular way of storing your tenkara fishing line and fly when you're on the move.
Learn more on how to choose a tenkara line.
Choosing a tenkara line
There are two main tenkara lines to choose from and it’s a good idea to do your research to determine which is the best line for you. The type of line you choose will depend on the type of fishing you want to do, the type of rod and fly you want to use, and the fly fishing conditions you’ll be fishing in.
Furled lines
Furled tenkara lines are tapered lines made from multiple strands of material twisted together. Furled lines were originally created using horsehair, but today can also be made from nylon monofilament or fluorocarbon. Furled lines are easy to attach and detach from your rod and are a good line to consider if you’re new to tenkara fishing.
Level lines
Tenkara level lines are untapered lines. They’re usually made from a straight length of fluorocarbon. Level lines are thinner and lighter lines that are easier to keep off the water’s surface than furled lines. They’re also very versatile as they can be cut to your preferred length.
Tenkara Lines - New
A tenkara line must have enough weight to be cast, but be light enough to not sag under the rod and get dragged by currents. Start with a line about the same length as the rod, but feel free to play with longer lines as well. To the end of the line, tie about 4ft of tippet.
Tenkara USA lines are versatile and highly visible so you can detect strikes and follow your fly. Any of our lines can be paired with any of the tenkara rods we offer. The Keeper is a popular way of storing your line and fly when you're on the move
Learn more on how to choose a tenkara line.
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Tenkara Rods
Tenkara Rods
All tenkara rods for sale by Tenkara USA include a hard case and woven sock to protect your rod.
Tenkara USA rods are backed by our Lifetime Tenkara Care™ Guarantee, where our very responsive team of tenkara anglers will make sure you quickly get back in the water if your tenkara gear has any problems.
How to choose a good-quality tenkara fishing rod?
Our tenkara fly rods are generally versatile and each rod can be used in a variety of situations and for a large range of target fish. The best tenkara rod for you might depend on the type of fishing you would like to do the most.
Here are some helpful tips:
• The Hane is a good tenkara rod for backpacking and other backcountry fly-fishing adventures.
• The Iwana is a great value all-around tenkara rod. It was the first tenkara rod offered outside of Japan, and it has seen generations of improvements.
• The Rhodo, the Ito and the Amago are more specialized tenkara rods. The Rhodo is ideal to catch fish in very small streams. The Ito and Amago are other tenkara rods that are great for targeting larger fish and fishing in bigger waters.
• The Satoki is a great rod for anglers who find themselves fishing the larger ends of the tenkara spectrum, but still refined enough to give the true tenkara experience.
What is the best tenkara rod for beginners?
We often get asked which tenkara fly rod is good for beginners. The reality is that the tenkara method itself is great for beginners in general, and any of the rods will work well for someone getting started. With that being said, the Sato, the Hane and the Iwana are the most popular tenkara rods for beginners. Tenkara Rods for BeginnersMore about tenkara fly rods
• How to care for your tenkara rod• How to fix a tenkara rod
• Our tenkara rod design philosophy View collection
Tenkara Rods for Beginners
The method of tenkara, in all its simplicity, lends itself perfectly well for beginners. In fact, we find that people who have never picked up a fly rod before might have an even easier time learning how to cast with tenkara than people who may be used to using a heavier fly rod setup.
With that being said, when someone is getting started in fly-fishing, it is best to stay in the middle in terms of rod length or weights.
The most popular tenkara rod for beginners is likely the Iwana. The Iwana is a 12 foot tenkara rod, which is the average length of a tenkara rod. It is also not very expensive, and it comes with our full lifetime warranty.
Other tenkara rods popular for novices are the Sato, which offers the option of fishing it in 3 different lengths. And the Hane, which is a super compact rod that is easy to carry around on a backpacking trip or other adventure.
