Simple as a Stick
I’m frequently asked, “how do you get started with fly fishing?” I immediately start thinking about all of the necessary tools, flies, leader, pole, reel, fly line (floating and sinking) and on and on it goes. By the way, if you have a casting basket, you’ve gone too far;)
It can be so overwhelming to start something new so I wanted to share a story that got me hooked on fishing, without even touching a rod.
Every summer, my family would visit a little cabin near the Metolius river in Oregon. The cabin was nestled against a gently raising hill, dwarfed by giant Ponderosa pines. A spring fed creek ran not more than 10 yards from the back porch. I don’t think I’ll ever visit a place more beautiful and serene. As a boy, I wasn’t so focused on beauty, though. I set out to have adventures, and build forts.
It’s important to note that these expeditions were always for two; me, and my cousin… we’ll call him Fred with a “C” because our Nanny sometimes calls us all Fred to be funny. Fred and I had an insatiable hunger for adventure and exploration. Our lack of capitol, and limited resources always lead to great inventions, and compromises that could be ignored with the proper dose of imagination. Both of our father’s, being great fisherman, our natural inclination to copy them kicked in one summer at the Metolius cabin. With fish in mind, and no gear, we decided to visit the Camp Sherman store (https://www.campshermanstore.com/) and use our $10 to get set up for fly fishing (HAHAHA!!!.) I mean this truly when I say, we were NOT disappointed at all leaving the store with 1 stimulator caddis fly and some leader. To us as young entrepreneur’s, a fishing pole was just a fancy word for a stick.
We selected a stick that was sturdy, thick and short, thinking that when we hooked the fish we’d turn the “rod” sideways and rotate it in our hands to reel it in. Our first hole of choice was one that we’d seen our dad’s pull several 14 plus inch red band trout out of. The hole itself is under a bush that hangs out over the water, and is just below an ice cold mountain spring that feeds the creek. Casting was not an option, so we decided that we’d run the fly down by feeding out line, and then skid it back up through the hole which is a technique that often works well in swift water. The fish that hit our fly might as well have been a fresh water whale, breaching to show all the world it’s greatness. In a moment, we were engaged in a battle that could only be won with several instant modifications. First, it was not a good idea to reel the line in on the stick, there wasn’t enough give. I threw the stick to Fred with a “C”, and let him wind line as I hand lined the fish in. They say that you can really feel the fight when you use a small rod, well, when its just you and the line you realize how much power a trout truly has in the water.
Our victory chant came in the form of several high pitched giggles, a sound that is known to our family as a key indicator that we’ve done something weird…, and succeeded. The sweet sound of a mission accomplished. The next fish broke our only fly off, but we had what we came for.
With this fond memory leading the way, I developed our new Tenkara style rod. The beauty is in the simplicity. Constructed from Asian Honeysuckle and reinforced with a clear epoxy, it brings you even closer to the fish you catch and the adventures you seek. We say that it’s for kids, but truth be told, I bring mine on every outing because it’s so easy to use, and normal sized bluegill or bass feel like giants on it. An adult sized Tenkara rod is definitely on the horizon.
There’s fish to be caught, let’s catch ‘em, and don’t forget to bring the kids!
B. Carpenter