FLYMPH FORUM

A little while ago, I sent Ray a tenkara line to try out, figuring it would work well with the larger flies he is casting. I also sent him a PDF file with instructions on how to make such a line. Ray is now going to host the tutorial online, and will post the link here. The method of furling is a bit different, and was developed in Japan. For those of you practicing Tenkara, it is a method worth trying. The tutorial is just the basics of how to make a more or less standard Tenkara line, and I will post some further links to possible variations, once the tutorial is up.

LINK TO THE TUTORIAL - Creating a Tenkara Furled Leader[/u]
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B891ZI ... sp=sharing

If you click on the link, you can download the instructions for making a furled leader for a tenkara rod.

Looking forward to it.

Tom - I have added the link to the PDF file, which people should be able to download for future reference. I was very impressed with this furled leader, after I got a chance to fish with one. It casts like a charm, and will easily handle a wide range of flies, including streamers and nymphs. Any of you, who are playing around with tenkara rods should add one of these leaders to your bag of tricks. You will be glad you did.

Thanks Tom, for letting me share this with the rest of the forum. Great stuff.

A couple further points here. These lines are usually constructed of fluorocarbon because it is stiffer and more dense than mono, and cuts the wind better. If you prefer a softer line, mono is fine. You can easily extend the length of the line if you need more casting length by making an extra butt section that attaches to the line loop to loop and carrying it in your vest for those occasions. That might make it necessary to hand line the fish to the net, which with light tippet is a skill unto itself. When I took up tenkara, I also bought one of these nets from Feather-craft:
http://www.feather-craft.com/wecs.php?s ... t&x=20&y=9

It has been very useful.

Tom,

I'm a little confused about this furled tenkara leader. Specifically, is it a level furled leader consisting of three separate furled pieces? I'm used to making tapered furled leaders using the technique from Darrel Martins book so this one confused me.

Thanks,
Charlie Vestal

Hi Charlie - This is a different method. The sections are each composed of 3 strands. This is actually a tenkara line, not really a leader, therefore, it wants to be heavier and stiffer than a typical trout leader. The big difference in technique is that in this method the strands are twisted together first, which then causes the individual strands to twist automatically, while they are hanging. The weights on the strands ends, and the tubes are to prevent the strands from tangling while this is going on. The length of the sections you can make is limited by the length of your arms. You have to twist the strands at the top with one hand, while gradually lowering the strand separator with the other. That is why there are multiple sections. Each section is level, but the overall line is tapered by using lighter diameter material in the sections. In this case, I am using 1X, 2X, and 3X. I believe a useful trout leader for conventional fly fishing could be made this way with lighter mono, but I have not experimented as yet.
It is possible to make a motorized twisting rig that removes the necessity of using both hands, in which case, you can make longer strands if you want. This must be done vertically, however, you cannot make a horizontal jig, hanging the weights over pulleys because the individual strands will not twist enough, and the furling will not work. I hope this helps. I also use Martin's method and so was familiar with furling, But I still had to scratch my head for a while when I first saw this described. It's actually simple to do once you get set up, and works quite nicely.

Tom,

Thanks. That clears up my confusion. I think my Darrel Martin furling jig will work OK and I'm going to have to make one of these up. Take my Rhodo rod, any soft hackle or flymph, add a 10-yr old grandson and watch out if you're a blue gill.

Charlie Vestal

Charlie - Please pack a camera. I'd love to see a picture.

couldnt a 'singapore leader' be twisted long enough to be used as a tenkara line?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbcVaEe3RIs

Norm - Thanks for the video link. Very interesting! I need to give this a try, to see how it compares. I like the simplicity of the twisted leader in the video, but would like to see how well the leader performs. The taper seems a little steeper than the method Tim described. I've fished with Tim's triple strand furled leader and found that it casts very smoothly. The leader seems to do a nice job of transferring the energy of the cast thru the whole length of the leader and tippet.

Thanks again for the link. I love learning something new like this. Neat!