Japanese Lantern
Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2022 1:30 pm
Japanese Lantern
Jason Klass Originator
Hook - Firehole Sticks 316 or equivalent, #12
Head - 2 Small Crystal Pearl Glass Beads
Thread - Black (Unlit) or White (Lit)
Ribbing - Small Copper Wire, Silver (Unlit), Black (Lit)
Body - Thread
Hackle - Pheasant, India Hen, or Partridge
From the originator
My original Japanese Lantern used pearlescent Mylar for the head, but I recently updated it to use two glass beads instead. That little extra weight makes it sink faster, yet it’s not so heavy (like a tungsten bead) to be a struggle to cast with a tenkara rod. I tie them in two versions: light and dark (which I call “lit” and “unlit”) for differing water visibility and substrate color. This is a very versatile pattern and I have success with it both in dead drifts and downstream.
I like the lantern concept and will have to tie lit and unlit variations! 
