Sneaking out Saturday afternoon to get a few hours of fishing in was pretty much a “oh, what the heck” decision. It was a nice day outside, but we all seemed to just be loafing around the house. Well, not really loafing, my wife was sewing, I was tying flies, and Lilly was watching cartoons…which to a kid…is not loafing.
It had rained pretty hard the night before, so I had no idea what the surrounding creeks would look like. I figured Valley would be a safe bet since it clears quicker than most, although I’m trying to wean myself off fishing there as much. I was enthusiastic about fishing because I had a few new things I wanted to try out.
The first new item was a 12′ tenkara rod from Esoteric Tackle over in the UK. It was sent over for me to demo & review, and while the latter will not be covered in this post, I will hint that I was pleasantly surprised by the rod’s capabilities.
The second item was a new (to me) fly pattern I was kind of lusting over in recent days, Kiwi’s Royal Sakasa Kebari. He had actually recently posted on his blog a variant with a green band called the McGee Lime Kebari…and I had spent the morning tying up a variant of the variant, substituting out the green in favor of pink thread Lilly got me for X-Mas two years ago. Rod & flies in hand, I hopped in the car and drove off.
 |
| The fish had already gotten to this one a few times… |
Well…when I got to Valley, I was greeted with high flows and pretty much chocolate milk toned water. Not totally “blown out,” but very high and muddy. I actually like fishing Valley when it’s high and discolored…the fish don’t seem to spook as easily and the other fishermen tend to stay home, so I was planning on having some fun over the next few hours.
With the cool temperatures, I was surprised at how few people were there walking their dogs or jogging along the stream. It had rained the night before, but the paved trails were far from wet or muddy. That said, once I was in the water, I was also surprised at how many of the folks that were out and about decided it was going to be a good idea to stop, look down the embankment, and try to strike up a conversation with me. Usually, I may get the token “ya catching anything?” question once an outing…but on this day I had to get at least 5 or 6. One older gentleman even noticed that I didn’t have a reel on my rod. “Is that some sort of new style of fly fishing?” he asked…
Fortunately, the fish were more than cooperative and allowed me to show off land a few for my surprisingly captive audience. Maybe the rod had extra unicorn hair, maybe it was the dark, buggy body of the Pink Lilly Kebari fly in the muddy water, but whatever it was I caught a bunch. Actually more than a bunch…it might have been my best day at Valley since April, if not all year.
 |
| This was actually caught on an Ishigaki Kebari |
After about 3 hours of constant action yielding several more fish like the above, I collapsed my rod, spooled up my line, and headed home. I could have stayed longer and fished until the bite completely stopped (or lost all my flies; you can see in the first rod pic I didn’t bring many), but why bother? I’ve always thought that when things are going that good, it’s best to keep a good taste in your mouth and not to push your luck.
Okay, I’ll admit it, I left because it was dinner time, and when the belly says “go home,” I listen.
You missed at least two “loafing” jokes.
Great fish. And I love the absolute simplicity of you gear.
Those are some beautiful browns. Love that creamy color. Nice job.Ben
Wish I could get out and fish….sounds like you had an awesome day!
Right on! Are there Tenkara rods less than 12'?
Sweet outing. It's really cool when you can name your version of a fly after your daughter. After such a hot summer I'm sure it felt good to be out for a change.
I'm glad you had such a good day out on the water….I think you picked an awesome name for your version of.
It looks kind of like a Royal Wulff, Tenkara style. Would work out here just fine. Mark
Nice fish…what did you think of the rod?
Thanks, imagine if no cell phone or camera…
Thanks Ben, usually those fish have that golden belly like in the second fish picture…that last pic is pretty atypical coloration for a fish of that size in that creek.
Just enjoy the kid. Congrats BTW.
There are, on the short end you can find 10 or 11 foot rods. The rod I fish most often is 11'. Actually, there's quite a bit of controversy in tenkaradom these days about “tanago” rods, which are fished the same way, but come in even shorter lengths. Check those out at tenkarabum.com if you're interested.
They fly was pink, so it might as well be named after the kid. Yeah, we've had a nice break in the weather these past two weeks or so. I hope the 90 degree temps are a thing of the past.
I tend to name all of my flies after females…
Kiwi is the master of adapting a “western” fly into a tenkara pattern. I'm sure it would work anywhere.
I surprisingly liked it. Want to give it one more go, then I'll write up a full review, perhaps next week.
Yeah, I'm not as quick as I used to be.