What's up man?

Thanks dude!

Appreciate it my man! Such a cool fish for sure.

Thanks my friend! The tenkara rod signing is such an underrated / unknown thing and I'm addicted to the sound. And yes, that first miss on the net was heartbreaking in the moment haha! Even worse was when he shot downstream immediately afterwards towards the jumble of willows and underwater snags. So glad it worked out in the end.

Bro!! You'll never catch a big flathead catfish on tenkara!

Heck yeah! It's so cool seeing bigger fish in person. You kind of just have to sit there and admire that they can get that big. At least that's how I feel, not having caught many of them before!

@@FlickyFlies big water is where the big ones are, average size around here is 18 inches but you can catch 4 inchers and 24 inchers in the same places rainbows and browns.

Heck yeah! My PB Largemouth came on tenkara as well.

Quiet you blasphemous tongue, Jonathan! But in all seriousness, I'm positive you're right. This is all coming from my small perspective, and as you know I'm always fishing small water and the catch of a lifetime for me would probably be in the 24"+ range. Depending on the fish, the day, the water, the rod, I can see it happening. But it might be a bit of a coin flip. Here's to trying. Glad to see you here commenting btw, thanks man!

Thanks Michael! I absolutely love Kintsugi, being a good bit into Japanese tea culture. When I saw that gill plate scar (which I didn't notice in person, btw), I was shocked at how beautiful it was. When I realized the resemblance to kintsugi I was so pleasantly surprised to be able to make than analogy.

Thanks Ron! I think it's generally a bad idea to put spots on blast on any type of social media. Videos can really generate a lot of new traffic to these special places.

Appreciate the very kind words!

Both - the fish and me - thank you

Not sure which fish you're specifically referencing but I do my best my friend!

I think it's more of an internet warrior from my perspective, to be fair! Haha, something we can all agree on!

Thanks so much my friend.

Thanks Michael! Glad you enjoy them.

Thanks so much George!

That's my favorite kind of fishing! Sounds awesome.

Haha yeah for sure! I've watched lots of videos of Jon B and Peric fishing that waterfront ... looks fun, but in a different way!

Hah! Yeah! There are some similarities for sure but tenkara really is all about the casting. Hard to not feel nostalgic about those childhood memories though, I have similar.

Illinois! It really is magical :)

For sure! I've fished it tenkara and actually caught more fish that time but I really enjoyed casting the fly rod out a ways!

I like the throwing darts visual - hadn't heard that one before. Thanks so much for all the tips!

I always look forward to your comments, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I feel what you're saying, and honestly, guilty as charged my friend! To be frank, every single one of my titles is intended to get as many clicks as possible. I have aspirations of growing this channel to become something that can provide for me full time. With that in mind, trying to create clickable titles that will also potentially promote more engagement/discussion is critical. Overall, this was intended to be a bit of a light hearted thing with a few little jabs thrown in and I think the tone of the video portrays that. I think the discord take is a little harsh. The "western fly rod" thing is popular within the tenkara community but essentially no one with a "western fly rod" knows that terminology or can relate to it. Everyone that fishes a western fly rod just calls it a fly rod. Colloquially, they've claimed it. Us tenkara folks can take comfort in knowing that we fish a form of fly fishing, with a type of fly rod, but we tend to call them tenkara rods, and I think that's fine.

Right on, I really want to try more within their lineup!

@@FlickyFlies I have fished just about every rod from Dragontail but own a 5 & 6WT Moksha, a 2wt glass Moonlit and a 4wt umbra. Big fan! Also great video 👍

Damn this comment is packed full of useful takeaways, I really appreciate it Karl. The wind thing makes so much sense and it's something I'd never considered before. I don't fish stillwater that much, but you better believe I'm tucking that away in my brain! I have a light PVC line for tenkara but I never really took to it because it kind of eliminates the benefits of a tenkara rod. It definitely works alright in the wind, though! I'll try that modified grip! Thanks for the comment!

As your excellent video points out, golden trout living in lakes can be a daunting challenge. That is because their primary diet is made up of almost microscopic animals they filter feed on that are not big enough to imitate with fly patterns and fishing techniques. Stream dwelling golden trout behave pretty much the same as rainbows and cutthroat trout and are much easier to catch. Be that as it may, lake golden trout are very willing to take floating terrestrial patterns (ants, beetles, hopper patterns and such) under windy conditions. The Terrestrial Supply Chain: The high lakes run on a daily cycle. Before it gets light, the trout will be feeding on midge pupae until the warmth of the day or the wind shuts the midge activity off. Lake midges have 3 to 4 year life cycles and grow to be much bigger ( hook sizes 10 through 16s) than running water midges. A lake midge emergence looks like a light rain is falling on the water. Most anglers think Dry Fly action is at hand but nearly all the feeding is taking place subsurface. Once the midge action is over, it will take a while before the terrestrials start dropping in. During the lull, various subsurface patterns can be used in prospecting for takes until the land based bugs start dropping in. As the sun rises over the kinds of mountains shown in your video, the sun heats the rock. The rock heats the air above it and the warmed air will begin to rise. Cool air will rush in to fill the void made by the rising warm air creating up slope winds that transport tons of land based insects up from lower elevations. The cold water in the lakes acts as a heat sink that reduces the wind velocity over the water, causing the heavier bugs to fall on the lake water for the trout to eat. As a matter of fact, most of the high lakes could not support the trout populations that they do with out the up slope winds they get on an almost daily basis. This is not a hatch, and the trout are not usually selective or picky about what patterns they will take. They have to eat what ever the wind brings them. Since the heavier bugs fall out first, larger patterns tend to produce best and Splat Casts are also highly effective.

@@karlklavon1795 Can you comment on every one of my videos so that we can make my channel an encyclopedia of knowledge? I am your sponge, sir! Seriously, appreciate the info.

Some amazing information here! I had heard about the wind collecting food at the shoreline before, but being new to kayak fly fishing myself I had yet to take advantage of it or really understood how to fish it. I need to get a rudder on my yak so I can stay parallel to the shoreline. Great stuff! Thanks for sharing, Karl!

I do love the simplicity and effectiveness of it, for sure! I'd put a long and beefy tenkara rod with some tight lined nymphs up against just about anything as far as the ability to catch fish, especially in complex currents or basically anything but stillwater or low and slow rivers. With that said, it was definitely fun to play around with something out of my comfort zone.

I wouldn't say Tenkara is better :) It's just different. They each have their pros and cons. I use both these days depending on the water type and species I am fishing. I do think Tenkara excels in the winter time. No ice in the guides or frozen hands. Plus Tenkara has a beautiful simplicity to it that you just don't get with a western fly rod.

@@davewebb68 Tenkara in the winter is magical. My buddy fishes a regular fly rod and his guides are always iced up.

@@FlickyFlies Yes it is and very effective! I can catch so many more fish on Tenkara than I can on a western rod usually, unless I am euro nymphing or using a mono rig. I would say it is a simpler form of that type of fly fishing style. Thin line, drag free drifts thru complex currents, gets the fly down to the fish faster. Plus with the tight line and long sensitive Tenkara rods, you feel everything and have that direct connection to the fly. No ice in the guides or frozen fingers. Stripping and mending fly line sucks in 34 degree water! :)

For real! Thanks for the words of encouragement Neil!

Thanks so much for the video and commentary! I did watch a couple vids before going out but it seems to have all gone out the window as soon as I hit the water haha! I'll check this one out too :) Looking forward to spending the hours needed for it to become a bit more natural.

Thanks so much Adam! Glad you noticed the new voiceover style! It was a ton of fun and I loved weaving the story together how I thought fit. Will definitely keep going with it. Also, I don't know if I realized you got into tenkara through me specifically, that's cool!

Thanks so much Dave! What a beautiful sport. Anything that pushes you to learn throughout an entire lifetime is something to be cherished. We're lucky.

@@FlickyFlies You are very welcome! Yes we are lucky! You will never get bored, that is for sure. :) Always a new technique, species of fish, or type of fly fishing to pursue. For instance, I have yet to dip my toe into Saltwater fly fishing. That is a whole other world I need to try.

@@davewebb68 Same man! I really want to do a combo saltwater / cypress swamp kayak trip to Florida and catch some new species.

@@FlickyFlies That sounds like an awesome trip! Florida has so many species to pursue, plus you can do it year round. I just started kayak fly fishing myself about 4 years ago. It's a totally different ballgame from rivers. Stillwater has it's own techniques and challenges. Using sinking lines and finding fish. I mainly target warm water species like largemouth bass, pike, and panfish on both fly rod and Tenkara out of the yak. But we have some ponds here where they release salmon and large 3-6 pound brookies in the fall which are a lot of fun to go after.

Our children sound very similar! I think the lifelong learning process of being a parent can be compared to fly fishing in a lot of ways. Patience, an open mind and a yearning to keep learning go a long ways. I'll get one of those goldens someday... I have a trip I'd love to do where big ones swim in (way) off trail alpine lakes. Thanks for commenting.

Appreciate the kind words! In hindsight even though many of my casts were ugly as can be I guess I am quite happy to have caught a few fish!

Bunney, about the short room for back casts - If you change your casting plain from vertical to horizontal, it will really open things up. If you are right handed, you want to fish from right to left, so the rod and your line are cast parallel to the shore and out over the water, which is much easier than trying to thread your casts between the trees…Karl.

Thanks so much Michael! I had my ups and downs I think but I'm pretty pleased that I managed to catch a few fish. Learning, learning, learning ... it never ends, and I love that. Thanks for the thoughts my friend.

Hey Kevin, thanks for the thoughts! I'd like to get my hands on some other rods in the future ... maybe something a bit heavier and graphite. I love using really long tenkara rods as well (~15 feet) so it's cool to see you compare that Orvis to tenkara rods of that length. Hope you get into some steelhead man!

@@FlickyFlies Yeah I've been chasing some coastal cutthroat lately in a smaller river so the extra distance helps a little. Got a 15 incher the other day, just a beast of a sea-run cut! I was using the Wasatch Tenkara Daikyu T-Hunter. Seen a video where a couple guys were landing like 8-9 pound steelhead bucks on this rod.

@@kevinforlino5839 That's wild! I have the T-Hunter and it's a beast but I still would wager those 8 pound trout were borderline scary haha! I can feel my heart racing on the hookup right now!

umm not really

It really is isn't it! I had a small mole fly on at first before switching to that chubby and liked casting the little emerger much more! Something about all that line really made it feel so foreign! I'll keep practicing, thanks for the tips!

I have the 5wt also. It is a great rod! They are the sister company to Dragontail Tenkara. I was thinking of getting the 3wt to add to the collection.

@@davewebb68 i really like the reel he’s using in the vid. might buy it!

@@mvsc-k5e It's funny you say that cause I was eyeing it too :)

I'd love to add a couple more to my collection!

@@davewebb68 It felt really solid!

Hi Nathan! Love the measured response, you're so right. They all have their pros and cons. Thanks so much for the thoughts.

I watch Huge often for the comedy. He can be an entertaining dude. I think you might be taking him and his tenkara trolling a bit too seriously?

I love this comment because of how much it proves my point. "There isn't anything special thinking that Euro Nymphing and Tenkra is big deal" ... "It's a lazy mans type of fishing that you think your in the category of traditional FF". And then the next sentence you're coming with "don't call us snobs?". Are you projecting? So much to unpack there (experience). Also, you seriously want me to say lobbing every time I mention casting?! That seems kinda strange so I think I'll just keep saying casting since everyone but apparently you know what that means.

Thanks for taking note of that. I really cringe seeing people holding fish out of water or letting them flop on the ground. Appreciate you watching!

It really is crazy how even with all the history of fixed line rods that people still won't recognize it for what it is.

Thanks man!

Thanks so much!

Totally man! Something so special about being out there all by yourself in a beautiful place!

Thanks man! I'm hoping to get back to this area in a month and hit a different creek that supposedly has much larger browns (15''+) and they're quite colorful as well. I hope it pans out!

Glad you liked it!

Heck yeah! Agree all around - a little jigged streamer is my most used fly.

A state of happiness.

it is isn’t it!

Heck yeah! I'd love to pick your brain on some other spots in the area if you'd be willing? Maybe via Instagram messages or something.