TENKARA, KEIRYU, SABIKI
JAPANESE FISHING
I have copied several pages and commentary from the several prestigious, fulfilling and accurate sites of Tenkara, Keiryu, and Sabiki Fishing. There is a
reason I found this intriguing. Many of these writers are really great researchers and I find a commonality of inquisitiveness appealing.
I am a researcher of various interests and do not wish to take anything away from great subject matter someone else researched or discovered. This information is incredible and In fact I am encouraging you to go to their sites and continue where I have left off. OK, I’m taunting you to go to their site , it’s intriguing that a fishing rod or system actually is a global entry.
What amazed me about the ‘ Discover Tenkara’ site is I have interest and spent some time involved in a project world wide which started with the question. “ When did man learn how to speak” ?
The word “ Question” starts with a ' Quest’ or a search for answers. I learned about this project years ago from a fellow passenger and conversation on a flight from LAX to Sydney Australia. You learn a lot in 16 hours . He was on a mission for a prestigious college science department.
They were searching for the answer to “ When did man learn to speak and communicate verbally”? We found that language started in the prehistoric world in various locations throughout the habitable planet all about the same time thousands of miles and continents apart on the Globe. Soon after, just as when he learned to stand to see farther around his world, it was the use of drumming or primitive music. Chants etc. Thus much information was gleaned from the elders in the group who related to their past parentage as far back as they could remember from information passed down to them.
Tenkara has similarities in its dispersement commonality on the globe, and thats what, other than a love of fishing, drew me to this topic.
Maybe the primitive's first words were “ Look what I caught! Maybe the first words from a rod builder were similar, I can reach further! And obviously the first words from the tribes food cooker was, If you put the meat on a stick, no more burnt hands! We know that made the women happy!
EXCERPTS FROM WEBSITE DISCOVER TENKARA — Quote: Tenkara is prehistoric. I do not mean that it is primitive or unskilful. Exactly the opposite in fact. The problem is, the fly fishing methods of remote mountain areas would have been invented by people who could neither read nor write. No writing, no history —
The astonishing similarity of tenkara techniques to all of the other original forms of fly fishing around the globe shows how perfect this solution is to catching trout from rivers. This comparison even holds true as far back as the description of Macedonian fly fishing in 200 AD by Claudius Aelianus. "
WORLDLY PRACTICE — Quote: As well as today’s Tenkara practitioners in Japan, there are examples of ancient and sophisticated fly fishing methods that are still practiced in Serbia, Italy ( Valsesia), Bosnia, Spain and probably many more. The similarities are astonishing. These methods all share the common factor of originally using horse-hair casting line and long, supple rods.
Just read the quote from Serbian Dr. Goran Grubic (cited in The American Fly Fisher, Journal of the American Museum of Fly Fishing, Vol. 27, Issue 1, 2001) below describing fly fishing practiced in the “Old Mountain” area of Serbia in the heart of the Balkan peninsula:
“Bodies of flies are made from ordinary sewing thread and wool. They fish both upstream or downstream as their position and the water dictates….Mostly they cast slightly upstream and drift their flies into a likely place (a pocket or run). Sometimes they even dap flies on the surface (and this is the closest they get to the dry fly)…They cast very often and very precisely. Average drift of their flies is maybe a yard or two. In this fast water, the flies never have chance to sink deeply. So they usually see the fish attacking the fly in the clear water. Their line is always stretched tight so they also feel the fish as it hits. When a fish hits, they strike in the wrist”
Dr. Grubic was talking about Serbia – but that is as perfect a description of traditional Japanese tenkara as I have ever seen or heard. The problem is, even when people did start writing (from the late 19th century onwards) about what subsequently became known as “tenkara”, it is from an unavoidably narrow perspective. There are discussions over whether George Elliot Gregory or perhaps Ernest Mason Satow was the first person to record these methods. This British pair would certainly have frequented the same meetings of the Asiatic Society of Japan (thanks to Kevin Kelleher for his insights here)…
“I am sure that the word “tenkara” is new to Itoshiro area, although it must be true that the kind of fly fishing explained here has been conducted in Itoshiro, as in many other areas in Japan. Indeed, when I started trout fishing more than 30 years ago, the traditional Japanese fly fishing is called “kebari-tsuri”, which literally means fly fishing (kebari means hair-hook and tsuri means fishing), in books or magazine articles.
The word “tenkara” was popularized by a fishing writer only recently. For the origin of the word “tenkara”, I once posted the following in the fly fishing forum “smallstreams.com”. Recently, I found an article discussing the origin of the word “tenkara”. Although there are many theories about the origin of the word, I think the argument here is rather convincing.
The word, tenkara, is now widely used to refer to the traditional style of fly fishing in Japan. However, there used to be various different naming for this fishing in different regions. The word tenkara became popular by the essays written by Soseki Yamamoto (a famous fishing writer in Japan) after 1960s. Yamamoto learned tenkara from Hideki Sugimoto, a physician in Nagano prefecture (the central mountain region).
Sugimoto says in his letter that there is a word “tenkara-tsuri (tsuri means fishing in Japanese)” in Tohoku region (northern part of Japan), and the word is brought to Nagano by logging workers from Tohoku.”
The word first appeared in literature in 1838; there is a record of stream fishing in which a “tenkara-shi (shi means man in Japanese)” caught more than 20 yamame or ugui (a cyprinid fish) in Akita prefecture (Tohoku region). In those areas, butterfly or moth used to be called either tegara, tenkara, tengura, tenkarako, or tenkako. The other flying insects might have also been called by these words. ”Thus, “tenkara-tsuri” is almost a direct word-by-word translation of “fly fishing”.
RUN DON'T WALK TO THEIR SITE —
Where are we going with this? Well, it is fairly common to see the view in the west that “There are lots of ways that people practice tenkara in Japan – so whatever method you invent can be called tenkara”. Whilst this is certainly true in a literal sense – you risk missing out on all the benefits provided by extensive testing and refinement that has taken place in order to produce those Japanese variations that were good enough to survive. You don’t see the variants that have been tried and rejected over time…those tactics didn’t make it – so they are simply not there to be seen.
It is also a fact that any newly-invented tactic could be a lot more similar to fly fishing schools from parts of the world other than Japan. We have absolutely no problem with people using whatever techniques are legal and enjoyable. Rather, our word of guidance is that you will probably get the very best of any technique by having an understanding how (and maybe even where) particular developments actually came into being.
MODERN STYLE
Tenkara is Japanese fixed line style fly fishing. The fisherman is in close proximity to the smaller fish with light action poles and line, no reel is needed to catch Salmon and Trout. It is best in its origional form for small streams and ponds hole to smaller trout who frequent mountain streams. Some anglers have adapted and use it for Bass and Panfish angling by using a slightly stiffer rod, sinking line , split shot and simulated live bait or flies.
Modern Tenkara anglers have adapted the rod, line, and flies for most other species. No reels are used as Tenkara lines are slightly only longer than the rod. Casting is strictly a false cast at the target, learning to read stream water is essential to stream fishing. You can us roll casts or slingshot maneuvers as long as you don’t wind up on the hook.
Originally, Tenkara fishing rods were simply a long bamboo rod. Long bamboo rods with short fixed lines were easy to place a fly or lure accurately. This is what I built from a seventy year old I rebuilt. Furled, or braided, fly lines are simply tied to the tip of the rods and today rods are made with fiberglass and carbon fiber.
This fly line was designed to be easy to cast a lightweight fly. Tenkara fly line come as level lines or tapered so that it will cast the weight of the fly. Tenkara style fly lines are slightly longer than the rod and fixed to the tip of the pole with a Lillian, which is a short piece of braided line. The tippet is then tied to the other end and then add the fly. I just cut a double tapered floating line to match my rod. Tenkara Fishing Gear is Better Suited for Trout and Panfish than Micro Fish
Tenkara fly fishing lures and flies are similar to Western fly fishing. Tenkara flies are usually made from natural materials to imitate insects like small caddis and mayfly larvae. I have found the Tenkara technique is excellent for fishing under low hanging trees for Red Breast and Bluegill from a boat. East coast trout fishing the Tenkara rod works well for as well. Tippets are usually between 12 inches and three feet monofilament or fluorocarbon. Use the appropriate pound test for your quarry like a 7x for Trout or 6-8lb line for Bass and heavy Panfish.
Tenkara is more of a system more than anything and can be influenced by your own personal preference. This basic article isn’t meant to dive into the whole traditional Tenkara system of fishing but it is more suited for trout, bass, and panfishing than it is for micro fishing. A foam spider one afternoon brought in more than 80 hand-sized Bluegill, Fliers, Warmouth, and Crappie drifting a kayak. A micro hook baited with a bit of earthworm will also catch a lot of micro fish but that isn’t really Tenkara fishing.
Tenkara Fly Fishing is a Simple and Basic Way to Enjoy Fishing—
A benefit to Tenkara is its basic simplicity. There are no moving parts to seize up or otherwise fail. There is no spool to palm for a drag. You can put on your waders and enjoy a day of fishing with a light weight fishing rod. New anglers to fly fishing would definitely find it easier than dealing with excess line coming off a reel.
Fly fishing is fun and if you enjoy all the related hobbies and activities of fly fishing you will most certainly like Tenkara. Fly tying, matching the hatch with artificial flies, and a long rod are a lot of fun. If you can fly fish you will likely have no problem catching fish on your first day out. There are better rods and methods to use for micro fishing, however
GEAR UP!
— TENKARA ROD CO — DRAGONFIRE ROD CO —
THESE ARE MY SELECTED COMPANIES — In Tenkara one just uses a collapsible rod, fixed line and fly. A fixed length of line connects to the tip of the telescopic rod. Casting the fly to where you think the fish are is very quick to learn and intuitive.
Buying a kit as shown below has all you need for the sport. I liked these three companies thoughts and presentation of the sport. And their teaching skills, product line and quality is exceptional. I do not work for them. I am a consumer reporter and truth chaser, researcher, read the rest of my site. I tell it like it is, the good the bad and some really ugly.
FLIES ARE EASY TO TIE — Tenkara flies are available, inexpensive and for the fly tier extremely easy to tie, the look or variety is very similar, a basic fly vise ( under 20 dollars - is all you might need) I’m teaching a seven year old. And other than clothing, or waders, the only thing I bring along is a water bottle and a net, line nippers, and if I am in a bigger stream or hard running water I have a skeleton life preserver, and a couple of cashew nut bars.
SIMPLE NON-SECULAR FLIES THAT INTIMIDATE — (Tenkara Rod Co.) While not all tenkara flies have the hackle facing forward (away from the bend of the hook / “reverse”), the most popular and most easily recognizable tenkara flies do. These are called the “sakasa kebari”, or “reverse [hackle] flies”. As a result that’s a question often asked: What is the reasoning behind the reverse hackle on tenkara flies?
There are three main theories for why tenkara flies came into being (as well as why some of the flies used in the Italian method of fishing called Pesca Alla Valsesiana turned out to be tied in similar fashion).
1) Speed — Tying flies with the hackle facing forward, away from the bend of the hook, may be one of the quickest ways to do it. You simply wind some thread on the head, wind it back a bit, secure a feather and wind it, brush the feather forward, then build the body of the fly with the thread and finish the fly on the body of the fly where there is a lot of room to do so. This would have especially been important before vises came about.
2) Body — When a fly with hackle pointed toward to the bend of the hook hits the water and is pulled toward the angler, the hackle brushes back against the hook. The fly becomes slimmer. When the reverse hackle is forced back a bit, it actually opens up and the fly has even more “body”, or more visibility, than in its dry state. Flies will vary in how pronounced their reverse hackle will be, but for the most part they retain the reverse hackle fly quality. This is the photo of a reverse hackle fly when it is wet, the hackle is back a bit, but it still has body to it.
3) Motion — For the most part western flies have been designed with aesthetic imitation, not motion, in mind. Perhaps because it is very difficult to impart motion to a fly that is very far away or tied to the end of a very heavy line or a line that has to go through guides of a rod.
Tenkara on the other hand was developed to be fished with lighter lines, normally closer range, and with the line tied right to the tip of the rod. These characteristics allowed for the fly to respond to any movement imparted on the rod. Whether the reverse hackle flies were deliberately “invented” that way because or motion or not we will never know. What I do know is that this is probably one of my favorite reasons for the reverse hackle. When I want to, and if the situation calls for it, I can pulse my fly. I can impart motion to it. When I pull it a bit, the hackle opens, when I relax it it closes.
When tenkara flies are imparted with motion they are very buggy and lively. This is one of my favorite reasons for tenkara flies, and the fact that they are quick to tie, retain some body when in the water, and are very versatile as I can fish them on the surface by keeping line off the water or under by allowing it to sink a bit.
SOME HUMOR AND A PERSONAL VERSATILE INSIGNIFICANT SIDEBAR — I live on a golf course with six large acreage ponds and bass, crappie, bream, bluegills, shell-crackers, some catfish. None of which I keep or touch without surgical gloves on, you have no idea what the runoff of the chemistry used by courses for green golf grass is. And many golf courses don’t want anyone to know either. I fish with surgical gloves when handling some of the fish especially the ones with two heads, three eyes and huge teeth.
CAUTION: When fishing Florida drainage near the side of some highways or on a golf course, which is common, note we also entertain alligators, the new invasive overrun danger Burmese Pythons, and water moccasins, rattle snakes and little Coral snake buddies related to Cobras, and two poisonous spiders, the Black Widow and Brown Recluse to keep things interesting.
I have a gal friend who could of lost an arm from a brown recluse spider bite that eats flesh. Four days after the bite, we rushed her to the hospital for a long period of time to recover.
Yet the most imminent danger is on the ponds on golf courses and are the golfers, you don’t fish if they are playing. So rainy or dull cold days it’s wide open.Golf balls on the average leave the club at 133 MPH and a Pro hits 160MPH — You need an ARMY helmet and a Flack Jacket as the ball is still at 50-60 mph upon landing. Some of them hit so bad, the Foundation For “ Yelling Four” has banned them, They have to use “ Seven or Eight now”.
I am thinking of making a T-Shirt with, “ I HIT THE FLOOR WHEN SOMEONE YELLS FOUR”
“ STOCK AND LOAD” -- I have Two nice Tenkara rods, 12 ft. and 14 ft., but with COVID fears as I am in the susceptible category, 80, and a few health scares, keeping me home more than usual, I always seek new projects, a mode, needed something to do. able and not many are display quality after seventy some years.
MY TWO BEST PICKS AND WEBSITES
FOR TENKARA FISHING
TENKARA ROD COMPANY
RODS — LINES — ACCESSORIES — FLIES — KNOWLEDGE
TENKAR A ROD CO — We love the outdoors as well as the simplicity and beauty nature has to offer. Fishing gives people a chance to get out and and enjoy this beauty. The complexity and expense of fly fishing can be daunting to someone who just wants to throw a line and catch some fish. Tenkara gives people this opportunity. With a rod, a line, and a fly, you can go to a river, lake, or stream and catch some fish. That's what made us fall in love with Tenkara.
We are based out of Idaho and are proud of our location and surroundings. Within 1 hour of our headquarters we have some of the world's best trout rivers and streams (but don't tell anybody that). Idaho's geography has inspired this hobby as well as the design and functionality of our rods. You don't have to live somewhere like Idaho to enjoy Tenkara. You just need to be able to find some water to throw your line in!
OPENING A TENKARA ROD
- Remove rod plug.
- Tilt rod down slightly to expose the tenkara rod tip.
- Keeping the hard tip of the rod inside the main segment, expose the braided tip material (the lillian), attach line to rod tip. (keeping the hard tip inside will prevent a broken tenkara rod)
- Once your line is attached, hold rod handle segment near the opening with one hand.
- With the other hand pull the tenkara rod tip, and each subsequent segment out, sliding them out between your fingers.
- Starting with the tip pull each piece out completely until next segment comes out and becomes snug. Do this in order. Pieces should feel snug, not overly tight.
CLOSING A TENKARA ROD
- To collapse the tenkara rod, simply start by pushing the segments back into the handle
- In order, starting with the thickest segment first and making your way to the tip of the rod.
- You may leave your tenkara line tied to the rod tip,
- When you have collapsed the entire rod, wind the line around a tenkara line holder and move on to the next stop.
- If you’re ready to pack up for the rest of the day, pull the tag end of your line to remove the line from the rod and stow both away.
CASTING
- Casting with tenkara is very intuitive, you will get it after just a few casts.
- The basic concept is that you will move your rod tip back quickly, stop at the vertical position (12 o'clock) to throw the line back and make the rod flex.
- And, then move the rod tip forward, stopping at roughly 10 o'clock in front of you. making your line move forward
- And the fly hit the target. Having an index finger on top of the handle helps stop at the vertical position more naturally and improves accuracy.
- Casting with a tenkara rod becomes very obvious when you have the rod in hand, it is a bit similar to throwing a ball at a target, your brain does most of the work after a few attempts.
- Landing fish with tenkara is very intuitive. You simply angle the rod back, and reach for the line or the fish. Think of cane-pole fishing you may have done as a kid. Tenkara nets can be helpful in landing you fish with a tenkara rod.
IN TENKARA - THE BOOK, TENKARA USA founder Daniel Galhardo shows just how simple fly-fishing can be. This book is a complete guide to the techniques, gear, history and philosophy of tenkara, the Japanese method of fly-fishing.
Daniel brings the reader along a journey of learning tenkara directly from the masters in Japan as he shares information on the method‚ equipment and techniques.
An angler picking up a tenkara rod for the first time will find the concepts in this book well laid out and intuitive. The experienced angler will appreciate the simpler approach to fly-fishing and the advanced techniques shared in the book. tenkara - the book, will demonstrate why tenkara has been adopted by anglers around the world.
Tenkara - the book was designed to be interactive and take advantage of all the resources we have created over the years. Throughout the book readers will find QR (quick read) codes that will give access to the videos, podcast episodes and other complementary information to the chapters at hand.
POWERFUL
THE TENKARA BLOG IS ONE OF THE BEST
TRUE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE SPORT THAT
PUTS YOU LITERALLY ONE ON ONE IN WITH AND
ALONGSIDE PROS THE FASTEST WAY TO LEARN
CLICK THE PIC FOR GREAT TENKARA TIMES AND GREAT WELL MADE
VIDEOS, WITH ACCESSORIES AND REEL-TIME TRIPS TO SEE IT IN ACTION —
DRAGONTail TENKARA CO
About DRAGONtail Tenkara — Brent's Tenkara Story — Before I found Tenkara, I was very intimidated to try any form of fly fishing but always felt like it was something I would like to do. When I discovered Tenkara, I literally fell in love with fishing all over again. I could not believe how many fish I was missing out on and how easy it was to target them with a Tenkara set up, and I didn't even have to mess around with reels and spools messes. Though Tenkara is traditionally for small rivers and creeks, I have had great success in using tenkara gear on many lakes, ponds, and large rivers as a form of simplified fly fishing.
Most people I tell about Tenkara are very interested but the $150+ rods are just out of their price range and I didn't like the feel of most cheap rods. This inspired me to introduce a Tenkara rod that did fit their price range and still gave them a quality rod such as our $100 Shadowfire rod which rivals many rods in the $150+ range. Our motto is "Affordable Quality In Tenkara Gear".
Quality Products — We went through several prototype Tenkara rods for different producers to find the right one to give us top quality rods that are assembled very well. We produce our own line of furled lines that lead the industry in performance. We are always seeking partnerships with factories that produce hi-end products.
Our Service Goes The Extra Mile — Happy customers are at the root of our business model and we go the extra mile to make you happy with your purchase of our product. Quality Tenkara Fishing Rods at an Affordable Price has been our mission statement since our DRAGON-tail Tenkara rod company started.
Our tenkara fly rods are very good quality, especially when compared to some of the cheap built rods priced similar that you find on places like Amazon and eBay making them the best budget tenkara rods on the market.
ED: MY Opinion: There is a significant difference in these purebred brands I have shown here on this site versus cane pole quality fishing by our lower standard Chinese builders. DRAGONtail is priced slightly under Tenkara and offers similar quality at a reserved price and both are the real deal in Tenkara Fishing. It all depends on what you like — Their FOXfire Hybrid is a unique system .
30% OF THEIR ACCESSORIES AND LINES
LOTS, LOTS MORE ON THEIR SITES
SABIKI IS JAPANESE BAIT FISHING
Sabiki is a Japanese word meaning “ bait-catching rig” or “to catch bait fish”—at least that’s what the companies that a few years ago began importing the contraptions from across the Pacific say. — SABIKI FISHING — is composed of three parts, the hooking components, the rod component and the reel, thats all there is. It’s also called a saki or flasher rig is and is typically fished off boats, piers, jetties, or any structure over the water.
SINGLE PURPOSE: SECURING FRESH BAIT, BAIT FOR BIGGER FISH
SABIKI HINTS AND IDEAS
- Sabiki hook setups consist of any number (usually between 6 and 10) of small hooks, each one on individual dropper lines which are a few inches long. The individual dropper lines are then tied to a longer leader in series, about 6 inches (15 cm) apart; a weight is tied to the end of the leader.
- A Sabiki Rig is, most usually, one line with a heavy weight attached to the bottom. Above the weight is somewhere between 6 and 10 hooks with a shiny piece of metal attached. The metal sways and swerves in water while the weight is lowered, driving baitfish to strike! The Sabiki Rig is one of the best ways to load up on baitfish you can spin into your next big snapper, redfish, or even a grouper!
- The individual hooks are decorated as lures or tied like flies similar to those used in fly fishing. Often they have a simple piece of limo-infused material or iridescent film attached to them as an attractor.
- Traditionally, on any individual rig, all of the lures will be either identical or in an alternating sequence of colors. The type or size Sabiki used depends on water conditions, species of fish sought or simply the angler’s preference. The technique for catching fish on a Sabiki is simple, too.
- Tie the multi-lure rig (sizes 2–4) to your main line, add a weight, and cast to a bait pod. ... But the use of a Sabiki goes well beyond catching bait. Both saltwater and freshwater anglers need to open their minds to the great potential this rig offers. If you vary the color of the lure or bait and one color works better, thats knowledge and use it to your advantage in knowing what works on your bait and bait is expensive.
- Sabiki Rigs offer tons of opportunity for variations, just in their natural makeup with all those hooks! The shiny piece of metal which comes standard on most sabiki rigs is usually enough to trigger a strike from a baitfish. When you can locate a condensed school, they compete so fiercely for food they’ll bite just enough everything. One thing to keep note of while fishing a Sabiki Rig is to not jig too hard or rip the line up too quickly.
- Once you feel a bite, allow more baitfish to fill those hooks for a few seconds before you pull up. Ripping it up will only cause commotion, which will only draw in predators, which will only scare away the school of baitfish. They travel in the hundreds. When one bites, more will follow.
- WARNING: — The joke is the hooks have caught as many fisherman as fish. De-hooking baitfish can be a two man job, or at least a meticulous one person job. There are hooks everywhere, small fish flailing everywhere, and a recipe for injured fish or hooked hands. Move carefully, and switch your baitfish straight from the hook to the live well to avoid unnecessary injuries.
- Sabiki rigs with their many small, sharp hooks are easily tangled and can be a nuisance to the angler. If they are not handled carefully, the angler can be hooked. This can be avoided by using or making a hollow tube sabiki rod.
- A sabiki rod is a hollow fishing rod with a funnel-shaped tip. The line is fed from the reel through the hollow body of the rod and out of the funnel-shaped tip. When the saki rig is reeled in, the hooks and leaders are drawn directly into the rod where they will not tangle or injure the angler… Sometimes…only small hooks go in.
- DO NOT INJURE: — Not only is it inhumane to injure baitfish for no reason, but they won’t do their jobs as well. A paralyzed baitfish doesn’t quite have the action most predators are looking for. Thats why they invented Pelicans and Seagulls for.
- BOAT TRICK — EASY RELEASE : — One trick on the boat is attach a short one foot length of heavy leader with a loop big enough to go around a cleat on the boat and the other end a small snap swivel. Bring up the catch and attach the cleat end to the cleat and the swivel end to the sinker eye. You can leave the sinker on or remove it. Lock the spool and put the rod in one of the rod holders. Tighten slightly, nice straight line of baitfish to remove on at a time.
- The rigs are sold in almost any place that sells fishing supplies and they come in a zillion flavors, yes flavors some are impregnated with scent just like the worms and other plastic lures are.
OH-OH! My Sabiki Rig is Gone, So Was My Golf Game —
Update: Trade in time, I got lucky, someone wanted it more than me, saw it and had to have it in his golf bag to rank on his friends, “ With telling them go fishing they sure can’t play golf” . And Orvis, was having a sale, and I had cash, having literally zero in the Sabiki, I now have another 8 Weight — Orvis rod. reel, and line kit they had a closeout on — It was a good day —
- Boring COVID — Fished alone from shore — And that comes back with relaxed rules means as usual, a time for baitfish. Down to the garage, I cleaned my bait buckets, adding wheels to one portable cooler and it will be equipped with a small portable oxygenator using my photo battery packs and they can run all day… on one pack.
- The baitfish, plentiful and soon they will be accessible. They are chummy too, and almost anything brings them around. Access is the problem for most, but that should ease.
- One good thing is they are not picky eaters. Bait for bait, like sliced squid, I used thin strips of old bacon, I forgot about two years ago in my garage freezer. When hard, it sliced and cut to pieces about 1/4 x 1/2 inch and it slices real easy and stays on the hook like rawhide. Next, I’ll use the tack I get off pork loins, I make pulled pork a lot, it’s like shoe leather anyway, I tried a handful of various seeds, to chum, I used grass seed, some bread crumbs worked great chumming the baitfish nicely.
- We then used a net. More work than needed, I’m not a netter, unless we needed a lot. I went with the hook and bacon and got bigger baitfish after the seed to bring a crowd. Patience, patience, patience, feed slow, they don’t have the internet and they will come.
- Finally, if the metal shine on the hook isn’t garnering enough strikes, try adding some tiny pieces of other baitfish or shrimp (even thawed out, store bought, small cheap frozen shrimp) can add to your likelihood of catching fish. It also increases the size of the fish looking to strike!
- TRY SAM’S FOR A BAG OF FROZEN SALAD SHRIMP as mentioned, thats about a years supply, they suck in salads but great bait. I got more than baitfish on occasion, competition in schools of baitfish is intense, so the big boys may only come out for bigger bait so I mix it up!
- So I wanted a rod and reel something small and fast… It would be kept in the car, I keep mostly inexpensive rigs, one a Bait caster with worms and a few artificials and two, a Penn inshore two piece for all occasions when fishing presents it. I also have an eight foot Fly rod 5/6 Wt which breaks down to four feet when appropriate for outer wading.
- My former short Sabiki was 45.5 inches perfect! Tying a Sabiki rig is nothing more than bunch of drop-knots or surgeon double knots, a sinker and a few red beads and leader. I had been making multi-hook rigs for bait for a while using any of my rods to launch the rig. I never knew the name Sabiki. And per chance I was scouting the local hot spot web when I came across the word Sabiki and I looked it up.
- Clever the line goes down the inside of the rod instead of the outside and lo and behold Sabiki rods from 65 to 129 dollars…good luck. Thats a ton of money for a hollow stick and I did not want a big rig, I wanted something to keep in the trunk ready to go, about 3.5 feet. Many make theirs from 1/2 inch PVC, but to me they looked tacky.
SABIKI ON THE CHEEK, SHEEK, CHEAP —
- Let see what I had in the bins, a nice 50 year old bait caster, had plenty of line, hooks and all I needed was a rod. Here’s where the divine guidance comes into play. I live in a condo on a big Golf course and if you know anything about golfers, they are like T-RUMP, it’s the club that ruined the shot, not the golfers skills. AND HE CHEATS ANYWAY …
- And as long as the average golfer here plays the way they play, and blames the clubs, I’ll have a good supply. There was a Titalist Ultralight Custom Graphite club missing the head. It was a putter, with no head sticking straight up in the bin. I had my COVID-19 gloves on and rescued it. Twenty minutes later, waxed and cleaned, leather treated and polished.
- I measured and cut the long-gated slot for the line entry using a Dremel tool, and micro files to round and smooth the entry and then countersunk the flared end piece. The reel will sit on the rod perfect and stronger than a plastic reel seat, with one high pressure compression clamp shortened so no loose ends will cut my hand.
- Today I made another one from a two piece spinning rod. Because someone saw my first one and paid me a lot for it That rod which left the tip section in the car door. Gone, but the bottom butt half is intact and the right length. Perfect for Sabiki.
- I went out using my rig off a pier at a park and filled a bait bucket with my Sabiki. Total cost zero for the first unit, total labor zero , maybe couple hours or three, total experience and fun… a hell of a lot…