WFS 039 – Tenkara Basics – Luong Tam Interview | Fly Fishing Techniques, Tips + the Vietnam War

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I am very happy to share this episode with Luong Tam about Tenkara fly fishing.  Luong breaks down Tenkara and shares the reasons why many people catch more fish with Tenkara over traditional methods.

Trust me, I was a little skeptical at first as well.  Have a listen and you will also get an amazing perspective from Luong about growing up in Vietnam during the war and what air raids and bombs felt like from his perspective.

Show Notes with Luong Tam

The Firehole River is Luong’s favorite river.

16:50 – Baum Lake in Northern California has a pile of hatchery fish and you are guaranteed to catch fish.

19:05 – Tenkara USA is one of the bigger companies producing Tenkara products and host a summit in Colorado.

19:16  – Ishigaki is a big name in Tenkara and a master of Tenkara techniques.

25:50 – The Kebari fly pattern with a reverse hackle is a typical tenkara pattern as well as the Utah Killer Bug pattern.

31:50 – Here’s a link to the Maxcatch Tenkara rod link that Luong mentioned for about $100.

32:45 – The Oakland Casting Club has a number of members that are getting into tenkara.

35:10 – The Pit River is a great blue ribbon tail water in Luong’s area but is a little dangerous to walk into.

47:44 – Tenkara 101 is a series of videos on Tenkara basics covered on Luongs youtube channel.

50:00 – Tanuki Fishing is a series of videos that covers Luong and other Tenkara fishing resources.

52:30 – Tenkara Fest in the midwest was noted in this episode.

53:20 – Tenkara Jam in North Carolina is another great event if interested.

55:00 – The Tenkara Bootcamp is a cool event held in California.

59:05 – A Tanuki is a Japanese character and is a mix between a dog and raccoon.  Legend in Japan has fun with Tanuki because of magic and transformation to tease people.

60:00 – Tofu website link has a video and some information on the Tankuki.

1:04:00 – The Golden trout rod is new shorter rod ready for this year.

“Fishing is not about the equipment, it’s about the knowledge and skill.” -A member of the Oakland Casting Club

Conclusion with Luong Tam

I love it when a new guest blows me away with information and knowledge.  We went from talking about Luong growing up in Vietnam during the war and ended talking about the Tanuki raccoon dog character.

I loved re-listening to this one and hope you do to.  Also, I think I’ll be trying out Tenkara this year because who doesn’t like to catch a few more fish.  Leave a comment below if you have a comment and subscribe at the link below to stay updated.

Click on the link below to grab the show notes links: