Tenkara Overseas - Amanda Goes To Europe

For the first time in my 35 years, I traveled overseas. I left the United States with 7 tenkara rods in my Zimmerbuilt rod sling to teach tenkara in Germany, and fish with a tenkara rod in Italy, Austria, and Slovenia. I was nervous to leave the country for the first time and especially nervous to fish in a country where I didn’t know the rules or the language. I did learn a few things along the way including some new fixed line fishing methods and appreciating the art and sport of fishing with a tenkara rod even more. 

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Germany

First, I was challenged with attending and teaching at a fly fishing trade show in Munich, Germany. I would have an interpreter and a group of ladies interested in nature, fishing, and tenkara, and 45 minutes to talk. The two-day event was packed with people and had a space carved out for me to give a demo/lecture presentation of sorts on the casting lawn. I spoke about being a woman in the outdoors and in tenkara, tenkara 101, and some simple tenkara tactics. 

Overall, teaching, I felt honored to be the first woman to speak to a group of people in this overseas trade show setting to advocate for women in the outdoors, fishing, and tenkara. The fact that a show wanted to showcase tenkara at all, to me, was astounding and impressive since many of the fishing trade shows I have attended in the US have people very opinionated and blunt with their opinions on what they think tenkara is and what it is (and mostly isn’t) good for. Being a woman tenkara angler at any trade show, especially a show in Europe, felt like the right direction for women in/and tenkara. 

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Italy

Next, I fished with a few of people from Bergamo, Italy that work in a fly fishing store called “Like a River Alps. These are the Italians that hosted me in Germany while I taught at the trade show and who also had their fly shop dedicated to tenkara. Inside their store, they also have an exceptionally large section dedicated to tenkara. There are Oni flies, Oni rods, Tanuki rods, and other tenkara art and merchandise that I am forgetting. All of this to say that this is a “regular” fly shop that includes tying materials, western fly gear, waders, and guide outfits that would all be what you would be expecting to walk into in America except with a HUGE tenkara presence. This was so impressive and welcoming to my eyes and heart.

What a way to be welcomed to Italy, other than the smell of food in a local café with homemade croissants and bread, to see a huge tenkara display on the wall right across from the main door. I have been around the block in the US and have never seen such confidence and trust with the product to sell these rods. Not only are they in a prime spot in their shop, but they can talk all day about these rods and the art of tenkara. What a treat! 

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Austria and Slovenia: Guided Trips

Fishing in Austria and Slovenia came next, of course, days apart, but it was also well received with the guides I booked. I fished out of my comfort zone while in Austria and caught fish with a dry dropper technique in more of a honryu setting. If you follow me, you know I am genryu all the way, but this technique and method worked on my tenkara rod as I caught well over 15 fish in just a few hours.  The guide I was with had never fished with a tenkara rod but got the background on my experience with a tenkara rod, asked what length my line and rod were, and set me up with flies of his choice. I felt confident and reassured that tenkara was strong here. Rachael, my fiancé, even caught several fish with this style and when the guide was showing me where to place the fly for the fish, he even caught one! 

In Slovenia, I fished in more mountain stream, genryu areas on the valleys that wind through the Eastern European Alps. The guide also had never fished with a tenkara rod but assured me I would be fine with my line setup and flies. There was hesitancy in using soft hackle flies since he and most others fished mainly dry or nymphs there, but other than that I felt good after landing a nice 45cm native marble trout. 

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Tenkara didn’t have a presence in the three fly shops I visited in Austria and Slovenia, but the owners and employees are surely welcome to my style of fishing with a tenkara rod.  I have no doubts about any other tenkara anglers fishing this style in any of these countries I recently visited as I felt so welcomed fishing this style.

All-in-all, I was happy with my experience as a foreign tenkara angler. Tenkara was more openly accepted, or at least people weren’t outright rude to the technique and the fixed line fishing awareness was encouraging.  I urge everyone to take a tenkara rod overseas when they’re planning to fish while travelling, not just because it is convenient in its weight and compact closed length size, but because of the general welcome feeling I had while fishing in this style.