The Essential Non-Essentials
- Heritage Team
- Feb 6
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 12
There is a lot of gear out there that is designed for fishing and marketed toward anglers, even if you narrow it down to just “fly-fishing” gear. As tenkara anglers, there is an overlap in the tools and items that are used for both fly-fishing with a rod and reel, and those that are used in a fixed-line system. We recently shared a post about the short list of essential components needed for tenkara fishing. If you’re interested in reading it, you can find it here…
In that post we also wrote about a few other pieces of gear that are commonplace in a tenkara angler’s kit. From simple tools, to packs, we choose our gear based on our preferences and experiences. Those are often shaped by the waters we choose to fish, but our own individual approach to fishing plays a role too. If you were to ask a group of individual anglers what their favorite pieces of gear are (outside of the rod, a line, and a fly) you would most likely get a multitude of different answers - and that’s what this post is about…
We talked to some of our friends within the angling community to find out about the gear they find most important to their fishing. But, we wanted to narrow it down a bit, so that we don’t create a whole book on the preferences of anglers you may or may not know. So, to be more specific, we asked about two things…
“What is one piece of fishing-specific gear (not mentioned in the absolute essentials) that you cannot live without?,” and “What is one piece of gear, not fishing-specific, that is important to you?”
The goal of sharing these questions is to help tenkara anglers, regardless of their experience level, learn of what others are using on a day-to-day basis (on the water), how they’re using their gear, and hopefully inspire some creativity in their own setups, or solutions to any little quandaries they may have.
Amanda Alexander
To start the list off, we have our first guest contributor for the post. Her answer to the question of fishing-related gear comes with a bit of foreshadowing (spoiler alert!), saying, “Fishing specific gear? My Zimmerbuilt bags. I've got the sling (influenced by the other Amanda) and then a tiny little version that has gone with me all over the country to fish in my carryon.”
Continuing on to a piece of gear that’s not specific to fishing, she says “Carabiners - Tiny ones. All sorts. I use them to organize inside my bag, to hang things off my bag, and to ensure I don't lose my keys.”
Amanda Hoffner
You may already know what our Amanda’s crucial pick for fishing-specific gear is, but the reasons may be a little different. “I really am partial to my sling pack,” says Amanda, adding that she feels safety is important and that she can carry extra first-aid materials in her pack.
Backing up her statement of safety, she says that one item that is not fishing-specific that she feels is important is good shoes, going on to say that she believes they are a “must-have.”
Dre Fornasiero (New School Tenkara)
When we asked Dre about the two pieces of gear that were important to him, he quickly replied with two short answers.
Right off the bat, he said “Cheater Glasses” for his essential fishing-related piece of gear, and followed it up with “a coffee kit…” as his essential non-essential.
Martin Montejano
If you read the post mentioned at the beginning, you may have already guessed that one of Martin’s essential pieces of fishing gear are his forceps. They are the tool he uses the most when out on the water.
As for something not specific to fishing, he says “a good sun-hoodie,” adding that he feels they offer good protection on the water.
Payton Skidmore (Skiddy Fishing)
“As cliché as it sounds, I really need to have a net.” says Payton. He goes on to describe how his fishing often takes him to places with native species, some of which are more endangered than others, and that he finds having a net is important in allowing him to take the time and care to handle these fish. Removing the fly while the fish remains in the water, and being able to “take a little more time to take that picture perfect moment without the stress of dropping the fish” are two big benefits he finds in his interactions with these species.
Regarding his response to the second question, Payton says “A good pair of polarized sunglasses” adding that it’s “like having X-ray vision on a creek.” On top of that, he mentions that there are times when being able to see exactly where trout are holding in a pool helps him to plan his movements in order to sneak up on the fish, and to cast in a way that puts his fly where it will be seen. Payton also points out another benefit he gets from having a good pair of polarized sunglasses, “I have blue eyes so the bright sun is a little sensitive for me at times.”
Victoria Smith
As far as fishing goes, Victoria says “My Miss Mayfly wading pants.” For those who may not be familiar, Miss Mayfly makes fishing gear, and more related to this post, wading gear that is designed to fit women. Victoria also exclaimed, “I finally have waders that fit my legs and feet!”
Regarding a piece of her kit that is not fishing-specific, she mentions her Grayl water bottle. “The titanium bottle was a splurge but it’s a little lighter than the other Grayl bottles. I just scoop water and filter. I’ve been using this brand bottle for about 4 years now and haven’t had any issues with water-borne illness.”
As mentioned earlier, we all have different approaches to how we fish our waters. With that, we all have different needs regarding our gear, and preferences on what we use. As you can see, there is a wide range of answers (with the exception of one piece of gear) from six different anglers. Regardless of what the needs are, what’s important is finding the gear that helps you in your pursuit of fish, and a good experience on the water and in nature!
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