It’s been mentioned in our articles before, but one of the best things about tenkara is its simplicity. I know that’s what drew many of us to it. The ability to go out and catch a fish with just a rod, a line, some tippet, and a fly makes the initial cost of getting into this style of fishing relatively low, especially when compared to the cost of all the “necessary” gear to that of a fly fishing outfit that requires a rod and reel. Even the higher end of tenkara rods are considerably cheaper than the majority of fly rods from what I’ve seen.
Outside of just the necessary gear, there are plenty of advertisements that push the next “biggest and best” piece of gear. When you look through a fly shop catalog or website, you’ll see them trying to sell new reels, new rods, waders, tools, and little gadgets that are marketed as ways to make your fly fishing experience “better.”
Now, I’m not saying that tenkara isn’t an expensive hobby. Sure, it may require less gear, and gear that is less expensive, but that doesn’t mean we don’t accumulate a whole collection of rods and gear over time. I know I’m guilty of it myself.
When we started the Heritage Tenkara Project, we had the agreement that we never wanted it to become a website that is used as marketing for companies or vendors. We never wanted it to be something where we push a product in a “buy this” or “buy that” sort of way. Our goal, from the start, was to create a resource with the hopes to make tenkara and fishing more accessible for everyone.
With that said, we do realize that fishing costs money, and tenkara is no exception. It may start with just the necessary equipment, but anyone who has fished the style for a while could tell you that this “simple” way of fishing doesn’t inherently make it a “cheap” way of fishing.
As anglers dive deeper into the hobby and the sport, a need for some gear does arise, and sometimes it’s not a “need” but more so a curiosity about a certain rod, or a line type - it can even be the want of learning to tie your own flies. Regardless of what it is, it seems there’s always something else we as anglers can buy. That brings me to the first point of this article…
Tenkara doesn’t have to be an expensive hobby. There are plenty of companies that offer relatively cheap rods and materials.
If you’re not married to the idea of buying something brand new, there are places you can find good used gear. There are several Facebook groups (“Tenkara Marketplace,” “Tenkara Trading Post,” and “Tenkara - Purchase, Sale and Exchange”) dedicated to tenkara gear. You can even find tenkara-specific gear on ebay, or gear exchange sites.
Another point I wanted to touch on in this article is being conscious of where your money goes. When it comes to fishing related products (gear, packs, fly tying materials) there are plenty of vendors out there. From “big box stores” to small, “mom and pop” businesses, you could shop endless lists of fishing gear (even if it’s not tenkara related) to find what you may be looking for.
Where we want to focus, though, is on the small businesses within the tenkara community. Many of the companies that sell tenkara-specific gear are privately-owned businesses. Most of us purchase from domestic retailers, but there are even small tenkara-centered businesses all over the world.
Making purchases from these domestic companies helps support our community.
A few years ago, I learned that someone I knew through my job at the time had owned a fly shop several years prior. He cited the main reason for his decision to close the shop was a sharp decline in business following the opening of a Bass Pro Shop in the area. This isn’t an uncommon trend either, and unfortunately these big box stores cause us to lose more than just a local business. When we lose fly shops, we lose hubs for anglers to learn more about fishing and connect with other anglers.
While there are very few brick and mortar stores that carry tenkara-related products, we can still support our community by purchasing from our small, privately-owned, tenkara companies. That is one reason why we started the “Meet the Vendor” series. We wanted our readers to be able to learn about the people who run these small businesses within our community. We hope that by getting to know who is behind the business, where they operate, and the products they provide, people will feel more inclined to support these businesses.
We all want to feel good about our purchases, and avoid the terrible feeling of “buyer’s remorse.” By sharing these little spotlights on vendors in our community, we hope that people feel good about where their dollar goes. Maybe the information will even help to support businesses that are more “local” to our readers.
For those who have a local fly shop that they like, consider buying material or gear that can help you as an individual in your own fishing from them, because these purchases help to keep your local anglers hubs in business, and help to support our local angling communities. These communities are important.
When we support our community, we all benefit!
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