It took a little longer than I thought it would, but figured now was as good a time as any to do a recap of the Tenkara Summit that took place in Estes Park, Colorado back on September 16th. Actually, this will be more of a photo dump, with a few captions included for good measure.
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Daniel Galhardo kicked off the day with opening remarks and a quick history of the Tenkara Summit |
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Matt Sment from Badger Tenkara's presentation was extremely informative. Many tips on how to be a better tenkara angler were covered. |
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Jason Klass (Tenkara Talk) discusssed tenkara techniques |
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And Steve Schweitzer rounded out the morning's presentations discussing fishing both Rocky Mountain National Park & Indian Peaks Wilderness (his books on both are excellent!) |
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There were quite a few vendors present. The Tenkara USA tables were a hub of activity... |
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Shiso, Daniel Galhardo's dog was also in attendance. Shiso has recently taken to social media with his own Instagram account! |
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The Hane 2 prototype rod was introduced and made for sale for the first time at the Summit. Those that bought it will provide feedback to see if this becomes a permanent rod in the TUSA lineup. |
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There were other vendors too, like Trek Light Gear... |
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...and Dennis from Tenkara Path with many handmade items including line spools... |
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...and some interesting nets. |
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Lunch was provided out of two food trucks - pizza & BBQ. |
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I went with pizza, the truck had its own wood fire oven! |
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Back inside, there were other wares, such as rod cases... |
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and fly boxes. All so beautifully crafted. |
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A full view of vendor row |
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There was also "Tenkara Pie" for all... I went back for seconds. :) |
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Jammers enjoying their BBQ lunch... |
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After lunch, Dr. Ishigaki put on a casting clinic. He casts effortlessly and had a great rapport with the crowd. |
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Adam Trahan put out some targets for casting accuracy drills. |
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There were also breakouts for rod/line rigging... |
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...and fly tying. |
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Chris Zimmer from Zimmerbuilt showing off some of his packs. Every tenkara angler should own one. |
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The afternoon had two wonderful presentations. The first was by Patagonia founder, Yvon Chouinard. The crowd was captivated by his passionate plea for protecting our natural resources. |
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Dr. Ishigaki also addressed the crowd and touched on many different tenkara topics. |
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The day's program ended with a panel Q&A from many of the day's speakers. |
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But that was not it! After a short break for dinner, the hall reopened for fly tying. |
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Again, Dr. Ishigaki drew a crowd as he tied his namesake patterns. |
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Colorado band Paper Moonshine provided the musical backdrop |
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Many of the tyers participated in an "Iron Fly" style competition moderated by 303 Flies. |
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The winner being presented his spoils from Dr. Ishigaki. |
It was an incredibly full day of events, and there was so much great information being shared. Not only did I leave feeling like I learned a ton, but it was so great to see old friends and make new ones. If you've never attended a Tenkara Summit, I'd highly recommend considering one in the future.
Great write up Michael and thanks for including Trek Light Gear - what a great event!
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