Kings of the Yukon

In an attempt to get outside, I've been taking a lot of long walks, either early evening or on the weekends, during this period of social distancing. It's been a great opportunity to get a little bit of exercise, fresh air, and catch up on the podcasts I typically listen to on my commute to and from work.

One I streamed yesterday was from The Itinerant Angler. Host Zach Matthews' podcasts are always informative and enjoyable, plus they're on the relatively short side (about a half hour) and make for an easy listen. This particular episode was an interview with Adam Weymouth, who had written a book called Kings of the Yukon, in which he canoed the length of the Yukon River, from the headwaters to the sea, tracing the migratory path of Pacific salmon, and learning more about the fish and the sub-populations of people in the region that historically relied on them.

It's a fantastic listen, one I highly recommend.



It also took me back to a few years to my family's summer vacation to Alaska... you know those simpler times when we were allowed to leave the house.

It was a great look back, and also reminded me of one of the little tricks one of our tour guides gave us to remember the five types of Pacific salmon, by referencing the fingers on your hand.

Thumb = Chum salmon (rhymes with thumb).

Pointer Finger = Sockeye (what finger would you use to poke somebody in the eye?... ok, this one is admittedly a stretch).

Middle Finger = King (the largest/longest finger)

Ring Finger = Silver (rings are made of metal, silver)

Pinky Finger = Pink (self-explanatory).

I guess the only way this could get confusing is if you're more familiar with these fish by their alternate names, as each has one. For example, the Chum is also known as the Dog salmon, Sockeye/Kokanee, King/Chinook, Silver/Coho, and the Pink/Humpback.

Anyway, just a little salmonid knowledge for today. If you get a chance, listen to that podcast, maybe pick up a copy of the book, and let's all dream of days we can once again travel without concern to places such as Alaska to see them in their natural environment.

History of Brown Trout in New Zealand

Sight fishing for huge browns in New Zealand's gorgeous landscapes and crystal clear waters. Monster takes, BIGGER fish. It's the stuff dreams are made of... at least the dreams of anybody who's even somewhat familiar with the prolific fishery.

But did you know those browns (much like in the United States) don't really belong there? Nope, they were introduced by settlers a little over 150 years ago... Want to learn more? Well, then I'd highly recommend the recent "Anchored with April Vokey" podcasts where she sits down and speaks with Jack Kos, a New Zealand angler who studied the subject for his PhD thesis and gives a relatively deep dive into the brown trout's rich Kiwi history.


Or even better, especially if podcasts aren't your thing... check out this 20 minute video. It was also written by Jack and maintains much of the same story and theme.


Now that's the way to start the work week, am I right?

The Itinerant Angler Podcast with Yvon Chouinard

Zach Matthews released a pretty solid interview with Patagonia founder Yvon Chouniard on his podcast "The Itinerant Angler" this week.

Photo: Patagonia

While Mr. Chouinard speaks quite a bit about the re-issue of his "Simple Fly Fishing" book and what he enjoys about tenkara and his quest to simplify, he also expands on many of the philosophies that make him one of the more unique businessmen and environmental philanthropists of our day (my words, not his).

Take special note around 12 minutes into the interview when he shares what he has perceived to be one of the most important characteristics of a fly when fishing... It's what makes tenkara such a killer set of techniques for catching fish in almost any situation.

Enjoy!

Outdoor Podcast Essentials

With an upcoming road trip to North Carolina on deck for the end of the week, I thought it might be worthwhile to dig into the podcasts I'll likely be listening to en route (given they publish a new episode between now and Friday). Not certain if you're a fan of fishing or outdoors podcasts, but personally I think these are consistently the best... and I consume them voraciously on my drives to and from work each day.

These are my Outdoor Podcast Essentials...


Fishing

Anchored with April Vokey
I think this is my favorite fishing podcast right now. I think it's because April not only interviews people "in the now" of fly fishing but also reaches out to so many historical figures as well. The recent podcasts with Ed Rice and Andy Mill were both phenomenal, each trailblazers in their own right.


The Orvis Fly Fishing Guide Podcast
Kind of the standard for quite some time, Tom Rosenbauer usually reviews a reader mailbag for half the episode, and interviews somebody for the second half. For whatever the reason, I find the interviews hit or miss, sometimes engaging, other times just there, but I always seem to find the reader mailbag questions fascinating...


The Fly Tapes
This one is pretty rad as it features fly fishing writers, all of which performed on the Writers of the Fly live reading series, as well as published in The FlyFish Journal. As somebody who has written a blog for a while now, I can certainly appreciate some of the insights these authors give into their work (even though I'm nowhere close to their level).


Tenkara Cast
You know me, I'm a Tenkaradork™ ... and this is pretty much the only tenkara-exclusive podcast you'll find out there today. Daniel Galhardo of Tenkara USA does a good job mixing tenkara or fly fishing topics with conservation issues.


The DrakeCast
Not going to lie, this one is growing on me. It's a relatively quick play, usually around a half hour, and you'll likely leave each podcast more educated about a species or fishery than you were before you listened. The recent podcast on "Midwestern Smallmouth Bass" was equally entertaining & educational.


Remote No Pressure Podcast
Currently on a bit of a hiatus, I was enjoying this podcast earlier this summer. It's usually motivational in nature. Host Jeff Troutman typically interviews guests that tell their stories of overcoming something daunting in their life, sometimes outdoor themed, sometimes not, as a way to inspire others.


The Itinerant Angler Podcast
Kind of the "Granddaddy" of fishing podcasts (I think it's like 10 or 12 seasons old), this is just a fun listen. Plus there is such a large library of "back-issues" covering practically any topic, there's almost unlimited listening to be had. When new episodes of other podcasts aren't coming out quickly, I always hit the IA's vault to fill the dead space.


Outdoors

The Outdoor Biz Podcast
While I don't work in the outdoor business, I've worked in the sporting goods business for almost two decades. Rick Saez takes the time to interview prominent figures from the outdoor industry about their careers in business, favorite pastimes, and a few other standardized topics which once you listen to a few episodes over time, really yield some wonderful insights that can be applied to any workplace.


MeatEater Podcast
I don't even hunt and love this podcast. Steven Rinella just cracks me up, and carries on his show in such a conversational tone (one prone to meandering) that's really entertaining. Plus, he does hit on fishing and general outdoorsmanship subjects too, besides just hunting. I always learn something listening to his podcast, and find the sometimes hour and a half to two hours just fly by over the course of a few car rides.


Miscellaneous

Good Times with Steve Simeone
I briefly worked with Steve back in Philadelphia back around "the turn of the century." Since then, Steve ditched the office life, moved to California, and has become a rather successful stand-up comedian. His podcast usually features a fellow comedian, and while they talk some about the business, they more often talk about life, particularly all the immediately relatable "good times" they had growing up. Steve's gratitude list is always a highlight and really makes one introspective and want to be a better person.


Rights to Ricky Sanchez
This is a Philadelphia 76ers/NBA podcast that unless you were a huge Sixers fan that understood a ton of inside references, it may be difficult to follow along with. (#lickface) The RTRS is podcast generally credited for making "Trust the Process" a commonly known phrase in sports circles. That said, it's also hugely entertaining because the Sixers mostly serve as the backdrop to other conversations on pop culture that inevitably pop up.


Monsters Among Us Podcast
I just started listening to this one. It's more or less a call-in show where listeners call in and tell their strange stories of mysterious creatures like Bigfoot, the paranormal, UFOs, and stuff like that. Then, host Derek Hayes sort of picks apart each story, presenting both a scenario in which it could be true, or perhaps a simple misinterpretation. It's pretty damn good... a bit creepy... oh, and the host likes to fish... so there's that too!



So those are my favorites... what am I missing?
It's gonna be a looooooong drive to North Carolina, so I'm game if you've got another podcast for me to add to the playlist!

Simultaneous Shad

You ever notice when you might think of something randomly one day, then all of a sudden, perhaps the very same day, it comes up in conversation or on television, or the internet, or wherever, somewhere else?

That happened yesterday with shad.

Shad?

Yes, shad.

I was going on my Sunday morning walk around the neighborhood (no fishing rod this time) when I started to daydream about my somewhat annual shad fishing trips to central Florida with Captain Rich Santos. I always go the open weekend between the NFL Conference championship games and the Super Bowl, just because that's how my work schedule goes in February.

I didn't go last year, which while it was a bit of a bummer, the Eagles winning the Super Bowl immediately soothed any pain I experienced. But like I said, this morning I couldn't help daydreaming about the prospects for 2019 and getting hooked up with a "poor man's tarpon," not to mention the common bycatch of Sunshine bass...

Anyway, the excuse to show off some old grip & grins aside (I mean it's hard not to smile when catching those fish), as I was shuffling through my smartphone during my walk, desperately needing to catch up on some fishing podcasts from while I was doing the Alaska thing, it was hard not to have my eyes immediately go toward this one in my "new releases" queue:


Ooh, now that was more than a little creepy...

Sure, this is about summer shad fishing up in the Washington D.C. area on the Potomac River, rather than the late winter St. John's River shad run of Florida, but still... shad is shad... and it's not a fish that's often pontificated upon in fly fishing circles.

So anyway, if you're interested in shad, give the embedded DrakeCast a listen. It's really good... the host hooks up with Joel Johnson and they talk about the fish from all angles, bad pun notwithstanding.

Image: The Drake

Tenkara Tuesday: Quick Hits From Social Media

Welcome to Tenkara Tuesday...

Going to try and make this a more regular Tuesday thing again, some weeks it will be extended "features"... other weeks it'll probably be some quick hits. This is one of those weeks.


Tanuki Golden Trout Rod

So if you follow Luong Tam and his Tanuki rod company on Facebook at all, you might have noticed that he's been all about golden trout recently, and he's developed a rod to go chase them. Check out the paint job on this thing...

Photo: Luong Tam

My only hope is that it's more suited for chasing golden trout than the "Appalachian Brook Trout" rod was for chasing brookies a few years back. Looks good so far...


Yonah Tenkara Fanny Pack

Ok, not gonna lie, I totally feel like I'm cheating on Zimmerbuilt by writing this, but a new tenkara/fly fishing fanny/sling pack from Yonah Packs was released recently.

Photo: Yonah Packs

I did purchase the original Yonah "simple" pack a while back just to check out the build quality and materials, and I will say that if that was any indication, anglers should be very pleased with this new edition. (Use coupon code YONAH5OFF for a $5 discount & free shipping)


Discover Tenkara Hirata-San Bundle

John & Paul at Discover Tenkara... half the time I can't keep straight whether they're asking me to sign up for free stuff, buy downloads, watch YouTube videos, or support through Patreon. Whatever. It's probably my fault, their informational content is so good, I tend to oversubscribe to their offerings.


Right now they've got a new bundle of content consisting of videos, e-books, and audiobooks on sale featuring tenkara master Hisanobu Hirata. I downloaded it the other night and have gone through the audiobooks in my drives in the car - they're excellent. And for a few more days the bundle is available for $45, rather than the regular price of $109. I think that price is good until the 19th, so don't sleep on it if you've got any interest.


Tenkara Cast 2.0

Daniel Galhardo is back from Japan and changing things up a bit with his popular "Tenkara Cast" podcast. Per his latest entry:

"I'm doing a soft "relaunch" of the Tenkara Cast, where I will be focusing on sharing more practical advice for your next outing. In addition, every episode will now feature a conversation with a different Trout Unlimited chapter around the US to find out more about their projects and how you can get involved." 

Sounds good to me... well not literally, I haven't listened to it yet. But if you'd like to, check out the embed below, or punch it up on your favorite podcast app.



Instagram: @tenkara.babaa

While not necessarily a new IG account (over 1,000 followers at the time of writing this), this really has to be one of my favorite Instagrams to just scroll down and get lost traveling through all the photos. Aside from the fact that the photography is great... the settings are absolutely phenomenal! This is real mountain fishing (and on-stream eating). Have to be careful though, too much of this account will get you stir crazy, wishing you were on the water!

Photo: tenkara.babaa Instagram

So I guess that's about it for today. I'm headed out on vacation this week so maybe I'll be doing some blogging from the road... or airport... or if wi-fi allows... boat. We'll see.

In the meantime (and in closing)... here's a random video from a Vimeo "tenkara" search for no good reason except FUN. Enjoy!

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ATTENTION TENKARA FISHERFOLK
Are you a tenkara angler? Do you have a story, pictures, video, fly recipe, or simply a fishing report from one of your recent tenkara adventures? If so, I'd really enjoy hearing from you for an upcoming Tenkara Tuesday post! Feel free to send an email HERE, I'd love to publish your original contribution.

Monday Morning Musings

Man, I've been out of the fishing groove as of late. I've been reading books & blogs, listening to podcasts, all kinds of stuff like that, but just haven't really gotten out to the water, save a few stolen hours here and there in the neighborhood, and a very little bit of (unsuccessful) flailing in the surf with the fly rod in the Outer Banks.

That said, hoping to reverse that curse a bit over the next few weekends (maybe even a little on the 4th of July). We'll see...

Speaking on podcasts, one I'd highly recommend you listen to if you have the time (it's about 30 minutes) is the latest one from The Drake. It travels with Zach Matthews (of The Itinerant Angler) to north Georgia in search of trophy trout. How one interprets the word "trophy" may foreshadow how much they'll enjoy the podcast, but I thought it was a really good listen.


Let's just say I'm on team small & native.

Anyway, going to try and catch up on some overdue blog posts this week... including a photo dump from the Outer Banks, a "Tenkara Tuesday," possibly a book review, and hopefully at least one fishing trip report. Talk soon!

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Fishing Fitness Footnotes:
Date: 7/1/2018
Current weight: 200 lbs ( -16 since start), first milestone hit - on to 190!
Current waist size: Size 36 jeans/shorts (Orig. 38)
Today: 13-mile bike ride in the AM before it got too hot
Misc: Did a 6-mile walk last week in OBX in like 95-degree heat - I'm an idiot!

Familiar Podcast Voices

You into podcasts?  Here's a few recent ones with some names familiar to this blog...

Check 'em out! Good listens each and every one.

Karin Miller of Zen Tenkara on the Remote, No Pressure podcast:

Bart Lombardo of Panfish on the Fly on the Tenkara Cast podcast:

And Justin Carfagnini of CARF Outdoors on The Hub podcast by fish.porn:

Listen Here: Dylan Tomine on "Anchored with April Vokey"

Was catching up on some podcasts this week, and found that I really enjoyed the July 14th episode of "Anchored with April Vokey" featuring Dylan Tomine. It's a bit of a meandering interview, but the backbone of the talk happens to center around Steelhead hatcheries, and what long term impact stockings have on the fish populations of the Pacific Northwest.

Image: Wild Steelhead Coalition

As somebody living in Florida I have little to no first-hand exposure to the decline of the salmon & steelhead runs in that part of the country. However, after recently visiting a hatchery as a "tourist" in Oregon last month, it's now easy to see the pro & anti-stocking arguments from both sides. The science cited by Mr. Tomine definitely makes for a timely and eye-opening (or perhaps better put, ear-opening) listen. 

Late To The Podcast Party

Never really listened to many podcasts before, be it fly fishing or any other subject. Sure, I'd listen to the occasional Tom Rosenbauer Orvis Fly Fishing Podcast, and there was that Owl Jones Live experiment a few years back, but nothing regular, nothing consistent.

That changed with Tenkara USA's Tenkara Cast. Being a tenkara junkie and drinker of the kool-aid, I consumed all of those podcasts as soon as they were released. They were typically the perfect length for a morning or evening commute to/from work. Since then I've added a few NBA podcasts (The Rights to Ricky Sanchez & The Vertical), and Good Times with Steve Simeone, the podcast of a friend who is an ascending comedian and one of the kindest souls you'll ever meet.

Being caught up on all of that content, and searching for something new to help pass the time during my recent 6.5-hour drive to and from North Georgia, I finally stumbled on Anchored... and holy crap, April Vokey's podcasts are really good.

I seriously lost myself in the last few, made the mind-numbing drive seem more like an hour than almost seven. Really fascinating stuff. If you haven't listened to the episodes with Ted Niemeyer, Gary Loomis (what an amazing guy), Mark Johnstad, or Louis Cahill, you're missing out. Although I'm certain I'm the one late to this party.

Fortunately, they started in late 2014, so I've got two more years worth of content to catch up on...
That's a lot of drives to and from work. :)

Tenkara Tuesday - 3 Quick Hits

Three quick hits on this Tenkara Tuesday...

New TenkaraBum Rods
Have been a little bit slow on this one, but TenkaraBum recently released two new Suntech produced rods to his namesake line.  The TenkaraBum 40 and the TenkaraBum 33.  These two models complement the original TenkaraBum 36 at longer and shorter extended lengths respectively.

Tenkara Angler Magazine
The open call for submissions was made yesterday for the Spring 2017 issue of Tenkara Angler magazine. Content is community-sourced; if you're interested in contributing, more details on how to submit an article, photo, essay, etc... can be found HERE.

Tenkara Cast Podcast
A new Tenkara Cast was released last week and it was a good listen. I'd recommend taking the opportunity to tune in as Daniel teases a few initiatives for 2017 - a new rod, the return of the Tenkara Summit, and a book tour!


Enjoy!  Now let's go fishing!

Opinion: New Rod Development Podcast

I really enjoyed this podcast during my drive home from work last night.

While not particularly long, if you don't want to listen to it, Daniel struggles with question of whether it's really worth it for him to develop new rod models each and every year like most other fishing rod companies do. The cycle takes place to satisfy the demand that consumers (and in turn, retailers) have for what is percieved to be the latest & greatest in gear.

He claims keeping his product line short & streamlined aligns nicely with his tenkara philosophy of simplicity. Why try to develop additional rods when the five models he currently offers each serve a purpose, fit pretty much every tenkara fishing scenario, and fish well? Sort of a battle of novelty vs. function.

As an entrepreneur, it must be difficult to see others garnering attention and market share with their new rod launches. Several rods from Tanuki, TenkaraBum, Tenkara Rod Co., Oni, Badger, and Dragontail, (just to name a few), have premiered since Tenkara USA last released a pair of new rods in late 2013.

Now I don't really have a quick fix for Daniel. In the end, he might not really need to do anything. However since he was asking for opinions, perhaps these are a few ideas that might help him generate some buzz around his rod line without reinventing the reel wheel.

What's Old Is New Again
While Tenkara USA has 5 rods in its line at the moment, it has sold many more models that it has retired over the years. Perhaps rather designing a new rod, a limited release of an old favorite might be in store. One of the retired Tenkara USA rods with a somewhat cult following is the wooden-handled Ebisu.

Tenkara USA Ebisu

An "Ebisu Classic," possibly with a minor tweak or two based on the learnings since it was first on the market, seems like it would be a home run. Oldies can be goodies.

Pimp My Rod
Is there a way to make all of those tenkara rods you have sold into the market "better"?  One idea I've always thought would be interesting (although perhaps not cost effective) would be to offer replacement handle "upgrades" for the most popular models. A Sato handle segment upgrade to a bamboo handle, or a wood like the Ebisu mentioned above. Others may be drawn toward some of the synthetics on the market, such as the camo patterned foam handles found on the Oni rods or the Winn grips found on fly rods such as the Redington Vapen Red.

Go Premium
I don't know much about rod materials, but I know there are a ton of different grades of components such as carbon fiber and cork. Ways to make rods lighter, higher performance, or even just more attractive. Tenkara USA's rods are very nice and extremely premium in function. I love mine and fish them about 90% of the time, but I don't think there is a true "premium," spare no expense, rod in their line. The cork grips alone tell me that. Who said simplicity needs to be spartan?

I don't drive fancy cars, so I might not be the target customer of a Sato+ Lexus Edition, but it would probably appeal to some. I've never fished a Tanuki, but damn if that rod isn't pretty.

What Else Can You Simplify?
I know Daniel preaches the concept that tenkara is about simplicity, and it can't get more simple than a rod, line, and fly. However, tenkara fishermen still bring other "stuff" to the stream, be it as part of their fishing gear, or simply to enhance the experience. Quick drying apparel, streamlined waders, adapting sawanobori shoes to the American market, even a line of bento boxes for streamside meals (that's sort of a joke), I don't really know... I don't think one would need to go crazy, but there has got to be other ways to streamline fly fishing outside of eliminating the reel.

Oh, and in a related aside, why don't you have Jeremy Shellhorn create a few new t-shirt designs? I've been wearing the same Tenkara USA shirt for a few years, I'd have a drawer full of tenkara shirts if I had more options. Let us be your billboards, ha!

End of day, it's all just food for thought, hope it doesn't create any indigestion.

Tenkara USA Podcasts - "Tenkara Cast"

Last evening, Tenkara USA announced that they will be releasing tenkara-based podcasts moving forward. There are currently 3 available, either via Soundcloud or iTunes that are really worth a listen.

I listened to the first one last night, and the other two this morning during my drive into work. Of the three, the second, "Excuses - Why You May Get Skunked and How to Catch Fish" is definitely a gem.


Excuse #4 even references a poorly-kept secret in tenkara-circles. But you'll have to listen, or maybe click HERE, to learn more about that!

Well done Daniel and the Tenkara USA crew, looking forward to more great tenkara content in future Tenkara Casts!

That Was Pretty Fun...

I didn't want to watch the evening news last night - repeated lies & betrayal from the weatherman has eradicated all of my faith & trust in the local news - so I dropped in on Owl Jones' first online radio show instead.  I have to say it was a pretty good listen, boosted by an interactive chat feature to allow listeners to interject into the "conversation."

I'm not usually one for online radio & podcasts, but I'm kinda interested to see where this goes.  I'm thinking we're either looking at a long and glorious run...or two or three weeks before the ADD kicks in and the show is shelved in the interest of launching another project.  As with most things, only time will tell.

So....if you've got an extra half hour this weekend...check it out HERE on podcast.

Owl Jones Live on Spreaker

A fast 30 minutes of stuff.

Maybe you'll do a better job figuring out what kind of reel he was clickin'...us idiots listening along had no clue.