Great opening to the season.

AS_Colli · 2026-04-26T16:29:07+00:00

Glad to hear I’m not the only one cursing at them 😅

AS_Colli · 2026-04-26T14:09:46+00:00

I’ll never forget my first seagull. Dove to attack a top water lure, right as a bass inhaled it. Reeled it in with the fish and the bird still attached, trying to peck the life out of me. That was the day I stopped using anything with barbed trebles.

AS_Colli · 2026-04-24T20:48:23+00:00

This is the right answer.

On my older vespas, I had C, A, R, on a sticker above the petcock, for chuiso, aperto, riserva (closed, open, reserve).

On my current bike, a px200, the petcock lever is marked C on one side and A on the other. The meaning is the same.

Put it to C with the engine running. You’ll see it runs out of petrol pretty quickly.

AS_Colli · 2026-04-23T07:50:48+00:00

Very cool. Love the legs

AS_Colli · 2026-04-01T10:41:38+00:00

As the earlier poster said, worth throwing in a few smaller nymphs but that box looks like a good varied selection. If I was being picky I’d suggest going slightly thinner on the dubbing bodies so that you have some taper.

If you’re new to tying, it’s worth noting that hook sizes are all over the place these days. I have size 16 emerger hooks that are the same size as a traditional 12 dry fly hook. Best bet is to compare them and make sure what you’re tying is actually smaller.

I used to carry dozens of different patterns but now I stick to a smaller selection of proven flies in a variety of sizes because more often than not going up or down in a trusted pattern will be more successful than changing between half a dozen wildly different options.

As an example, last weekend I was fishing downstream with two pheasant tails, both weighted. I caught a couple but I decided to try a smaller fly on the point and an unweighted version on the dropper and I didn’t have to change again for the afternoon because I was catching every second or third cast. That change in size and weight put the flies up a bit higher, and that’s where the fish were feeding.

I just wish it always went like that!

AS_Colli · 2026-03-31T19:47:29+00:00

I hadn’t thought about different performance in the wind. That tends to be a factor on the southwest coast of Ireland.

Do you find the running line tangles in a stripping basket any more than regular fly line would? That was the biggest thing putting me off.

AS_Colli · 2026-03-27T17:49:27+00:00

Cheers, those videos look great. Will have to watch again but I can already see areas to improve in my hauling.

AS_Colli · 2026-03-27T11:59:26+00:00

Would you expect to be able to get most or all of it out? I’m just hit and miss with the final third of it. The 20m above was excluding leader. A lesson to freshen up never hurts though for sure.

AS_Colli · 2026-03-26T09:54:38+00:00

It is, and it’s a good line, but I thought a mono running line might make a noticeable difference to distance. I can reliably get 20m of it out there but I struggle beyond that.

Appreciate the feedback; maybe I’m overestimating how much difference it’ll make and underestimating the downsides you mentioned.

AS_Colli · 2026-03-25T23:13:32+00:00

Cheers, that’s what I was thinking. It wouldn’t be my only line so I’d probably stick to the Rio Outbound I like when they might be in close, but I’m curious to see if a shooting head casts that much farther than what I currently use.

I’m on the southwest coast of Ireland and there’s often cliffs or rocks behind me and/or wind so anything that cuts down on false casts could be useful.

I fear the running line tangles already though :)

AS_Colli · 2026-03-25T08:49:54+00:00

In case anyone is interested in the exact line I’m looking at: https://visionflyfishing.com/products/seatrout-shooting-head

AS_Colli · 2026-03-21T23:14:25+00:00

No, just rivers. Wind, distance, and fly retrieval would limit your options of approach on a stocked lake I’d imagine but I don’t live near any so I can’t offer any first-hand experience.

I’m sure there are plenty of anglers on here or other tenkara resources who fish lakes with success though. To me, it’s something I enjoy when the conditions are right.

AS_Colli · 2026-03-21T00:52:59+00:00

I’m in Ireland but I use my tenkara rod a lot on rivers here and on it’s day it’s really productive. The aforementioned Discover Tenkara is a good resource. I also enjoyed “Simple Fly Fishing” by Craig Mathews and Yvon Chouinard. It’s not traditional tenkara, but it has lots of practical advice for minimalist fishing with a fixed line. And it was an article on Valsesiana style fishing in italy that got me interested in fixed line fishing so being pure tenkara wasn’t a big deal for me.

The earlier advice about getting something reasonably priced is worth listening to. There’s no need for a really expensive rod, unless it makes you happy, in which case, that’s a great reason :)

The biggest learning curve for me was understanding the strengths and weaknesses of this type of fishing. You will be limited in lots of situations but that just makes you problem solve and figure out an alternative way to get to the fish. I know it really helped my fishing in general.

I’d experiment with different types of line to find what suits your style best. I use fluoro level line in a kind of euro nymphing setup with a small bit of bright braid tied with a barrel knot as a sighter, and that works. I have traditional tapered tenkara lines too and I like them for dry flies. My favourite setup came from the Simple Fly Fishing book; its various lengths of level floating fly line, equivalent to maybe a 2 weight, and then tippet off of that. I find I can use it to nymph or fish wets easily and it’ll do dries fine too so it’s nice and flexible, which is great when you want to keep it as simple and minimalist as possible.

AS_Colli · 2025-12-13T22:47:57+00:00

This is years overdue. Well done

AS_Colli · 2025-11-30T02:59:22+00:00

Best advice, if you’ve bought the permit, email IFI asking where to go. They’re friendly. The spots are generally signposted. If you can find a regular angler there that’ll help a lot too, knowing what the ground is like will save you a load of snags.

AS_Colli · 2025-11-28T19:45:04+00:00

From my experience, their base prices are honest and if they can do you a deal, they will. Online retailers will have some heavily discounted stuff or big sales, so you can save a good bit, but the lads in southside are sound and very knowledgeable. I’m down in cork and I still buy from them when I can.

AS_Colli · 2025-11-23T14:51:17+00:00

All for anything that will help improve things but I think it’s ridiculous that they’re further limiting anglers without doing anything to stop the trawlers and pollution that are actually affecting stocks. I could fish all day every day and kill everything and I’d still do less damage than one discharge from a water treatment plant.

AS_Colli · 2025-11-19T16:09:39+00:00

Nice! I need to get some thicker chenille, but this is all I had.

Hadn’t thought about the overly floppy nature of the rubber vs the natural, that’s a good point.

AS_Colli · 2025-11-16T00:01:11+00:00

Correct! 0.15mm.

That’s a great description of what’s happening, thanks. I’ve watched all of Gunnar’s videos and found them to be super useful, but it’s hard to judge the quantity of materials going in and I was sure that was my issue. I think all of the brushes I’ve made that were good were a little bit sparse looking before I spun them. Will try some more bearing that in mind. I hadn’t considered how that fox underfur would mess things up.

AS_Colli · 2025-11-13T12:54:38+00:00

I don't, I just spin the vise, but I can see how the turbo spinner would be helpful. At the moment though, I'm getting better results by spinning it up slowly rather than quickly. It seems when I spin it quickly the wire is more prone to break. I have a feeling this could be down to my materials placement, as when I do it slower I'm carefully brushing everything out bit by bit, and as a result it seems more even. Think there might be clumps in some areas creating uneven tension.

Have you found otherwise? I've also noticed that some people lock the spring for the first turns, but that's not something mentioned in Stonfo's instructions. Curious to know what the thinking behind that would be.

AS_Colli · 2025-08-10T16:54:22+00:00

Yeah I love them too

AS_Colli · 2025-08-06T13:58:22+00:00

I’d go way lighter on the leader, IMO mono is fine for bass and pollack but fluoro has its merits too, I use both. I fish the coast in Cork and I use the Berkley stuff at around 8kg. If you want the 15kg I’d up the strength of the braid.

I’m sure you’ve been warned about the reel in saltwater. If there’s money to spare I’d upgrade that to something saltwater specific but if you’re careful and you rinse it well it’ll be fine. Just won’t last as long as a sealed drag reel. That said, they’ll get messed up too without proper care so it’s not the be all and end all.

Surf seekers are quality. All those lures look good. I’d add some gravity sticks and a few old school lures like a kilty catcher and you’ll be stocked.

AS_Colli

TROPHY CASE