Page 17 - 2020 May/June Outdoor Oklahoma

DON P. BROWN/ODWC Kebari

DAVID LOR/FLICKR CC-BY ND 2

fishing line tied to the end. There aren’t large cases of
tackle or jars of bait to carry, just a couple of artificial
flies. It doesn’t require wading. A small pair of pliers,
The flies that are used in authentic tenkara
an optional fish net, and perhaps a pair of polarized are called kebari
sunglasses, and you are set.
Vidrine said his interest in tenkara came about
because he found himself cooped-up in his workplace.
Spending eight hours inside with no windows to see DON P. BROWN/ODWC
outdoors was not his favorite thing. So, he decided
to get outdoors during his lunch break. And a nearby
Close-to-Home Fishing site offered him the opportu-
nity to enjoy some fishing on his midday breaks.
And that’s where the simplified technique of tenka-
ra entered his life. It was just the right combination of
quick and easy. “It was the minimal type of fishing that
I was looking for.”
In only a minute or two, Vidrine can park his car
near a fishing hole and have his fly in the water. After
a relaxing half-hour, he says he typically catches
some fish. He gets a chance to unwind in the middle
of the day, and usually returns to his office feeling
more energized.
It is believed that tenkara originated in the moun-
tainous areas of Japan. Anglers would create bamboo
rods up to 15 feet long that could be taken apart and
carried in a tube. The anglers would follow the small
running streams up the mountains to fish for trout,

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