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Gathering of the Clans

April 27, 2015 By Tom Sadler Leave a Comment

TJam2014Recently I was at the Virginia Fly Fishing and Wine festival as part of the Mossy Creek Fly Fishing crew. At the festival, I gave four on-the-water tenkara demonstrations, two each day. At each demo, 30-50 people came down to watch, wiggle the rods and ask questions.

I am giving more and more presentations each year and I’m not alone. A quick scan of Facebook will show you a number of other people giving individual presentations all over the country.

The really exciting thing that is happening is the growing number of tenkara specific gatherings taking place. I have been to a few in the past and they are a great chance to learn techniques and tactics, see a variety of products and network with tenkara enthusiasts.

Tenkara, once considered a passing fancy, has truly become a movement.

Midwest Tenkara Fest

Organized by Matt Sment of Badger Tenkara, The Midwest Tenkara Fest is the weekend of May 2 and 3 in Coon Valley, Wisconsin.

I spent time with Matt last fall and he is both an ambassador for tenkara and the Driftless Area of the Midwest. The Driftless contains hundreds of miles of spring-fed limestone streams that are home to plenty of trout. It is an overlooked trout fishing gem in the heartland of the country.

Matt and his committee have brought together an impressive group of vendors and presenters. Coon Creek runs along the festival site (American Legion Post) so there will be on-the-water presentations during the festival and plenty of local fishing.

“Tenkara till the cows come home” is the tag line for this gathering and you can get all the details on their website Midwest Tenkara Fest.

Appalachian Tenkara Jam

Hosted by Great Feathers Fly Shop, The 2015 Tenkara Jam is the weekend of July 11 and 12 in Herford, Maryland.

Appalachian Tenkara Jam is the brainchild of two North Carolina tenkaranistas, Jason Sparks and Lance Milk. This is the second year for the “Jam” and is shaping up to be a good as the first. I had the pleasure of being a presenter at last year’s Jam in Boone, North Carolina and hope to be able to get to at this years event as well.

Planning is in the beginning stages but given the experience of last year I have complete confidence this Jam will be as well executed as the first one. The Gunpowder River is nearby and is an excellent trout fishing venue and common destination for fly fishers in Northern Virginia, DC and Maryland.

Sparks recently posted, “There will be more tenkara expertise in this room on these two days then you will find all yearlong anywhere else on the East Coast.”

You can get details as they become available on their website, Appalachian Tenkara Jam.

Tenkara Summit

Organized by Tenkara USA, The 2015 Tenkara Summit is Sept. 19, in Estes Park, Colorado.

This is the fifth summit for Tenkara USA and the second one in Colorado. I was a presenter at the first one in West Yellowstone, Montana and was part of the Mossy Creek Fly Fishing crew that hosted 2013 Summit here in the Shenandoah Valley.

Since it is not until September, details are slim but they do have lodging info up on the Tenkara USA summit website since this is a popular destination. You can also see last year’s schedule to get a good idea what 2015 is apt to be like. With five years of experience under their belts they know how to make things work and provide a lot of solid information.

There is fishing on-site and the Rocky Mountain National Park close by.

Author’s note: Author’s note: This article first appeared in Hatch Magazine.

Filed Under: Hatch Magazine, Tenkara Tagged With: Appalachian Tenkara Jam, Midwest Tenkara Fest, Tenkara Summit

Tenkara Summit Info

February 21, 2013 By Tom Sadler Leave a Comment

2013Summitposter
The 2013 Tenkara Summit will be in Harrisonburg, Va. on May 11 and 12, hosted by Tenkara USA and Mossy Creek Fly Fishing.
The plans are coming together and the details are starting to shape up.
Here is some early information you can use for your planning.

Registration

Open online at: http://www.tenkarausa.com/product_info.php/products_id/157
Follow the directions carefully to be sure your registration is complete and accurate.


DAY 1 – May 11, 2013

$25 for event and lunch
Location: Holiday Inn Harrisonburg – 1400 East Market Street, Harrisonburg.
Schedule:
 9AM – 5PM: Main event – presentations, casting, tying demos and more.
6PM – 10PM: Tenkara Social with band at the hotel.

DAY 2 – May 12, 2013

$75 for lunch and guided afternoon clinics.
Location: Riven Rock Park, 6 Last Left Lane, Hinton, VA.
Schedule: 10AM – 12PM: more demos outside at the park (no charge, included in Day 1 fee)
12 PM on: Lunch and guided clinics.
Riven Rock Park information

Accommodations

There is a block of rooms available at the Holiday Inn. You will want to stay there if you are from out of town so you can enjoy the tenkara party that evening.
Room rates have been negotiated for $89.
To book a room please call 540-433-2521 and tell operator you’d like to book rooms under “Tenkara Summit 2013” room block.
Or visit the Holiday Inn website, enter dates, and group code TSB.
Please note the last day for reservations under the room block is Friday, April 26th, 2013.
Camping options will be posted on the Mossy Creek Fly Fishing website soon.

I will post updates as they become available, so please check back.
Hope to see you at the summit!

Filed Under: Fishing, Tenkara Tagged With: Harrisonburg, Mossy Creek Fly Fishing, Riven Rock Park, Tenkara Summit, Tenkara USA, VA

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Politics

Insurrection most foul

Gerson’s article, “The U.S. must punish sedition — or risk more of it” captures much of what is going through my mind at this moment.

The post-election political theater has jumped the shark.

BLUF: Time to starve the conspiracy whack jobs and Trump sycophants of oxygen.

The Threat to Democracy is Real

“We opposed Trump because we recognized that what he stood for is an existential threat to the American experiment in constitutional democracy.”

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