Is It Cheating If I.....



13 1/2 " Brown Trout

Yesterday I was determined to go back to the lake in Yaphank and take a crack at those browns with my tenkara rod.  I brought all the flies and gear I thought I would need (including the UL spin rod in case the fly rod did not work out.)  When I arrived it was as if I had never left.  Trout were visible everywhere including some doing those leaps that carried them clear out of the water.  Man, I never get tired of seeing that! I went right to work starting with a #12 orange & herl sakasa kebari.....nothing. Next, I tried a #12 pheasant tail nymph, then a #8 black wooly bugger, then a.....I think you get the picture.  It was frustrating, they were right there all coming to take a look or bite then turning away at the last minute.  Finally after an hour I tried a #12 black bodied sakasa kebari and I got a hook up and a nice 2 minute fight.  Unfortunately, I got a hook spit back at me at the last instant that sailed past my face and into the tree behind me.  I was determined to land one and hold him in my hand before leaving for the day but I did know what else to try. I stood staring at the water then my gear.  A light bulb went off in my head (albeit a very small one).  I noticed a small jar of gulp for trout that I had bought for some unknown reason way back and I thought what the hell? I molded a small wad on the end of my sakasa kebari and tossed it in.  I really try to practice tenkara in the traditional manner that it was meant to be used but since I was already fishing from a lake shore to mostly stocked brown trout I thought it really did not matter.  With in a couple of minutes I had the attention of a few trout and sure enough one inhaled the bait and was off.  He put up a real nice fight and I almost lost him as he went under a small bridge that is over the lake outlet.  I find the fight with a tenkara rod more enjoyable than with a spin outfit.  Your connection to the fish feels more real and challenging. You can't simply muscle the fish in.  The trout came in at 13 1/2" and brought me a rather large grin in the process.  However, I can't shake the feeling that I somehow cheated. Hopefully with the few remaining trips that I have left for the year the trout will be a little more cooperative and I won't have to do that again (even though it was a lot of fun).