From 09/13/2025
Nothing was really planned for this day as it was mostly just going to be hanging out at the camp with other tenkara anglers. Truth be told, I didn’t plan too much for this area to fish or the species since I was just looking for a more relaxed time fishing and not targeting species. I did want to catch a mountain white fish and that was already done right behind where we set up camp, so I was happy!
Rod Testing
Before leaving after picking a place to fish, Brent asked if I wanted to try out the Kokoro 400 prototype. Of course I said yes and I used it for most of the day. Tom and I were going to meet up with Alex Williams of California, who I met at the Tanuki Sierra Boot Camp last year, but we ended up losing him somehow since we left a little earlier than him. Look for the Dragontail Kokoro 400 rod testing article from Matt Sment on TenkaraAngler.com
I ended up fishing the Big Smoky Creek, which is East of the camp ground, with Tom that afternoon for a few hours and caught 15 fish and that is where I stopped counting. They were pretty stellar wild rainbows! They were well fed and pretty, healthy fish.
I also ended up catching 2 Kokanee salmom on the rod. I used my weightless kebari on the way down the river and fished with nymph below it as I fished up the stream. The rod worked well, brought these huge fish to net, and there was never a doubt that I would be able to handle any fish. I never felt overpowered by a fish and my arm was tired. Who knows if this was because I had been fishing for more days in a row than I have before or because of the consistent +12” of each fish.
Lost Line
We finally started back to camp and fished at a spot around a really pretty bend and deep hole. I caught another Kokanee and several other wild rainbows. Two rod and reel anglers came up behind me, but I kept catching. I didn’t notice them catch a thing.
This is where we met up with Alex after he saw the Tom’s Pinz on the side of the road like we told him to spot up and start fishing. Of course, this was later in the afternoon but that was okay. Tom and I gave Alex some helpful drifting techniques and I ended up letting the tapered nylon Brent gave me slip off the lillian because there was no overhand knot on the end of the rod when Alex hooked up with a nice rainbow. Oops! Alex tried to chase it down, but it was lost in the current and riffles.
Campfire
The last night’s time was spent planning to get to Boise early in the morning and exchange the truck for a new one that was more reliable. We sat around the main camp fire for a bit and also Tom’s little propane-powered fire as well. The banter was fun and also the camaraderie.
Tenkara get togethers and camps have been a source of meeting friends near and far and bringing together the tenkara community for me. It has brought together different tenkara experiences and techniques that I have learned to put into my arsenal and I wouldn’t be the tenkara angler I am today without them. I also get to grab some local knowledge and be inspired by people fishing the same way that I do. I cannot wait to come back to Idaho for another tenkara camp out and fishing experience.
My Tenkara Journey 