>>2538717>What does a tenkara pole do that a normal fly rod can't, though? That's the thing that I get hung up on.Glad you're interested. I too had the very same thought when I got my first tenkara pole, thinking at the time that it would be a very light and portable but worse fly rod. The unique advantages are subtle and sort of sneak up on you.
The number one and most initially subtle advantage (but that quickly becomes obvious once you start casting) is that the fly line never touches the water. Only the fly and a bit of tippet do. This is why a tenkara pole can get away with a much shorter leader. No reel fly rod can achieve a more delicate presentation.
Sensitivity. The pole and line are extremely light. You can feel nibbles and hits much more readily, and feel the fight a lot more too.
Inherent tightlining and near-effortless dead drifting. Without dozens of yards of line to manage, tightlining and dead drifting are fairly easy. Along with this, it's easy to impart subtle motion to your fly. The ripples I can achieve look hilariously realistic and often lead directly to strikes. Finally, it's also easy to maintain tension during the fight.
You can cast a tenkara line over fast-moving current into a pool or rill beyond thay current, and simply "bypass/bridge over" it, since the rod and line make a big V. With a reel fly rod, that current will grab your line when it hits the water and fuck off with it, as I'm sure you know.
With tenkara, pick up and lay down casting is much easier and faster, and it's much easier to be accurate with PUALD as well. You can even create the illusion of a hatch or swarm by creating many light insect touchdowns over an area, sort of like chumming the water.
