Today was the best day of fishing I’ve ever had. In about three hours of wandering around the brushy, braided nooks of a certain local stream, I brought to hand 16 fish, about evenly split between Cutthroats and Brookies.

These are broiling as I type. (Slathered in honey and balsalmic, sprinkled with sesame seeds.)

That’s about twice as many fish as I caught all last year. There are many reasons for this, just as there are many reasons why you may or may not catch fish on a given day. I understand the basics of fly patterns and seasons much better, have more experience predicting where fish will be (and learned a lot in just this afternoon), and I have the TenkaraUSA Amago. It’s easier to cast, and cast better, with the tenkara rod, but more importantly its a fun tool for fishing. Beyond comfort, you’ll do an activity more if the tools you have for it maximize fun, and just as with singlespeed bikes, the satisfaction of fly fishing with a tenkara rod merges the aesthetic, visceral, and practical in a way that is very satisfying.

So just as I left the camera in my pack and enjoyed the process of the pursuit, so too will I leave the narrative here.

PS: The fish were tasty.