Tenkara Today by Morgan Lyle, Stackpole Books, 2019
When I got home from a fishing trip a few days ago I had a pleasant surprise waiting for me. It was a preview copy of Tenkara Today by Morgan Lyle. Coincidentally I had actually been out fishing for a morning with the guy on the cover of the book.
I get a mention or two in the book and I know Morgan, and many of the other folks mentioned in the book so I can’t really do an unbiased review of the book but I’ll tell you a little about what to expect in its pages.
Like Morgan’s previous book Simple Flies (see a post about it and a Q&A with Morgan HERE) Tenkara Today isn’t a straight forward how-to manual, but rather it spends some time spinning a yarn and discussing the introduction of tenakara to the United States and some of the folks that were involved in spreading of the tenkara word. It provides a nice overview of the emergence of tenkara in the U.S. and it’s good to see that captured in print.
Morgan Lyle was involved with tenkara in the U.S. right from the beginning and has been there to observe and record it. There are many experienced tenkara anglers that will enjoy reading about the history of tenkara in the U.S. and the many biographical profiles that are included in the book. The instructional portions of the book are going to be most interesting to folks that are new to tenkara or that are considering taking the tenkara plunge.
For those considering trying tenkara, Tenkara Today will answer questions like “what the heck is tenkara and why might I want to do it?” and “I’ve got a rod and line so now what do I do?”
Tenkara Today ships out October 1, but is available to order now on Amazon –>> Tenkara Today on Amazon
I cut my teeth fly learning to tie from his book “ Simple Flies”. I’ll have to check this out.
I love Simple Flies too – wish I had it when I was learning to tie