The case for tenkara

The author wrestles a Housatonic trout with a reel-less Tenkara rod.
Gary Dodson


The author wrestles a Housatonic trout with a reel-less Tenkara rod.
I have been fishing with tenkara rods for about 10 years now, ever since my cousin’s husband, Gilligan, sent me a weird rod that telescoped out and had no reel, or even a place to put one. That was in February, so I had to wait until summer for my little buddy to show me how it worked.
I was extremely skeptical until I caught a decent Housatonic rainbow on the thing.
It was not an exceptional fish, but the fight was a lot of fun, more than it would have been with a regular fly rod.
Tenkara is a Japanese word that does a lot of lifting in translation. “Fixed-line rod” is probably better, but it doesn’t sound as cool.
Your basic tenkara rod is about 12 feet long, weighs almost nothing and is two feet long or less when collapsed.
At the tip of the rod is a piece of cord or string called a lillian. I don’t know why it’s called that.
What most people do is tie an overhand knot near the end of the lillian to act as a stopper. Then they attach a line with a girth hitch and add tippet material and a fly to the other end of the line.
A good rule of thumb is to start out with a line that is as long as the rod, give or take a couple of feet, depending on whether you’re in a wide-open river or a squirrelly stream.
The casting motion is very similar to that of a fly rod, but because you’ve only got the fixed length of line plus the length of the rod to work with, you’ve got to fish with your feet.
This is the critical distinction.
As I got better at using the tenkara rod, I realized how lazy I had become with the Western fly rod. Rather than considering a section of stream and mapping out my moves like a golfer assessing an approach, I had gotten into the habit of chucking a longer line or adding a tricky mend.
These are legitimate tactics, but smarter wading often eliminates the need for a longer cast.
It’s also better exercise and keeps the pores open.
So naturally, I started amassing tenkara rods and now have several in different lengths and actions.
What I really like to do is carry both a Western fly rod and a tenkara rod, and with some of these things, that’s easy to do. I have one 10-footer that, when collapsed, is about a foot long. It literally fits in my pocket or in the waist pack I use these days.
When I get bored with one method, I switch to the other.
One question I get a lot, other than “what the heck is that thing,” is, “What happens when the fish bolts?”
Same thing that happens with a Western rig. Either the fish stops or the fish breaks off.
The hardest part of fixed-line fishing is landing the fish. For those of us who do not have five-foot Extendo Arms (as seen in “Master of the Flying Guillotine”), getting the fish into scooping distance of the net requires dexterity, exquisite cunning and, inevitably, grabbing the line by hand.
This is where bad things happen, because once you give up the leverage of the rod, the dynamic changes completely, and the fish — no fools — sense this immediately.
If this intrigues you, I recommend starting out with Dragontail Tenkara in Idaho. The proprietor, Brent Auger, runs a tight ship and responds quickly to emails.
I also advise starting out with a furled line, which feels more like a fly line. Once you’re comfortable with that, you can move into level lines and other esoterica.
People often say, “That’s just like a cane pole.” No, it isn’t. A good tenkara rod is a lightweight precision tool. A cane pole is a heavy, blunt instrument by comparison. Think conductor’s baton vs. an old, splintery broomstick.
A final note: What ultimately sold me on tenkara wasn’t the simplicity or the novelty. It was catching a decent fish with a tenkara rod, as noted above.
The rod sang. It made a high, humming sound as I struggled with the fish.
“Dang,” I said. (This is a family newspaper.) “You don’t hear that every day.”
But you’ll hear it often enough if you go down the fixed-line road.
Alec Linden
The Spirit Ballooning crew and passengers on a flight from Great Barrington to Salisbury on July 25 of last year.
While some moonlighters may dread their weekend shifts, local NBT banker Darrel Long looks forward to his early morning side gig, since it involves flying high above the Northwest Corner hills glowing in the sunrise.
Perhaps better referred to as his “dawnlighting” operation, Darrel is the president and founder of North Canaan-based hot air balloon outfit Spirit Ballooning, which has been taking intrepid denizens of the region on daybreak flights across the southern Berkshires since 2009.
Darrel has been a licensed balloon pilot since 1994 when he flew his first solo voyage in a self-built balloon he called Spirit, now the company’s namesake. “I was not only a brand new student,” he said, “I was a test pilot in my own balloon!”
Luckily, the design was sturdy, proven by its place in the company’s three balloon fleet today, three decades later.
Darrel said once the balloon was built, he realized he needed a crew, so he got to building the next element in the process: a family. “We’ve got two sons and two daughters, and they’ve all been involved since they were born,” he said, explaining that the motivation behind Spirit Ballooning was partially to sustain the family’s passion as the kids developed their own interest in flying.
The real purpose, though, is to share the joy of floating above the verdant morning landscape with others, Darrel explained: “We don’t really do it to make a lot of money, we mainly do it to share the experience.”

His daughter Madi, who is the Audience Development Editor for The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News, agrees. During a recent conversation, she recalled a young couple the family met at a balloon festival in Vermont over a decade ago.
“When we first started flying them, they were just boyfriend and girlfriend,” she said, but after a few years of taking them up, “we eventually got invited to their wedding.”
“They were our passengers, but then it became so much more than that,” she said, noting that similar experiences of building relationships came to define her upbringing around hot air balloons. She said that when she was growing up in North Canaan, she made many of her friends after having landed on their parents’ lawn in a balloon.
Madi put her pilot training on pause in high school and college to focus on other things, but recently she’s considering a renewed push for a license. After all, it’s in the Long family DNA – “People learn their ABCs, and we just, like, learned to fly balloons,” she said with a laugh.
Her older brother Jordan was the first of the Long children to get licensed when he was 19, and had built his first balloon by 20 – Foxtrot, which also is featured in the Spirit fleet.

Ryan, the eldest, is also licensed, and currently flies balloons in California but is soon to move back to the Northeast where he may help out with the family business, Jordan said.
Now 30, Jordan is a commercial airline pilot for JetBlue by day and globe-trotting balloon flyer by morning, having soared over the Alps, the lush fields of Ireland, and most recently Northeastern Spain, amongst other destinations.
When he thinks about the differences in the two types of flight, he likes to remember a metaphor his friend, who also pilots both, once offered that likened airplane flying to the structure and order of marching band music.
“With hot air ballooning,” on the other hand, “it’s pure jazz.”
“You can have a destination in mind, you can start off in a known location,” Jordan said, “but in the meantime, you can improvise and float around, go on little tangents with different wind patterns and over different natural features.”
Jordan explained that the farms, industries, towns, estates and landscape features of the Northwest Corner and broader region can make it feel like floating above history. “It just brings your hometown to life in a way you otherwise wouldn’t know about,” he said.
Despite having flown balloons in faraway places, Jordan maintained that “there’s no place like home.”
To find out more and to book a flight, visit spiritballooning.com


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D.H. Callahan
Max Ocean at the Subversive Taproom in Catskill.
On the western banks of the Hudson River, the town of Catskill is becoming a beacon of ethnic, religious and generational diversity. Partially fueled by the increased popularity of towns like Hudson and the gentrification that comes with it, residents of all stripes are making their homes in the once underappreciated town.
Among those putting down roots are Max Ocean and Zane Coffey, the founders and brewers at Subversive Malting and Brewing. In 2020, after a few years of searching for a place where they could craft their beers and build community, they landed on a modest lot with an old auto-shop big enough to house their equipment.
As their business grew, fueled in no small part by their fast and flawless menu of elevated tavern fare, so did the number of customers who called themselves regulars. Among those regulars was David Quituisaca, donor organizer and volunteer coordinator at Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, or CCSM.
Founded in response to the political rhetoric of the 2016 presidential campaign, CCSM provides support for immigrant communities while advocating for policy changes at the county, state, regional and national levels. They’ve partnered with many local businesses in a symbiotic fashion, receiving funds and donations while helping to educate employees and patrons about their rights, and what non-targeted citizens can do to help protect their neighbors. In addition to their work in Columbia County, CCSM also teams up with other immigrant support groups in places like Millerton and Salisbury to educate vulnerable residents and community members alike.
After seeing reports and footage of the increasingly violent tactics used by the federal government in its efforts to arrest and deport Spanish-speaking residents, Subversive wanted to do something to help. Around the National Day of Protest against ICE’s tactics in January, Ocean reached out to Quituisaca and asked what they could do. It was quickly determined that a limited run beer and community launch party was the way forward. But what kind of beer would it be?
Subversive is known for their carefully crafted brews, which, while adored by their customers, aren’t always the most accessible to the casual sipper. For this run, they wanted something unique enough to talk about, but easy enough for non-craft beer fans.
What they decided on was creating a more accessible light beer using the yeast from Modelo’s internationally popular Mexican-style cerveza. They call it “Chinga la Migra.” Subversive committed to donating 15% of all sales to CCSM, a pledge they anticipate will net thousands of dollars when all the beer is sold out.

While the beer and the event will undoubtedly help CCSM’s efforts in raising awareness and garnering funds, Quituisaca notes that their efforts are nonstop. He notes that recent high-profile immigration enforcement tactics have underscored an ongoing need for support, including financial donations and access to larger spaces for classes and seminars on how to navigate an increasingly aggressive federal enforcement environment.
Though the fight may persist, with partners like Subversive, the migrant community and their supporters can kick back with a cold beer every once in a while to celebrate this vibrant community, and all they have to offer.
Subversive Brewing is located at 96 W. Bridge St., Catskill. More info at drinksubversive.com
Natalia Zukerman
Cast members of “Legally Blonde” rehearse offsite.
For nearly three decades, The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck has been a gathering place for actors, audiences and aspiring artists from across the Hudson Valley.
Founded as a nonprofit organization dedicated to making the arts accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds, The CENTER has grown from a summer theater under a tent into a year-round cultural institution. Since opening its permanent home in 1998, the theater has combined professional-quality productions with educational programs, youth performances and community events.
That mission remains at the heart of The CENTER’s work today. Managing Director Kerry Dotson calls it “the Hudson Valley’s home for affordable, quality theatre for almost 30 years,” noting the ongoing effort to maintain “a balance throughout our season of plays and musicals, and of classic and contemporary pieces.”
The organization strives to create an inclusive environment while offering opportunities for performers, technicians and students to develop their craft and engage with the performing arts.
“Many of the artists who call The CENTER home have extremely impressive theatre resumes,” said Dotson. “Many of them started by trying for a professional career in theater, but it takes more than just talent and training. It takes a lot of luck and the right connections. Many of the artists who work on our productions are every bit as talented as those who work on Broadway productions,” but never quite managed to be in the right place at the right time.” She went on to say that many performers have had successful careets in theater or film,“but have retired and need the creative outlet that they find at The CENTER. The CENTER has become their second home,” she said.
One of The CENTER’s most distinctive traditions is its annual Sam Scripps Shakespeare Festival, now in its 20th year. Named for philanthropist Samuel H. Scripps, whose support helped shape the theater’s development, the festival is performed on The CENTER’s replica of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, reconstructed each year and modeled after the historic London landmark.
While this year’s Shakespeare season has concluded, audiences can still look forward to a busy summer lineup.

From June 5 through June 28, The CENTER presents “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” the upbeat Broadway adaptation of the popular film. Filled with high-energy dance numbers, memorable songs and plenty of humor, the musical follows Elle Woods as she defies expectations and discovers her own strengths while pursuing a law degree at Harvard.
The summer season continues with Stephen Sondheim’s acclaimed musical “Company,” running July 10 through July 26. Widely regarded as one of the most influential American musicals of the 20th century, “Company” offers a witty and thoughtful exploration of friendship, marriage and modern relationships.
Rounding out the season is “Trenzas,” scheduled for Aug. 7 through Aug. 9. The contemporary musical celebrates family, identity and cultural heritage through a collection of interconnected stories centered on Latina women and their experiences.
“Younger audiences are welcome to attend our Kids on Stage productions of ‘Shrek Jr.’ or ‘School of Rock Jr.’ in July and August,” said Dotson.
In addition to its mainstage productions, Dotson added that the Black Box space —opened in 2024 — has become a “springboard for local playwrights and artists,” expanding opportunities for new and experimental work while keeping production accessible and intimate. She also emphasized that audiences can “look actors in the eyes,” a reflection of the close-knit, community-driven spirit that defines the theater.
The CENTER continues to serve as a community hub for arts education, youth theater and special events throughout the year.
For tickets and more information about upcoming performances, visit centerforperformingarts.org.
Kerri-Lee Mayland
Modern farmhouse designed by Tina Anastasia.
The best farmhouse spaces feel rooted in warmth and history, even when they’re newly built.
— Tina Anastasia
They dot the landscape, standing beside winding country roads and rolling fields, their silhouettes as recognizable as church steeples and old stone walls. For hundreds of years, the American farmhouse has held an important place in the country’s architectural history, especially in New England, where these homes feel deeply connected to the land itself.
Their enduring appeal may have less to do with the trends farmhouse style inspired and more to do with the comfort these homes create. Farmhouses offer a sense of warmth and authenticity, along with a design style that feels approachable rather than forced.
Maybe it is the worn stone paths leading to the back door, the creaky screen doors or the perennial gardens that grow a little wilder every year. Or perhaps it is the everyday, useful objects gathered naturally over time — mismatched chairs, weathered tables and open shelving lined with practical pieces never intended to be decorative.
Whatever the reason, authentic farmhouse style continues to resonate even as the mass-produced version of the trend fades from design circles, chain stores and Pinterest boards.
Classic farmhouse design has endured for hundreds of years because it was never rooted in excess or perfection. Authentic farmhouse homes were built around practicality, comfort and resourcefulness — qualities that naturally made the style budget-friendly long before DIY projects and “the collected look” became part of the design conversation. Furniture was repaired instead of replaced, family pieces were reused for decades, and simple materials like wood, stone and iron aged beautifully over time.
The more recent mass-market version of farmhouse style often turned those authentic elements into a formula. Barn doors, overly distressed furniture, word signs like “Fresh Eggs,” and factory-made “rustic” decor flooded stores and social media feeds. What once felt collected and organic eventually became overly themed and predictable.
Now, many homeowners seem to be gravitating back toward spaces with more individuality and character — homes that feel layered, lived-in and connected to real life rather than carefully staged.

Historically, New England farmhouses were designed around utility and survival. Large kitchens served as gathering places and workspaces. Mudrooms handled snowy boots and muddy shoes after chores. Wide porches offered a place to gather after long days outdoors, while barns, sheds and stone walls became extensions of daily life on the land.
That practicality still resonates today.
Some of the most timeless farmhouse details are the ones that cannot be replicated overnight: a scratched pine table handed down through generations; vintage crocks discovered in an old barn; worn baskets from the town dump swap shop; iron hooks, enamelware and garden furniture softened by years of New England weather.
Interior designer Tina Anastasia offers ways to create a more classic farmhouse design.
“The best farmhouse spaces feel rooted in warmth and history, even when they’re newly built,” Anastasia said.
For a farmhouse project she designed in Kent, Connecticut, Anastasia layered weathered stone, antique barnboard and touches of plaid and metal to make the home feel connected to its surroundings.
“It’s all about bringing in materials that contrast with the newness of a space and give it depth and character,” she said.
According to Anastasia, farmhouse style works best when homeowners steer away from trends and focus instead on unique finds with texture, age and practicality.
“These are the pieces that will give the home soul,” she said. “Not everything should look brand new.”
Farmhouses were never created to follow trends or become one; they evolved gradually over generations, building layers of history along the way.

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