First rainbow on tenkara and citation from game warden

 My Dragontail Hellbender tenkara rod was broken recently. It is broke in my hands, not during fish fight, neither I hit the rod against hard subject.   The manufacturer decided this is manufacturing defect, and offered me to send a replacement part for free. 

I decided to try my fixed rod on Brzegi quarry. I came to the site n the evening, as usually. There were no other fishermen, which was suspicious. Usually, my favorite spot is often occupied.  

I started with my dry fly rod, then switched to tenkara.  I attached nymph imitating red worm, and slowly worked through the water, letting nymph sink, and pulling it up. Fishing nymph on stillwater more resembles streamer fishing, because you need to animate it.  

Suddenly, fish grabbed my nymph. Fish on! The rod bent, and the fight started.  

It is a challenge to fight a big fish on tenkara rod.   I held rod low and parallel to the ground (so it bends in the horizontal plane). When fish wants to go and makes a power run, I would release a brake on the reel in conventional fly gear. But i don't have a reel :-0. Instead, I quickly threw rod from left to the right position from my body, while maintaining tension. Repeated it few times and combined with steps left-right direction along the bank. So the fish had some space to run and the rod dampened the force.

Then , I managed to bring fish to the net. 


The essence of this technique is summarized in excellent Karin Miller article:

https://www.zentenkara.com/big-fish-on-tenkara-understand-why-and-how-it-works/

Here, I drawn my diagram of the rod position, and how I flip rod in the horizontal plane: 

But, while I was playing with fish and photographing, the game warden came to me and asked for fishing license.  This happened first time with me on Brzegi, but that's OK. That's their job. 

He checked the documents (it was OK). Then asked, did I see the sign?  -What sign?  -There is a sign near the parking spot. Please come hear and read it.

That's what on the sign:

ATTENTION ANGLERS. FISHING IS PROHIBITED FROM 4.04 9:00 TILL 7.04 16:00  DUE TO FISHING COMPETITION.

Damn! Sorry officer, I didn't see the sign  .  I wasn't lying, I really didn't notice.  Now I understood, why there were no other anglers on the lake. They KNEW about prohibition. Everybody expect me.  Shame on me! 

He said he must write a citation, to call out me to the local Fishing Protection department.  I asked, will be there a fine(penalty) in result? They said, they don't know, F.P.R. will talk to me and decide what penalty to assign.

My uplifting mood from first "proper" fish on tenkara rod, was darkened by this incident. 



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