Tenkara & Kayak Fishing in Brazil.by Carlos Andre Blatt, BR ![]() Fishing from the beach is somewhat unfriendly and not particularly productive due to strong winds and high waves. In lakes and rivers, the few wading points suffer constant fishing pressure and if one wants consistent catches he must rely on chance or move away in search of remote locations. So, expanding my fishing options was the main reason I opted for a kayak in my area. Trolling Motor vs. Paddle.I usually do not paddle my kayak. Due to the high winds here, paddling and fishing do not go well together. The solution I came across was to outfit the kayak with an electric trolling motor that has 44 lbs thrust. ![]() Speaking of mangroves, without the kayak it would be impossible to go after snook and other species that inhabit this water. The kayak approach is beyond silent and allows me to precisely cast between the roots, which is crucial in snook fishing. Those fish are very strong but are also very lazy. If your fly lands one foot out of his ambush zone, he won't come to it.Fish.My target fish are almost invariably peacock bass in lakes and snook in the mangroves. Other species such as oscar, traíra, snapper, and even tarpon may appear inadvertently but are not my main fishing focus. One good thing about these two fish species is that, although they occupy different environments, they like many of the same flies, making the guesswork easier. Rods.I have tested several models of tenkara rods from 2.40 m up to 4.20 m. My personal favorites are rods between 3.00 and 3.60 meters. The longer sticks allow me to wade in more open areas and the smaller models work well in ![]() Lines.I also did many experiments with various types of line (furled, flurorcarbon level, dakron, etc) and currently my preference is for the floating lines made from fly fishing running lines. In situations of extreme wind, or if I need to use a fly down deep, I will opt for the titanium line. I like to use short lines and either match or underline the rod. I prefer a 4X or 5X tippet (0:18 or 0:15 mm) that is 60 to 90 cm long and, in the case of snook fishing, I add 20 cm of 14 lb fluorocarbon shock tippet. Snook abrade and break tippet very easily.
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