Sakasa Kebari Tenkara Wet Fly

The Iconic Tenkara Fly

The sakasa kebari is a traditional Japanese tenkara pattern, originally tied for the small, high-gradient mountain streams of Japan where trout and char don’t get much time to inspect a fly before deciding to eat it. Instead of imitating one specific insect, it’s intentionally impressionistic, a general profile that passes for a range of bugs.

The defining feature is the reverse hackle. Standard wet flies wrap hackle back toward the hook bend, creating a stiff collar that mostly just lies flat in the current. The sakasa kebari reverses that, with fibers angled forward so they open and collapse with water pressure, more like a struggling emerger than a fixed shape.

Why This Colorway

This tie borrows its color palette from the Rainbow Warrior nymph, using fine metallic thread instead of bulkier tinsel to keep the profile light enough for tenkara’s delicate presentation. The iridescent wraps catch light the way a real emerger’s wing case does, adding a bit of flash without adding bulk. CDC feather or soft hen hackle gives the reverse hackle flex without sacrificing durability over repeated fish.

The Curved Hook

The gold-plated curved shank is traditional to tenkara flies and gives the body a natural insect-like curve. It’s tied barbless, which is standard for tenkara fishing and makes for an easier release.

How to Fish It

Dead drift it through riffles and pocket water, or use the traditional tenkara approach of pulsing the rod tip every few seconds to make the hackle open and close. Fish it on a tenkara line and level leader for the traditional approach, or on a long, fine leader with 5X or 6X Fluorocarbon Tippet if you’re fishing it on a western fly rod instead.

It can also be fished down-and-across like a traditional wet fly, letting the current swing it through a pool while the hackle pulses on the swing.

Common Questions

Is this a dry fly or a wet fly? A wet fly. It’s fished below the surface, even though the splayed hackle can look a bit like a dry fly’s wing from above.

What size should I start with? #14 is a reasonable middle ground for most water. Size up to #12 in higher or off-color water, and down to #16 for clear, low water or smaller fish.

Do I need a tenkara rod to fish this? No. It works on a tenkara setup, but it’s just as fishable on a western fly rod, either dead drifted or swung like a traditional wet fly.

Specs