After-Work Tenkara Fishing on a Small Canyon Creek in Colorado
There's something deeply satisfying about squeezing a quick fishing session into the tail end of a workday. No elaborate plans, no long drives—just you, a rod, and a stretch of water you've been curious about. That's exactly the kind of session that makes tenkara fishing such a perfect fit for busy anglers.
Exploring New Water on a Small Creek
In late March 2025, with about an hour of daylight to spare after work, z headed out to explore a relatively unfamiliar stretch of a small canyon creek in Colorado. These kinds of micro-adventures are what tenkara was practically designed for. No reel, no bulky gear bag—just a telescoping rod, a bit of line, and a couple of flies.
Small creeks like this one are often overlooked by anglers chasing bigger rivers, but they can hold surprising populations of wild trout. In this case, a few beautiful wild brown trout made their way into the net during that short window of fishing time.
The Gear: Simple and Effective
One of the best things about tenkara is how streamlined the setup can be. Here's what was used for this outing:
- Rod: DRAGONTail Mizuchi ZX340 – a versatile zoom rod that works well on tight, brushy creeks where casting space is limited
- Line: 7-foot level line – keeping things short and manageable for small water
- Tippet: 5x nylon and 6x fluorocarbon – the fluorocarbon is great for subsurface presentations where you want a less visible connection to the fly
- Flies:
- Hi-Vis Parachute Black/Purple Ant (size 16, barbless) – a great topwater option that's easy to track in broken water
- Green Perdigon (size 16, barbless jig hook) – a slim, fast-sinking nymph perfect for probing deeper pockets
This two-fly approach covers your bases nicely: one pattern for the surface, one for below. On small creeks, you often don't need more than that.
Tips for Fishing Small Canyon Creeks
If you're looking to try something similar, here are a few practical takeaways:
- Keep your profile low. Small creeks mean close quarters with the fish. Crouch, stay back from the bank, and avoid casting shadows over the water.
- Work upstream. Trout face into the current, so approaching from downstream keeps you out of their line of sight.
- Use barbless hooks. They make releasing wild fish faster and safer, and in many Colorado waters, they're required.
- Short line, short rod adjustments. A zoom rod like the Mizuchi lets you adjust length on the fly—shorter for tight overhead canopy, longer for slightly more open runs.
- Don't skip the small pockets. In canyon creeks, trout will tuck into surprisingly tiny spots—behind a single rock, in a shallow seam, or at the base of a miniature plunge pool.
Why After-Work Sessions Matter
You don't need a full day on the water to have a meaningful fishing experience. An hour on a small creek can teach you more about reading water and presenting flies than a full day of mindless casting on a bigger river. These short sessions force you to be efficient, observant, and deliberate—skills that pay off every time you pick up the rod.
Plus, there's the exploration factor. Finding new stretches of familiar creeks keeps things fresh and builds your mental map of local fisheries. You never know what's around the next bend.
Watch the Full Session
Want to see the canyon, the trout, and the whole after-work adventure play out? Check out the full video on the z is on the river YouTube channel to watch this late March tenkara session unfold. It's a great reminder that some of the best fishing is closer—and shorter—than you think.
