Community Spotlight: Tenkara Path

Today we shed the spotlight on Dennis VanderHouwen, an avid tenkara angler, minimalist, woodworker, writer, and magician. You may have seen some of Dennis’ writings published on the Tenkara Angler website, or in their printed issues, but Dennis also has his own website - Tenkara Path - where he shares his writings and hand-crafted casting lines and spools (among other things) for tenkara. To get to know Dennis a little more, we asked some questions regarding his hobbies and how Tenkara Path came to be.

Starting with his venture into fly fishing, Dennis mentions a strong dislike in the line management aspect that came with it, saying it “interfered with my meditation process I was trying to develop.” After his late mother-in-law sent him an article about tenkara, he found interest in the style. “It sounded like a perfect fit for me and has become my ultimate practice for angling and life.” Now, Dennis takes his practice of tenkara with him to fish trout water around Centennial, Colorado and abroad. He finds himself drawn to the small, gradient streams and feeder creeks, but won’t shy away from fishing tailwaters on occasion. 

As tenkara became a part of Dennis’ life, the path it took him down also brought with it other interests and facets of the hobby. Aside from his writings, Dennis also crafts some tenkara-related goods that can be found on his website, or through his Etsy shop. We wanted to know how some of these items came to be, so we asked if he would share a bit on how his craftsmanship began to overlap with his fishing.

Of the offered items, some that may jump out right away are his wooden spools. After receiving a lathe as a Christmas gift one year, Dennis used it to make magic wands to sell to other magicians. To elaborate more, it’s best we share the exact response Dennis shared with us. “This was successful for a while and then tenkara came into my life. I was fascinated by the line spools available but hated all the plastic. I also didn't like all the things that you had to carry sometimes so I came up with a spool design that was more multi-purpose, all in one, carried line, flies and tippet, and had a better aesthetic than the plastic because it was made with natural materials. The spools evolved and I continue to think up and tinker with new designs. Spool making is less than a part time business, woodworking is a creative outlet and the sales of my spools let me travel and fish.”

Another item you may see in his shop is handmade lines. After finding a spool of embroidery thread at a garage sale that felt “fishable,” Dennis purchased it and started making lines using it. “ It was a very affordable way to have my own source of lines and I decided to put them out there,” he says, adding “They aren't anything fancy, I do make each line set up personally. I got great feedback on them after I started selling them.” Dennis also mentions that the lines are on a limited supply, and will sell them until his supply of materials runs out.

We mentioned earlier in this post that Dennis is a writer. Along with his contributions to Tenkara Angler through his installments of “Tenkara Lifestyles,” he also shares his experiences through his personal blog that you can find linked through his website.  “Blogs had become the rage on the internet and I decided at first to just write about my experiences with tenkara. The blog evolved as I discovered in real time how tenkara could be a teacher for living,” says Dennis. He also mentions that at this time he puts more effort into what he writes for Tenkara Angler as he feels it reaches more people, but also says “the blog will always be there.”

Lastly, we wanted to know what led Dennis to combine all three into Tenkara Path, and he mentions that he doesn’t see it as “any one starting point.” He goes on to say “They all just sort of influenced each other. I had things I was discovering that became articles. Articles that inspired things that I could make. Finally, things I could make became just another part of my approach that I could share with the ‘tenkarasphere.’”

For anyone interested in exploring more of Dennis’ work, be sure to visit his website - Tenkara Path. From there you can find links to his Etsy shop, and his blog. If you would like to read more of his writing, you can check out Tenkara Angler for more recent articles!