A few years back I received a strange birthday present from a friend. It was some kind of fishing rod that collapsed. I took the cap off the butt and the sections started sliding out. I pushed them back in, screwed the cap back on, and stuck it in the fish closet.
Where it remained for several months, until said buddy asked, “Did you try out that Tenkara rod?”
“Why, yes,” sez I.
I hesitated. Asking the next question would reveal my ignorance. On the other hand, so what?
“What the heck is it?”
The rod in question was a 10.5-foot Temple Fork Tenkara rod. Under my pal’s tutelage, I extended it and he showed me how to tie a line to it.
“OK,” he said after I took a few tentative casts on the grass. “Let’s go fishing.”
Tenkara refers to a collapsible, telescoping, lightweight rod that has a line attached to it and no reel. The rods are similar in feel to fly rods, but there is no reel. Did I mention there is no reel?
A line is attached to the tip via a short piece of cord called a lillian. I don’t know why they picked on Lillian.
The lillian is attached to the rod tip. The line is attached to the lillian. Tippet material is added to the line. Put on a fly and you’re ready to fish.
I asked the obvious question.
“What happens when the fish runs?”
Answer: It either stops or breaks off.
There are all sorts of fixed-line telescoping rods around, and many different names for them, many in Japanese. I don’t pretend to understand the nuances. I just call it Tenkara and leave it at that.
I always groan when someone says some computer thing is “intuitive.”
But Tenkara is intuitive. If you’re standing in a stream with a long stick with a string attached to it with a fly at the end, what else are you going to do except make a cast?
The Japanese have been fishing this way for centuries. It’s a recent development in the U.S. A small but increasing number of fly-rodders are playing around with it.
Some, like my buddy, have gone almost completely over, even to the extent of selling most of his Western fly rods.
I continue to view it as an adjunct to a fly rod … but there are occasions when I barge into the woods in search of brook trout armed only with a Tenkara rod.
The advantages are many. The rods collapse to something that’s usually a foot or two long, tops. Yet they extend to anywhere between 8 and 13 feet.
For those of us accustomed to fishing little blue lines with an abbreviated fly rod (under 7 feet long) trying it with a 9- or 10-footer seems nuts.
But there is often far more room in those streams than you might think. And having the extra length means hanging back farther from the stream. Which means the spooky trout can’t see you.
A well-planned cast allows the angler to keep the line, and even most of the tippet, off the water. So when fishing dries, you can get a great drift.
When it’s time to move on, collapse the rod, secure the line on a spool or line winders attached to the rod, and make your way through the woods to the next spot. This is a lot easier than scrambling around with a rigged fly rod.
Tenkara is not just for little brookies, either. I bought an inexpensive Chinese rod, 13 feet long, and tied two Wooly Buggers on. Then I hit the Housatonic River.
On the second cast I hooked two smallmouth bass. Neither was especially big but together they were a handful. After a lengthy fuss I got them both in the net. (Then I lost the net but that’s a different story.)
In the summer I fish for largemouth in a lake. Hooking a 4-pound bass on a fixed line rod is a lot of fun.
For river fishing, I found that using a Tenkara rod made me a better overall angler. I had been getting lazy about where I was in the river, preferring to compensate for a poor position with a longer cast or a tricky mend.
With Tenkara I was plotting my moves ahead of time, much as a golfer sizes up the next two or three shots.
There are disadvantages compared to Western fly gear. If you have a 12-foot rod with a 12-foot line and 4 feet of tippet, getting your fish into the net can be difficult, unless you have really long arms and a net with a 6-foot handle. Which I don’t.
If it’s super-windy Tenkara’s probably not the best choice.
And despite my twin Wooly Bugger experiment, these rods are, generally speaking, not built for slinging big heavy weighted flies around. (Although I have one 18-footer, designed for carp fishing, that can handle a saltwater streamer easily.)
Note: People often compare Tenkara rods to cane poles. There are some similarities, but Tenkara rods are much more sensitive and infinitely more portable.
Mostly I like Tenkara because it’s fun. I’ve been fly-fishing since the age of 12, roughly, and I am 58 now. I make that 46 years.
And I’ve had lots more fun in the last six, largely because I have added Tenkara rods to my lineup.
I have a few recommendations if you’re curious.
Chris Stewart runs the Tenkara Bum website and shop. He’s forgotten more about this than I will ever know.
Teton Tenkara is a website from Tom Davis, who has also forgotten more …
There are several stateside Tenkara companies that offer rods, lines and accessories. I have done business with Tenkara USA and Dragontail Tenkara and been very pleased.
I also recommend Morgan Lyle’s book “Tenkara Today,” which cuts through the more esoteric aspects of Tenkara and gets right down to the nitty.
Lakeville Journal
SALISBURY — Alfred Lyon Ivry, a long-time resident of Salisbury, and son of Belle (Malamud) and Morris Ivry, died in Bergen County, New Jersey, on Feb. 12 at the age of 91, surrounded by family members. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he was a graduate ofAbraham Lincoln High School and Brooklyn College, where he earned a B.A. in English literature and Philosophy and served as drama critic for the school paper.
Alfred earned a PhD in Medieval Jewish Philosophy from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts in 1963 and in 1971 was awarded a D. Phil in Medieval Islamic Philosophy from Oxford University, Linacre College.
He enjoyed a long career as a professor of Jewish and Islamic philosophy, with appointments at Cornell, Ohio State, Brandeis, and New York University. Alfred wrote more than one hundred scholarly articles and book reviews, and was the author or editor of nine books, including Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed: A Philosophical Guide, published in 2016.
Alfred and Joann, his wife of 67 years, moved to the Berkshire area in the early 1990s, splitting their time between the Twin Lakes and New York City until their respective retirements. After that, they lived in Salisbury full time, availing themselves of the region’s many cultural offerings. They relocated in late 2020 to Noble Horizons for two years before moving to New Jersey to be closer to their children.
In their many years together, Alfred and Joann traveled regularly, frequenting museums, national parks, and other destinations. Alfred was an avid reader of the newspaper, fiction, and poetry, and possessed both a sharp wit and an estimable sense of humor. Throughout his life, he enjoyed outdoor activities including swimming, camping, hiking, ice skating on Twin Lakes, and tennis. Like many Brooklyn boys of his era, he followed the Dodgers, but happily took his children to Red Sox games at Fenway Park and later his grandchildren to see the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.
In Salisbury, Alfred became a successful gentleman farmer, and embarked on canoe trips and fishing expeditions on Twin Lakes and beyond.He took up birding, among other hobbies, and with Joann developed and enjoyed the friendships he made in Salisbury and environs, and especially amongst members of the Great Barrington-based Berkshire Minyan, of which they were founding members.
Above all, Alfred was committed to the Jewish tradition and people, and to his family. He is survived by his wife, Joann (nee Saltzman);children, Rebecca and husband Clifford Stein, Jonathan, Sara, and Jessica, grandchildren; Molly and husband Josh Mark, Noah and wife Noa Shapiro, Ben Stein, Talia, Max, Isaiah, and Esther Ivry; great-grandchild, Aaron Mark; and colleagues and friends made throughout his life. He was predeceased by his sister, Grace.
Donations in Alfred’s memory may be made to the Berkshire Minyan and to the Yaakov Goboff Fund at the Yaakov Herzog Institute for Jewish Studies.
Lakeville Journal
LAKEVILLE — Alice Gustafson (née Luchs), 106, of Lakeville, Connecticut, passed away on March 2, 2026. Born in Chicago on Dec. 15, 1919, Alice was raised between New York City, Florida and Lime Rock, where she graduated from Salisbury High School in 1937.
Alice’s career spanned roles at Conover-Mast Publications in New York City, The Lakeville Journal, the Interlaken Inn, and as a secretary to the past president of Smith College. In 1948, she married Herbert “Captain Gus” Gustafson at Trinity Church in Lime Rock.
A devoted community servant, Alice volunteered for twenty years at White Plains Hospital and for over thirty years at Sharon Hospital. She was a passionate supporter of the arts, notably through her involvement with Music Mountain and Crescendo Music Program. She was also an active member of the Salisbury Congregational Church, the Nichi Bei Fujinkai society, and served as a docent at Philipsburg Manor.
Alice is survived by her son, Gordon Gustafson, and his wife Christine, her daughter Elizabeth (DeeDee) Dohan, and her husband Andrew, her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Herbert.
Her celebration of life will take place on Saturday, June 6, at 11:00 a.m. at the Congregational Church of Salisbury.
While flowers are a lovely tribute, those who wish to further honor Alice’s memory may consider a contribution to Music Mountain, Crescendo, or the Congregational Church of Salisbury.
Lakeville Journal
LAKEVILLE — Larry Power passed away peacefully at home on March 9, 2026.
Larry was born at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City in 1939.
He had a successful public relations firm for over 35 years in NYC.
After retiring, he chaired the Sharon Land Trust board for many years. He always said one of the most important things he ever did was saving the Twin Oaks Field from development.
He is survived by his husband Lea Davies of 44 years.
Donations in his memory can be sent to East Mountain House in Lakeville in honor of Keavy Bedell or the Sharon Hospital Primary Care Project in honor of Doctor Jonathan Joseph.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
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Lakeville Journal
KENT — Carol L. Hoffman Matzke passed away peacefully with family by her side on Feb. 22, 2026.
She was a beloved mother and stepmother, daughter, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, community member, and friend.Her presence will be deeply missed. She had a beautiful way of loving, accepting, and supporting all the many members of her vast family, and of welcoming others into her family circle. She was intelligent and well-informed about history and current events, and she took a genuine interest in knowing and understanding everyone she met, from friends and family right down to the stranger who stood next to her in line at the grocery store. Kind and generous, her family and friends knew that she would do anything in her power to help and support them.
Carol was the oldest of five children, born on June 21, 1939 in Springfield, Vermont to Janet (Beal) Lawrence and John Lawrence. She graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1957. She attended Colby College, graduating with a history degree in 1961. She was married and widowed twice, first to John Hardie Hoffman (1935-1984) and second to William A Matzke, Jr. (1924-2001).
In 1976 she and her husband, John, moved to Kent, to realize their dream of opening a small retail bookstore which they named The House of Books. Carol and John blended seamlessly into the community, and The House of Books quickly became part of the fabric of Kent where it has continued to welcome and serve the readers and writers of the area.
Carol was an active member of St. Andrews Episcopal church, where she served in various roles throughout the years. She was also an avid tennis player throughout her life and could often be found in the midst of a competitive match on the Kent School courts.
In 1993, Carol shifted her full-time residence to Seattle, Washington where her eldest daughter, Cathy resided with her family.It was in Seattle that she met and married her second husband, William A Matzke, Jr. Carol and Bill had a vibrant life in the Seattle area where she supported her children and step-children in raising their families, volunteered for The Fisk Genealogical Library, the USO at Sea-Tac Airport, and was an active member of two church communities: Evergreen Covenant Church in Mercer Island, Washington and St Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle, where she served as senior warden.
In 2017, after many years splitting her time between Seattle and Kent, Carol settled full-time in Kent. Carol was frequently spotted walking her dog along Kent’s roadways, sometimes in the pre-dawn darkness. She was a regular at the soccer games, plays, concerts, and other activities of her many New England grandchildren.
In 2024, Carol found a loving home with her daughter Barb’s family in Upton, Massachusetts, eventually transitioning to memory care at Keystone Place in Torrington, where she passed peacefully with loving family and caregivers by her side.
Carol is survived by her daughters, Cathy Miller, Barbara (and David) Lundbom and Tracy (and Rich) Horosky; stepson Scott Hoffman; stepdaughters Lori (and Dick) Ehrig, Andrea Matzke, Cynthia Matzke, and Lisa Matzke as well as 15 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. She is also survived by her siblings, Johanne LaGrange, Rod (and Fayne) Lawrence and Ann Wessel. She was pre-deceased by husband John Hardie Hoffman (1984), husband William A. Matzke, Jr. (2001), stepson John Morris “Jay” Hoffman (2023) and sister Gale Lawrence (2024).
Memorial services are planned in both Kent and Seattle later in the spring.Remembrances honoring Carol’s life can be made to the Kent Library Association (P.O. Box 127, Kent, CT 06757) or the Northwest USO (17801 International Blvd, PMB #313, Seattle, WA 98158).
Lakeville Journal
Riley Klein
From left, is First Selectman Gordon Ridgway, Dick Sears and CVFD Chief Will Russ signed the contract for two new fire trucks March 3.
CORNWALL — Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department and the Board of Selectmen signed the contract for two new fire trucks Tuesday, March 3.
The custom rescue pumper and mini pumper will be manufactured by Greenwood Emergency Vehicles, located in North Attleboro, Massachusetts.
The cost is $1.2 million and the estimated delivery time is mid-2027. CVFD raised $600,000 in donations, which will be paired with money from the town’s truck fund.
Greenwood had the lowest price and fastest delivery time of the three manufacturers that submitted bids.
The new vehicles will replace outdated trucks that are both more than 25 years old.
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