Can you catch more fish on Tenkara?

Does Tenkara Actually Catch More Fish?

Like most answers in fishing, the real answer is variable and comes down to where, how, when, and what you are targeting.  But I will do my best to break this down as someone who has been Tenkara fishing for 15+ years.

One of the most overlooked features of Tenkara is being able to put your fly in the exact spot you want to.  Since it is a fixed length rod and line you learn to know precisely where your fly is going to land.  Knowing where your fly is going to land means you are spooking less fish.  
Example:  If I see a trout rising in a particular spot, I know I want to cast about 2 feet in front of it.  That makes it so easy to position myself to get that perfect cast.  I'm not saying you can't achieve this with a fly rod, but a running line just adds an extra variable to your accuracy.

The more time your fly is on the water, the more likely it is to get eaten.  That seems pretty obvious, but with traditional fly fishing you end up spending a lot more time with gear management.  
- Setup and breakdown is a lot faster too.  Lets say 2 friends go out fishing together and they have 1 hour.  One person has a traditional rod and reel, the other has a Tenkara rod.  The traditional friend is going to take 2-5 minutes setting up his rod, and another 2-5 minutes breaking it down.  While the Tenkara angler might only take 30 seconds for setup and another 30 to break it down.
- Fewer tangles.  Without a reel and running line, there is just simply less that can go wrong.
- Less gear to carry.  Easier to move around, quickly break down your rod to go through trees, etc.

Tenkara isn't designed for everything.  The sweet spot is small-medium sized creeks and rivers.  Bombing 50ft. casts off a drift boat?  Gigantic fish?  Not really what its made for.  So in certain scenarios its definitely not going to catch more fish.

So back to the main question.  Does Tenkara catch more fish?
Tenkara is amazing in those small-medium sized creeks and rivers.  You can get a good presentation, recast so quickly, and even hold a beverage while you fish.  For me personally, less gear means i'm more present.  And even if it didn't catch more fish, the real beauty of Tenkara is it just makes fishing simpler, strips away the distractions, and reconnects you with the outdoors. To me thats worth a lot more than how many fish I caught.