I own several Tenkara rods but was looking for a small, compact rod I could leave in my small hiking pack to use in the small streams I generally encounter while hiking. The Compa specs matched what I was looking for so I gave Rocky MTN a try. I couldn’t wait for the snow to melt in the mountains so I took it out to a local lake to try it with some panfish. Casted size 12 and 16 nymphs and unweighted kebaris with 7’ and 9’ level lines, size 3 and 3.5, 7’ and 9’ furled lines, and an 8’ PVC line. It casts all the lines well but I preferred the rod with 3 or 3.5 level lines. Caught a lot of small (4”) bass, small perch, small crappie, 6”-8” trout, and hooked into a 20” trout. I don’t think this rod was made for a 20” fish, and I didn’t intend it for such, but it handled it just fine, although it was a heck of a fight, and a lot of fun. I’m impressed with the rod, it’s incredibly light, packs down really small, casts the lines well, and can handle bigger fish if necessary. The ZimmerBuilt pack seems well made and durable. Perfect size to keep everything you need for an impromptu trip in one place. This is a really fun little rod and is exactly what I wanted in a hiking/really small stream rod.

Performs well - solid knot strength, no breaks offs. Great value for the price.

If you're looking to chase bigger fish, in bigger waters, with bigger flies and don't want to, or are simply working with a limited budget this rod should be your choice. These are solidly made rods that will withstand the stresses of fishing "bigger" without feeling like you're casting and fishing with a 12' broomstick.

Extra bonus points awarded for the quality rod tube and the extra tip sections.

I'm new to fishing, especially fly fishing, not to mention the added depth of Tenkara.. and the fact that I decided to start fishing in the middle of winter probably doesn't help.. so I can't speak for my success with these flies juat yet. But they're incredibly consistent, easy to thread, beautifully crafted, durable, cast well, and have great movement in the water.

There's no reason not to have this rod with you everywhere you go. The super soft action make it deadly accurate for bow/slingshot casts in tight areas. This is without a doubt my favorite rod for tiny flies.. #18-#22 flies that have no weight to them. The action is predictable/intuitive enough, and the overall length short enough that I was teaching my 8 and 9 year old daughters how to cast with it. I love the colors. The turquoise and coral are reminiscent of the representation of the sea and the land in native southwestern jewelry. I love this little rod. It's always setup and ready to go so I can fish at the most inappropriate of times and get side eyed by the jealous. What a solid addition to a fantastic lineup of rods. Also - the care kit with the Zimmerbilt fanny pack. No brainer. You're ready to fish out of the box. Beautiful stickers, handwritten thank you, great customer support.

This rod is in the Goldilocks zone for me. Not too long, not too short, not too stiff, not too soft.. the softer action makes casting simple with level line, and beautiful with something heavier. The rod itself is gorgeous and durable. The satin black with gold accents makes this one of the most esthetically handsome rods I've seen so far in the Tenkara realm.

This rod is so well rounded, that I gifted it to my father for his first Tenkara rod, and now I need to buy another one because I miss mine.

My girlfriend hardly ever wears hats. She has never been able to find one that she could wear, for long periods of time, that didn’t hurt her head. One day, when we were driving with the windows down, she borrowed my hat to keep the hair out of her face. She loved the hat so much and said it was so comfortable, it’s the most comfortable hat she’s ever worn, that I had to buy her one just to get mine back.

I never heard of Rocky Mountain Tenkara until watching a Skiddy fishing video and decided to order the Rio. The rod arrived packaged securely. When I opened it it has a nice thank you note, some stickers and the rod. The rod case is very nice aesthetically and protects the rod. The rod sock is nice and has a Velcro closure. I took the rod out and it’s absolutely beautiful and looks like it would cost a lot more than it does. The rod has some heft and feels like it’s robust and can take some abuse. It reminds me of wasatch rods a little. It cast beautiful and feels nice with a small fish on it. I didn’t catch anything big but I have no doubt it can handle large fish. I’m glad I found this company. I will be buying more from Rocky Mountain Tenkara and really am happy I found them. Don’t hesitate and buy this rod.

I got the Chupacabra as a great 10.5'-12' zoom rod as a workhorse option for my larger streams and small rivers I focus on. So glad I went Rocky Mountain Tenkara as I know I have made not only a great purchase but got the opportunity I feel to have made a great friend going forward. I know there are alot of good Tenkara rods out there but if you don't look at Rocky Mountain Tenkara your missing out.

Fished the #6 level today. I used a 4.0m/13' rod with an 18' line and 4' of 5x tippet. The line cast great and easily handled a variety of fly types and sizes.

Great sensitivity as each strike was telegraphed both visually and tactilely.

Visibility is outstanding! If you have problems maintaining visual contact with your line, especially across a range of backgrounds, this is the line for you. It was a good day to test it because I fished through a wide range of light conditions starting off with early morning low light conditions, moving to bright afternoon sun, and had a couple periods of gray overcast and in each situation the multi colored pattern on this line jumped out of the back ground. It was almost like having a 18' strike indicator!

Definitely has earned a permanent place in my quiver of lines.

I ordered this line in a 4 as I find it easier to cast and have never had a fish report that they could see it easier then a 3.5. The sunline level line is easy to see even with my decreasing eyesight and I have no problem casting it with a delicate fly presentation. This is a very good product and you can buy with confidence! Also Rocky Mountain Tenkara has been very responsive to questions and ships fast, I will definitely be ordering from them in the future.

Excellent rod for creeks and Small Rivers. And Rocky mountain tenkara has great customer service.

I purchased the Chico looking for a shorter, faster action rod for targeting relatively large fish in tight quarters. In the first couple weeks I have landed numerous cutthroat in the 11-13in range as well as a surprise 14in brown. The Chico has performed wonderfully in these situations. I am able to get quick, solid hooksets that have drastically reduced the amount of branches I smack or fling my fly into. I often utilize a bow cast in these creeks and find that with a little practice the Chico excels at shooting my flies into those hard to reach spaces. As others have mentioned the stiffer action means this rod works quite well with nymphs and weighted flies.

I was very pleased with the action of the rod; it performed well for tight-quarters winter nymph fishing and I'm sure it'll perform well under other conditions.

Started flinging the Chico out of the box. Awesome adjustability and great action. Can’t wait to start landing beauties with this rod!