Wasatch Tenkara Rods
The full Wasatch line: micro-zooms, five triple-zooms in two actions each, and 16' to 24'4" big-water rods.
- Models
- 13
- Length
- 5.5'–24.3'
- Price
- $163–$275
- Type
- Pole
- Discipline
- Tenkara
Wasatch Tenkara Rods has no series structure: each rod is a named model, most sold in a choice of two flex profiles, so the brand doubles as the series. All are telescopic carbon-fiber tenkara rods with a swivel lillian, aluminum butt cap and cork or foam reversed half-wells handle, shipped with a sock and carbon-fiber tube. The catalog lists every zoom rod at its longest setting.
The compact rods are the Snub Nose IV (4' to 5'6", 1.1 oz, 10.75 in closed), the Darth Quattro (5'6" to 8'6", 1.8 oz) and the fixed-length MothRod (8'5", 1.9 oz, 16 in closed). The triple-zooms step up through the Maruki Sharpshooter (6' to 9', 2.7 oz), Baby RodZilla (8' to 10', 2.7 oz), Hankyu Middle Fork (9' to 12', 3.5 oz), Akai Samurai (11' to 13', 3.8 oz) and Daikyu T-Hunter (12' to 15', 4.7 oz, rated for a 15 lb fish). Each of these comes in two actions: 5:5 and 6:4 for the lighter rods, 6:4 and 7:3 for the mid-range, 7:3 and 8:2 for the Daikyu.
The big-water rods are all 8:2. The RodZilla zooms 16' to 17'6" at 8 oz with a cork or Spey handle; the Siyco (14'6" / 16', 6.1 oz) is fully glow-in-the-dark for night fishing; the Mega RodZilla (18' / 19'6") is the maker's extra-heavy rod; the Phoenix Rising is a fixed 20'2" at 10.1 oz; and the Open Waters is a fixed 24'4" at 12.5 oz with a 24.5 in Spey handle. Prices run $163 to $275.
Deeper Dive
A closer look at notable models.
The most compact rod in the range: a 1.1 oz four-length zoom from 4' to 5'6" that closes to 10.75 in, for brush-choked creeks.
The maker's first single-length rod: 8'5", 1.9 oz, 16 in closed, in 5:5 full-flex or 6:4 action for a traditional feel.
A 1.8 oz four-length zoom rod that fishes from 5'6" to 8'6", in 5:5 or 6:4 action, for tight mountain streams.
A compact 6' to 9' triple-zoom at 2.7 oz in 6:4 or 7:3 action, made for manipulating kebari on tight, technical streams.
The compact triple-zoom Baby RodZilla, fishing 8' to 10' at 2.7 oz, offered in 5:5 or 6:4 action for creeks through mid-sized rivers.
The centrepiece triple-zoom, fishing 9' to 12' at 3.5 oz in 6:4 or 7:3 action, for tight streams and open rivers with one rod.
The 11' to 13' triple-zoom for mid-sized rivers in 6:4 or 7:3 action, 3.8 oz and 18.5 in closed for backpacking.
The largest triple-zoom in the range, fishing 12' to 15' in 7:3 or 8:2 action at under 5 oz, rated for fish to 15 lb.
A glow-in-the-dark 14'6" / 16' double-zoom in an 8:2 action at 6.1 oz, made for big fish after dark.
The 16' / 17'6" double-zoom RodZilla in an 8:2 action, an 8 oz big-fish rod for salmon-class freshwater species, with an optional Spey handle.
The most powerful Wasatch rod: an extra-heavy 8:2 double-zoom fishing at 18' or 19'6" for trophy fish on big water, added in 2026.
A 20'2" fixed-length big-water rod in an 8:2 action at 10.1 oz, for large rivers and lakes and species from trout to salmon.
The longest Wasatch rod at 24'4" and 12.5 oz, an 8:2 fixed-length big-water rod with a 24.5 in Spey handle.
Rods in this series
Z Zoom rod: fishes at two or more locked lengths. The length shown is the longest setting; the shorter settings are listed in the rod's notes.