Trika Rods

A specialized forum to discuss anything and everything about your favorite or not so favorite fishing rods.
Chode
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Re: Trika Rods

Post by Chode » Tue Dec 06, 2022 5:13 am

Which casting model is that? And would it bother you to post a pic of the balancing point with a 6ish oz reel mounted? Thx

Drakestar
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Re: Trika Rods

Post by Drakestar » Tue Dec 06, 2022 1:55 pm

Chode wrote:
Tue Dec 06, 2022 5:13 am
Which casting model is that? And would it bother you to post a pic of the balancing point with a 6ish oz reel mounted? Thx
I got the 7’3” MH/F, their anointed jig rod. I’ve been fishing an FMJ for jigs for a long time and have never wanted another jig rod, but for $250 I was happy to test alternatives.

Balances on top of the reel nut/handle with a Met20. Seems a tiny bit tip-heavy, but I haven’t been able to actually take the rod out on the water yet.
A7E644A1-B0F9-4CF9-A804-BAAA55510130.jpeg
A7E644A1-B0F9-4CF9-A804-BAAA55510130.jpeg (83.24 KiB) Viewed 3441 times

Chode
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Re: Trika Rods

Post by Chode » Tue Dec 06, 2022 2:20 pm

Drakestar wrote:
Tue Dec 06, 2022 1:55 pm
Chode wrote:
Tue Dec 06, 2022 5:13 am
Which casting model is that? And would it bother you to post a pic of the balancing point with a 6ish oz reel mounted? Thx
I got the 7’3” MH/F, their anointed jig rod. I’ve been fishing an FMJ for jigs for a long time and have never wanted another jig rod, but for $250 I was happy to test alternatives.

Balances on top of the reel nut/handle with a Met20. Seems a tiny bit tip-heavy, but I haven’t been able to actually take the rod out on the water yet.

A7E644A1-B0F9-4CF9-A804-BAAA55510130.jpeg
much appreciated. when u do get the chance to fish it, would love to hear your comparison to the FMJ. thx again!

_diggy_
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Re: Trika Rods

Post by _diggy_ » Sat Jan 14, 2023 9:40 am

*Crickets*... Hype gone on these? Would love to read more feedback.

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Re: Trika Rods

Post by amso4 » Sat Jan 14, 2023 10:39 am

I have the 7'6" MH casting rod and have reported how much I like it on it here. What I would like is some review of the 7'6" spinning rod and how it compares to the NRX 902 and/or the CNQ 902 in sensitivity and action.

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TommyG
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Re: Trika Rods

Post by TommyG » Sun Jan 15, 2023 6:57 am

trikaip68a.jpg
Trika 7/6 mh
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trikabenda.jpg
Trika 7/6 mh
trikabenda.jpg (37.87 KiB) Viewed 3141 times
Got the 7/6 mh fast. Feels like a mh/h . It's got a fair amoumt of tip, but it feels more to heavy side. A lot stiffer then a CNQ904.
I think it will serve well as a bottom contact rod. The hook hanger is closed, would prefer an open type for texas rigs. Feels a tad tip heavy, but not bad at all. I like the full grip, feels comfy. The drag test with a 1/2 oz. casting plug was good. Still chilly here so no fishing yet. I like it so far. :big grin:

_diggy_
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Re: Trika Rods

Post by _diggy_ » Mon Feb 06, 2023 2:25 pm

Been reading the TT articles, interest is rekindled.

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LowRange
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Re: Trika Rods

Post by LowRange » Thu Feb 09, 2023 7:27 am

Drakestar wrote:
Wed Nov 02, 2022 8:27 pm
So, I actually got one and it feels good in the hand. I will fish it comprehensively before I post any impressions on the rod's actual performance. (My comments have skewed negatively so far and I'm trying to not come off as a naysayer who's already made up his mind.)

That said (and hoping that it doesn't immediately disqualify everything I just said), I'm surprised by how cheap the reel seat looks for a $300+ rod. Definitely plastic, feels unpolished/dull and like it has swirls in it. Tons of seams even on the visible parts. I felt like I could post that part right away.

trikaReelSeat1.jpg
trikaReelSeat2.jpg
trikaReelSeat3.jpg
trikaReelSeat4.jpg
I think the swirling is the carbon powder mixed in with the plastic like clear Zaion parts.

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Re: Trika Rods

Post by KP Duty » Wed Mar 08, 2023 5:31 pm

Just read the Trika and Edge Epitome rod reviews on the main page. Both received good remarks. I did notice the Epitome with it's new 'Z-ray' blank was placed in the 'very good' sensitivity class, while the Trika received a 'very good to excellent' sensitivity rating. It was eye opening to me...

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Re: Trika Rods

Post by Carpaholic » Mon Apr 17, 2023 11:39 am

Drakestar wrote:
Mon Oct 24, 2022 7:59 pm
I'm going back and forth on whether I want to try one of these rods or not. Their marketing claims just sound too outlandish and bullish to be true, but then again, the rods are relatively cheap, I got some disposable income, and there is a money back guarantee (minus rod shipping). So I started digging a bit deeper and tried to understand the claims:

trika1.jpg

2x as sensitive as competitors! That part gets me every time, because it intuitively just doesn't ring true. In fact, it doesn't seem possible! A few days ago (not sure if I was buzzed or just short on patience), I called them out on it on Instagram, and the patient (and possibly underpaid) social media manager wrote this back:

trika2.jpg

So all testing backing up these claims was done by a respectable 3rd party firm, and their findings are posted on the Trika webpage (https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0633/ ... 1658508160). How did they test? The .pdf that they posted looks like a bunch of scientific-looking gibberish unless you really dig into it, but they measured vibration transmission between 5-150hz on their rods and 5 mysterious, never-named "competitor rods". Based on that vibration data they concluded that their rods are twice as sensitive as all high-end competitors.

trika3.jpg

I admit that I have NO idea how representative a vibration test like theirs is to actually & objectively determine the sensitivity of a rod. But I'm incredibly skeptical because the enthusiast community has discussed objective sensitivity measuring for a long time and nothing has ever come of it. No other rod company has every done tests like these and held them up as evidence for their rods' superiority, either.

The real question is how valid those data are, of course, and I CAN discern some of the other rods that they tested, which I’ve fished and/or owned. And THOSE results just don't make sense. They never name the competitor rods, but it's obvious from their tech paper that one of the comparison rods is a Poison Adrena while the other is probably a Conquest (might not be obvious from my screenshot, check the actual .pdf: the PA is very recognizable, and those green guide wraps from the "Casting Rods" comparison sure look like a Conquest.)

trika45.jpg

Can we find those two rods on their comparison chart? We sure can! The Conquest costs around $735 even today, and the Poison Adrena - well, I think it used to go for about $339 and just recently jumped to ~$375 (the current listing price on TW). The Conquest must be "Rod 1" and the PA must be "Rod 4" on their chart!

trika6.jpg

So here's the thing: accordingly to Trika's chart, a Conquest is 46% less sensitive than a comparable Trika rod, and the Poison Adrena is 43(!)% less sensitive. In other words, according to them, a PA is more sensitive than a Conquest. I don't know about you, but that's laughable. We can discuss Conquest sensitivity all day long, but every discussion I've seen puts them on the same level (or maybe a tiny bit lower) than an NRX. Meanwhile, you won't find many experienced anglers who, after actually fishing these rods on the water, will claim that the Poison Adrena is as, if not more, sensitive as/than a Conquest/NRX.

So… yeah. None of this holds up (to me) on closer inspection. If the PA <-> Conquest comparison is this far off, I don't trust the Triza comparisons, either. I'm sure they accurately measured vibration transmission and represented that accurately, as well, but that super dry, super factual data doesn't translate to "Sensitivity" like their claim (in my book).

I think I might have figured out what’s up with the sensitivity testing. Look closely at the attatchment point of the sensors from the Trika photo. They are attached to the butt material just behind the reel seat. On the competitor this is cork. On the Trika this is carbon weave. Cork absorbs vibration. Think of rapping a wooden rake handle with a foam pool noodle. The noodle insulates and dampens vibration. You would feel taps at the opposite end of the rake handle more easily without the soft pool noodle. Cork acts in a similar manner. However, the hard stiff carbon weave grips on the Trika should carry vibrations better than the cork. Hence the attachment point of the sensors is key. We don’t know what the vibration strength is at the reel seat itself or at the raw blank just before the reel seat. We only see the vibrations measured through the butt grip materials. I believe the results are true for the location the measurements were made. However putting sensors at other locations could give different results.
BTW, I have purchased the Trika 7-3 MH F casting rod. I am pleased so far with its performance at the $299 price point. It is light (not the lightest). It is sensitive. It does cast nicely. I just always try to understand testing results and marketing claims. I think this one just confirms that a hard material like carbon transmits vibrations better than a soft dampening material like cork.

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Re: Trika Rods

Post by Carpaholic » Mon Apr 17, 2023 12:13 pm

I took a close look at the photo of the sensitivity testing. Notice exactly where the sensors are connected. The connection is to the handle material just behind the reel seat. For the pictures competitor that is cork. For the Trika it is the carbon weave handle.

I am not surprised that vibration sensing at that specific attachment point is 2x higher on avg. Cork is a soft absorbing material that dampens vibration. Hard carbon should transmit vibration more easily.

For comparison, imagine a wooden rake handle. Wrap a soft foam pool noodle around the handle. Now hold the noodle wrapped end and have someone tap lightly on the opposite end. Of course you feel less tapping if gripping the foam noodle wrap vs gripping the wood handle itself.

The results at other attachment points will probably vary considerably. I’d be interested on comparing vibrations at the hard reel seat of both rods or on the blank just before the reel seat.

I bought a 7-3 MHF casting model. I do like it. It’s light, but not the lightest. It’s very sensitive. And it casts well. I am pleased with the performance At the $299 price point. I just needed to make sense of the sensitivity data.

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slipperybob
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Re: Trika Rods

Post by slipperybob » Mon May 08, 2023 8:34 am

So the Trika spinning rod is way more sensitive than the Poison Adrena spinning rod according to the picture and test results with the sensor on the handle nut.
slip bobbing is the laziest way to fish

_diggy_
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Re: Trika Rods

Post by _diggy_ » Mon May 08, 2023 11:46 am

Anyone enjoying their rods, any more lavish feedback?

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Re: Trika Rods

Post by MaxZmus » Sat Jun 03, 2023 5:40 am

I sent mine back because I didn’t like the way the handle on the spinning felt. The cut outs on the handle just didn’t feel right. It was very uncomfortable. The guides on the 73H casting seemed rough when I was pulling on the line to do a bend test. It would kink my line and make the section that was rubbing the tip pigtail. The handle on the casting felt great and the sensitivity was good but not great. I like the casting rod but I just didn’t like the Kigan guides. I caught quite a few fish in the 3lbs range on the new Yamatanuki, ikas, and a 1/2oz wobble head with RI Man Bear Pig using a 20Metanium 8.1 with 30lbs power pro and a long top shot(~20 yards) of 17lbs Abrazx. I probably would’ve kept the casting rod if it had Fuji SiC guides. The new Okuma X-Series are $279.99 and feature Toray T1100G carbon blanks and Fuji Sic guides. I might give those a try but I want to wait for reviews to start popping up first. I was just intrigued by Trika’s unique 365 day return policy so I gave them a fair shot. Just in case anyone is wondering, they pay shipping both ways. They emailed me a prepaid shipping label and even had photos of how to repack the rods. The customer service and interaction was pleasant. I really hope they make improvements based on my concerns mentioned. I would give them another shot if they changed the spinning rod handles and switch to Fuji SIC guides.
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Drakestar
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Re: Trika Rods

Post by Drakestar » Sat Jun 03, 2023 7:30 am

I have three and they’d been sitting in the garage for a while as I’ve considered sending them back. (Last time I’d fished one was in December, I think.) Needed a power finesse rod this week for a weedless FattyZ rig around and through cover, so I grabbed the 7’0 Medium and it reminded me of all of its virtues. These ARE sensitive rods. They’re fun to fish. They’re also kind of plain and utilitarian and a bit heavy.

I’m still in the undecided camp. Performance-wise they’re very good rods, but they’re not sexy in any way. I find myself taking NRX-type rods before I grab one of these, but when I take one I’m never disappointed.

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