Turns out, that foregrip/reel seat hood component is not just decorative on Trika's casting rods. I believe that it is there to serve as an echo chamber amplifying vibration and sound. Those instances where I was not just feeling but also hearing my line, that sound was coming from right above my hand at the foregrip. The only thing that puzzled me about that sensation was, aside from during a cast, it wasn't consistent. Certainly your line needs to be in tension for best effect, but I think the angle of attack matters too. Whatever the case, when you strike the right balance and hear it, not just feel it, the experience is quite a revelation.

The reel seat is Trika's own design

During one trip, I was having an issue with my jig continually getting caught up in weeds. After one cast, I was in the process of slowly pulling it through. As I was doing this, I could feel my line rubbing in the weeds with the tension slowly building. You know that feeling, right? I was certain it was going to end in a snag. Sure enough my line stopped at the same moment I felt a rather crisp "tack." It felt out of place, but didn't feel like that tell tale "thunk" of a bite nor was there a tug on the line. It just stopped. I figured I was caught on a branch or a rock because it was so crisp and unfamiliar. Then I saw my line move sideways and realized it actually was a fish!

The result of that strange, crisp, "tack" sounding hit

Fig 1 : The chart above illustrates the deflection characteristics of our Trika C73MHF Casting Rod against the historical averages of similarly powered rods we've tested over the past twenty years

Power: With a medium-heavy powered rod, my expectation is good, but not overwhelming control over a fish during battle. Once engaged with a fish, the C73MHF actually felt on the softer side of medium heavy to me. The backbone engages roughly a quarter of the way down from the tip, but it's more forgiving than I expected. My impression was backed up a few days later after processing the data we collected in the lab to generate the chart in Figure 1 above.

Checking out the tip

As you can see, while at the beginning, the C73MHF lines up well with our twenty year average for similarly powered sticks, after about sixteen ounces (16oz) of load, the rod's curve begins to rise towards the medium powered curve. In other words, after 16oz of load, the more load we applied to the rod's tip, the higher its rate of deflection turned out to be. What this translates to out on the water is a stick that is very good at helping you maintain tension in your line without overpowering the fish and risk pulling the hooks out.

Trying the C73MHF out with a Z-Man/Evergreen International JackHammer

I liken this behavior to those dual taper JDM sticks that fish one way when you're working your lure (i.e. stiff, powerful, sensitive), and then soften up once the fish is hooked revealing what feels like a slower taper to help with landing percentages. I've fished sticks like this in the past, but they're typically heavy or extra-heavy powered. It's also been a few years, so the C73MHF caught me off guard at first, but I quickly adjusted. Having a reel with a fast retrieve actually helps with rods like this so you can quickly take up slack as the fish tires from that consistent pressure.

I wasn't fond of the closed loop hook keeper when fishing Texas rigged plastics

Design & Ergonomics: Trika's C73MHF is built with a nice compromise between weight and balance. Tipping our scales at four and a half ounces (4.5oz), it is not the lightest medium-heavy powered stick we've fished and is statistically, only one tenth of an ounce below our twenty year average weight for similarly powered rods. However, keep in mind it is also 7'-3" where most of the medium-heavy rods in our accumulated database are likely seven feet in length. Three inches on a fishing rod is a lot if we're discussing fractions of an ounce in weight.

I am fond of that taper on the rod's rear handle

The C73MHF's balance is also a little better than average, which again, when taken into consideration with its length is very good. Even so, once you exceed seven feet, it is difficult to overcome that natural tendency to be tip heavy demonstrated by the C73MHF's balancing torque number.

Statistics and measurements aside, the C73MHF comes across more average than light in hand. The rod's carbon rear grip design is elegant with a sort of elongated hourglass taper and comes with a texture that's comfortable and easy to grasp even when wet. The foregrip, as already discussed, is functional, not just for appearances, so I can overlook its appearance. I thought I'd have an issue with that strange hump at the back of the reel seat, but it was never a factor while fishing, and I do like the seat's minimal trigger design, so overall, I like Trika's custom designed seat.

I thought this hump in the reel seat by the branded element would prove bothersome to me but I didn't even notice it while fishing

If I'm nit-picking, and I usually am, I don't care for the blank's grayish blue coloration and the closed loop hook hangar. It's annoying to me to have to expose the hook on a Texas rigged soft plastic in order to secure the bait in the hangar and then re-rig when I'm ready to use the combo again. Open ended keepers are just more convenient. The Kigan guides performed fine, but I still feel like they are designed backwards. By this I mean the finished side of the guide faces towards the angler instead of away. I feel this encourages build up of sediment and other materials coming off your fishing line in the pits and grooves on the unfinished side of the guide facing towards the water.

Trika's logo at the butt cap in 3D form

Price & Applications: Retail on Trika's C73MHF is $299. Not a price point that is immediately accessible by a lot of anglers, but if taken in context of its origins and materials, and viewed against sticks with similar components, is actually pretty good. Application wise, the C73MHF is a legitimate Search for One candidate meaning it is a prototypical "all purpose" rod. Otherwise, as one might expect, Trika offers a few different configuration and powers to suit probably eighty percent (80%) of bass anglers' needs with the exception of maybe BFS, deep cranking (although the C77XHMF might suit here), and true big bait specific models.

Conclusion: So how about that goal we mentioned at the beginning of the article of delivering some of the best rods on the planet? Well, while I'm not certain I'd nominate Trika's C73MHF to sit in that category just yet, I will say it is up there with some of the most sensitive. That's an excellent starting point for reaching the first goal. Otherwise, in a world where $500 fishing rods are growing more common place, for the money, the C73MHF is definitely top performing.

If the balance between specifications, performance, and price point is what you seek, then Trika's C73MHF could be the answer to your search

Along with its very good sensitivity, the C73MHF casts well, has good power on hookset, possesses that dual taper action to help fish stay hooked, and is comfortable to use. In order to take that next step up in prominence, it's my opinion Trika needs to take a look at components and just tighten things up overall. This would likely drive up costs, but if the goal is to sit among the best, not just that of a certain price point, then consequences need to be cast aside in pursuit of that goal. All other factors will take care of themselves. However, if, as a consumer, balance between specifications, performance, and price point is what you seek, then Trika's C73MHF, like it's bigger sibling the C75MHF, is a versatile rod that offers a lot of bang for the buck.

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