Every now and then some bright spark lights up our lives with a product that really raises an eyebrow or two. Grant Blair looks at one of the latest...

The TRYCD series of rods are the latest multi-piece rod kit to hit the NZ scene. They make use of interchangeable rod parts to create a range of rod types suitable for various fishing techniques. In the Saltwater Ultimate series, there’s a jig, topwater, soft-bait and strayline set that all pack up neatly into one very handy and easily transportable triangular rod case. Grab a couple of reels and you’re good to go – anywhere!

So how does it work? There’s one base which is suitable for all of the fishing applications, so it’s just a matter of matching up the appropriate top half for the style of fishing and attaching the reel.

I have multiple spools for several reels so it was easy to match the ideal line-weight to the fishing style – for instance, a spool of mono and a couple of spools of braid for my 4000 Shimano Baitrunner covered the strayline and soft-bait sets.

The Ultimate set is $899.99. OK, that’s $900 in any language but for that price you get four good quality rods plus all the convenience of transportability. The case means the rods are well protected, which is another significant benefit. In addition to the Ultimate set, there are three other saltwater options, all of which include the base and case: the S1 Starter (the strayline setup which retails at $399.99), the S4 Starter (topwater/landbase + strayline – $579.99) and the Allrounder (strayline, softbait and jig – $729.97). Additional rods can be purchased as required for any of these sets.

The Ultimate set contains four different rods to suit a range of piscatorial pursuits.

On the freshwater side, there’s lightweight and heavyweight starter sets at $449.99, as well as a mixed combo option, the Ultimate set, which ticks every box at $779.97.

We tested some of the early prototype rods on a trip to the Far North on Pursuit in 2019 and more recently on the kingfish in Mercury Bay where the soft-bait rod performed admirably on kings up to ~95cm. The tip is reasonably soft and there’s plenty of grunt down at the business end when you need it, and CD’s years of experience in rod manufacturing shows through in the design. The jig rod feels good but it’s yet to be fully stretched on a worthy quarry. The topwater setup loads up and casts nicely, achieving good distances.

The verdict: this is a great setup for anyone looking for gear to cover a variety of fishing styles at a very reasonable price. You can certainly pay a lot more for a rod and if you’re expecting the topwater set to perform like a custom-made $1500 Carpenter then it’s probably not for you. However, considering their quality and the amazing convenience they provide, there’s no question the TRYCD rods are fantastic value for money.

The TRYCD concept will be a boon for the travelling angler who is over the inconvenience of battling airline queues with rod tubes and taking out a small mortgage just to have them along for the ride. It will also find a place in the arsenal of anglers keen to have fishing options readily available, and I can see one permanently sitting in the back of the Fishing Media Ranger, giving us the freedom to go anywhere and fish anything at a moment’s notice.

More info at: https://trycd.com/