Trika CBR Rod Review: Is This the Best New Crankbait Rod for 2025?

Three actions, premium materials, and legit performance for hardcore crankbait anglers.

The new Trika CBR Series is a serious crankin' stick sure to please the hardcore crankbait angler. | Shane Beilue

Crankbait fishing benefits from a technique-specific rod design more than most other techniques. In general, a good crankbait rod includes deep flex and forgiving action, but enough sensitivity to read every stump, rock, and strike. Trika’s new CBR Series keeps all of that in mind and more.

If Trika isn’t a familiar name, you should get to know this relatively new brand in the angling world. I’ve been fortunate to become acquainted with their premium graphite rod offerings in the last couple of years, and their innovative designs and premium materials make it clear they aren’t another “me-too” fishing brand.

When their latest CBR Series of cranking rods was offered up for review, I jumped at the chance to see how they perform. The truth is, I'm a crankbait junkie. I have thousands of them and am always on the prowl for just one more.

Like most anglers, my favorite way to catch a bass is with a topwater lure. However, my favorite way of finding the bass is with a crankbait in hand. Whether searching shallow or deep, the crankbait is the ultimate “power” technique for covering vast amounts of water in a relatively short timeframe.

One can never have enough crankbaits | Shane Beilue

What Makes a Great Crankbait Rod?

The all-time leading money winner at the professional level, Kevin Van Dam, made most of his money with a crankbait tied to his fluorocarbon line. He was one of the first to recognize the specialized needs of a crankbait rod to increase his landing percentages with a lure category notorious for being tossed by a leaping bass. 

Stiff graphite rods are too reactive for the bass to have time to properly inhale the fast-moving crankbait. Instead, slower responding fiberglass or composite rods flex much deeper into the blank, absorbing the sudden collision of bass and lure. Furthermore, the deep flex design allows a surging bass to stay pinned to the treble hooks by keeping constant pressure on the hook points.

The desired deep flex of a good cranking rod keeps a bass pinned throughout the fight | Shane Beilue

First Impressions of the Trika CBR Series

My particular test model is a 7’4” medium-heavy action rod, with the series rounded out by a 7’ medium action for shallow cranking and a 7’6” heavy action rod for those ultra-deep divers. 

The 7’4” version is a good “tweener” rod, making it suitable for shallow squarebills or deeper crankbaits that can reach 15’. Upon unboxing the rod, I immediately sensed Trika understands the proper action of a good cranking stick. About three casts into tossing a squarebill around shallow brush, I confirmed my suspicion: the Trika CBR Series is legit.

The Trika CBR isn’t like some of the other cranking rods I’ve demoed over the years, which are overly stiff through the mid-section, suddenly transitioning to a soft tip. While the Trika CBR had plenty of “beef” through the middle of the blank, the rod transitions gradually from the tip to provide that coveted deep flex.

The rod doesn’t start bending under a load until roughly 1/3 of the way into the rod tip, flexing just enough for the bass to intercept the lure deep within its maw, yet it has the strength to play a quality bass properly.

On-the-Water Performance of the Trika CBR

After several hours crashing squarebill crankbaits around shallow brush, I'm just as hooked on the Trika CBR as the bass I landed. The blank has the appropriate deep flex, but remains responsive enough to place a squarebill accurately between the shallow brush.

Unlike a fiberglass rod, the composite material is sensitive enough to maintain a sense of what the crankbait is encountering on the retrieve. I could easily detect when the crankbait transitioned from rock to a soft bottom, as well as the moment a bass inhaled the bait. The Trika CBR Series is very satisfying to fish and is bound to please the most ardent crankbait angler.

Trika CBR Crankbait Rod Specs

Trika offers three different lengths and powers in this series to cover any crankbait needs. | trika.com

*Trika CBR Crankbait Series is offered in 3 lengths and actions, each with an MSRP of $249.99

• 7' Medium
• Rod weight: 4.6 oz.
• Line rating: 8-17 lb.
• Lure weight: 1/8 - 3/4 oz.
• Pieces: One piece rod
• Handle length: 10”
• Guide count: 12+1

• 7'4" Medium Heavy
• Rod weight: 5.2 oz.
• Line rating: 10-20 lb.
• Lure weight: 1/4 - 1 oz.
• Pieces: One piece rod
• Handle length: 10.5”
• Guide count: 12+1

• 7'6" Heavy
• Rod weight: 5.9 oz
• Line rating: 12-25 lb.
• Lure weight: 1/2 - 2 oz.
• Pieces: One piece rod
• Handle length: 11”
• Guide count: 12+1

Which Trika CBR Model Should You Choose?

• 7' Medium: Perfect for Squarebills, Lipless Crankbaits, Shallow-Mid Crankbaits, Jerkbaits, Topwaters
• 7'4" Medium Heavy: Made for Shallow Crankbaits, Medium Divers, Deep Crankbaits, Lipless Crankbaits, Chatterbaits, Small Glide Baits
• 7'6" Heavy: Get this if you throw Medium Diving Crankbaits, Deep-Diving Crankbaits, Mid-Sized Glidebaits