Angling Buzz TV host Troy Lindner discusses globetrotting ease with St. Croix travel rod options

“They’re fun and awesome rods for traveling just about anywhere, near or far. Same goes for keeping them in your vehicle so when you have a spare half an hour you can assemble a rod or two and go out and cast. That’s pretty cool,” says Troy Lindner, host of Angling Buzz TV.

In terms of Troy’s travel rod arsenal, he is pretty much always on the ready with four travel rods. Yes, you read that correctly—a total of four travel rods to ensure exactly the right model for the species and application encountered on trips around the globe, from Canada to Asia to Europe.

“My three primary rods are all four-piece Triumph Travel rods, each housed in a padded nylon soft case. Even including the Tidemaster Inshore three-piece, they all fit extremely easily in my carry-on bag, as well as inside or outside of a backpack,” says Lindner.

He carries a TRC66MHF4 Triumph Travel casting rod in 6’6” length, medium-heavy power and fast action. For spinning options, his two primary rods are a 6’6” TRS66MF4 and 6’6” TRS66MHF4, the former a medium power fast action model and the latter a medium-heavy power fast action rod.

Where has he put the rods to the test? For starters, just last month Lindner visited China, where he targeted carp and koi. He’s also fished the Netherlands, where he targeted Europe’s cousin of the walleye, zander—as well as giant perch—on both the casting and spinning Triumph Travel spinning rods – and in Austria he fished for asp, known as the “poor man’s tarpon” throwing boot-tail soft plastic minnows on the Triumph Travel Spinning Rods.

He says one of the “absolute highlights” in his angling adventures, though, was visiting infamous giant largemouth waters, Lake Biwa, in Japan last spring. “I caught some really good size largemouth bass and the guide I was with was totally surprised by how far I could cast a lipless crankbait on a four-piece travel rod. The medium power and fast action was perfect.”

Lindner also put the rods to the test on the carp fisheries in Japan, using both the medium and medium-heavy power rods spooled with braid and fluorocarbon leaders. “This combination provided sensitivity, the ability to cast small baits, plus enough backbone to land some really big carp. Again, another score for the rods. There doesn’t seem like much they can’t handle. I look forward to future adventures!”

It should also be noted that another plus for the traveling angler with both Triumph Travel is a 5-year warranty backed by St. Croix Superstar Service, which guarantees repair should anything happen on the road.