I have been getting a ton of interest/questions on St. Croix Rods lately. There is no disputing they are the “Best Rods on Earth” and
when one decides to make the step up to truly get the “upper hand” on the
completion you want to make sure you make the right decision for the
rod that fits the type/style of fishing you have confidence in.
Most of my friends and acquaintances are of course
competitive Bass fisherman so this blog entry will cover those tools/type of
rods. St. Croix has such a great
selection of rods it can be initially, a little overwhelming. I hope you find some information here to help you make sure you
get what works for your needs. Below I have picked out some of my personal favorites
and have tried to give enough explanation (after years of use) to enable you to
get a better idea how to meet your specific needs.
Totally redesigned for 2018 these are no doubt my favorite
St. Croix series. Designed specifically for the tournament angler they are
truly a tough tool for the demands a tournament angler puts on his equipment. This
technique-specific bass series are light for all day use and feature the best
of St. Croix’s unrivaled technology and performance including; SCIV graphite,
Fortified Resin System (FRS), Integrated Poly Curve® (IPC®) and Advanced
Reinforcing Technology™ (ART™)
TBC68MF Jerkbait
6'8" M Fast
According
to KVD most of us do not use this technique enough. This is a great Jerkbait rod
that enables you to get in and around tight/low overhanging cover. The Legend Tournament Jerkbait is also perfect for the Fluke and Senco type baits. A lot of anglers seem to be going to longer and longer
rods these days but this 6'8" has the benefits of enabling you to make roll casts and keep the tip
out of the water when working in the tight spaces.
TBC68MHF Jig-N-Worm
6'8" MH Fast
Makes
a more heavy duty Jerkbait rod, I probably use this more often myself. This
rod gives you a little more “power” and can handle those big pointers and other
larger Jerkbaits. It also makes a great all ‘round Worm and light Jig rod (again
to get in and around tight/low overhanging cover) for those who do not carry 40
rods in the boat.
TBC71MHF Jigs/Baits
7'1" MH Fast
Perfect
for vibrating jig type baits. This is a real workhouse with the extra
length to cover the gamut of techniques. I use it often for Swim Jigs,
Spinnerbaits and Rattlebaits as well.
TBC74HF
Slop-N-Frog/Swim Jig 7'4" H Fast
My
favorite rod of all time (I have 4 of them). This is a fantastic Frog rod! The tip is soft
enough to let the fish suck down the frog (despite your best attempt to yank it
away from him in the excitement) but has great backbone to pull the fish from
the nastiest of cover. The fast tip enables long casts with some of the
lightest of frog baits but heavy enough to handle even the “King Frogs”. I keep
2 rigged with Frogs and 2 rigged for Jigs. While not my favorite heavy punchin’
rod it is excellent for “standard” (flip) Jigs up to ½ oz, for flippin’ laydowns
and deeper cover. This is the ultimate “all terrain” Swim Jig rod as well,
again with the backbone to get the fish out of the heaviest of Gator Grass and
Pads once hooked. The fast tip enables the all-important shaking action on the
retrieve.
TBC71MHXF Swim Jig
Finesse 7'1" MH X-Fast
My
go-to Swim Jig rod when using lighter line/mono. This rod just feels great
in your hand. Like all in the Legend Tournament Bass series is super light but
you can feel the power. If I am going to go with fluorocarbon or mono line I
use this exclusively for my Swim Jigs. It is fairly versatile for using a
variety of other light baits as well. Don’t get carried away with the power you
feel in your hand, with the extra fast tip you may want to think twice about
boat flipping that 8 pounder!
TBC78MHM Big Cranker 7'8"
MH Mod.
Big
is a subjective word with today’s HUGE Crankbaits. This is my personal
favorite Crankbait rod. It will cast any Crankbait a country mile, effortlessly!
The Big Cranker at a mere 4.0 ounces and easy castability allows me to go cast
after cast for hours. It is a very accurate casting rod enabling you to get as
close to cover as you want or put that bait on a dime. Perfect for everything
from Squarebills to deep diving crankbaits. I will definatly be getting a few
more this year as I like this so much I have to cut and tie every time I want
to use another Crankbait. The designers/engineers at St. Croix that developed
this one were definitely Crankbait fishermen as the parabolic’s are phenomenal!
(Crankbait lovers just wait for the next installment when I go over the New
Legend Glass rods)
If you want to go straight to St. Croix’s Flagship series,
this is it. Each blank is built with high-modulus/high-strain SCV graphite and
reinforced with super-high modulus SCVI graphite in the lower section. Loaded
up with IPC®, ART™, TET – plus Fuji® Torzite® guides with solid-titanium frames
they give you unbelievable sensitivity and incredible balance. Below I give
you the Model Numbers that cross to some of the Legend Tournament techniques rods I have talked about;
EC68MF 6'8" M Fast (Jerkbait)
EC68MHF 6'8" MH Fast (Jig-N-Worm Rod)
EC74HF 7'4" H Fast (Slop-N-Frog)
EC71MHXF 7'1" MH X-Fast (Swim Jig Finesse)
EC68MHF 6'8" MH Fast (Jig-N-Worm Rod)
EC74HF 7'4" H Fast (Slop-N-Frog)
EC71MHXF 7'1" MH X-Fast (Swim Jig Finesse)
