Scud_Muffin

Hello, So I just a rod from St Croix (legend X spinning) and it’s phenomenal except that there is a spot where the metal tip is missing that clear resin coat right where it meets the blank. There is a bit of resin there but they just didn’t put on enough. So now there is a little valley right at the edge of the metal/blank. On occasions where the line gets around it, it gets stuck in that groove. The resin reminds me of the UV cure resin I used from Loon to tie flies. Would that work to cover up the groove of missing resin? Or do I need to order a specialty something to fix it? thank you!!

I genuinely prefer American made rods and don’t buy anything Chinese if I can help it (tough to find backreeling capable spinning reels not made in China, for instance). Would love it if we could get more American manufactured products all across the market. I feel like there are even rods made in the US that are a good value. St Croix Victory is a good example but I also think that’s true of the Legend X which for $400-ish has a full torzite guide train, great sensitivity, and is very durable. Plus that warranty, which is a really underrated aspect that most high end overseas rods don’t compete with. Cant wait until we get some of the more interesting components that the Destroyers have though too.

71MHXF St Croix Legend X, if available, would be very worth considering for you. Great for moving baits but can also fish a jig, kind of a particularly versatile great casting rod. Whippy tip into good medium heavy backbone is a great combo to me. Not sure if that one is even possible but thought I would mention it. Ironically the 7MHF is a good bit stouter and faster than the 71MHXF, despite the XF designation. I would do an MBR over the 7MHF if that were my option, but that 7MHF is a PHENOMENAL jig/worm rod.

Thanks y’all, so it looks fair to say personal preference is really a big factor. Seems that enough folks like the shorter rod to prove it isn’t a problem controlling fish trying to go under the front of the boat without the extra length, and enough people like the long ones that they aren’t too unwieldy even on small boats for them to be a viable option. I’m looking for a light plastics sniper rifle for this one so I think the 68 may be the ticket, but then I’m likely to want a deeper fishing spinning rod, and will definitely be looking at the 7’3”+/- range at that point.

Thanks y’all! I was leaning 6’8” a bit but wondering if I would miss the extra length or find it lacking in versatility. I haven’t really done much to play with the kayak rod series. I will give them a look with fresh eyes. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like the 6’8” comes in that series.

Howdy y’all, Trying to decide between the Legend Elite 6’8” MXF and the Legend X 7’ MF. I keep going back and forth so I am opting for the expert consult. I am in a paddle kayak (12’4”) and looking for a rod for mostly soft plastics (Neko, mojo, light texas, shakyhead, finesse swim baits, but also some hard plastics). It needs to be fairly versatile since I am not trying to bring more than 4 rods out at once. I haven’t had one as short as 6’8” and I haven’t yet run into an issue I’ve heard about in kayaks: that the bass will run across the bow and too short of a rod is a problem for that. I like the idea of the 6’8” for controlling the fish and casting accurately with the rod into little pockets. That particular elite also has a shorter length behind the handle than the same sized X. I’m wondering though if I would be better served the longer 7’ rod to get extra flexibility down the blank for keeping fish pinned and could theoretically perform better with a wider variety of baits. The handle section behind the reel is substantially longer as well, which seems annoying when sitting but fine when standing. Anyone with experience of either or both of these two rods in a kayak that can offer their opinion? Still very new to the kayak and trying to figure out what works best. Thanks!!!

I think fly fishing has one huge advantage over traditional tackle. If I am targeting a position at a distance that I think holds bass, and need to repeatedly hit the area, it’s much faster to recast a fly rod than to reel a lure in to be able to recast with traditional. That applies to top water and streamers. Another big advantage, or at least difference, is the effect fly line has on your targeted depth and the action given to your lure/fly during the retrieve. A lure retrieved by a jerk or reeling of line from traditional tackle isn’t going to follow the same path as a fly on floating line (shoots up but at an angle). All that being said, traditional tackle has so many workarounds for retrieve that it’s splitting hairs and repeatedly wacking the exact same spot isn’t exactly subtle and may still spook fish if you aren’t careful. I prefer traditional tackle if I’m both on a lake and fishing for bass. By a mile. If on the river for bass, and I can wade enough to have good casts, there are some legitimate advantages to fly line when it comes to targeting areas that can be difficult to reach. It’s nice to be able to control depth and angle in current.

So it’s got a carbon drag, which you can do yourself for like $12 for the drag washers, and like $8 for the lube. Just make sure you have the itty bitty screwdrivers. Your all in is way less than a whole new reel. The mgl is dope because it is small, a size 70 reel. That makes it very palmable. BUT that also somewhat limits its versatility to being used for techniques that utilize 10/12# fluoro or braid because it doesn’t hold as much line. It’s a somewhat more finesse reel that does reasonably well at versatility. All of that to say there is nothing wrong with the regular SLX and if you have one, just upgrade the drag and you will be happy. But if you are eyeing a new casting jerkbait setup or shakyhead etc then maybe you grab an mgl for that rod.

I have one of each. I like the slx mgl for lighter line or braid to leader techniques. Love that carbon drag and paint job. I like K for heavier duty tasks/all fluoro lines, especially if 12# or more.

St Croix Legend (elite, x, tournament bass) has a 68MXF that is actually perfect for jerkbaits (good tip but plenty of bend despite that XF label) that is great for jerkbaits plus doubles as a great neko, Shakyhead, fluke, light Texas rig rod. For less money, the mojos bass and avid does well at this too. I use the slightly stiffer Legend 610MXF, which is a Shakyhead rod. I haven’t had it terribly long but I’ve caught fish on vision 110s with 8 lb test leaders attached to braid on it and haven’t lost one yet. Love how it animates the lure. I’ve been down this rabbit hole too, and tried both spinning and baitcast rods. Randy Blaukat is particularly adamant that spinning is better but honestly I think they both have advantages and disadvantages.

I’ve been looking into this myself. According to what I’ve read, the twin power is in a no man’s land between the Stradic FL/Vanford and the Excsense, Vanquish, and Stellas. It is said there isn’t enough differentiation from the $200 reels to justify the price point so you might as well step up. But I’ve handled one in person and they definitely feel like an upgrade to me. Still making up my mind there on what I think so I’m following this with interest.

Ok so I understand that while braid is more sensitive on a tight line, fluoro is more sensitive on slack. I am trying to decide on buying either some premium fluoro or braid for my heavy rod, used primarily for jigs and Texas rigs. I will likely need to eventually have braid so I can use frogs. My concern and the overarching question I have is just how significant is that difference in bite detection and does it merit forgoing braid for fluoro; or is it easily overcome with practice and adapting one’s technique? I’ve thrown jigs on both, and I feel like I prefer braid particularly in current for my ability to watch the line. At the same time, I do see the slack line fluoro sensitivity and wonder how many bites I may be missing when the jig is getting popped up and falling or simply falling on the initial cast. Is there a trick to being able to detect those slack line bites on a braid-fluoro leader setup if you don’t see the line jump?

Stradic 2500 weighs 7.9 oz according to their website. My 3000 weighed 8.0. edit: oh that’s on me, went back and looked at OP and saw it was the ci4 stradic not the FL being referred to.

Another for the Expride 7’ Medium, it’s an insanely good rod that can do most everything in finesse techniques. I think it’s one of the best Shakyhead rods out there. Plus it actually balances better with that particular model and that particular reel. The Vanford or Tatula models are too light for it but the stradic balances perfectly. My experience with the Zodias is that they are quite stiff.

Ok so you want to replace a rod to do a technique you know you love but are considering something you have no confidence in to see if you can develop it? It sounds to me like you should prioritize the things you do most and provide you with the most versatility for what you like to do. You should still get the finesse setup but wait until your best move is well set up. You can take the money you would’ve spent on doing both a rod and a reel and buy a better rod, assuming your bait caster didn’t break too. just my 2c

74MHM St Croix Mojo Glass can handle the sizes you are looking for and is a flat out great crankbait rod. I’ve got the Legend Glass version and it’s supposedly the same blank. I find that I can also use an all purpose MHF rod so long as it’s not too stiff for spinner and chatterbaits, but you will still end up needing a crankbait rod anyway. I like having both.

I have a 610MXF legend elite spinning rod and an Xtreme casting 71MHXF. I prefer the elite and X models to the Xtreme when you factor in cost. The Xtreme is slightly more sensitive and better balanced but for the money I would just save a few bucks and get the Elite/X. As for the guides, the elite appear to be ever so slightly larger but still a good size. I’ve not had problems with my braid-fluoro connection knots on either rod.

SC3 is noticeably way better than sc2.

Here’s a longer write up as well: https://stcroixrods.com/pages/new-st-croix-rod?mc_cid=2d69a129d3&mc_eid=7845c85257

Have not, any made in USA rods to consider? Just don’t know of any off the top of my head. Assuming it’s a best of both worlds scenario?

Thanks y’all! Never used a glass rod so really not sure what to expect or how different they will really be. I do know that I like the looks of the legend glass and I’m considering getting it just to try glass.

Hey everyone, looking to get my first CB rod. I was thinking those St Croix Legend Glass look cool and feel nice in hand. Also see Loomis has graphite CBR rods in e6x and IMX Pro. Good idea to step up to graphite and if so is it worth spending extra coin to get the better graphite in the imx pro? Looking for an all around rod that can throw a nice variety of crank baits, maybe top water and chatterbaits as well. thanks!

Still might be, this might be a new announcement altogether than the ones they made previously about what was happening in 2021.

Flashed the "made in the USA" logo, has the black butt that the Avid series has... Avid update?

Just got that rod in a Legend Extreme and it’s insane. It excels at trigs and jigs, and the softer tip gives you something to watch for bites as well as feel. Plus it makes skipping and side arm casts way easier. Cherry on the cake is that it can also do a wide variety of tasks very well, especially single hook moving baits but even some bigger treble hooks in a pinch. Soft tip, stout butt, great sensitivity, and made in America instead of a country with an active genocide. I like MBR rods for the exact same reasons too.