Pretty much made up my mind I am buying  shimano clarus or st croix premier rod. I am leaning towards shimano because I figure shimanos hi end is better than st croix's low end rod. What do you think /

I think the price of the premier, you can step up to shimanos compre line which is higher than the clarus. I think the Shimano has a Lifetime Warranty, the Premier has a 5 Year Warranty.  I would go with the Shimano.

FYI, the Clarus is NOT Shimano's high-end rod.  The Compre and the Crucial are both 'higher'.

But if it's down to one of those two, go with the Premier.

I agree go with the Premier.

Tight Lines!!!!

"Fish your equipment correctly, and your equipment will outlast you".

My admittedly uneducated opinion  , but since you asked  :-?, I'd go with the Premier unless you want to step up to the Shimano Crucial. I've seen and handled these rods and they are indeed sweet for the price. With St. Croix you know you are getting good quality, no doubt about it.

the clarus is the low end rod.

Personally i have a Crucial and a Compre and love the both rods and the Lifetime warranties on them also compared to the premier's 5 year warranty. If you are looking for a spinning rod I also like the way the cork is cut to expose the blank. meven though shimano is more famous for reels than rods their rods are high quality light and very sensitive

I haven't fished many St Croix rods, but I'm not highly impressed with my Compre. It's OK, not fantastic. I'd get the St croix. Actually, I'd get a Falcon in the same price range, but that option wasn't on the list.

id go premiere all the way ..... make in the usa with love ....  ;D

You should correct your post to say Compre or Premier, which are both $99.  Of those two, I would take the Compre.  I owned a slew of Compre's before I dove in to the high-end rod market, and I feel like they perform like a more expensive rod.  Of course the Premier is a great rod as well, and the difference between the two will be negligable.  I'd go to Bass Pro or Cabelas and hold both...you should know pretty quickly which one feels better in your hand.  

Oops! I meant shimano crucial not the clarus.

For the money, go for shimano.