I did retire last May and I now work part time at Gander MTN. So I get to see all the new fishing rods,reels,tackle,that come in. And i did get to see the new Rage rod from St. croix. And I must say I was inpressed with it. It was $139.99. Did anyone get handle one yet? Or did anyone get to fish one? That are your thoughts?

Big-O likes his:

And another impression:

I did get a look at a couple of the spinning rods and want to like them, but after reading some previous posts on here I am a little nervous. I had read about misaligned guides and I did see a couple just off line. Also, the stripper guides on both rods were tilted slightly, in opposite directions, and although minor it was obvious next to the rack of mojo's, avids, and premiers. They only had the medium action, extra fast I believe, and right now I'm looking for a ml xf. I am almost set on the Avid ml xf mainly for drop shotting, but the rage guides and exposed blank around the reel seat make me wonder if it wouldn't be a bit more sensitive since they are both scIII blanks. The reel seat was comfortable enough for me and as I held it I could touch the blank above the reel. With a lot of positive posts on the shimano rods I'd like to wait and see the new crucials before buying anything.

Handled one at Cabela's last week and I liked the way it felt. I like the neoprene grip. To bad they decided to make that one in Mexico.

I've got 2 of them now, 1 spinning and 1 casting, and I really like both of them. I like the feel of the handle and I like the feel of it. As far as I can tell my guides are all lined up but my vision isn't great and it's hard to tell with those tiny guides on the casting model. The 6' 10" ML spinning rod is quickly becoming my favorite option for throwing smaller jerkbaits. It has a soft tip that fires them out there and keeps fish stuck but has the backbone to bury the hooks and move big fish. The casting rod I got for jigs and pitching. Haven't gotten to fish it a lot but it feels really nice from what little I have used it.

At the end of August 2011 I was torn between buying the Rage or a second Veritas rod. I was buying the Quantum Smoke reel as a birthday present to myself and I wanted to pair it up to the right rod for fishing Senkos. The Veritas was a few ounces lighter, and I already loved the flippin stick I had purchased earlier the same year, but I really admired the overall thought St. Croix put into the design and craftsmanship of the Rage lineup. (Not to mention how tired I was of hearing my fishing buddies boast about how "theres just nothing like fighting a fish on a St. Croix" whenever they landed a Hawg on their Legend or Mojo rods). Well imagine their *** when I showed up with not only the new 7'1"MH Rage Casting Rod, but a Smoke reel sitting on it to boot! Now with that being said, all showmanship aside, this rod is AWESOME!! I can feel every little tick, bump, and thump when reeling my lure through water. It's got great backbone and just enough play at the tip to keep me feeling in control with a big fish on the end of my line. I can land my Senko right where I want to 9 out of 10 times and, with the micro-guides reducing line friction, I can outcast my buddies by 20% while making it look easy.