Has anyone fished with the Bank Robber series of rods from St. Croix? I had the opportunity to cast one at my local fly shop and was quite impressed. It seemed to have good feel in close at ~20 feet, and I had no problems casting 50-60 feet without a haul. The components seemed to be of good quality and it had very nice cork.
I’m interested to see if anyone has fished with the rod, or has any other further hands on experience.
My wife has a 7wt and I have a 6wt. It is a seriously well-designed rod with the Kelly Galloup line that was designed for it. I am less-impressed with the presentation and more impressed with the distance they can generate with ease… Not at all what I expected. The biggest problem my wife has had with hers is the fact she cannot keep our son away from it.
I can comfortably cast the entire line with minimal wind and in the wind casting a 12’ piece of T14 and a fly the size of a mallard worked quite well. We caught lots of very large rainbows on hers on the Kvichak River in June. Which is why I have the new 6wt.
You will like it!
Well that’s a pleasant surprise. Given what it was designed for, that’s exactly what I expected it wouldn’t handle well.
Sorry, I haven’t tried one. I’ve had good experiences with St. Croix rods. They are not flashy and sexy, but are solid go-to rods at a decent price point. I like the “Bank Robber” name, too.
I bought the six weight a few months ago and will tell you I am impressed. I do most of my streamer fishing from a drift boat and can keep the big flies out of ears and backs. When wade fishing, I am able to cast most of the line with ease. I have the 200 grain sinking head line that was designed by Kelly Galloup too. I have four St. Croix rods and this is my favorite so far.
Loufly
I have not even seen one but have steered away from these specific rod series.Loomis has there shore series also and in there bait cast and spinning rods I think that they have everything you can imagine up to a sinker,hook,chicken liver model!I guess if people have the money the companies will continue to make em.
Or, it could be people want a dedicated streamer rod, made for that style of fishing. Some people do think outside the box.
Has loomis changed their customer service? I know a lot of EX- Loomis owners. I recently was given a St.Croix (my first and not the Bank Robber). While a little heavier than my other rods and the cheaper hardware, it is not a bad rod at all. It is advertized as Med-Fast, but definitely fast.
With that being said, I am impressed. This new Bank Robber being USA made, Lifetime Warranty, and Mid Price, it could easily make a strong statement.
As far as the 20’ cast??? Isn’t that just a lob or a flip? How does one cast two rod lengths of line?
Yes, Loomis did just change their customer service standards and not for the better. They were bought out by Shimano and then did some really stupid stuff like making their #1 dealer angry with them over the rod repair issue. I think they lost a tremendous amount of everything, especially good will.
What the Bank Robber is really designed to do is cast really big bugs well and turn them over at the end. It does that extremely well…
I’ve had my 6wt Bank Robber for two seasons now. I’m loving it. It does exceptionally well for what it’s designed for. Casting big streamers (I’m using the Galloup streamer express sink tip and floating lines). It casts like a dream. I find it’s very light weight. I don’t find I’m getting tired as fast as with the rod I’ve used for this previously. (older St. Croix Legend Elite) It has a very responsive tip, that bends like an ugly stick, with a fast mid and back section and powerful backbone. Hooking up takes a little getting used to when you’ve been used to a very fast rod (stiff tip) in the past.
I usually build my own rods but decided to give this a try. Glad I did.
Loomis has changed the replacement fee for a broke rod to $100.00.As for thinking outside the box concerning my bait cast spinning rods if I have to have a company to tell me that I NEED a spinnerbait model rod to do that and I can’t figure out the regular models use I don’t need to be fishing for that.When my dad was alive he had 3 bait cast rods,two in med-hvy action and one in medium and he knew what each could cast best,no labels to tell him that.But he also said all those lures are to catch fisherman not so much the fish.
What did I miss? What does a Loomis spinner/bait model rod got to do with a St Croix Bank Robber?
I love MK’s description on the tip. I was trying to describe the St. Croix I got. It is a fast action with a little give in just the tip…“Ugly Stick”…perfect!
With companies rating their flex differently one needs to test drive to find which is right for them. Some name their flexes like LT, JWF, BIIx, etc. You learn what these names/letters mean. And Orvis rates their flexes with numbers. But, nothing takes away from the fact, you need to cast to know.I have had people recommend rods to me on my casting choice and they have been darn close.
Smoothly, impressive for a seven weight right?
I’ll throw in 2 thumbs up for the Bank Robber. I’ve got the 6wt…I bought and sold many rods looking for the perfect 6wt streamer rod. So when my friend let me try his Bank Robber…I immediately sold the latest 6wt I had and bought the Bank Robber. Throws weighted lines with big heavy flies like you dream about. An added bonus is it’s also great with floating lines too. Enough flex in the tip for in close work and plenty of back bone in the butt for distance. It’s hard to explain but all the other rods I tried seemed to “jerk” when the line/fly straightene out…I think it’s because they were all to stiff/fast. The Bank Robber has a more forgiving tip and as a result I don’t feel that jerk when casting.
~Rich
I have two of Galloups streamer DVDs. His techniques and flies are really specific. The Bank Robber rod is what he designed to match his style. I tried mine with other methods like dry fly fishing, and I have to tell you, it IS specific to streamer fishing.
With heavily weighted flies, shorter accurate casts are the name of the game. Lobbing or casting, this rod does it nicely.
Loufly
Your right loufly…the Galloup rods are definitely designed for a specific purpose and they do that job well. I wouldn’t suggest the Bank Robber for someone who is looking for an all round type of fly rod. It’s definitely a “STREAMER” rod. It is not a dry fly rod but then if all I had was a broom stick, I’d make it work. It works well for mouse fishing and big night flies like gurglers as well. I have a bad habit…or rather I can’t stop the reaction of raising the rod when I hear a big fish hit the fly at night. The Bank Robbers softer tip does assist in more hook ups because that fly stays where it needs to be, just that nano-second longer that it does with my Legend Elite rod which was my rod of choice for night fishing.
I would be interested in trying out the nymphing rod he’s recently designed. … again… these rods are for a specific purpose. The first of their kind really. It’s the reason some of us get into rod building, so we can build rods that meet a more personal set of styles and conditions.
But keep in mind that you can fly fish most situations adequately, with just one well picked rod in your arsenal. Mine has been a 9 ft 5 wt since the very beginning of my fly fishing career. It’s still my most used rod today.
So, being a streamer rod, how would this work as a stillwater rod. I know a guy that has a Sage 99 and he is a stillwater fanatic. Swears the 99 is the best stillwater rod he’s had, even though it was supposed to be a nymphing rod.
Okay, I traded some flies for a Rio Santo. I know, a much cheaper St. Croix. Can anyone tell me how this stacks up?
I have been using my Bank Robber for stillwater fishing also. The extra give in the tip prevents break offs in my opinion. There really is no difference between throwing streamers on the river with a sinking head and casting leeches with my intermediate sink line. The idea is to be able to cast and work large flies easier. Like others have said though, you can make any rod work for what you want with some imagination.
Loufly
Funny name for a rod; what’s next, the Sage Corporate Raider :)?