St. Croix Rods

FAOL Community Fly Anglers Online
1

I have been looking to get a medium to medium-fast action 9’, 4 wt, 4 pc rod for some smaller streams and pools I fish in the Sierras. While checking out the various manufacturers (Sage, Winston, TFO, Elkhorn) St. Croix came to mind. I was surprised to see their high-end rods had a price tag of under $500 and the action I was looking for was in the $400 range. I thought for sure I would be seeing $600+ dollars for their top tier rods. Anyone have experience with St. Croix rods?

2

Great rod’s…and I remember them being MUCH cheaper just a few short years ago!!!..Their actually getting WELL outta MY price range at present…

3

love them… I have a five weight ultra that is a really nice stick. plenty fast with some backbone.
And I just built a 8’ four weight Avid. very smooth. all the rods are made in the USA and St.Croix is a sponsor here. Can’t go wrong in my oppion. matt

4

I have some of the older Legand Ultras, pre IPC - ART.
Great rods, quick but not too quick, nice and comfortable to cast.

I read on a bb some time ago the LU was reverse engineered from the Loomis IMX and they sure do put me in mind of that.

5

Tyrone,

I have three and love them all. All are custom built. One is an SCIII (Legend), 9’, 4wt, 2pc. The other two are SCIV’s(Legend Ultra’s). One is what my wife uses and the other, I use. They are 8’6", 4pc, 4wt. If you are fishing small streams, I’d suggest the 8’6" rather than the 9’. There’s also an Elite model out now that is VERY fast…Good Luck and Best Regards…

6

tyrone, their medium fast model is the avid and you should be able to get that brand new for around $220. i have an 8 wt. avid. great rod.

7

Look again at the St Croix ‘Avid’. I think it might be what you want, for a lot less. Cast one for sure. 8)

8

Ditto on the Avids. They have a medium-fast action, not stiff, not floppy. They are very smooth, and at a great price. I have an 8 1/2’ 4 weight Avid, and it’s my favorite light trout rod.

Chuck

9

I’ve got two St. Croix rods. One is custom rod built on an Avid blank. I love this rod. One of my favorites. The action is just perfect (medium to medium-fast) for me. The other is a St. Croix legend ultra. It’s a nice rod but the action is just too fast for me. I don’t enjoy casting it at all. But rod actions are a personal thing and I know some that love this rod.

So my advice is to cast before you buy. And if you decide you like the St. Croix Legend Ultra - I’ve got a 5 wt I’ll sell you.

Greg

10

I have an Avid 9 foot 8 weight that I use all the time and love it, I am working on getting another one a little lighter like an 8 foot 4 or 5 weight for trout fishing. I am also gonna look at the Reigns when I get back to the fly shop.

Dwight

11

I wil ditto everything said about the St. Croix rods. The Legend Ultra, I think will be too fast, so I would get a new Avid. I think the new St. Croix IPC and ART technology really works. However, the Legends come with a rod sack built into the case. I prefer a rod sack I can take out of the case.
Randy Kadish

12

Thanks everyone for your replies. I bought another brand today.

13

so what’d ya get?

14

I got a Sage ZXL 490-4 with an Abel Creek #1 reel lined with the new SA Sharkskin line. My local shop had a 15% discount on rods and reels and 20% on all other items. To good a deal to pass up.

15

Great choice. I’ve got a Sage SLT and it’s my favorite/go to trout rod. Your new zxl replaced the slt. They are very similiar.

Greg

16

The SLT is a sweet rod. I have a 590-4.

17

Have you cast them both? I’d be interested in your opinion as to any differences.

18

Just one note here: St. Croix’s two low end rods, the Triumph and Reign are in fact made overseas, but everything else is still US made. I love my Avid.

19

Ducksterman

I have cast them both. Obviously I have an SLT (8.5 ft 5wt). At a show this fall I cast an 8.5 ft 5wt zxl. I could tell very little difference. The blanks are a different color. The zxl might be just a hair faster? If so it was very slight. I asked the sage rep about it and he admitted the rods were very, very similiar. He said that when sales of a rod goes flat (which had happened with the slt) they will always try to change it somewhat to spur sales. Which makes sense from a business standpoint.

I would be happy with either rod.

Greg

20

I find the ZXL to have a softer tip than the SLT and slightly slower in action. The rod feels lighter in hand, but not by much. When I was at the Fly Fishing show last year, Jerry Siem (sp) mentioned with the new technology derived from the Z-Axis that others Sage will follow the design change beginning with the SLT’s replacement. I suspect the TCR will be the next rod to be redesigned.