Fishing with St. Croix Rods, or: what the fishing guide thinks of them
As a fishing guide, I have developed a strong preference for St. Croix rods over the past ten years. These rods are known for their crisp and fast action, which means they primarily bend at the tip and less along the rest of the blank. This is in contrast to parabolic rods, which bend along their entire length. While parabolic rods are fun when fighting a fish, they make it harder to detect the bottom or a bite. And if you don't hook anything, there's not much to fight.
Advantages of Fast Action Rods
With a fast action rod, you can feel much better where your soft bait is located. Every movement of the shad is transmitted through the tip of your rod, allowing you to better feel when your shad hits the ground or when a fish takes your bait. Parabolic rods absorb these contact moments, making it harder to feel where your bait is, especially under conditions like current, depth, or a soft bite.
I am convinced that 90% of bites are super soft, even those from zander. These bites are often missed because people don't feel them. The fast action rods from St. Croix are so sensitive that you can even feel these super soft bites. Additionally, these rods make it much easier to present your bait close to the bottom, as you can better feel when your shad hits the ground. And it is precisely there, in those few centimeters above the ground, where most predatory fish are found.
STRONG Blanks
Another characteristic of St. Croix rods is their strong blanks. Due to the applied techniques, the blank retains its round shape for as long as possible, even under bending. This ensures that the rod can handle extreme tension without breaking.
An example of this is a customer who last year fought a catfish over 2 meters long for more than 2.5 hours with a Medium Powered Legend Tournament Bass rod. Despite the extreme strain, the rod did not give in. In this case, the rod was not the weakest link, but the 0.10 mm line that unfortunately broke after 2.5 hours.
Practical Experiences
In practice, I use jig heads up to 28 grams without any issues on an 18-gram St. Croix rod. Because I fish on large waters, such as the Hollands Diep, the Biesbosch, and the Volkerak, I choose Medium Powered rods with a casting weight of up to 18 grams for my zander and perch fishing. These rods are sensitive enough to apply finesse techniques with little wind and current, but have enough backbone to control your shad and detect any deviations even in rough conditions.
Recommended Specs
The all-round specifications I recommend for boat fishing include a 2.03-meter rod (6'8" in US measurements), medium powered, and with Extra Fast Action. A rod with these specs has a very sensitive tip and a very stiff body, allowing you to handle various situations on the boat. You can cast shads with jig heads ranging from 7 to 28 grams without sacrificing sensitivity or rod action. Additionally, the rod is stiff enough for vertical jigging. Every irregularity is transmitted through the tip, and you have enough backbone to set the hook.
Finally, these rods are sensitive enough for fishing with a C-rig or dropshot, but also stiff enough for twitching or cranking. The stiffness of the rod and the power you can exert on your lure allow you to impart a lot of action to your bait.
Investing in Quality
I often get asked whether it's necessary to spend so much money on a rod and if it really makes a difference. The answer is yes to both. Yes, a St. Croix rod will cost you a lot, and yes, you will actually catch more because you feel more while fishing. It will make you a better angler!
You don't have to buy a Legend Xtreme right away to experience the benefits of a St. Croix. An accessible series is the AVID series, such as the ASFS68MXF, a rod priced around € 250. This rod is a great entry-level option to get acquainted with St. Croix and to convince you of the difference a rod can make.
If you're already convinced and want to step up to a high-end rod, I recommend the Legend Tournament Bass LBTS68MXF. These rods, priced around € 400, offer the ultimate fishing experience.
If you want the top of the line, there's the Legend Extreme IXFS68 MXF. This top-tier rod costs just under € 800, but then you have the very best that St. Croix currently has to offer.
To truly know if a rod is good and suits your fishing style, you need to fish with it. Waving it around in the store doesn't tell you anything. On my boat, you can try out different types and actually feel the difference. Join me for a zander fishing trip on the Hollands Diep and experience the difference between fishing and catching!
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