POWER OF THE GODS. PHOTO: BEN DUCHESNEY
fieldtest
The right rod is truly a special thing.Once you find the right setup, it’s unlikely that you’ll even look for anything else. The Legend Elite spinning rod, $360, from St Croix Rods (
www.stcroixrods.com) is exactly that.
The configuration I tested was a two-piece, fast action, seven-foot rod
that only weighed 3.7 ounces. A rod that light feels great before you even cast, but once you do you’ll be floored. My knees were almost shaking after the first cast rocketed out. I could sail lures out into the center of the lake without even trying.
In a long distance bomb-cast contest, it was almost comical how much farther I could cast than my buddies. You can’t hold a sweet rod like the Legend Elite and not put your friends’ rods to shame. The super high-modulus SCVI graphite had so much power in the
lower section, deepwater hook sets felt dead-on secure. Rather than missing hook-ups while jigging for smallmouth bass, I could reel them in one after another. Even with all that power casting arc is smooth and controlled, like a jab from Muhammad Ali. All the glitter boat bass fishermen I fish with, aside from ragging me
on my little boat, knock me for having a spinning rod. While the Legend Elite comes in a casting rod, their spinning version is so dead-on accurate it’d put Clint Eastwood to shame at high noon. Now every time I hear it from those stink-potters, I’ll brush my poncho over my shoulder and fire a lure under every lily pad in the lake.
34 PADDLING MAGAZINE
ST CROIX’S LEGEND ELITE SERIES PUTS GODLY POWER IN THE HANDS OF MERE MORTALS Power isn’t everything (just almost everything); you can land your
BECOME A FISHING LEGEND
cast on the moon, but you still need that rod to be sensitive. Walking a jig along the bottom, the Legend Elite is so sensitive I could have read Braille. Those light nibbles and tiny tastes of a reluctant trophy turned into slaps on my forehead, reminding me to set the hook. The classic forest green pearl finish and traditional cork handles make
this rod prettier than a summer sunset after a long winter. After attaching my reel to the Legend Elite, I immediately retired my Ol’ Faithful, barely shedding a tear. The slim-profile ferrules and Fuji SiC Concept Guide System with titanium-finished frames add to the durability of the rod. Even if you dish out as much creative abuse as you can think of, a lifetime limited warranty backed by St. Croix Superstar Service helps you sleep at night. No matter how many rods rotate through your quiver of fish sticks,
there will always be those that have their permanent place. The ones that you’d pass down to your kids if they were good enough to deserve it, or if you could even handle letting go of it. Next time you need to reach those far away fish, fool a finicky biter, or pull up a five-pounder, St Croix’s Legend Elite rods are ready and eager for a fight. For more information about St Croix Rods, or their Legend Elite spinning
rod, check out their website,
www.stcroixrods.com. Ben Duchesney is the web editor for Kayak Angler magazine.
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