Another good/bad rod question. St. Croix.....

Willow Drifter · 12-19-2003, 10:36 PM

So what do people think of these rods from the other side of the states?

Seems that folks fishing the steelies in the Great Lakes areas love these rods. I am seeing more and more of them popping up here in Alaska. I am getting more and more temptedto try one as my main salmon rod next year. I even order 2 of their ice rods today for this winter.

Sooooo....how are your experiences with these rods? Good? Bad? Ugly?

sparkleboy · 12-19-2003, 11:11 PM

I have one for jig fishing. It's a 10'6'' Wild River edition. It's a great rod. The best I've ever owned.
I broke the top section earlier this year while fighting a fish. I had put no added stress on the rod when it broke. I sent it back and got a new rod tip for free. I'm impressed with their service, and the quality of their product.

glowball · 12-20-2003, 05:21 AM

I've got several of the avid III series rods and absolutely love them. I did have to send a tip back because my buddy stepped on it and broke 8 inches off, but I got a new top piece in no time. They are very sensitive rods that can handle some serious fish. I caught a 21 chinook on my 9' 4-10lb last year. I've used the 8' one piece rod they make for sturgeon and salmon in the same day down by astoria and it worked fine.

kodiakfisher · 12-20-2003, 08:13 AM

I use the St. Croix almost exclusively for flyfishing and on a 7wt rod they can handle some pretty big fish. I would put them between Lamiglas and G Loomis for quality and on par with Lamiglas for the quality for what you pay for. St. Croix cost a little more but are higher quality. FYI I own several Lamiglas spinning rods for fishing salmon in Alaska.

I have broke two flyrods my own fault and I have always been treated great by St. Croix. I have broken about four Lamiglas rods but I buy the med action rods and put the max line rating on them and haul in lots of fish in Alaska can be upwards of 50 fish/day and they eventually give up because of the constant pressure. Lamiglas has always been great and taken care of me.

Since you are in Alaska I would buy whatever your local shop carries and will service for you.

drhall99 · 12-20-2003, 10:14 AM

I disagree somewhat with kodiakfisher. I think that Lamiglas is the better of the two. I still like the St. Croix rods, but I wouldn't pay more for St. Croix than Lamiglas. All of the St. Croix rods that I own came to me through some very good deals or I wouldn't have bought them. Another advantage of Lamiglas is that the factory is within an easy drive.

D.

FishonDon · 12-20-2003, 10:43 AM

I have a St Croix that makes up part of my salmon selection, and I like it. I don't fish it exclusively, but have never had any problems with it. I also like G.Loomis, but have broken a couple of them.

Siwash · 12-20-2003, 12:12 PM

When I started building rods, I used St Croix blanks a lot since I couldn't afford some of the others (Lami, Loomis, Sage, etc), especially while I was still experimenting with new stuff. I generally think the SC's are pretty good for the price, but when I "graduated" to the NW brands, there's no question the Lamiglas, Loomis, Talon, and Sage blanks I've used are superior. I don't claim to have tried every other brand out there, but I definitely believe you get what you pay for.

Old Coot · 12-20-2003, 12:29 PM

Speaking from the flyfishing side of the picture, I have an 8 wt St Croix with which I have landed well over a hundred salmon to around 40 lbs. The rod is a gem. Admittedly, 8 wt is a heavy rod, but I think the St Croix compares very well to my Sages; and, when you factor in price it wins hands down.

Someone above thought Talon was superior. I have a 6 wt Talon I bought unseen. IMO, it's a turkey.

kodiakfisher · 12-20-2003, 01:22 PM

drhall99,

The guy asking about St. Croix is in Alaska he won't be driving to either factory. I own lamiglas because I can drive to the factory.

Keep in mind that St. Croix has several different level and types of blanks that they use. Generally the more you pay the higher modules (density) graphite you get. The higher end rods come with an unconditional warranty. Lamiglas are as close to that as you can get.

drhall99 · 12-20-2003, 10:10 PM

Kodiakfisher,

I missed the part about living in Alaska. It's just my short attention span.

D.

kodiakfisher · 12-21-2003, 10:42 AM

If I remember correctly I had a St. croix rod out of warranty that I broke in the truck door.

Totally my fault they gave me 50%? any rod I wanted.

So...I purchased one with an unconditional lifetime warranty I can be break it for any reason and they will give me a new one. :grin: gotta love that..

Due to the fact I break fewer rods now I tend to purchase whatever is on a great deal like a Berkley IM7 for $13 at Fred Meyer after easter sale. it was a smokin deal. Lamiglas has replaced every broken rod three to be exact with none of the dreaded lectures. Two have been failures at the ferrules.

It seems there is some dissagreement on Lamiglas quality vs. St. Croix quality. The customer service has been great in both cases. I know from experienc that they are both great rods and on Kodiak Alaska in Macks sporting goods they don't carry lamiglas but they do carry St. Croix and I have been supporting Macks since the early 70's they ALWAYS take good care of me. I would buy from you local shop IMHO. Granted they carry St. Croix partly because I mentioned the quality vs price comparison.

drhall99 · 12-21-2003, 02:06 PM

kodiakfisher,

I had to read my original post after your last one. I wasn't clear in my point. St. Croix makes a great rod. I have never had any issue with their quality. They fish great and they are tough. I just think that Lamiglas' products are more closely tuned to the type of fishing that I do (Salmon/Steelhead) and when I do a side by side comparison for a specific rod type, Lamiglas rods fish better. One example that comes to mind are Hotshot rods. I have three Lamiglas Hotshot Magnums and two St. Croix WildRiver rods (I don't remember the model but they are supposed to be hotshot rods) and the Lamiglas rods fish better. I actually mainly use the St. Croix hotshot rods for diver and bait because Brad's divers pull hard enough to show well on the St. Croix rods. I won't get rid of them because I like them but the design missed it's intended purpose by a little.

JMO,
D.

FishCatcher · 12-21-2003, 03:02 PM

I have an 11'6" Wild River. I have been using it for 3 years jig fishing steelhead. It has been a great rod. Broke it once trying to turn a fish, my fault.

steelymann · 12-21-2003, 03:40 PM

I have several of their rods for baitcasting, fly and spinning. Love them all. Would highly recommend tem.

~steelymann~