Recently, I have been in the market for a new rod and reel set-up. After fishing heavy for the last 20-twenty plus years, it was time to step up the game and get some higher-end gear. I just want to say that, in no way am I endorsing , or officially sponsored by either of the below mentioned companies;, I am simply sharing my opinion on the gear I purchased. With that said, lets continue with my journey into the unknown, and this new-to-me price bracket for gear!.
Previous to my recent purchases, I was using a Berkley HMG spinning rod, paired with both the Pflueger President XT, and the President 6940 spinning reels. I did try the Abu Garcia Revo reel but had serious problems with line going into the spool and retired that reel into the junk bin shortly after. That was a three-hundred-dollar mistake. Something else to note, I was brand loyal for most of those 20 years. It was time to branch out and spend some money for that prize I marveled at, sitting in those locked, glass cases in the tackle shops.
I remember vividly remember looking at the reels under tight lock and key thinking to myself, “What nut job would be silly enough to spend that kind of cash on a reel?”. We are talking about a $900.00 reel!. I was absolute in my opinion that anyone buying that would have to be INSANE. I then looked down at the pile of all those ‘“other’” reels I had in my discard bin and added them up. There were over 20 reels in that junk pile, which led me to think about adding up the combined cost of all those reels that were toast. Let us do the math here and see who’s really “insane”. The average cost of one reel was $120.00 retail, times 25 is 3000 smackers!. WOW!!! Spending $900.00 on that Shimano Stella was not really that out of line after all, right?.
Obviously, something as impressive as the Stella must be paired up with a killer rod, right? Right!! I decided (after giving it some very serious thought), that a rod by St. Croix was the solution for me. High quality deserves to be matched with high-quality. No more $120.00 rods for me. After searching the internet and asking my friend Jesse – , who is the director of Marketing for St. Croix for advice. After we talked, I selected the Avid, two-piece, 6’6 Medium action rod. I have no room to store a one-piece rod, so two-piece rods are the way to go for me. I know that a little sensitivity is lost, but it just works better for transporting.
After waiting for the reel to arrive from Japan, and getting the rods shipped to my door, I finally got to try the ‘“holy grail’” of fishing reels a month ago. To say this thing is smooth like microwaved butter is a gross understatement. I spooled the reel up with the regular monofilament line I normally use; the Berkley Trilene XT, low-vis green. So far, after over a month of fishing with it, I have never gotten a bird’s nest or had any sort of problems with the line on the spool. Additionally, there has never been an instance where the bail has closed on me mid- cast, like some of the other reels I have used in the past. The power and performance of the Stella is unreal, and doesn’t compare to all other reels I have touched.
Moving on to the rod, I wanted to make sure I had the utmost sensitivity in the rod I chose. I wanted to keep the rod around the $500 dollar mark, so I began my search on the official St. Croix website. Another attribute that was super important to me was the warranty of the product. I wanted a rod that had at least a two to five two-five-year warranty, and these rods totally fit that bill. These rods have a 15 year warranty! Obviously, in order to offer that kind of warranty, they stand fully behind their rods, and it shows.
The history behind the St. Croix rods as follows.
Each rod is hand crafted in Park Falls, Wisconsin, with the company being in business for a staggering 76seventy-six years. The St. Croix Avid spinning rod has been around for at least four years, and I could not be happier with my investment. St. Croix’ s Premier Series of rods has been the top-selling family of American-made rods for over a decade running.
“I know these rods have a special place in the minds of my team members, because Premier has been in production in Park Falls longer than any other,” says St. Croix Production Supervisor, Brandi Schmidt. “When we see Premier rods on the schedule, it resonates that there have been over 60 years of Premier rods coming through this factory. There is a real sense of pride to make sure that the rods we produce today live up to that name and that legacy.”
Offering 67 distinct spinning and casting models for everything from panfish to musky, the powerful, sensitive and classically styled Premier Series rods are proudly handcrafted in Park Falls, Wisconsin and give anglers the upper hand in almost any angling situation.
In conclusion, to say I am over-the-moon happy would be an understatement. I recognize that for some, this kind of combo is out of reach financially, but after over 30 thirty years of fishing, I had to treat myself.
I will definitely keep you all posted as to how they perform year after year; or if I have any issues with either the rods, or the reels, but so far…..WOW.
Thanks for reading,
~Mike
