Thread: Had a busy day today on the water

Originally Posted by 6poundtest

I've come to like it alot. I've had to learn to set the hook harder due to the flexibility of the rod compared to my others. With a tight line after the cast, I can feel every tick coming back through the line; that sensitivity is very helpful in detecting bites. I net pretty much everything hooked on the St. Croix 'cause it bends so easily with the weight of the fish on it. I lose very few fish that I hook with it, due in part to the quick response of the rod as the fish works it around. It seems like they can't get enough slack to gain an advantage to shake the hook out. Would I buy another? Honestly, I'm not sure. It was a lot of coin for me to spend (I'm a frugal New Englander at the core) but I do appreciate good equipment. I worry a lot about breaking it with some stupid move like stepping on it or something, then it will be $100+ out the window.

But, I compare it to one of my fishing partners rods last year. He bought an economical rod/reel combo (around $50 or so) from Cabela's and on his first fish with it, a nice bluegill, he snapped it on the hook set. I was watching it, too and he did nothing out of the ordinary. I saw his tip dip, he set the hook and the rod broke about 2' down from the tip. Cabela's gave him his money back and he invested in a better combo. He did land the fish though; that's how we know what did it. By the time you factor in his expenses back and forth to replace it, he'd have been ahead to have spent the extra at the git-go. But if I step on it or hook it on a tree branch and break it, that's my fault, not the rod's.

I find that you certainly get what you pay for in rods, It's better to spend a little money especially if you fish gills in the summer in deeper water. Your catch rate will increase for sure. St. Croix is an awesome value in rods, My main gill rod is one of their Avid series rods, not cheap but will last me many years, it's helped put an awful lot of meat in my freezer for sure.

That ain't fair. I wasn't there. Nice.

Originally Posted by TrevorW

Your catch rate will increase for sure. St. Croix is an awesome value in rods, My main gill rod is one of their Avid series rods, not cheap but will last me many years,

Trivor,

Same here! I had a St Croix Avid UL last year. I broke the tip off, and I purchased a St Croix Premier UL 6' 1 piece a couple months ago.

I love that rod for 'gills and crappie. The Avid was a little faster action, but the Premier is still kinda fast?

I use a Stradic 1000 CI4 ML . Super light reel with all the modern reel stuff. I use NanoFil 2 lb line (the thinnest line in the world, diameter is .002) so I can cast tiny jigs down to 1/80 oz. The line won't break (if you use a 12 turn Uni). I have landed a 10 lb catfish with that line and UL rod!