Cast. Crank. Hook. Set…. Shake, rattle and roll…and then the story can go one of two ways. One ends in utter disappointment. The other plays like the highlight reel of a Super Bowl win. In slow motion, the crowd cheers, you are the champion and lift your flopping trophy from the landing net!
What made the difference? The rod…or so we’re told. But can a rod make that much difference? It can and does. Hardcore bass fishing often puts you in situations where you’re fighting fish in timber and submerged vegetation. And these lunkers don’t come in easy, almost always guaranteeing a rumble.
The scene of a bass busting through the water is exciting, but it is the moment when everything can change, throwing the hook, leaving you with a big splash, a limp line and a pit in your stomach. St. Croix Rod’s Legend Glass aims to lessen the pain—actually, prevent the pangs altogether.
And…drumroll please… Legend Glass rods are now available through the St. Croix dealer network.
We went to Jason Brunner, St. Croix Rod’s Director of Engineering, to explain what makes Legend Glass the magical wand it is.
Q: What is it about Legend Glass’s design and action that helps land more fish?
A: Legend Glass rods utilize blanks that are made from 100-percent linear S-Glass material. This material combined with a strategic taper design and Integrated Poly Curve® (IPC®) technology are what make Legend Glass so unique. All models have a parabolic (arching) action to some degree, some more than others. I prefer to call these slower action rods, meaning a higher percentage of the deflection under load transfers towards the butt section of the rod. Basically, it takes less power or force to get them to bend back towards the handle.
Q: Does the design of the tip section really make that much difference in a fish eating the bait?
A: The slower action of Legend Glass combined with a softer tip section acts as a great shock absorber. When a fish hits a crankbait, you don’t want it to feel the opposite force from the rod above water right away. You want the fish to feel like he scored dinner and get the whole meal in his mouth. If a fish feels tension too soon (as from a rod that does not have a good shock-absorbing tip), there is a higher chance that it will spit the crankbait before you get a good hookset.
Q: What role do the moderate actions of the S-Glass fibers play in the hookset?
A: The moderate action allows for a more controlled hookset, graduating the force to ensure the crankbait stays in contact. Legend Glass rods are unique in that they have very light and very sensitive tips that transfer into a larger diameter (powerful) butt section while maintaining a moderate action. Often, moderate action crankbait rods lack power in the bottom end which fails to give the user any casting distance or hookset completeness. Not so with Legend Glass.
Q: What makes Legend Glass so comfortable to fish?
A: The split-grip design in combination with the proper handle length allows for Legend Glass rods to be perfectly balanced. When using any of the four models, they feel like they are floating in your hands. Using the proper materials, taper and diameters allowed St. Croix to fine tune the ultimate crankbait rod.
St. Croix Rod Legend Glass was awarded the ICAST 2016 Best Freshwater Rod Title and is available in four models:
LGC610MM: Ideal for shorter, pinpoint accurate casts. Made for fishing smaller crankbaits and small-to medium bladed jigs.
LGC72MM: Designed to handle small-to-medium crankbaits including square bills and similar size bladed jigs. Works really well with mid-range, standard lip crankbaits that dive to depths of 16 feet. A versatile model that excels in open water.
LGC74MHM: Perhaps the most versatile model in the series, it’s designed to handle medium-to-large crankbaits and bladed jigs at various water depths up to 20 feet. Ideal for fishing large, lipless crankbaits and large profile square bills.
LGC711HM: A unique model built to fish big, deep-diving crankbaits at 20 foot depths and more. This model features Fuji’s palming reel seat for added comfort and reduced hand fatigue.
FEATURES:
• Integrated Poly Curve® (IPC®) tooling technology.
• Super premium, 100% linear S-glass.
• Fuji® K Series Concept Tangle Free guides with Alconite rings and polished frames. Ideal for super braid, mono and fluorocarbon lines, the sloped frame and ring shed tangles before they become a problem.
• Fuji® ECS reel seat with frosted silver hood on most models. Fuji® PSS-SD palming reel seat with frosted silver hood on LGC711HM.
• Split-grip/super-grade cork handle.
• Kigan hook-keeper.
• 15-year transferable warranty backed by St. Croix Superstar Service.
• Designed and handcrafted in Park Falls, U.S.A.
About St. Croix Rod
St. Croix Rod is a family-owned and managed manufacturer of high-performance fishing rods headquartered in Park Falls, Wisconsin with a 68-year heritage of USA manufacturing. Utilizing proprietary technologies, St. Croix controls every step of the rod-making process, from conception and design to manufacturing and inspection, in two company-owned facilities. The company offers a complete line of premium, American-made fly, spinning and casting rods under their Legend Elite®, Legend® Xtreme, Legend Tournament®, Avid Series®, Premier®, Wild River®, Tidemaster®, Imperial® and other trademarks through a global distribution network of full-service fishing tackle dealers. The company’s mid-priced Triumph®, Mojo Bass/Musky/Inshore/Surf, Eyecon® and Rio Santo series rods are designed and engineered in Park Falls, Wisconsin and built in a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Fresnillo, Mexico. Founded in 1948 to manufacture jointed bamboo fishing poles for a Minneapolis hardware store chain, St. Croix has grown to become the largest manufacturer of fishing rods in North America.
By: Traditions Media
