The precision, long-distance cast – it’s the mark of the elite bass angler. The ability to hit the faraway pocket in a pad field, to reach the most remote regions of a dock, to run a crankbait on ledge in just the right window—these are the powers that separate the average bass angler from the extraordinary one. These are the angling powers that St. Croix aims to amplify with the debut of six new members in the Legend Tournament Bass casting lineup.
The newer, longer Legend Tournament Bass rods take advantage of updated B.A.S.S. regulations allowing anglers to compete with rod lengths that haven’t been seen on the tournament trail in decades. Bass junkies will surely celebrate the introduction. One particular bass-head has been instrumental in the development process, and recently tasked the rods to tangle with Mexico-class bass.
“We took the full lineup from Wisconsin down to the iconic Angler’s Inn in Mexico,” says St. Croix National Accounts Manager Dan Johnston. “For almost a week, we let Lake Picachos and Lake El Salto give them everything they had.”
After six days in the Sinaloa sun, the feedback returned universal results: from hammering home long range hookups with the 8’11” MEGA Swim Bait model to punching the super-long 9’11”, the Legend Tournament Bass long rods added an incredible level of control over feisty bass. Because of their increased length, these rods give anglers more leverage over jumping bass—often eliminating a fish’s ability to clear the water (and shake a hook) with the simple dip of a rod tip.
“As rods get longer, they generally become better fish fighting tools,” adds Johnston. “These models do a very good job of that, without reaching the length of diminishing returns. Not only do they cast a long way, but if you get bit way out at the end of your cast, they pick up so much line on a sweep set that you don’t have to reel it 100,000 miles an hour to get the fish. Sometimes, you can watch your line come up like a rocket and dip your rod in the water. That can often keep the fish from jumping. It’s a beautiful thing.”
“We constantly read up on how anglers are chasing bass,” says St. Croix Rods Director of Marketing Jesse Simpkins. “It doesn’t matter if they’re chasing largemouth or smallmouth, there are a lot of techniques that benefit from the extra line pickup and super long casts offered by adding inches to the blank.”
Each Legend Tournament Bass rod is handcrafted in Park Falls, Wisconsin using St. Croix’s ART and IPC technology and fine-tuned with cutting edge components.
Legend Tournament Bass features:
• Integrated Poly Curve (IPC) tooling technology.
• Advanced Reinforcing Technology (ART).
• High-modulus/high-strain SCIV graphite with FRS for unparalleled strength and durability.
• Fuji K-Series Concept Tangle Free guides with Alconite rings. Ideal for super braid, mono and fluorocarbon lines.
• Fuji PTS blank-touch reel seat on casting models.
• Machined-aluminum wind check and trim pieces.
• Split-grip/super-grade cork handle.
• Kigan hook-keeper.
• Two coats of Flex Coat slow-cure finish.
• 15-year transferable warranty backed by St. Croix Superstar Service.
MODELS:
• LBC80HMF (FLIPPIN’) 8’, Heavy-Power, Moderate-Fast Action
• LBC88HF: (BULLFROG) 8’8″, Heavy-Power, Fast Action
• LBC88HM: (MAGNUM CRANKER) 8’8”, Heavy-Power, Moderate-Action
• LBC811HMF: (FLIPPIN’/PUNCHIN’) 8’11”, Heavy-Power, Moderate-Fast Action
• LBC811XHF: (MEGA SWIM BAIT) 8’11”, Extra-Heavy-Power, Fast Action
• LBC911HMF: (FLIPPIN’/PUNCHIN’) 9’11”, Heavy-Power, Moderate-Fast Action
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: Dena Vick, Traditions Media
