New Legend Elite Musky series comprises the lightest (and finest) rods on Earth – must-haves for marathon musky fishing
If ever a Skunkworks or black budget project existed for musky fishing, this is it.
Recently declassified at the Chicago Muskie Expo, meet St. Croix’s new super weapons for marathon giant esox hunting – Legend Elite Musky.
“We’ve been working quietly behind the scenes for the past two years to create what serious musky anglers have long awaited. Now it’s come to fruition and the timing is perfect for musky seasons across the country,” says Rich Belanger, St. Croix Promotions Director.
Think SR-71, Stealth, Aurora … but the engineering precision condensed into a handheld weaponry that’ll sling giant baits 24/7 … a rod family that was designed specifically for hardcore musky-heads who can’t stop, won’t stop … and for whom 12-hour casting days are standard operating procedure.
Lighter, stronger, more ergonomic. Great for anglers; bad for big toothy critters.
Preliminary specs point to Legend Elite Musky weighing 10-18% less than the St. Croix Legend Tournament, a big deal when you add up the hours, days, weeks and months that serious musky anglers spend on upper body workouts.
Whether it’s baseballs or Bull Dawgs, injuries stink.
“As baits are getting larger and heavier and anglers put in longer hours chasing even bigger fish, the Legend Elite Musky Series represents that dream musky rod family that reduces physical fatigue and keeps anglers fishing longer, upping their odds at trophy 50-plus-inch fish,” says Belanger.
St. Croix engineering head Dave Schluter says they quite literally went back to the drawing board with the new series. They cut weight by re-thinking the blank, utilizing SCV carbon fiber, a high-modulus, high-strain material that creates a lighter, quicker, faster and more responsive blank.
“Our new Legend Elite Musky also features a completely re-designed guide train utilizing Fuji® Torzite® for rings that are harder and half the diameter of the SiC Concept Guide System, and guide frame weight reduction while maintaining optimal guide opening size,” adds Schluter.
With the overall reduced weight in the blank and less mass on the guide train, the rods practically “float” in the hand. Pick one up and you’ll notice a significant reduction in tip mass. All that amounts to the lightest (and finest) muskie rods on Earth, which currently comprises four models:
7’ 6” Extra-Heavy, Fast Action (LEM76XHF)
8’ Medium-Heavy, Fast Action (LEM80MHF)
8’ 6’ Medium-Heavy, Fast Action (LEM86MHF)
8’ 6” Heavy, Fast Action – (LEM86HF)
9’ Medium-Heavy, Fast Action (LEM90HF)
9’ Heavy, Fast Action (LEM90MHF)
Legend Elite Musky is designed, engineered and manufactured in Park Falls, Wisconsin, and feature a 15-year transferrable warranty backed by St. Croix’s celebrated Superstar Service. The St. Croix Legend Elite Musky rods retail for $550.
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 65-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: Cory Schmidt
