MarkH024

I was going to recommend ripping a lipless crank over the top...let it flutter down...then rip...keep doing that. I guess it depends on the kind of weeds though. If it's really thick then you wont want to fish something with trebles. You could try a swim jig with a trailer. Chatterbait, or the option of plastics is endless really. Jerkbait above the weeds, flukes....You have a lot of options, just need to get out there and try it out. Hope you find something as enjoyable as the Senkos. Let us know how it goes!

I was pretty sure that I bought my Triumphs in 2002 but I could be mistaken. I never said my Triumphs were even manufactured in Mexico....not once. My Mojo and Rage rods are. That I know....I also have yet to have a problem with them and they both perform just as well as my Avid and Premier. But I guess I need to wait at least 10+ years to make a judgement call to have an opinion on the matter. The point I was making, is that bad mouthing the company and products because they have a plant in Mexico and everything that comes from that location is crap, is ridiculous. I'd still have the same opinion if it was completely unrelated to fishing. You're entitled to your opinion, so am I. I think St. Croix is a great company, with great rods. No matter it be Shimano, GLoomis, Elk River, Abu Garcia, Daiwa, All-Start, Powell, etc... you're going to get a faulty product at some point....it happens with everything that is made. Rather than beating this like a dead horse, I'll leave it at that. I love my mexican St Croix rods as well as my American ones...I wish they were built in America but until I buy St. Croix and move the plant, I'll have to deal with that. Tight lines.

Your website...isn't going to generate more web traffic and SEO results than their own, plain and simple. They have thousands and thousands of dollars to make sure they receive the necessary web traffic to their web pages/stores. You also need to tell a company "how" you plan to get people to buy the products. Tournament fees will need to be paid by you, for a long time to come. Until you have a "name" in the pro circuits, no one except for you, is going to pay your dues. Start saving your pennies if you want to fish seriously in tournaments. Money and family are the things holding me back from tournament fishing and I am 30 years old with a college degree and a steady job of 8 years now. Learn from the site and the feedback and don't give up if this is truly what you want to do. Look into college bass fishing and where you can make an advancement in tournament fishing from that. You're still very young and there is a lot of things in life you need to consider first. There are no free hand outs in life. Everyone has to pay their dues.

Anything that is heavier to keep your line tight so you can feel the bite. Like fishking, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, crankbaits, swim jigs, or heavier weighted T-Rigged plastics. I too find it difficult to finesse fish in high winds as it is harder to feel the bite.

Well for starters, I admire your passion for american craftsmanship as I do feel the same in general. Your posts confuse me. You glorify them on their "high end" rods, but throw them under the bus on their "low end" rods. To be honest, it sounds more like you have an issue with St. Croix itself and the way they handle business and manufacturing. Do you honestly think there aren't Premiers - Legend Extremes that fail? You're dead wrong. It's not as common, I'll give you that but not everyone can afford the high end stuff. Out of the 1000's of rods they make, I'd be willing to bet there are more "great" ones, than failures. You make it sound like ALL the Mexico imported rods fail or are garbage...and I just think it's bs. And that's merely the point I am getting at, don't bad mouth them just because you see a handful of threads about the rod breaking/failing. If you buy a Triumph and expect it to be the same as Legends then you as a buyer are in the wrong from the get go and you need to do some research prior to purchasing. I have 2 triumphs that are 10 years old...still use them and they still perform flawlessly. I have Avids and Premiers...they're just as good as my "garbage" rods. I hear more great things about the St Croix low end rods than bad. All I'm saying is don't bash all their stuff just because it's not put together on our soil, that's ridiculous. Maybe that's what it takes for St. Croix to keep up with the supply and demand of their product? Why don't you email them and ask why they manufacture their "low" end stuff in Mexico? As a fishing guide/charter I'm sure you do have rods that are 20 years and going strong. You probably take care of your stuff far better than your weekend warrior angler. I take care of my stuff like they are my children. I was raised to cherish the things I buy and I paid my hard earned money on. Some guys that I know just throw their stuff around and don't care. Like I said, you don't really know how this stuff is handled before you take it to the check out or after for that matter.

If it's accidental, it's not abandonment...it is forgetting or misplacing it. When you abandon something you are doing it by intention. Someone was greedy and the poor guy had his stuff swiped just to take a whiz. Perhaps if we lived in a less greedy/self centered world things like this wouldn't happen but we're humans and that's what people do. It's sad. You're right, he did learn the hard way and I feel for him, but some people are pouring salt in the wound it seems. I don't think he was posting to be lectured. That's all I'm going to say.

I hear you on that. Do you have any images of your own rods? I'd love to see them.

I prefer to use Willow leaf, silver blades. Colorado blades you can fish slower but I fish fast most of the time. I tend to use more Willow Leaf bladed spinners in the day or bright light conditions where I am burning them a lot quicker. Colorado or Indiana when its darker light or night, visibility is lower, and you want to give a good vibration off. Thats how I do it. Colors, I always like black, black and blue..or white..white/silver. Natural colors are always great to have, bluegill patterns. I don't use chartreuse or yellows unless the water is really dingy and stained. I would say get 1 or 2 of each style and then you have a little of all. From that point you can figure out what works better for you and the water you fish. Then you can start collecting more of the kind you like better.

They are all designed and tested in Park Falls, WI first. They are manufactured in Mexico. Being that all these models are half the price or less than their upper end rods from St. Croix, I can understand why they are manufactured in a different facility. I own Rage/Mojo/Triumph as well as Avids and Premiers and they all perform just as well as each other. I've never had a St Croix rod break or have loose fittings. You're going to get a faulty product no matter what it is at some point in time, no matter if it's made in your garage on US soil or if it's made in China, Mexico, or where ever else. So to say that "they aren't real St. Croix rods" is a bit extreme. I'm all for made in America and providing jobs for American people but it doesn't always downgrade the products of ones company just because it was put together in a different country. A lot of the bad products could be from mishandling in the stores like BPS, Cabelas, tackle shops, or even from getting shipped. How many people are handling and touching your rod before you actually get it. How many kids at BPS picked up that rod and swung it or wacked a guide in the stand. There is a lot of variables to consider. Unless you're driving to Park Falls WI, and taking the rod from the factory itself, you have no idea who touched your rods. Just my 2 cents on that whole topic.

X2, has nothing to do with sensitivity. Split grip is for better rod balance and lighter over all weight. Most guys "cup" the low profile reel and have the rod butted up to their palm and don't even hold it to where the split is in their hands unless you have banana hands.. More or less its personal preference. I use both and I prefer them for different methods. Neither is going to make you catch more or less fish, so use what's comfortable to you. Also, if you're looking for frogging rod don't worry about sensitivity since it doesn't pertain to that style of fishing. Get a good Med/Heavy or Heavy rod with a fast tip. You need a good backbone to yank them from the weeds. I frog fish with a Mojo Bass rod myself and it does great for me. Either way, St. Croix rods are great from highest to lowest so you won't go wrong by using them.

20 seconds is pretty excessive. Id imagine you'll end up having a lot of deeply hooked fish or they will spit it before you get the chance to set. I would think the bass can determine after that amount of time if its real ir not. I think most of it has to do with the rod and hooksets. You're not going to land every fish that hits. If they miss throw it right back in there and 9 out of 10 times they will go at it again. Only when they take it and you fail to set the hook is when it usually will spook them into not biting again.

Give us some details of what was happening. Where you trigger happy? Too delayed? What kind of rod are you using? If it doesn't have any backbone to it, then you'll never have great success with frogs. 7' Med/Heavy - or Heavy with a Fast tip is a good start. Were you in a kayak? Only reason I ask is from experience that it is MUCH easier to frog fish efficiently while standing up in boat so that you're above the water. I've tried it sitting in a kayak, jon boat, paddle boat and find it far more difficult to set the hook while seated. If you are seated, try to avoid setting the hook straight up to your face...set the hook with your rod sweeping more to the side of your body. You can get the tip of the rod further behind your body and twist your torso picking up more line slack, and getting a better hook set. When the bass hits your frog, do a one-one-thousand count and then set the hook. It's tough to do, even I get trigger happy and I been fishing frogs for 20 years. Hope this helps.

x2

I was going to say it might be bad batteries. Other than that I'd have no clue. That's strange. I'll be interested to hear what it is. I have the Powerdrive V2, 70lb thrust and ast weekend when I had my boat sitting at the dock overnight, I came down in the AM and my prop was spinning but the footpedal was off. I don't know what the heck that was about. I had to switch the pedal back and for from MOM/CON and played with the speed setting a few times. It finally stopped. My trolling motor needs some serious TLC and tuning up after this season. Ever have something like that happen?

Are you guys replacing the original trebles on these Live Target cranks? I for one don't replace all my crank bait trebles unless they're really garbage. I dont fish tournaments and rarely to I ever lose a fish on the crankbaits I throw, so no need. I was just curious if the hooks that come on these are quality. I'd hope so for $13 a pop but I really would like to try them out because the detail on these are incredible. Also how well does the paint stand up? Do they chip really easy?

Welcome

Welcome

Welcome

Does someone just "abandon" gear of that value? I highly doubt it. Why would someone abandon their fishing gear period, that would be a first for me hearing that. Whether your car/boat is broken into or something is swiped off the deck of your boat or your pier...stealing is stealing. If it's not yours don't touch it. Its not like he left his gear in the middle of a forest or in the junkyard.

Isn't that the truth.

I have all St. Croix rods. I have yet to have any problems with any of mine. I have nothing but great things to say about them.

Awesome man! Nice work!

I didn't reference size of fish at all.

Perhaps you're just a more exprienced fisherman? Throwing in the better spots, targeting the better pieces of cover, fishing the frogs more methodically? I don't think it has anything to do with the gear you are using to be honest. As for the subject of the post, I use spinning for finesse fishing only. Casting for everything else. I don't believe in the finest finesse situations you can beat a really good finesse spinning rod. I use a 6'8 St Croix Avid, XF medium action. It's a dynamite rod for finesse fishing, but that is all I use it for. I power fish more often than finesse, so I tend to throw my BC's more often. I say stick to what you're comfortable using. If you catch fish, no reason to change.

Thanks for the info. Voyager is where i have been fishing. Only from shore at this point. When I bring my bass boat home I might try it out here. I've caught only smallies and one musky from this location.