St. Croix Rage Rod Review

[flyfisher]

So in an effort to spend my Christmas gift cards, upgrade my current rods from my mojos and take advantage of St Croix's buy 2 get one rage rod free promotion in decmeber i picked up 2 rage rods.  I figured with using the same blank, slightly cheaper components and about $50 less than an avid and i prefer a more split grip style so i figured they were worth a shot.

 

Fit and finish on both rods is pretty good but i am not a huge fan of the color but who really cares abotu that anyways.  The guides are interesting in that they don't have inserts per se and i thought they would be noisy with braid but so far i haven't noticed any extra noise.

 

The first rod i picked up was the 6'8" MXF which i have paired up with a Shimano Sahara 2500 reel.  I have owned this exact same rod in the mojo lineup so my comparisons will be to that rod.

 

First impressions are that this rod is lighter, even though the specs say otherwise.  It balances much better than the mojo and that "tip heavy" feeling of the mojo is not the same with this rod at all.  The neoprene grip really hasn't made any difference but it does seem to have better grip when wet than the cork on the mojo series.  I will be curious to see how this rod does in the heat of the summer though.

 

Sensitivity seems better than the mojo when using weightless soft plastics.  The power rating feels more in line with oher manufacturers rods i have used in the M power where the mojo seems to be about a half to full grade heavier than the rating.  The micro guides haven't been a concern yet and i have used them with and without a leader.  I have noticed that the guides do seems to squeegee off the line more than the larger guides but not so much as to be annoying.  I also haven't noticed ay hinderance to the distance of casts.

 

I have managed to catch two 14-15" bass on the set up and the backbone of hte rod seems solid and gives good hooksetting power. 

Overall i am pleased with the rod so far.

The second rod i picked up was a casting 6'8" MHF that i was planning on using for texas rigs but i have only used it with 1/2 oz jigs.  Tis rod will be replacing a 6'6" MHF Mojo series rod

 

Much of the same applies as for the spinning rod as far as balance, weight etc so i won't bore you with repeating the same although i will say that in my hand this rod feels much more lightweight than the Mojo even with the slightly longer length.  This rod is paired up with a Citica e series reel.

Sensitivity on this rod is much better than the mojo IMO.  I was able to keep better contact with the bottom without that dead feeling i had on the mojo.  Not that the mojo is bad but i did notice the difference.  This rod also has the backbone to be able to give hard hooksets without fear.

I don't even notice the micro guides on this reel and casting distance is good but i have not tried this rod yet with a leader but i don't see it being a problem.  I have caught 2 fish on this rod, one 22" and one 15" LM both on jigs.

 

Overall i am happy with both of these rods and i definitely feel they are worth the extra money from the mojo series.  I haven't fished an avid yet so i cannot compare to that series.

 

I have my free rod coming soon hopefully which will be a 7'1" MF spinning rod and i am hoping it will perform as well as these two.

 

All in all a good value and as long as the durbility is good i would not hesitate to recommend these rods to anyone not looking to spend in the $200 range but are stil llooking for a quality stick with good sensitivity. 

It also doesn't hurt that for basically only $150 out of my pocket i am getting three new upgraded rods.

[gripnrip]

Thanks for this review.  I was thinking on purchasing one of the Rage series rods soon.

[roadwarrior]

Good job!

[retiredbosn]

Good review, thanks for taking the time to do it

[Toeshots]

Thanks for the review. Mine should be here in a few weeks. I went with the 6'8" M/F to be used mostly for lighter T-Rigs.

Maybe I'll get lucky and it'll come early enough for the mid 50's forecasted for next weekend!

[Toeshots]

The power rating feels more in line with oher manufacturers rods i have used in the M power where the mojo seems to be about a half to full grade heavier than the rating.

I also thought the power rating was a little more in line as compared to my Avid, however the M power Rage still felt a little bit stouter than some of the other rods I was checking out and certainly seemed to have a nice backbone, especially for the M power. Can't wait until mine arrives.

[jerzeeD]

I still can't get past the guides on the rage series. For the price point, I feel the rod should at least get the same guides used on the Premier/Mojo series. Instead they give me lightning rod guides on an Avid bank.

[flyfisher]

I still can't get past the guides on the rage series. For the price point, I feel the rod should at least get the same guides used on the Premier/Mojo series. Instead they give me lightning rod guides on an Avid bank.

 

Yeah i can see that but for the same blank of a rod that is $50, give or take, less they have to make it up somewhere.  I honestly haven't ever noticed guides making an increase or decreas in performance other than weight savings.  To me if it is balanced and has the sensitivity of a higher priced rod then it makes sense.

 

I know some people will probably not like the grip but it has worked well for me so far.

[BassinLou]

My froggin rod is a Rage 7'4 H bc . I have had it for over a year now and I really like it. It does the job well. Plenty of back bone for strong hooksets and the micro guides I feel, allows for accurate casting. 

[jerzeeD]

They could still use aluminum oxide guides. The Avid uses Fuji alconite..Stepping down to Batson forecast guides on a rod that is made in Mexico rather than in the USA should be savings enough for their bottom line. The grip isn't the issue for me at all. It is the guides....Those terrible, cheap guides.

[ww2farmer]

They could still use aluminum oxide guides. The Avid uses Fuji alconite..Stepping down to Batson forecast guides on a rod that is made in Mexico rather than in the USA should be savings enough for their bottom line. The grip isn't the issue for me at all. It is the guides....Those terrible, cheap guides.

I have had way less issues with the types of guides they are using on the Rage's than I have had with guides with inserts. Fenwick used those type of guides on the Eagle Gt's and HMX's that I used for years before I switched to St Croix. Never had one single guide issue on those rods, braid, mono, fluoro, or any line I used, no inserts every fell out, or cracked, and no grooving. At least once a year I have a guide insert fall out or some other problem, like a cracked ring, be it the guides on a Mojo, Avid, or Legend Tournament. 99% of my guide problems occur on, or near the tip, presumably from getting banged around. But I never had the same issues on the Fenwicks, they may "look" cheaper, but I found the opposite to be true.

[fishingnut57]

Great review. I bought a 7' Avid medium power last year and loved it so much I ordered a 7' MH and a 7'H over the holidays where I could get 20% off. I took advantage of the same deal you did and am waiting on my Rage 7 1/2' crankbait rod. All in all a great deal for me, 2 avids and a rage for $300. I can barely wait to give them a workout on a planned mid April trip to southern Iowa.

[Bluebasser86]

I hope you have better luck with your Rage rods than I had. I had the 7' 1" MH/F I used for pitching. After less than a year it broke 2/3 of the way up the rod while swinging in a 2 1/2lb fish. I also had a 6' 10" ML/F spinning rod that I used for drop shots and grubs. Had it less than a year when I was fighting a smallmouth the epoxy that holds the front reel seat in place broke loose and my reel came off the rod. Another member had the same problem with a casting Rage rod. I liked how the rods felt and looked just too many problems for me. 

[flyfisher]

I hope you have better luck with your Rage rods than I had. I had the 7' 1" MH/F I used for pitching. After less than a year it broke 2/3 of the way up the rod while swinging in a 2 1/2lb fish. I also had a 6' 10" ML/F spinning rod that I used for drop shots and grubs. Had it less than a year when I was fighting a smallmouth the epoxy that holds the front reel seat in place broke loose and my reel came off the rod. Another member had the same problem with a casting Rage rod. I liked how the rods felt and looked just too many problems for me. 

I hope i have better luck too

 

Part of me did question if the only reason they were offering this freebie was because they were trying to unload the rods because of a redesign or canceling the line entirely.....guess time will tell.

[Got1Fishing]

I hope i have better luck too

 

Part of me did question if the only reason they were offering this freebie was because they were trying to unload the rods because of a redesign or canceling the line entirely.....guess time will tell.

 

I'm about to order some Rage rods and was just curious if you had an update on how these rods have been performing? I'm debating between the Avid and Rage series and I think I'm going to go with the Rage. I'm looking at a 6'8"MXF spinning rod and a 7'2" MM rod. 

[new2BC4bass]

Nice review.....for a flyfisherman! 

 

I must have done something wrong with the micro guide spinning rod I tried this year.  Distance sucked.  Took the rod back for one with regular guides, but those have also been downsized on the line of rods I was trying (not St. Croix).  Tried 8# mono, and 10# braid, 3 different reels on both rods.  Don't like what they call regular guides either.  It is one of 2 rods of mine that I would be happy to sell.

 

I don't care for the looks of micro guides on baitcast rods, but haven't noticed any difference in distance.  I have 3 of them.  Looks isn't that important to me, but performance is.

[ww2farmer]

I had a love/hate relationship with my Rage..............but in the end I decided I mostly hated it, and sold it. Micro guides...........not a fan. That handle..........really not a fan. The only thing I liked about it was the reel seat, BUT all that did was make me switch to another brand of rods that used that type reel seat, good job St Croix.  I don't "modern" bass rods.........IE split grips, EVA foam instead of cork, max. exposure reel seats etc....but the direction St Croix has gone with the Rage, and Legend Tournaments has turned me off of them for now. If you couldn't tell, I didn't like the Rage, and I really don't like the current generation LTB. Yes there's always the more traditional Premier, Avid, and Legend Elite, but............they blew it for me, so I switched brands, and honestly have found a better bang for my buck elsewhere.

[flyfisher]

I am still pretty happy with my rage series rods and after using the veritas and mojo bass extensively i can safely say that the additional cost to go to the avid blank is worth it to me.  

[Got1Fishing]

I am still pretty happy with my rage series rods and after using the veritas and mojo bass extensively i can safely say that the additional cost to go to the avid is worth it to me.

Point taken. I'll go with the Avid.

[flyfisher]

Point taken. I'll go with the Avid.

oops i meant to say avid blank....lol 

[flyfisher]

I'm about to order some Rage rods and was just curious if you had an update on how these rods have been performing? I'm debating between the Avid and Rage series and I think I'm going to go with the Rage. I'm looking at a 6'8"MXF spinning rod and a 7'2" MM rod. 

oh and i have the 6'8" MXF spinning rod and it is my favorite rod.  I think in all the series of st croix rods that i have used this is the length, power and action they have dialed in the best.

[Got1Fishing]

oops i meant to say avid blank....lol

I'm really torn between the two series. My college team is sponsored by St. Croix and they I've us a discount but I'm trying to save money. I really love the handle of the Rage, but I love cork. I feel if I get the Rage series I can spend a little more on reels, but I can't decide.

[flyfisher]

well i have used the avid and rage in heh 6'8" MXF and i liked the rage better but i am not a big fan of full cork handles either.  you will be happy with either one for sure.

[ww2farmer]

I am still pretty happy with my rage series rods and after using the veritas and mojo bass extensively i can safely say that the additional cost to go to the avid blank is worth it to me.  I know i

I know it's subjective, but IMHO the Veritas blank is better performing than the SC3 blank,  and cheaper to boot. If you think the SC3 (avid/rage) is better that's your perogitive, but I have had all three rods in my boat at the same time, and kicked the St Croix's to the curb based on the "bang for the buck" factor with the Abu rods. I'll give you the St Croix's are finer crafted, and have a better warranty, but................oh well. never mind. You like what you like, I like what I like, no sense in having a pee pee stretching contest over it.

[flyfisher]

I had some bad luck with the veritas rods when they first came out and broke three of them.  I fished the mojo series for over a year and definitely liked them too.

 

Now when the veritas wasn't broken it performed well and for the price it is right up there for sure as far as bang for the buck.