St. Croix legend Extreme, elite, and X series rods

[Jade Smith]

Hello everyone, I’m planning on spending $400-$500 on a casting rod. I’ve really been eyeing the St. Croix Legend X series rods. Does anybody have any experience with the legend extreme, elite, or X series rods. I believe they all use the same blank. Just different guides, grips, etc.. they are not the lightest rods in the world, but from what I’ve heard the blanks are second to none. Can anyone talk me out of this rod for something better in this price range? Thanks everyone in advance. The amount of knowledge on this forum is amazing. 

[Smelter96]

My jig rod is a 7'4" Legend Extreme (not sure that model is made anymore) but im sure its VERY similar to the other Legend series. Excellent balance, awesome sensitivity, and for sure one of my overall favorite rods.

[Arcs&sparks]

A dealer demo NRX can be had for under $500

[Angry John]

I like the regular elite rods.  400 for a superb rod.  I am a huge fan of their actions and power.  The Phoenix k2 is in the same class and is also outstanding.  For the cost  the LE is the best in class IMO.

[PatrickKnight]

To me the handle on the LE is the best of the bunch and one of the best on the market.

 

 

[HookRz]

35 minutes ago, Arcs&sparks said:

A dealer demo NRX can be had for under $500

When it comes to craftsmanship and components no comparison to the Legends. Torzite guides vs twisted metal springs? And the build quality? 

[Jade Smith]

1 hour ago, Arcs&sparks said:

A dealer demo NRX can be had for under $500

I’ve just talked too to many people who expected more from their NRX’s for the price of a truck payment. I wouldn’t say they were disappointed by any means. Maybe just to high of expectations for the price. I’ve never fished one. So I can’t speak to their quality. I have fished a GLX and wasn’t overly impressed. 

I’ve also heard that the mega bass destroyer is in the same class as the legend series rods. Can anyone speak to their quality?

[Naticedog04]

Hello,

 

First off, I’m a huge St. Croix fan, I now own two Avid X(s), I mainly fish from shore, and I usually fish a Carolina rig so bottom contact sensitivity and power rating are extremely important to me. I recently made the jump to the legend elite 7’ mh, fast action. To my disappointment, I didn’t enjoy fishing with the legend elite and felt my Avid X 7’4” heavy, fast action was on par with sensitivity and more enjoyable to fish with. So I returned to legend elite and bought my second Avid X, a 7’4” mh fast action.

 

So let me go into further detail about the legend elite. The quality is top notch and it’s a beautiful rod. However, I didn’t like the full cork grip because the grip plus the reel seat felt bulky in my hands. IMO, these were the factors that decreased the sensitivity of the rod. BTW I’m 5’7” tall and my hands are average size. While fishing with the rod, I got “stuck” a lot because of the sensitivity and the tip of the rod. So going over rocks, grass, brush etc felt like a chore. Plus I found it difficult to hookset. So the lack of sensitivity, the taper of the rod, and the hookset experience lead to my disappointment and me returning the rod. I couldn’t hold onto a 400$ rod and not enjoy it more than a 200$ rod. 

 

So you mentioned you weren’t impressed with the glx? Well IMO, I prefer the GLX over the legend elite for the strength, sensitivity, and hookset ability. I currently own a GLX 844c MBR (paid 400$) and love it for the Carolina rig. I was really impressed with fishing the Avid X(s) back to back, then fishing with the GLX and catching more bass with the GLX. Not sure what it was, but the sensitivity and being able to detect every bite on the GLX surprised me. This lead me to think perhaps I have been missing subtle bites on my Avid x(s), or it could have been the bait, or the time of day, but I was fishing the exact same spot with all three rods. So if I was going to buy another 400$ rod, it would be a GLX 844c MBR. The price is expensive, but it has all the qualities to enjoy fishing even more. 

 

Now, I just purchased a used Shimano/GLoomis 844c MBR from a member on this forum for a great price. I haven’t had the chance to fish with it, but it weighs 4.24 oz, the full cork grip is smooth and comfortable, and it’s aestheically pleasing to the my eye. Hopefully this rod outperforms the GLX, but time will soon tell. I’m trying not to get my hopes up too high because it’s hard for me to imagine a better rod than the GLX. 

 

OP, good luck with your decision and I hope my opinions helped. Please let me know if y’all have any questions or if I’m going to hades for being a traitor and switching from St. Croix to Gloomis lol. Have a great day y’all and keep on fishin!

 

 

[Matt_3479]

2 hours ago, Naticedog04 said:

Hello,

 

First off, I’m a huge St. Croix fan, I now own two Avid X(s), I mainly fish from shore, and I usually fish a Carolina rig so bottom contact sensitivity and power rating are extremely important to me. I recently made the jump to the legend elite 7’ mh, fast action. To my disappointment, I didn’t enjoy fishing with the legend elite and felt my Avid X 7’4” heavy, fast action was on par with sensitivity and more enjoyable to fish with. So I returned to legend elite and bought my second Avid X, a 7’4” mh fast action.

 

So let me go into further detail about the legend elite. The quality is top notch and it’s a beautiful rod. However, I didn’t like the full cork grip because the grip plus the reel seat felt bulky in my hands. IMO, these were the factors that decreased the sensitivity of the rod. BTW I’m 5’7” tall and my hands are average size. While fishing with the rod, I got “stuck” a lot because of the sensitivity and the tip of the rod. So going over rocks, grass, brush etc felt like a chore. Plus I found it difficult to hookset. So the lack of sensitivity, the taper of the rod, and the hookset experience lead to my disappointment and me returning the rod. I couldn’t hold onto a 400$ rod and not enjoy it more than a 200$ rod. 

 

So you mentioned you weren’t impressed with the glx? Well IMO, I prefer the GLX over the legend elite for the strength, sensitivity, and hookset ability. I currently own a GLX 844c MBR (paid 400$) and love it for the Carolina rig. I was really impressed with fishing the Avid X(s) back to back, then fishing with the GLX and catching more bass with the GLX. Not sure what it was, but the sensitivity and being able to detect every bite on the GLX surprised me. This lead me to think perhaps I have been missing subtle bites on my Avid x(s), or it could have been the bait, or the time of day, but I was fishing the exact same spot with all three rods. So if I was going to buy another 400$ rod, it would be a GLX 844c MBR. The price is expensive, but it has all the qualities to enjoy fishing even more. 

 

Now, I just purchased a used Shimano/GLoomis 844c MBR from a member on this forum for a great price. I haven’t had the chance to fish with it, but it weighs 4.24 oz, the full cork grip is smooth and comfortable, and it’s aestheically pleasing to the my eye. Hopefully this rod outperforms the GLX, but time will soon tell. I’m trying not to get my hopes up too high because it’s hard for me to imagine a better rod than the GLX. 

 

OP, good luck with your decision and I hope my opinions helped. Please let me know if y’all have any questions or if I’m going to hades for being a traitor and switching from St. Croix to Gloomis lol. Have a great day y’all and keep on fishin!

 

 

I’m glad I read this post. I use a st. Croix avid x in a spinning set up and love the pure power, great sensitivity, good tip just an overall good rod. I was eyeing up a new jig rod and I was having thoughts about grabbing one of the legend elites or legend X to try out. The others I was looking at was loomis in the imx pro, glx or nrx If I find a sale or a good used one. I find st. Croix to be a little tip heavy, and prefer the balance on the loomis Rods. I think I’ll be looking more towards trying out a glx or nrx!! 

 

Whats the last rod you pictured up in 844c. You said shimano/g.loomis so is that the conquest?

[Siebert Outdoors]

I have several Legend Elites.  These are by far my favorite rods I have fished to date.

[The Pond King]

I own two Legend Elites. Their build quality is superb. I find that St. Croix rods have exceptional build quality, and they are very durable. However, ever since I got into buying G. Loomis rods, I feel that St. Croix's sensitivity isn't as good as G. Loomis'. Don't get me wrong, St. Croix still has great sensitivity, but G. Loomis reigns supreme. 

 

As mentioned, I like St. Croix because of their build quality. They have two coats of epoxy on the rods which makes the rods wear well and make them somewhat scratch resistant, but in turn, it dampens the sensitivity a bit and makes the rod feel heavier. So it's a trade off. G. Loomis rods feature raw unfinished blanks which makes it more sensitive and lighter, but the downside is it makes it more prone to getting scratched and creating weak spots on the blank which can potentially lead to a breakage on a hook set or something like that. Personally, I prefer the raw unfinished blanks. 

 

In general, I've also noticed that St. Croix's blanks are heavy when compared to G. Loomis. I also feel that G. Loomis has superior balance. 

 

However, St. Croix rods are well engineered. They also use top quality components: premium cork, guides, etc. You can't go wrong either way, but I if I were you, I'd go with G. Loomis. 

 

In terms of durability, I'd say St. Croix is stronger, but in terms of sensitivity, balance, and overall pleasure to fish with, I'd say it's G. Loomis without a doubt. Who cares about durability when both companies provide exceptional warranties. 

 

And if you're already willing to spend $400-500... you might as well just get a Conquest and get it over with. 

 

I've learned this lesson the hard way. Save your money. Don't buy mid grade gear which you will keep eventually upgrading because of the gear monkey. Just save your money and fight your impulse, and buy the best equipment possible and get what you really want! If you buy the best, it'll help prevent you from keep buying more gear because there isn't anything left to upgrade to, and despite the high initial investment, it'll actually save you more money in the long run. Buy a G. Loomis Conquest and your long journey of buying rods will finally be over. Put that $500 toward a Conquest and save for a little longer and get the Conquest. You'll be glad you did. I didn't go this route and now have a bunch of "back up" rods. 

[Angry John]

A rod for every purpose i say.  My 70mhf SC5 can do a ton of stuff and do it well.  Its my favorite rod when i only have one with me.  There are other rods that i have the the MB white python that is way nicer, and the quality is out of this world, for twice the MSRP.  Dollar for dollar i dont think an sc5 can be touched, but to each their own.  How a rod is put together is a big part of what i look for.  Not to many rods come with full handles and its something i really enjoy.  It also make the rod easy to balance as people who like split grips are alway talking about a rod being tip heavy.  The recoil thing that loomis did for a while was a total turnoff for me but others could care less.  It did reduce weight so that's the most critical factor for some.  In casting the standard line of rods are my preference and the X models in spinning get the nod.  Its so hard to recommend a perfect rod for someone else, as there a lot of factors that are different for each user.

 

41 minutes ago, The Pond King said:

I've learned this lesson the hard way. Save your money. Don't buy mid grade gear which you will keep eventually upgrading because of the gear monkey. Just save your money and fight your impulse, and buy the best equipment possible and get what you really want! If you buy the best, it'll help prevent you from keep buying more gear because there isn't anything left to upgrade to, and despite the high initial investment, it'll actually save you more money in the long run.

This is true for any high end gear and could apply to what you like the best.  A loomis, st croix, megabass, Kistler z bone, conquest, Steez, and more.  Top tier gear is wonderful and at that level becomes a preference.

[DaveT63]

I'm a huge St Croix fan, but have several G. Loomis rods as well.  I bought a Loomis MBR842C GLX a number of years ago and absolutely LOVE it.  It's been my senko and light plastics rod since I bought it, above a St Croix Legend Xtreme 7' MF rod.  But this past winter, I picked up a new model St Croix Legend Elite 7' MF for a great deal.  It didn't take long for it to take over the main chores from the 842.  Still love the 842, but for what I use it for, I really like the new Legend Elite.

[Turkey sandwich]

LOL at calling the Legend series "mid grade". I'm not saying this to be a jerk, but seriously, they're amongst the best rods made and St. Croix has made it possible to get that blank in virtually every handle imaginable.  That's pretty awesome in my eyes.  If you simply don't like the grip, or the reel seat doesn't fit your hand well, there are two other options built around the same blank.  Why more manufacturers don't offer this option for high end rods is beyond me. 

 

So, I haven't fished the Extreme or X, but I do own a current Legend Elite jig rod (7' MHF, I believe), and it's sensational.  The sensitivity, balance (Chronarch), and feel of the rod are excellent.  The quality of the cork is fantastic, though, had the X model been around at the time of purchase, I likely would have chosen that instead simply because I prefer a split cork grip for jig and T-rig fishing.  The guides are by far the best I've ever owned.  They are small, but they manage line well and seem pretty close to bulletproof.  I would own an entire set of Elites and Xs if I only had the funds.  And this isn't even taking into consideration that the warranty and customer service far surpass that of any other manufacturers.

 

Here's the thing.  You're going to get a lot of opinions on here.  Some folks are going to be die hard Loomis guys. Those are also stellar rods once you get into the $400 price point on up.  Generally, rods on the high end come down to personal preferences.  You aren't going to find rods at that price point that flat out suck.  The best advice I can give you is to just get them in your hands if possible before making a purchase.

[Naticedog04]

On 6/13/2018 at 10:22 AM, Matt_3479 said:

I’m glad I read this post. I use a st. Croix avid x in a spinning set up and love the pure power, great sensitivity, good tip just an overall good rod. I was eyeing up a new jig rod and I was having thoughts about grabbing one of the legend elites or legend X to try out. The others I was looking at was loomis in the imx pro, glx or nrx If I find a sale or a good used one. I find st. Croix to be a little tip heavy, and prefer the balance on the loomis Rods. I think I’ll be looking more towards trying out a glx or nrx!! 

 

Whats the last rod you pictured up in 844c. You said shimano/g.loomis so is that the conquest?

Yes, I purchased the Shimano/Gloomis Conquest 844C MBR. I had the pleasure of fishing with it last night, however I only got one bite, but I was able to set the hook. The other two fisherman didn't get any bites, so it was a rough night.

 

But to be more detailed about my experience with the conquest, I enjoyed it. IMO, the sensitivity is about the same as the GLX, but where the conquest really shines is in accuracy and distance. The hookset ability is natural and strong, plus the rod has a soft tip, but stiff enough to go over rocks, brush, etc with ease. So the verdict is still out for me, I need to get some more time on the water with the conquest before I make a determination if I like it more than the GLX. 

 

End the end, I completely agree with rods around 400 or higher are subjective and come down to personal preference. However, not all of us have access to feel or fish with high end gear. So opinions, thoughts, and other people sharing their experiences help out a lot. 

 

Special thanks to everyone on here for sharing, posting and keep on fishin!!!!

 

 

[JackKlassen]

Anyone fished the 7'1 mh xf legend blank? Looking at it for fishing jigs and t rigs.

[The Pond King]

18 hours ago, Turkey sandwich said:

LOL at calling the Legend series "mid grade". 

There was a misunderstanding. I was referring to mid grade rods in general like Avids, E6Xs, etc. I didn't mean to call the Legend series mid grade. The Legend series are very nice rods. Still, I prefer G. Loomis' though.

[Chowderhead]

Not sure I can add more than what has already been shared, but I am loving my new Legend X. The balance and sensitivity is more than I hoped for. 

[Turkey sandwich]

6 hours ago, JackKlassen said:

Anyone fished the 7'1 mh xf legend blank? Looking at it for fishing jigs and t rigs.

I have a TON of feel in the MH F.  I feel like I could find a use for the XF, but the F will cast a wider range of weights, which is more important to me than a slight increase in sensitivity. I'm sure it's still a killer stick. 

[blckshirt98]

I have a Legend Elite Salmon/Steelhead rod and it's absolutely one of my favorite rods to fish on.  In that price range though, also take a look at the Megabass Destroyer and Orochi lines.

[Naticedog04]

Quick update fellas on the Conquest 844c MBR. It is better than the GLX, but the GLX is a phenomenal rod that I enjoy fishing with. It’s roughly 400$, it’s got the sensitivity, the balance, and the ability to hookset and fight the fish.

 

With that being said, I fished with both rods back to back and the conquest outperformed the GLX hands down. Please keep in mind, these are both 844c MBR Rods. I have different reels on both, the GLX has a lews magnesium pro 7.5:1 gear ratio. And the conquest has a lews LFS speed spool with 6.8:1 gear ratio. Obviously the GLX has a better reel, but the LFS is IMO the best 100$ reel on the market. So on that day, I had my best day at my local lake with the Conquest. I tagged out with two fish over 17”. I got a total of 6 bites and reeled in 6 fish. And the Conquest performed flawlessly. I almost felt sorry for the fish, almost lol. 

 

So fellas, I will be keeping the Conquest for a long time and I hope my opinions/review of the rods help. Keep on fishin!!!