Advice on Used St. Croix Legend Tournament Purchase

[Gazz]

I have no experience with St. Croix but I have wanted to dip my toe for awhile now. I visited my local shop a few days ago and he had a Legend Tournament 7’0 Medium/Fast that seemed to be in great shape. The cork is a little dirty but that will clean right up. I felt like I got a steal at $75 considering they retail around $280. However, this isn’t really the legend tournament I am used to seeing. I don’t recall seeing one with a full handle either. I’m assuming it’s just an older model. Does anyone have any experience with this rod and have any idea if the money was well spent? Either way it was definitely worth the risk of $75 for me. I spent more than that for the jackhammers and vision 110 jerks I got with it. Also, any recommendations on a reel that might pair well and what applications it would be best suited for? I only ask that as it seems like St. Croix’s power ratings are fairly different than what I’m used to. From what I gather their medium is more like a medium heavy but their actions are a bit softer? I have a curado k that I can likely free up to put on it. Any input would be appreciated. 
 

Update: I added a pic of the aftermath of cleaning the cork for anyone that doesn’t know of the miracles that a magic eraser can perform on cork. 

[GTN-NY]

That looks just like mine. Same length action also. I bought mine off of Craigslist in Dec for $75. Haven’t used mine yet but will next week

[Finessegenics]

Can’t help you much with the rod itself. I own a lot of Croixs but never any in the LTB series. My guess is it’s a relatively old edition of the LTB. I know they updated the series some time in 2017 but I’m unsure if this was the model that preceded the current ones. A lot of guys on here use SC so someone will chime in eventually. 
 

Either way, awesome job with the cork. Looks like a different rod. You just scrubbed with magic eraser or were there some secret steps? 

[Gazz]

2 minutes ago, Finessegenics said:

Can’t help you much with the rod itself. I own a lot of Croixs but never any in the LTB series. My guess is it’s a relatively old edition of the LTB. I know they updated the series some time in 2017 but I’m unsure if this was the model that preceded the current ones. A lot of guys on here use SC so someone will chime in eventually. 
 

Either way, awesome job with the cork. Looks like a different rod. You just scrubbed with magic eraser or were there some secret steps? 

Exactly. No secret steps. Just wet the eraser and squeeze out the excess water then scrub it down. Then I dampen a rag and wipe it down with some water then dry it off. Everything comes off with almost no effort. 

[Bluebasser86]

It's an older model. I had a full grip LTB, probably 15ish years old. Still great rods then but they didn't retail for quite as much then either. A Magic Eraser will clean that cork right off.

[.ghoti.]

Here is a link to St Croix it explains the date code on the rod. You can tell exactly when it was made.

 

https://stcroixrods.com/pages/service-warranty-2020

[J Francho]

You can date the rod as .ghoti. shows above.  These predated the LTB rods I own, which have the same real seat with split grips/no fore grip but were still on the shelves.  They were around $230-250, so you got a great deal on it.  Avids topped out at $190, so they were a considerable upgrade at the time.  Pretty sure IPC was already out then, so the blank should the same as modern LTB.  Nice pickup!

[Boomstick]

That's a nice pickup at a solid price. I would ideally pair something like a Daiwa Tatula SV or a Shimano SLX MGL 70 with that if you can't free up the Curado K as they are great for lighter lures. I would use 12lb fluorocarbon of your personal preference.

 

As for what to throw on this rod? Well it is a little heavier than your typical medium and lighter than most medium heavy rods. It is very similar to a Dobyns 703C which they call a medium heavy but lighter than most medium heavy rods. Basically it's not the medium heavy that you can throw 3/8oz or 1/2oz jigs on. Instead this would be that rod that I use to throw soft plastics on in clear water or light cover. I usually use no more than 1/4oz on a T-Rig and most of the time no more than 1/8oz and this will throw them weightless. You can also throw small swimbaits, power shot (drop shot with a 3/8oz weight) and 3/8oz spinnerbaits. And while not its primary application, you can also throw most treble hooked baits, especially jerkbaits or a square bill in grass.

[Gazz]

58 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

That's a nice pickup at a solid price. I would ideally pair something like a Daiwa Tatula SV or a Shimano SLX MGL 70 with that if you can't free up the Curado K as they are great for lighter lures. I would use 12lb fluorocarbon of your personal preference.

 

As for what to throw on this rod? Well it is a little heavier than your typical medium and lighter than most medium heavy rods. It is very similar to a Dobyns 703C which they call a medium heavy but lighter than most medium heavy rods. Basically it's not the medium heavy that you can throw 3/8oz or 1/2oz jigs on. Instead this would be that rod that I use to throw soft plastics on in clear water or light cover. I usually use no more than 1/4oz on a T-Rig and most of the time no more than 1/8oz and this will throw them weightless. You can also throw small swimbaits, power shot (drop shot with a 3/8oz weight) and 3/8oz spinnerbaits. And while not its primary application, you can also throw most treble hooked baits, especially jerkbaits or a square bill in grass.

Thanks for the response. Ironically enough I had just ordered the SLX MGL 70 because I decided it seemed like a good fit. A buddy of mine handled one in store and said it feels levels above the SLX and SLX XT as well. I have the DC and it works great. Just got the 70 on sale at Academy as well. I could easily free up that Curado but I honestly love a good opportunity to spend money on more gear that I don't necessarily need. 

 

I ended up coming across a full detailed review article on this rod from Tackle Tour in 2004. I guess it's pretty old but seems solid. Apparently it is the "Teaser" rod and designed for stick baits and soft plastics. It's also great for spinnerbaits, topwater and jerkbaits. I guess I found everything I was looking for. Thanks everyone!

[Deplorable Fisherman]

51 minutes ago, Gazz said:

I honestly love a good opportunity to spend money on more gear that I don't necessarily need. 

Haha! That monkey is always around the corner shooting mind vibes at you! "Buy it....buy it...you know you want it!"

[Boomstick]

19 hours ago, Gazz said:

Thanks for the response. Ironically enough I had just ordered the SLX MGL 70 because I decided it seemed like a good fit. A buddy of mine handled one in store and said it feels levels above the SLX and SLX XT as well. I have the DC and it works great. Just got the 70 on sale at Academy as well. I could easily free up that Curado but I honestly love a good opportunity to spend money on more gear that I don't necessarily need. 

 

I ended up coming across a full detailed review article on this rod from Tackle Tour in 2004. I guess it's pretty old but seems solid. Apparently it is the "Teaser" rod and designed for stick baits and soft plastics. It's also great for spinnerbaits, topwater and jerkbaits. I guess I found everything I was looking for. Thanks everyone!

Nice! I just got my oldest son one for his birthday. We haven't used it yet, but it's nice and fairly compact in size compared to the Curado K. Kind of excited to try this one, many people seem to like it better than the Curado K and Curado 70 too.

 

Apparently tackle tour and myself have very similar ideas of what to throw on this rod as well.

[Gazz]

11 hours ago, Boomstick said:

Nice! I just got my oldest son one for his birthday. We haven't used it yet, but it's nice and fairly compact in size compared to the Curado K. Kind of excited to try this one, many people seem to like it better than the Curado K and Curado 70 too.

 

Apparently tackle tour and myself have very similar ideas of what to throw on this rod as well.

Funny you say that. Quick update. I realized they also had the Curado 70 on sale and I love my Curado Ks so I bought one of those too. I told myself I would see which one I like better and return the other. So looks like I’ll likely be keeping both. Also accidentally ordered the first Curado 70 in right hand and I’m lefty so my buddy is buying the righty off of me and I ordered another lefty. Maybe I’ll order another just to put some more lead in my pencil.