St. Croix Trout Pack Rod First (& Last) Impressions

[JS8588]

If there's something we know about St. Croix rods, it's that they run a little heavier than their rating. Well, I've found an exception to the rule.

 

When I saw St. Croix was expanding their lineup to include 3 piece Extra Fast Trout Pack rods, I was pretty stoked. I've had good experience with their (unfortunately now discontinued) Legend Trek series. A 7'3 Medium Light Extra Fast works well for most of the fishing I do. 

 

The rod's overall weight is lighter than my beloved 7'6 ML XF Daiwa Ardito & is rated for lighter lures. 

 

So, what's the problem?

 

This thing is a noodle. It is neither a ML nor an XF. It's a light moderate action rod. When assembled, it actually droops slightly under its own weight. I'm sure it will be a fine rod for many people, but I have no use for it.

 

Tackle Direct did a great job shipping it to me in a timely fashion (ordered Wednesday afternoon, received this morning.) I'm absolutely sure they would take care of a return/exchange. I may go that route, but the incorrect ratings/specs are the fault of the manufacturer. I've heard good things about St. Croix's customer service. I'll be giving them a call on Monday & testing it out. Specifically, I'm going to ask them to swap this rod for an Avid Trek 7'6 Medium. I'll be happy to pay the difference in price. Fair is fair.

[Deleted account]

trout

[JS8588]

1 minute ago, Deleted account said:

trout

Fair, but XF is XF (except when it isn't). I'm a multispecies angler. When people ask what I'm fishing for, my answer, invariably, is "whatever bites".

[iabass8]

7 hours ago, JS8588 said:

Fair, but XF is XF (except when it isn't). 

no, it isn't. There isn't an industry standard on power or action. Even within the same brand. These are trout branded rods. I wouldn't expect the trout ML series to be equivalent to their bass/walleye ML rods. 

[NYWayfarer]

19 hours ago, JS8588 said:

 

So, what's the problem?

 

This thing is a noodle. It is neither a ML nor an XF. It's a light moderate action rod. When assembled, it actually droops slightly under its own weight. I'm sure it will be a fine rod for many people, but I have no use for it.

 

 

The same can be said of their Triumph 4 piece travel rod. The noodle and the droop.
 

I bought it for my Florida trip later this year. It should be fine for certain types of baits. I bought a Fenwick Eagle 3 piece which is much stiffer and will handle the rest of my fishing needs.

[PaulVE64]

Im looking for this type of rod too.

A longer 2 or 3 pc in an xtra fast.

 

[JS8588]

3 hours ago, PaulVE64 said:

Im looking for this type of rod too.

A longer 2 or 3 pc in an xtra fast.

 

The Daiwa Ardito is what you seek.

[redmeansdistortion]

St Croix trout rods are definitely wet noodles, even though they are labeled as F or XF.  My Major Craft trout rods are truly fast action.  I did a side by side comparison, my 4'10" Troutino and my friend's 4'10" St Croix Trout series, the St Croix was every bit of a moderate action with a slow recovery by comparison.  Definitely not the rod I'd want to use working lures through swift current or any of that.  The action of the St Croix rods better lends themselves to floating bait, that they would be good for where a slower action is best.

[bulldog1935]

Very good rod review, having a comparison, and good points on the thread.

The thing is, you can have a soft tip and still have a long fast mid.  That's how you get a wide lure weight range, the ability to cast UL lures to good distance - also how you protect XUL line - 1-1/2- to 2-lb test.  (That's also how a great dry fly rod works, able to cast the leader alone and still fast through the long mid). 

I can think of one ML rod and several long UL-rated that meet the bill - the only one that the tip deflects under under its own weight is the Omen Green 7'7" ML, but the long mid is plenty Fast. 

 

Handy curves below from YB, because two of my favorite rods are on it - these are shore light game rods, and probably much closer to the Daiwa Ardito taper. 

Not recommending you run out to buy one of these mid- to high-grade rods, but using the load curves and some of my direct experience. 

I have the 83TZ Nano, and my salt finesse bait is III82.  Between the two, the 83 TZ spinning is the most remarkable distance rig rod (tandem jig and weightless bait rig), while the fast mid on the III82 makes it perfect fishing heavy-sinking UL to ML plugs. 

But what I really wanted to show here is where the 71TZ (JH-Special) and 73Plug load curves cross - the plug rod has a much faster mid than the jig-head special rod. 

Also note the 77TZ Stream, which is intended for light salmon, is one bad-boy-fast rod from end to end. 

 

Here's what YB offers for trout - every one of these rods is more para taper, with faster tip, more flex in the mid and, especially in the butt on the shorter models - the Main Stream models have more power in the butt for light salmon. 

If you want a guess, the 71 is closer to the St. Croix trout load curve. 

[Hulkster]

one trout rod you may want to check out is the G. Loomis Trout Series rods (TSR rods). they are a true fast action UL rod. I have the TSR791 paired with a sustain 1000 and its an amazing combo. 

[JS8588]

3 hours ago, Hulkster said:

one trout rod you may want to check out is the G. Loomis Trout Series rods (TSR rods). they are a true fast action UL rod. I have the TSR791 paired with a sustain 1000 and its an amazing combo. 

 

What I'm looking for is a JDM Ajing rod like the Tenryu Lunakia, the Abu Garcia Eradicator, and/or Graphiteleader Corto. Am I eventually going to buy some/all of those? Yeah. Problem is, no warranty support. I suppose if I buy all 3 & something breaks, I'll still have a backup.

[GANGGREEN]

I don't have the packable 3 piece rod, but I have a 6'6" trout series UL rod that's supposed to be a fast action and like you, I find it to be a moderate action at best.  Initially I was very disappointed because it didn't suit much of the fishing that I do, but in time I learned to like the rod fairly well, although it doesn't work well for any deep-water fishing for medium to larger fish (even panfish).   Given that it's a "trout series" rod and given that trout are typically caught in reasonably shallow water in moving water, it's probably a pretty good rod for that pursuit, so perhaps I just chose poorly in purchasing a trout series rod when I intended it primarily for large/deep Yellow perch and for Smallmouth bass.