St Croix SCV panfish rods

[Tim Kelly]

Has anyone used this series yet? Wondering how the 6'4" xf light and the 6' f ultra light are. Do they compare to the bass rod fast and Xf actions? Are they more like Japanese ultra light rods than traditional American panfish blanks?

[poisonokie]

You mean the Legend elite panfish series?

[Tim Kelly]

Yes

[Alphahawk]

Has anyone used this series yet? Wondering how the 6'4" xf light and the 6' f ultra light are. Do they compare to the bass rod fast and Xf actions? Are they more like Japanese ultra light rods than traditional American panfish blanks?

I haven’t fished one but have held a couple in the hand. They are like a typical USA style UL....maybe a little more rigid. While it is certainly a step in the right direction for St Croix......and it is a very nice rod with the right components......it is not worth the money considering what you can get out of Japan for same or even less money. I went to purchase one, thinking.....hoping.....it might be similar to a JDM UL rod. For me to purchase one in the state of Tennessee I would have to spend $396 including the tax. For that kind of money...actually for about 100 bucks less, you can get a better rod out of Japan. And if I wanted to spend exactly the cost of the St Croix I can get a JDM that simply blows them out of the water. Now the St Croix is one piece.....but with todays technology there is really no advantage in a one piece UL rod anymore. For that kind of money you’re talking Evergreen....Graphiteleader....and others.

Regards

[Tim Kelly]

Thank you. I feared that might be the case. Do you have a good recommendation for something around 6ft or just over that will cast up to around 5g with a crisp fast or extra fast action? Fishing with 0.4 braid or 3lb mono.

[Canga-]

I got the 6’ ulf at a fishing show earlier this year for around 275, and while I haven’t used it yet, it feels great. I have a couple of the legend elite bass rods and love them and I have always wanted a nice 1pc ul rod, so I got it. I’ll put an og vanquish c2000hgs on it, which balances perfectly at the top of the reel seat. I would say it’s a true fast rod, much faster than any ul rod I have owned in the past. Can’t wait to use it!

[Alphahawk]

Thank you. I feared that might be the case. Do you have a good recommendation for something around 6ft or just over that will cast up to around 5g with a crisp fast or extra fast action? Fishing with 0.4 braid or 3lb mono.

Don’t own this rod but I’d buy one in a heart beat. They have three 6’ 1” models to pick from. Global Rakuten sells them.


http://www.olympic-co-ltd.jp/fishing/pr ... prototype/


Regards

[Tim Kelly]

Thank you. I just did a bad bad thing....

[Craigthor]

Thank you. I just did a bad bad thing....

Do tell, you should let a group of your peers make that decision... lol

[Tim Kelly]

I'm easily lead.

Just waiting for the shipping quote from rakuten.

[edwelch1]

I think the St. Croix LEP is still worth the money in certain regards. To me, that was mostly the fact that I was able to handle it in store before buying it. And it's arguably the best you can get on the USDM side of things unless you go custom.

I wanted to get a new L or UL setup this spring to up my panfishing/crappie game, and had been looking online for a while to determine which rods I wanted to check out. Went to my local shop that has a great selection of basically everything USDM, was able to grab all of the models I was considering to compare them side by side. Performing spine checks, feeling the action, how the ergonomics of each handle style worked for me, and then testing balance points with several different reels I was considering, was all invaluable to me.

I didn't like the UL versions of anything I was checking out. I'd definitely agree with Alphahawk on that one, they all feel like noodles, though some of them I'm sure were still plenty sensitive; the LEP UL models still had plenty of sensitivity, they just bent into a U shape with little effort. I didn't want a noodle though, as although I wanted a L/UL setup that would be better for panfish, I still wanted to use it as my primary for walleye fishing as well. My usual fishing style is vertical jigging, with 1/32 to 1/4oz jigs depending on current/depth/etc. (1/16 and 1/8oz 90% of the time), and either minnows, leeches, or crawlers as bait (though I just switched to 100% artificial baits).

The 6'4" Light Extra Fast Legend Elite Panfish fit the bill beautifully. I kind of expected that going into the shop, and feeling it in person confirmed that. Not wanting to spend that much initially, I originally walked out with my second best option, the 6'4" Light Fast Panfish Series for $120, which was still very nice IMO, just a bit less sensitive and the action definitely a good bit slower. But, I pondered it over the weekend, and decided the LEP was what I really was looking for initially. It's less of a noodle thanks to the light power and extra fast action, it has the soft tip for panfishing and the backbone for walleye that I was looking for, so I went and exchanged for it.

After fishing with it a couple of times now, I'm perfectly happy with it. Sensitivity is great compared to what I'm used to (GL2 Drop Shot Rig feels mushy now comparably). Definitely has the chops to do exactly what I need it to. On walleye opener, I caught a nice fat 19.5" male that had yet to spawn. The fight was fun, and the rod had plenty of backbone. A few days later, I hooked into a 22" female walleye that was spawned out, and it also handled that extremely well. That's about all the bigger I catch them on a regular basis, as the lakes I fish have very slow growth rates, so the rod has already proven it can handle the max of what I want it to. On opener weekend there was a picky bite due to them still spawning, but I still was able to detect the slightest of nibble from a little 7" walleye as well, so I also know it'll be able to handle panfishing just fine and be plenty sensitive for that.

I dunno. Bit of a ramble there, but that's my thoughts on it. I thought about looking into the JDM stuff, but decided I didn't want to deal with some of the hassles. With how JDM tackle is regarded in general around here, I was a bit worried that I was missing out. But after a quick search, it was hard to find the few rods that I thought might fit the bill for me in stock. Then I had the thought of what if I didn't like it, and had to deal with a cumbersome return process, then more waiting for something else to show up. Deciding to go USDM just works better for me at this point in my life, even if there are better values out there in the JDM world. Now that I have the arguable best USDM panfish rod, maybe my next will have to be a JDM competitor so I can experience what the hype is all about

If you're like me at all and don't care to mess with JDM stuff quite yet, then I'd say the LEP is great choice if you want the absolute best of the best USDM panfish rods, though I'd recommend sticking to the L power models, particularly the 6'4" and 7' LXF models. The lower level Panfish series also struck me as a good value for your dollar if you're okay with a bit more noodly of a rod and are on a tighter budget, though there are several other contenders in that rice range in the USDM, so I'd suggest taking your time in your local store that has as many of the rods in the panfish L/UL category as possible. The price tag on the LEP is quite a jump from most of the other panfish rod options, but if you want the best USDM panfish rod, it's arguably the best in my opinion.

[Mnsmallieguy]

I picked up the LEP 7LXF this season. The Rod is an absolute joy to fish. In hand, off water, one would rate the rod more of a fast action it feels and looks as though the rod loads further down the blank than you would expect for an XF rating. I think that is a product of being such a lite power blank, the rod loads though the XF action under heavier loads. When you put it under under load of baits within the load ratings you will find a sharp XP action in the tip in the front 4-6" of the tip, it provides great visual bite detection due to the XF action. Under pressure of fish, the rod loads quickly through the XF action and into a nice moderate fish fighting action that applies consistent pressure while fighting fish.

Thus far, i have used it for early season pan-fish here in Minnesota. I have caught gills, crappie as large as 15", largemouth up to 19" and too many 20-25" pike. The rod was awesome throughout. I have it paired with a 2500 Fuego LT and 4lb Pline Floroclear.

I went with the 2500 for casting distance, since the LT is so lite the weight is a non factor so why not take as many advantages as you can.

I will be using this rod for deep water ultra finesse largemouth fishing throughout the summer months. I plan on using it in open water, dropshotting and vertical jigging Zvibers for deep rock large and smallmouth. Looking forward to testing it in those applications.

Cant say enough about it, it is a buggy whip in the truest sense of the word and fun to fish. I say give it a try.

[edwelch1]

I went with the 2500 for casting distance, since the LT is so lite the weight is a non factor so why not take as many advantages as you can.

I went with the Tatula LT 1000, and strung it up with 6# Nanofil to keep casting performance good, with either 4# or 8# Seaguar Blue Label for my leader. Works great for me and balances the 6'4" LXF beautifully on my pointer finger in my natural grip.

I bet those largemouth were a ton of fun, I get more smallies up here in northern MN, can't wait to get some on this thing!

[Alphahawk]

I think the St. Croix LEP is still worth the money in certain regards. To me, that was mostly the fact that I was able to handle it in store before buying it. And it's arguably the best you can get on the USDM side of things unless you go custom.

I wanted to get a new L or UL setup this spring to up my panfishing/crappie game, and had been looking online for a while to determine which rods I wanted to check out. Went to my local shop that has a great selection of basically everything USDM, was able to grab all of the models I was considering to compare them side by side. Performing spine checks, feeling the action, how the ergonomics of each handle style worked for me, and then testing balance points with several different reels I was considering, was all invaluable to me.

I didn't like the UL versions of anything I was checking out. I'd definitely agree with Alphahawk on that one, they all feel like noodles, though some of them I'm sure were still plenty sensitive; the LEP UL models still had plenty of sensitivity, they just bent into a U shape with little effort. I didn't want a noodle though, as although I wanted a L/UL setup that would be better for panfish, I still wanted to use it as my primary for walleye fishing as well. My usual fishing style is vertical jigging, with 1/32 to 1/4oz jigs depending on current/depth/etc. (1/16 and 1/8oz 90% of the time), and either minnows, leeches, or crawlers as bait (though I just switched to 100% artificial baits).

The 6'4" Light Extra Fast Legend Elite Panfish fit the bill beautifully. I kind of expected that going into the shop, and feeling it in person confirmed that. Not wanting to spend that much initially, I originally walked out with my second best option, the 6'4" Light Fast Panfish Series for $120, which was still very nice IMO, just a bit less sensitive and the action definitely a good bit slower. But, I pondered it over the weekend, and decided the LEP was what I really was looking for initially. It's less of a noodle thanks to the light power and extra fast action, it has the soft tip for panfishing and the backbone for walleye that I was looking for, so I went and exchanged for it.

After fishing with it a couple of times now, I'm perfectly happy with it. Sensitivity is great compared to what I'm used to (GL2 Drop Shot Rig feels mushy now comparably). Definitely has the chops to do exactly what I need it to. On walleye opener, I caught a nice fat 19.5" male that had yet to spawn. The fight was fun, and the rod had plenty of backbone. A few days later, I hooked into a 22" female walleye that was spawned out, and it also handled that extremely well. That's about all the bigger I catch them on a regular basis, as the lakes I fish have very slow growth rates, so the rod has already proven it can handle the max of what I want it to. On opener weekend there was a picky bite due to them still spawning, but I still was able to detect the slightest of nibble from a little 7" walleye as well, so I also know it'll be able to handle panfishing just fine and be plenty sensitive for that.

I dunno. Bit of a ramble there, but that's my thoughts on it. I thought about looking into the JDM stuff, but decided I didn't want to deal with some of the hassles. With how JDM tackle is regarded in general around here, I was a bit worried that I was missing out. But after a quick search, it was hard to find the few rods that I thought might fit the bill for me in stock. Then I had the thought of what if I didn't like it, and had to deal with a cumbersome return process, then more waiting for something else to show up. Deciding to go USDM just works better for me at this point in my life, even if there are better values out there in the JDM world. Now that I have the arguable best USDM panfish rod, maybe my next will have to be a JDM competitor so I can experience what the hype is all about

If you're like me at all and don't care to mess with JDM stuff quite yet, then I'd say the LEP is great choice if you want the absolute best of the best USDM panfish rods, though I'd recommend sticking to the L power models, particularly the 6'4" and 7' LXF models. The lower level Panfish series also struck me as a good value for your dollar if you're okay with a bit more noodly of a rod and are on a tighter budget, though there are several other contenders in that rice range in the USDM, so I'd suggest taking your time in your local store that has as many of the rods in the panfish L/UL category as possible. The price tag on the LEP is quite a jump from most of the other panfish rod options, but if you want the best USDM panfish rod, it's arguably the best in my opinion.

No doubt in my military mind it is the finest UL rod on the shelves in the USA. Glad it’s working out for you.


Regards

[edwelch1]

No doubt in my military mind it is the finest UL rod on the shelves in the USA. Glad it’s working out for you.


Regards

Yep, just wanted to throw out some thoughts on it for those that may not be ready to take the plunge on the JDM stuff quite yet. I imagine I'll eventually take the JDM plunge myself, and your advice here on the boards will be plenty helpful at that time, but until then, cheers!