I have been a huge fan of St. Croix for a long time with all my rods either St. Croixs or customs. I’m an avid vertical jig fisherman so when St. Croix released this rod I knew I had to try it. I went with the 5’8” Heavy, and I have it paired with an Saltiga 10K. Overall I’m in love with the rod, the reverse tapered grip and super fast action tip makes working heavy jigs a breeze. The first fish I landed on the rod was a 50lb Cubera Snapper off a kayak down in Panama, and it had more than enough backbone to keep the fish out of the rocks. Since then it’s landed plenty of large AJs and gag grouper. I would highly recommend checking these out if you’re big on jig fishing!

I purchased this rod with high expectations, but within a couple of months, the rings began to rust, despite me washing it thoroughly after every fishing trip. Unfortunately, I lost my receipt from Bass Pro and could not return the rod. I reached out to St. Croix to inquire if they would replace it or offer a credit for another rod. While they did confirm they would replace the rod, they required a $60 fee, despite the issue stemming from what I believe to be poor workmanship. I feel that they should stand behind their product. When I asked if they were aware of this issue, their response was no, but I don't believe that’s true. After joining an online fishing group, I learned that this problem has been ongoing with this rod, and at least three members had already returned their rods to Bass Pro. In the end, I bought a new rod of the same brand/model from Bass Pro and returned the faulty one using the new receipt. Now, I’m attempting to sell the new rod at a discounted price of $200, as I’m confident the same issue will eventually occur. This means I’m losing over $100 on a poorly made product.

I used the 6'0 Medium Heavy model in Florida fishing for big Red and Mutton Snapper and it handled many 40 to 50# fish with ease. Lightweight but yet it was very strong to allow me to horse the fish in as fast as we could before the sharks could get them. I even caught a 7 foot Bohemian Shark on it and it handled the extra weight. I would recommend this rod to anyone looking for a good fighting stout rod.