01-02-12, 01:50 PM | #1 |
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St. Croix Rage ??
I was just wondering if anybody has used the st. Croix rage spinning rods yet. I haven't been able to find any reviews online so any input would help thanks
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01-02-12, 02:45 PM | #2 |
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I don't know much about the spinning rods, but I have had a chance to check out the casting version of this rod. I believe they only have like 5 models of the spinning rod, most of them being M power, I believe they have one ML and one MH so your choices are a limited at the moment.
They built the rods to fill a gap between the Mojo and the Avid line of rods. The Rage is a scaled down Avid of sorts, it uses the same SCIII blank that you find on the Avid rods, but changes the hardware/guides to PacBay Stainless Steel Micros, they weight less but the jury is out on durability with superlines. The reel seat is a PacBay Minima and the handle is a new design that uses a neoprene cover over a hard foam like core. The rods seem a little better balanced and seem to weight a little less, could be the balance, than the comparable Avid rod, but do not feel like a high end rod overall with the cheaper guides and neoprene handle. Don't know if any of this helps with choosing a spinning rod, but thought I would share.
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01-02-12, 03:08 PM | #3 |
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My impression of them is about the same as Tavs. I have never fished with one but I have looked them over several times at BPS. I am not a fan of guides without ceramic rings, I wouldn't trust them not to groove with braid. In my opinion, these guides are not braid safe.
The Pac Bay Minima seat is nice but they don't trim down the threads so you are left with a good inch or more of left over thread once your reel is tightened down. Those extra threads are not comfortable and defeat the purpose of the Minima seat. Lastly, the handle on the rod seemed really thin, it feels like it has a thinner diameter than any cork or eva grip on any production rod I have ever seen. This is more of a personal preference thing but it doesn't give you much to grab on to and it looks kind of cheap. As far as the grip material itself, it felt ok to me, just could have been designed a little better. The blank has a nice finish on it and the rod is light and balances well. The guides and the seat are deal breakers for me. If you don't plan on using braid and can live with your hands on reel seat threads, this might not be an issue. I wouldn't buy one sight unseen though, you might not be happy with it. Here's a pic of the reel seat threads. [IMG][/IMG]
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01-02-12, 08:33 PM | #4 |
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No fore grips, I hate rods without fore grips, I don't know why, just to have a place to grab when fighting fish(Why does St. Croix do that with their Bass rods)? But the neoprene looks cool, but with the eyelets "unproven"(Would they really put out a rod that's not going to stand up to braid, it is St. Croix?), I'll wait for some reviews.
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01-02-12, 08:44 PM | #5 | |
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01-02-12, 09:11 PM | #6 |
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I hate rods WITH fore grips. None of my rods (that are in use now) have them and I instantly liked the elimination of the fore grip. Any rods having a fore grip that may still be in my possesion are in the basement, awaiting the day I decide to have my yard sale or are salt water trolling rods. IMO it's one of the most notable improvements in rod design as it relates to freshwater fishing.
It took me longer to accept split grips, but now that I've used them a couple years I wouldn't go back to full cork handles. Well that's almost 100% true as I do still have one full cork handle rod that I like it so much I just refuse to replace it. It's my frog rod and I like the solid handle for that application. Last edited by bassboogieman; 01-02-12 at 09:18 PM. |
01-02-12, 09:45 PM | #7 | |
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Recoil guides have a big following, I know there are some guys here that love them. I'm sure most people don't have any trouble with them but I wouldn't risk it personally. In reality, the grooves in the picture probably wouldn't do any line damage. Most people probably wouldn't even notice it on their rod and to be fair, ceramic guides can be very brittle and do crack, especially if mistreated.
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01-02-12, 10:44 PM | #8 |
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I know Bryce likes the recoils. I have 4 spinning rods with the recoil guides, and I'm not certain I'd buy others. I find them noisy when used with braid, and I haven't noticed that they are a real improvement over guides with ceramic inserts other than not being prone to bending. I really liked the zircon inserts that were somewhat popular just a few years ago, but you don't seem them much any more.
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01-03-12, 09:52 PM | #9 |
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Funny about that pic of the Recoils, why are the grooves on the side, and after continued use wouldn't that turn into a saw blade?
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01-03-12, 11:59 PM | #10 |
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I just bought one of the Rage spinning rods and have not had a chance to fish with it yet. First impression was how light it was, it was like holding next to nothing. I liked the overall look and feel of it but foregrip has almost some sort of "hood" that is kind of uncomfortable in my hand but I'm sure I'll figure out how to deal with it. I don't fish braid so I'm not really worried about grooving the guides, just excited to get it out and fish it! On a side note a guy on another board I frequent regualarly catches DD bass at Falcon and other south Texas lakes and fishes a lot of braid and he uses nothing but Rage rods and swears by them. Of course those are castings rods but still the same kind of guides.
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01-04-12, 07:07 PM | #11 |
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i am no were near the anglers yall are, and do like the mojo and believe the avid series, but the rage seem to0 lite, i looked at a couple today, and they all had the 120 plus tag, and they felt so lite, they just were cheap feeling , idk guess i am just a noob
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01-04-12, 07:53 PM | #12 | |
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01-04-12, 08:52 PM | #13 |
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to bad, aint lite on wallet, lol
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01-04-12, 09:31 PM | #14 |
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Where did you find the Rage rods for 120?? They're 150 anywhere I've seen them.
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01-05-12, 11:09 PM | #15 |
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i was generally saying they were 120 plus, just saying rods in that catagory, think they are 145 at Bp in my neck of the woods sorry, to get ya
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