My New Trout Killer Rod - St Croix 3S66LF2

Finished building my new trout rod to replace the Loomis rod I lost at LL earlier this year. Decided to build a St Croix rod instead of a Loomis because the cost is about 25% less and I have been impressed with the quality of the St Croix blanks. Built my trout killer using a St Croix 3S66LF2 6'6"-2 rated 4-8lb. I used Fuji Concept spinning guides and a Fuji reel seat with cork grips. I matched this with a Shimano Sahara  1500 spooled with 6# fluorocarbon. Kayak trout fishing requires a rod be good at trolling plugs/spoons and also good at casting which actually requires different rod characteristics. Second or third generation graphite rods seem to be a reasonable compromise between casting and trolling IMO. Headed to Del Valle to check out the rod performance. My wife invited some of our fish loving friends for dinner so I figured a good excuse to go fishing even though I have a freezer full of rock fish. 

First I will have to say the wind was rediculous 15-25 knots which made casting , trolling and fishing difficult. There were actually small white caps at one point and the clouds and wind really put the bite off. All that said, I did a comparison between the St Croix and one of my 3rd generation Loomis rods. For casting the Loomis rod had slightly better distance and accuracy. For trolling, it depended on the type of lure but both seemed good although the St Croix had more flex on the hook set. The St Croix ended up catching more fish so I would say it is a worthy replacement for my Loomis. Total fish - St Croix 2 trout (18-19"), 2 crappiie (12-14"); Loomis - 3 crappie (12-14"). Both rods were running the same terminal gear.

Bottom line, both are great rods and if cost is not an option and you primarily cast, Loomis is a good choice.f you are on a budget, St Croix is a good option.

Scott

Nice looking stringer Scott, its always nice when you make something that works so well, it seams to mean more when you build it your self nice job.

Pat R

Yeah man nice stringer. Thanks also for the info about the rod. I've been interested in St. Croix but hadn't heard from anyone how they were. Where do you normally buy your blanks from and what kind of rod building set up do you use?

Z

Way to go on the new rod Scott. Congrats on the nice stringer. Thanks also for
sharing the pictures.

Jedmo

Yeah man nice stringer. Thanks also for the info about the rod. I've been interested in St. Croix but hadn't heard from anyone how they were. Where do you normally buy your blanks from and what kind of rod building set up do you use?

Z

Hey Z -

I normally buy my blanks at a local rod building store (Rod Rack in Hayward). I do buy components from mudhole.com but the downside is you do not get to inspect the blank before you buy and returns can be costly. Every blank is unique so I like to load and inspect the finish and spine before buying. I built my own rod wrapping system from scrap lumber and other stuff from my garage. I did buy a finishing motor. Building your own rod saves $20 - $50 compared to the production rod but the components and construction are much better. More importantly you can design them to match your style of fishing. Feel free to PM me if you want more details on rod building.

Scott

Nice work again at DV Scott. 

Good info on the rod building.  I too am in the market for a new trolling rod although I don't have any experience building rods so I have to go the route of buying the already made.  I prefer not to troll with a spinning outfit and would rather use a baitcasting setup, personal preference I guess.

Michael

Good Job Scott!  Hard to go wrong with the SCIII blanks... they are a great value.  Made in USA too!

Nice job with the fish too...

Made in USA too!

Thanks Erik!

For sure made in the USA by great midwest people who know fishing and stand by their product. Broke a St Croix legend fly rod on a backpacking trip when some stepped on it and they built me a new section for $20.  None of this outsourced foreign made c**p that explodes if you get snagged or hook a big fish. The best rod blanks are all made in the USA and worth the investment, now more than ever, IMO.

Scott

Thanks for the info and pic GB2. This winter I may get down to putting together a few rods. Will be PM'n you.
Thanks.

Z

Nice setup Scott.  I built mine out of scrap as well but it's nowhere near as pretty as yours.  Still haven't bought the motor - I use an old rotisserie motor fitted with a 2" pvc cap with 3 thumscrews.  Would post pix but it is just too ghetto 

Don't know how they are on shipping, but I have a good source in SoCal.  Blanks are tough to mail order, but for the other components it may beat mudhole.

Hunter, post a pic, not all of us are into fancy!

Great report full of bling and fish both, 

Hunter, post a pic, not all of us are into fancy!

When I first started wrapping my own rods I use a shoe box with 2 notches for the blank and ran the thread though a book to provide tension. That is as ghetto as it gets.  After building a few, I built the system in the picture. Like Sean, I used to use a BBQ motor to rotate the rod when drying but eventualy got a drying motor because it rotates at the optimal speed and is easier to set up and use. Here is a nice do-it-yourself system which you can build for about $20. http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/buildjig.html but the shoe box works also.

Scott

OK, I'll take some pics over the break & post them - if the family lets me have enough free time.

Finals, big project, & doing ALL the cooking on t-day.  I'm getting too old for this crap!

Yeah, I first started wrapping using couch cushions and just my fingers for tension.