St. Croix
Premier Traveler (PS60LF4) Specifications |
Material |
SCII graphite |
Length |
6'0" |
Weight |
3.0
oz. |
Line Weight |
4-8
lb. |
Lure Weight |
1/16-5/16
oz. |
Pieces |
4 |
Power |
Light |
Action |
Fast |
Color |
Matte
Black |
MSRP |
$120.00 |
Impressions: The St. Croix 4 piece travel rod is well
protected in a small Cordura covered rod tube. This hardy rod tube will
assure that when packed with your other travel gear, your premium spinning rod is
still safe and sound. The actual rod breaks down to four pieces, making it
possible to fit inside a smaller tube then most other manufacturers can offer.

The
4 piece St. Croix PS60LF4 comes with everything you see here. The Cordura
rod tube is 22" long by 3" in diameter
When the Premier Traveler is taken apart, each piece only stands 19 inches long.
Being very lightweight and easily broken down to 4 short pieces, this rod makes
a great choice for backpacking, traveling, or just stowing in the back of your
car.
Complete Rig for the PS60LF4 Tests |
Rod |
St.
Croix Premier Traveler PS60LF4 |
Reel |
Quantum
Catalyst 10PTi |
Line |
Maxima
Perfexion 2 lb. |
The
St. Croix Premier Traveler spinning rod is made from their premium SCII
graphite along with a select-grade cork handle, quality Fuji graphite reel seat,
and 6 tough Hialoy eyelets on single foot guides.
Real World Tests: Built to travel, the Premier Traveler by St. Croix
went on rough backpacking trips with the TackleTour Editors to Yosemite National
Park. The tests for the PS60LF4 consisted of days trout fishing in the
rivers and lakes at different elevations. At the same time the Premier
Traveler battled many trout ranging from finger size to forearm lengths.

The
Premier Traveler can easily be taken apart and packed to go
When
I was loading my backpack I found the Cordura rod tube to be a little on the heavy
side to carry on miles and miles of hiking, especially when you want to pack and
travel light. The rod tube is great to stuff into your luggage or the truck
of your car, but for backpacking I opted to just rubber band the 4 pieces and
placed them in the tent pole holder on the side of my pack. You must think
I am crazy to put a $120 St. Croix rod on the side of my backpack without any
protection. Well, I was confident that I wouldn't damage the rod, not
because I am always baby my tackle, but the Premier Traveler is built using SCII graphite which is durable enough to take
a good deal of beating without any signs of damage.
Casting & Accuracy: Casting distance and feel of the Premier Traveler is
excellent. This ultralight fast action spinning rod casts very easily
and accurately. Casting lures like Panther Martins and Kalin's Trout tubes
in the smallest sizes were made simple by the finely designed action and
taper. Even though the St. Croix Premier Traveler is 4 different pieces,
you won't notice any degradation in casting or accuracy. The 6 foot rod is
actually a good length for the backcountry waters because when you work your way through the brush to your honey hole, you won't have to worry about
breaking your rod on trees and other obstacles. Also at this length it
makes casting easier when you have limited space. With a short flick you
can get the lure to the desired location where the trout are holding.

Casting
accurately to the base of the cascade where the trout are holding is no problem
to the 6 foot rod designed with a special taper that gives good control
throughout the swing
Casting
the St. Croix rod all day trout fishing is quite nice because it puts almost no
stress on your wrist and arm. The Premier Traveler is only 3.0 ounces in
weight. Paired with an ultralight reel, you will be able to fish all day
long. In addition, when high altitudes of 9000 feet gets cold, it's nice
to hold onto quality cork instead of cheap foam material. This will help
you feel more comfortable especially when fishing in the winter months when foam
grips dry much slower and can be very cold when wet.

Feels
great in your hands, this lightweight and solid travel rod makes casting all day
without fatigue or any discomfort
Sensitivity: If you have lure fished for trout before you know
they don't just nibble at your spinner or spoon. They hit it hard and then
run! You will be able to tell everytime you get bit. We wanted to know just how sensitive the St. Croix Premier
Traveler was in a range of situations. The rod is 4 pieces, so how does
that affect the sensitivity of the entire rod? Well, after many
backpacking trips throughout the entire summer even the tiny 3 to 4 inchers that hit my lures
are easy to detect. The PS60LF4 is actually quite good in this
category. The slim ultralight plus the fast action of the rod helps
transfer the vibrations you get from tiny bites.
Also, the single foot guide frame also assists in increasing sensitivity.
Not to go into too much physics and the transmission of sound waves, let's just
say having one wrap (attaching the guide frame to the rod) makes a rod more
sensitive than having two.
Power: The St. Croix Premier Traveler casts surprisingly well and is quite
sensitive, but how does it pair up against trout that fight and jump all the way
in? Throughout the backpacking trips I hooked many small to larger trout
that came in easily and some that were aggressive and wouldn't give up, running
downstream and into structure. By using 2 lb. test I wouldn't muscle in
the fish as I would while bass fishing. The drag of the reel along with the
Premier Traveler functioned nicely together leading to my successful battles
with the larger monsters. The ultralight rod also makes fighting these
backcountry trout exciting.

Built
with the perfect power and action for backcountry rivers and streams of this
size but can also fish other bodies of water that hold larger fish
To
further test the power of the PS60LF4 I took a side trip in the summer to a lake
known for huge trout that have incredible fighting-power. Crowley Lake in the
Eastern Sierras of California holds some real monsters, especially during trophy
season. Knowing this I upped my line to 6 lb. test and began my
tests. The St. Croix rod demonstrated it's power along with quality
material and thoughtful design, especially when I hooked some 22 inchers that
made me do circles in my float tube.
Ratings:
Premier
Traveler Ratings (?/10) |
Construction/Quality |
SCII
graphite along with quality components make this rod durable and solid |
8.5 |
Performance |
Demonstrates excellent abilities in the
backcountry waters. Performs well in casting, has good sensitivity and
power. You won't even feel that it's a 4 piece rod |
9 |
Price |
A premium St. Croix rod for a good price |
8.5 |
Features |
A nice rugged Cordura rod tube makes a nice
home to the 4 pieces while it's on the road |
8.5 |
Design (Ergonomics) |
A good selection of cork, rod balance, and
lightweight feels great in your hands |
9 |
Application |
Built to travel. You now can have a
premium rod with you where ever you go. The Premier Traveler is great
for backpacking and trout fishing. The ability to easily pack this rod
is a big plus |
9 |
Total Score |
8.75 |
Pluses and Minuses:
Plus
Minus |
J Thoughtful
design |
L
Rod tube a little on the heavy side when you
need to travel light |
J Packs
small |
|
J
Excellent for backpacking |
|
J
Lightweight |
|
J
Great for trout fishing |
|
Conclusion: St. Croix rods have been known for many years of being a
premium manufacturer that shows its quality and performance in many different
ways. The 4 piece Premier Traveler in the ultralight category demonstrated
its abilities to be able to not just handle the stress of multiple
backpacking trips in the high elevations, but also while battling small to
monster sized trout throughout the Sierras. The casting, sensitivity, and
power show no signs of weakness throughout our field tests. The ability to be
able to break down a quality spinning rod and pack it to go will assure you
won't leave home without one of the best. I strongly welcome this rod on
my future adventures, and I would recommend you to include the St. Croix Premier
Traveler in your itinerary.
