ICAST Coverage Day 3 (Rods) - Let the Rod Wars Begin! (continued)
 

St. Croix Rods - Legend Tournament Bass Rods: St. Croix pulled out the big guns this ICAST, and they are not firing warning shots but rather going straight for the heart of market! The Legend Tournament Bass rods were originally designed for specific techniques and anglers embraced them for their quality actions and solid performance, especially pros and amateurs on the competitive bass fishing circuit.

Now the Legend Elite Tournament Bass rods have a split grip handle

What's new and exciting about these rods are that they will now sport a split grip design! The new handle design increases casting and hook-setting performance by creating an improved fulcrum point, and of course a slightly reduced overall weight of the rod.

On the split grip handle are the techniques

The St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass rods use all their best processes such as IPC and ART, and the better SC IV graphite. The Split grip design on the Legend series updates the look and feel of the rods, and allows them to balance out even better with the new magnesium based reels.

Even the spinning reels have the split grip

St. Croix Rods - Avid Series: The original Avid series of rods by St. Croix was already a big hit due to the great price and admirable performance, but for 2008 St. Croix is going above it all with redesigning the Avid rods, essentially making an already great product into a superb one. The rods will be lighter, faster, and stronger than ever before. The Avid series will be 84 models strong which includes an expanded offering of salmon and steelhead rods.

St. Croix's Shim Technology uses urethane shims (bottom rod) compared to the cardboard shims (upper rod). St. Croix's shims improve sensitivity, reduces weight, and eliminates loose reel seats

The Avid rods will still use the St. Croix's SC III graphite but will now utilize their proprietary Integrated Poly Curve (IPC) technology. Originally IPC was only used in their high end rods but now anglers can take advantages of this unique process in the Avid series rods.

The redesigned Avid series rods now incorporates St. Croix's proprietary IPC technology

St. Croix blends technology and style together in their new offerings, and enters the fray with an advantage over the competition. The previous offerings already were among the most refined on the market, and the newly updated Legend and Avid rods are poised to offer anglers the best of all worlds when it comes to proven technology, ergonomics, and downright stunning good looks. These rods scream "fish me" and we can't wait to pair up a Shimano Core or Daiwa Steez with the new Legend Elite split grip rods to see just how the entire rig feels. 

Jeff Schluter, Vice President of Marketing at St. Croix rods, shows us the technologies used on the new Avid rods