St. Croix Ups the Travel Gear Ante with Legend Trek (continued)

Features: As mentioned earlier, the LTC76HF comes with a full rear grip and foregrip made of good quality cork. The filler is not extensive and seems to hold in well after a couple of uses. The rod's guides are by Kigan and feature their tangle-free design with titanium frames with zirconia inserts. The rod's reel seat is an exposed blank Fuji ECS reel seat so even though this is a beefy stick, the smaller reel seat helps to lessen that impression and make it easier and more comfortable to grasp the rod. The rod's hook keeper is also by Kigan and is their double, closed loop design - not the open ended version.

The rod's grip is of good quality cork.

One of the coolest features of this rod and no doubt a factor in its overall cost is the case within which it comes. It is a rigid plastic case covered in a durable nylon material featuring a nylon handle and soft nylon divers inside to separate the rod's 3 pieces. The case's lid is secured with a nylon buckle strap. The case measures thirty four and a half inches (34.5") in length and should easily fit in the overhead compartment in any commercial airliner.

Not entirely necessary, the rod's case has a carrying strap.

Inside the case are dividers to define three separate sections - one for each piece of the rod.

Design/Ergonomics: For how big and powerful the LTC76HF is, it actually compares quite favorably against our 2008 All Purpose Swimbait Rod Average when it comes to weight. Where it falters is in balance - it's difficult to make a multi-piece stick that's also balanced. The LTC76HF balances at twelve inches (12") above the midline of the reel seat which actually isn't that bad, but it's balancing torque of 0.44ftlbs is closer to our Heavy Hitters SB average than the All Purpose.

The butt end is capped off with an EVA butt end.

Normally travel rods with this length and power have a massive reel seat. The LTC76HF has a standard, Fuji ECS real seat - so much more comfortable!

Otherwise, the rod's grip is pretty standard issue with no special contours or bulges - just a straight cork rear trip. The rod's dark blue color with lighter blue thread wraps and silver thread highlights is very clean and understated. This rod as a super clean, and sophisticated, if not conservative, aesthetic.

We're beginning to see this Kigan hook keeper and its open ended sibling on a lot of different rods.

The LTC76HF is a wonderful all purpose big bait rod.

Application: It's obvious this sticks applicability extends beyond bass fishing, but that's all we're able to score it against today, because that's the capacity in which we actually used the rod. Yet it actually has a lot of utility where bigger baits are concerned. For example, this stick would make an excellent choice for an old school Alabama Rig, Carolina rigging, throwing a Lunker Punker, dragging a Huddleston bait along the bottom, or swimming a glide bait back to the boat after a super long cast. Again, if you need a big bait stick to take with you on that next trophy bass destination, this stick will suit most of your needs.

One more, super clean detail before the end of this article.

Ratings:

Pluses and Minuses: