Comments about St. Croix of Park Falls, Ltd. St. Croix Premier Spinning Rods:

Have been using these for over six years. My kids and girlfriend all use these and they stand up to all the abuse. Have broken three rolling up in power windows but and the warranty dept. at St. Croix took care of me.

Comments about St. Croix of Park Falls, Ltd. St. Croix Premier Spinning Rods:

This rod used to be my all-time favorite despite a few quirky design flaws, at least until it started to fall apart.

The Rod: 7' Premier Spinning, PS70MLF2 medium light power, fast action, 2-piece.

Poor quality components:

The guides are of poor quality, Read on… I recently started losing fish due to line breakage. When the line would break the rod would register a tiny (tick) thru the handle and the fish was gone along with the lure and yards of premium mono. This happened at random over the past year. I closely examined the line. I noticed no defects but replaced it anyway with another brand. Next outing, same problem, line breakage. I simply could not figure out what was going on. I had several people look at the rod; including a rod builder and "pro" guide in town. Nobody could indentify a problem with the rod. They didn't say it but I could tell they thought I was crazy.

So my old friend sat in the corner for months sidelined while I fished with another rig. Last week, on a whim, I picked up a magnifying glass and examined the rod closely out doors in the sun and noticed the tip top guide ring insert has a tiny (less than the size of a pin head) chip on the inside diameter. Under load and at the right angle it was cutting my line off like a pair of clippers. Mystery solved! Further inspection revealed that the 3rd guide ring insert had the same problem (falling apart) and the next guide down is in the process of deterioration as well. (A small crack is forming that is going to turn into a micro-sized chip). The guides all are breaking down and falling apart at the same time! Slowly crumbling that is. Apparently, the guides have a shelf life! Currently the rod is unusable due to no fault of my own. I take meticulous care of my gear and have never experience a material failure like this before. I have equipment that is 35 years old that looks and functions like the day I bought it.

Back to the stick, the handle and reel seat:

Low grade for this price point and dated, old school up locking design. The handle has irritating exposed threads and fails to seat the matching St Croix AVS (Diawa Manufacture) spinning reel without constant re-tightening. A little electrical tape has solved this problem but again, at this price point, should I have to use tape to secure the reel to the rod? Also, the threads are tall and square (as they should be) and as a result they have a sharp edge. Due to the location of the threads they are always in contact with you hand and with extended use they (threads) chew away and your hand.

I will contact St Croix and advise them of the problem with my rod. I hope that St.Croix will do the right thing and offer an equitable solution to this problem. In the past I have had nothing but praise for there customer service. I guess that what you pay the big money for. However, the idea of receiving a replacement rod with a limited shelf life does not appeal to me. St Croix needs to drop there present guide vendor on the model line (name withheld) or at the very least this particular model of guide. Other customers have experienced the exact same problem with the guides on this rod. That said, this is obviously not an isolated or freak occurrence. It is clearly an identifiable problem that needs be addressed..

At present, I would rate my rod a (1) or (0) due to the fact that it is unusable. Providing the Guides weren't falling apart I would rate it a solid (4). The blank is awesome, forgiving and has the perfect combination of power, and sensitivity for trout fishing in the Rockies. It is also of the highest quality. There is no reason to pay more for a "better blank". Add a modern handle/reel seat combo; drop the price a bit and it would rate a solid (5) for function and value.

Bottom line: St Croix needs to get with it, stop pinching pennies and update there Premier line. It is dated, suffers from quality issues (long term durability) and is painfully pricey compared to other manufactures offerings. If you have to have a St. Croix, I would check out the Avid line. You going to pay even more but in return, you will grab a few less reel seat threads and the upgraded guides should be trouble free.

Comments about St. Croix of Park Falls, Ltd. St. Croix Premier Spinning Rods:

I have 2 UL and 1 Lt action St.Croix's.
For the money I feel they are the best rods
you can get in that price range.

Comments about St. Croix of Park Falls, Ltd. St. Croix Premier Spinning Rods:

this is a great rod for very light lures in stream fishing in Maine. You can cast further and it is very sensitive to fish strikes. It is as sensitive as a fly rod. Great rod.

Comments about St. Croix of Park Falls, Ltd. St. Croix Premier Spinning Rods:

The more I use the rod, the more I like it. Perfect.

Comments about St. Croix of Park Falls, Ltd. St. Croix Premier Spinning Rods:

I have several St Croix rods the 2 I just purchased were 4'6" Premiers for fresh water trout fishing. I have found no other rod in this price range and higher that compares to the quality of these rods.

Comments about St. Croix of Park Falls, Ltd. St. Croix Premier Spinning Rods:

Used on Missouri River in Montana for perch and good sized trout (2 to 4 lbs.). Great rod and great feel. Packed in carry on suitcase for flight.

Comments about St. Croix of Park Falls, Ltd. St. Croix Premier Spinning Rods:

Very nice 2-pc rod that is just what I was looking for to use in Canada while fishing for walleye.

Comments about St. Croix of Park Falls, Ltd. St. Croix Premier Spinning Rods:

Nice for throwing tiney artificial baits, 00 Mepps, tiny crank baits etc. Sensitive tip is good for Jigging for Crappies.

Comments about St. Croix of Park Falls, Ltd. St. Croix Premier Spinning Rods:

This is the perfect rod for back country pack trips to mountain lakes and streams.

Comments about St. Croix of Park Falls, Ltd. St. Croix Premier Spinning Rods:

Over all good action rod. Lightweight and flexible. Was shredding line because of broken plastic insert on rod tip.

Comments about St. Croix of Park Falls, Ltd. St. Croix Premier Spinning Rods:

I've been looking for some time now for a travel spinning rod with good feel that was a decent length when assembled (6' or longer), but broke down into a small package (less than 20") for transport on my motorcycle. It also had to be sensitive enough to use 4 lb test line effectively. I thought I was going to have to purchase a custom rod until I found this St. Croix Premier Traveler. This is a terrific rod at a price much less than custom.

In addition, St. Croix includes a rigid rod case (cordura covered) for transporting the rod securely.

For info purposes I've matched this rod with a Quantum Catalyst CT10 PTi-A reel, and the combination balances very well.