St. Croix stagnating?

[zalan]

i find it strange that they contract out the guide installation when they have such a huge factory

They do both. Not sure what chunk contractors take though... St. Croix sells a lot of rods even in Europe.

Are they really popular in EU? I do not really think it is true. I'm in EU and I rarely see them in webshops. I would say they sell some, but I'm not sure they are very competitive pricewise here.

[Tim Kelly]

I'm in the UK and still in the EU for a few more minutes. They sell them here and are fairly popular as a premium brand. They are very popular in Holland too. I imagine they're less popular in Germany as they don't make many suitable longer rods, which are more commonly used in countries with limited boat access, but big water.

[BRONZEBACK32]

There legend tournament glass rods are pretty damn awesome IMO.

I also like there ice rods, I tried there custom ice rods and ended up selling them though but the black ice version
with St-Croix's spring bobber is the best I have used.

[Cracker]

i find it strange that they contract out the guide installation when they have such a huge factory

They do both. Not sure what chunk contractors take though... St. Croix sells a lot of rods even in Europe.

Are they really popular in EU? I do not really think it is true. I'm in EU and I rarely see them in webshops. I would say they sell some, but I'm not sure they are very competitive pricewise here.

OK! Let me rephrase it, St. Croix is kinda popular in Russia, Ukraine,ex-USSR. They are number one American brand selling out there, mostly because they do offer a lot of 2pcs rods.

[Dalleinf]

i find it strange that they contract out the guide installation when they have such a huge factory

They do both. Not sure what chunk contractors take though... St. Croix sells a lot of rods even in Europe.

Are they really popular in EU? I do not really think it is true. I'm in EU and I rarely see them in webshops. I would say they sell some, but I'm not sure they are very competitive pricewise here.

Some EU countries, Poland and especially Sweden, seem more fond of St Croix. Personally, I love St Croix rods, but they are hard to find in Denmark where very few shops sell the rods and few options are available.
My brother got his St Croix rods from the UK and Sweden, but I have purchased most of my 8-9 St Croix rods from the St Croix US website.

Apparantly, I am in the target audience . I am old (41) and I hate bling on fishing rods. Most JDM and USDM rods - and EDM rods for that matter - are just too much bling-bling to me. Some rods are more at home in a disco than in nature.
With regard to St Croix stagnating: I do not know. IMO many fishing brands including some that I love just pump out too much tackle and “upgrade” their lineup every single year for ICAST/EFFTEX....

[dennis_rf]

I'm in the UK and still in the EU for a few more minutes. They sell them here and are fairly popular as a premium brand. They are very popular in Holland too. I imagine they're less popular in Germany as they don't make many suitable longer rods, which are more commonly used in countries with limited boat access, but big water.

+ the German distributor went out of business last year - not too much of a loss as the prices were super high and the available lineup super limited. The few people I know of owning St Croix rods got them second hand or via eBay US. NRXs are very popular in enthusiast circles tho. They used to be imported via Shimano but since quite a while that’s a thing of the past, too. The lack of availability got them even more enthusiastic

[russ57]

my dealer said that a new Legend Extreme is being released this year.

[hoohoorjoo]

my dealer said that a new Legend Extreme is being released this year.

Let's hope they don't mis-step with a crazy handle and SK reel seat, or recoil guides again. That was a tragedy, to say the least.

[Revofisher]

That would be cool hopefully the use a good real seat maybe a non coated blank. I feel st croix has a ton of potential if they would get their balance down as well.

[KP Duty]

They have a different target audience IMO. They aren’t about flash and bling. Rather simplicity, sort of boring or conservative styling, and quality components like Fuji seats and guides. They tend to target an older audience mainly, a tournament fishing audience or guides plus folks that can appreciate their warranty. Their Avids are good bang for your buck rods and the upper end tiers are nice too. I don’t believe they are the worst in their price point nor are they the best but rather a solid option.

Maybe this audience would represent all of us without the internet. My brother is a prime example. He's getting serious about his fishing again, and picked up glx, avid, and mojo rods. He didn't need to join an internet forum to learn what the latest and greatest is; he went with trust.

[Polkfish1]

If one looks at awards handed out at things like icast, st croix was a pretty reliable winner the past several years. Based on that, I’d bet their representatives would argue that they’ve been advancing.

[zalan]

I'm in the UK and still in the EU for a few more minutes. They sell them here and are fairly popular as a premium brand. They are very popular in Holland too. I imagine they're less popular in Germany as they don't make many suitable longer rods, which are more commonly used in countries with limited boat access, but big water.

+ the German distributor went out of business last year - not too much of a loss as the prices were super high and the available lineup super limited. The few people I know of owning St Croix rods got them second hand or via eBay US. NRXs are very popular in enthusiast circles tho. They used to be imported via Shimano but since quite a while that’s a thing of the past, too. The lack of availability got them even more enthusiastic

If you want St.Croix in EU, you should order from the official Romanian distributor. Their prices are actually competitive even with the US prices and they are inside EU, so no custom fees or anything like that.
When I bought my only St.Croix rod few years back, I checked out every single EU distributor and by far they were the cheapest.

[zalan]

i find it strange that they contract out the guide installation when they have such a huge factory

They do both. Not sure what chunk contractors take though... St. Croix sells a lot of rods even in Europe.

Are they really popular in EU? I do not really think it is true. I'm in EU and I rarely see them in webshops. I would say they sell some, but I'm not sure they are very competitive pricewise here.

Some EU countries, Poland and especially Sweden, seem more fond of St Croix. Personally, I love St Croix rods, but they are hard to find in Denmark where very few shops sell the rods and few options are available.
My brother got his St Croix rods from the UK and Sweden, but I have purchased most of my 8-9 St Croix rods from the St Croix US website.

Apparantly, I am in the target audience . I am old (41) and I hate bling on fishing rods. Most JDM and USDM rods - and EDM rods for that matter - are just too much bling-bling to me. Some rods are more at home in a disco than in nature.
With regard to St Croix stagnating: I do not know. IMO many fishing brands including some that I love just pump out too much tackle and “upgrade” their lineup every single year for ICAST/EFFTEX....

Hey, we are the same age I also like the rods, would be nice to get a few more
I obviously cannot know every country here, but they never seemed like a popular brand. I watch lots of fishing videos from Sweden, I have yet to see a single St.Croix rod in them. I guess other brands spend more on advertisements I have a friend living there, he won one as a lure building price recently, so I'm aware that they are present there.

[Dalleinf]

It is a good age
Some Swedish webshops, eg sportfiskeprylar.se, have a relatively large St Croix selection. As others have mentioned, St Croix are popular in Muskie/Pike fishing circles, and that may be why the rods are sold in pike-loving Sweden...

[Hobie-Wan Kenobi]

You know what, maybe I will show up to the St Croix Factory and start asking questions Michael Moore style.

I did always want to go through the factory tour? Anyone in the area that would want to do a tour? Need 4 total (minimum) to do a tour.