St. Croix Legend Xtreme 2020

[Scud_Muffin]

Haven’t been following to closely, so is the 74heavy the same blank as in the past....As on the elites and Legend x? Thanks

Yes but it’s a hair softer. All of the Xtreme rods for whatever reason seem a bit softer than their X/Elite counterparts. I tested the same models side by side and found this to be the case. Not huge difference but if you prefer stiffer go X/Elite and a bit softer go Xtreme.

[CFDoc]

Amazing the lack of overall enthusiasm and mention of this rod with now over a year on the market.

I finally got to get one in hand today. Seemed like a sweet rod.

So what’s the deal? Is the lack of discussion online indicative of lackluster sales? Is the rod just kinda meh?

[hoohoorjoo]

I fished one and it is lackluster tbh. I may be biased, though, because I dislike the reel seat and grip. I think a custom rod built on the same blank might have gotten a fairer review.

[Thunderblack1984]

To me they are ugly with a not so great handle in my opinion. I'm sure they fish nice but man if they put a victory handle on it I bet more guys would be after them. NRX is still king

[Bbrotz]

I actually like the way they look and that was one of the main reasons for buying one. I build a lot of my own rods so now I only buy factory rods that have components I can’t source myself. I like the handle personally and have been a big fan of the AGS guides. Not everyone has the same taste, but that’s what’s so great about having so many options available in today’s market

[Drakestar]

Interesting to read through this old thread. I didn’t remember that I’d asked a question myself back then.

I picked up a 7’0M Fast baitcaster on Hook-Up Tackle last week for 40+% off and I’ve been intrigued so far. I’m eternally looking for the perfect jerkbait + highend bottom contact combination in a rod for bank fishing, and this rod might be it. The soft collapsing/hinged tip has whipped around 110s and flukes well for me. Sensitivity seems great (I don’t know/care if it’s on NRX levels). Got it paired with a Steez CT and balance is great. Too bad the rod is as heavy as it is, 4.3oz for a medium highend rod feels too high any day of the week. And the reel nut feels like it’s come from a heavier rod, it’s big and bulky. I don’t mind the way the handle looks per se, though.

Not sure why the store was discounting the rods so much and what that means for the series. At the price I got the rod I’m happy with it.

[_diggy_]

Any more feedback on these? It's been a minute.

[goldrod]

Any more feedback on these? It's been a minute.

rod was over priced and I think ( just my humble opinion ) that really hurt it with the exception of the die hard fans.

[_diggy_]

rod was over priced and I think ( just my humble opinion ) that really hurt it with the exception of the die hard fans.

I agree on the price being painful. Some stores discounted them a lot or gave away $300 gift cards to move them. I remember they were discounted 25% at launch. Maybe I will try one second hand, it'll be my 1st St. Croix rod.

[Drakestar]

At a discounted price (i.e. the $300 gift card I got) I feel that these are a steal. Even at 20-25% off I would consider them. Since my last post I caught a 7lbs on my Medium rod; straight fluoro in deep water. I had a great experience (both bite detection and playing/fighting the fish).

At full price? Hard to consider a rod that's marginally more expensive than even an NRX+...

[_diggy_]

At a discounted price (i.e. the $300 gift card I got) I feel that these are a steal. Even at 20-25% off I would consider them. Since my last post I caught a 7lbs on my Medium rod; straight fluoro in deep water. I had a great experience (both bite detection and playing/fighting the fish).

At full price? Hard to consider a rod that's marginally more expensive than even an NRX+...

Was it any more, or less sensitive than other high end rods that you have?

[Drakestar]

At a discounted price (i.e. the $300 gift card I got) I feel that these are a steal. Even at 20-25% off I would consider them. Since my last post I caught a 7lbs on my Medium rod; straight fluoro in deep water. I had a great experience (both bite detection and playing/fighting the fish).

At full price? Hard to consider a rod that's marginally more expensive than even an NRX+...

Was it any more, or less sensitive than other high end rods that you have?

Really hard to tell because I don't really fish straight fluoro on any other highend BC rod I'm usually on braid-to-leader, but this one is a jerkbait rod that I occasionally use for bottom contact (like on that day). Haven't done a longer post because of that - I don't really have much reference.

[rubs96]

I’m tempted to pull the trigger but just like the assumed consensus, the price is tough to justify - it’s just a lot of money!

I’d love to try the 7’6” M to compare to the legend elite or the 7’3”ML. Some day maybe

[Scud_Muffin]

Gonna be honest, I believe I posted previously in this thread with my satisfaction in these rods and it came from a place of ignorance. I was a big St Croix guy and had only really used St Croix rods, so when I got the 71MHF it was definitely the most sensitive rod I had owned. But here is the catch, I bought and tried a bunch more high end rods from Megabass, Loomis, and Daiwa. Every single one was much better than the Legend Extreme. Furthermore, I bought rods in the legend elite/x lineup and much preferred them, because the blanks on the Extreme were just slower/kind of mushy by comparison. They are very sensitive, but I would try it out with a bigger stouter model than you would otherwise be planning on if you were buying one from this series. Or just avoid them all together and get something better, which is pretty much everything on the high end (for my tastes and preferences only, ymmv).

What I liked about St Croixs in general was their tendency to have a stout rod with a flexible tip, that made casting a dream and gave lots of control when fighting a fish. I have since discovered that for my tastes, I prefer the JDM "regular" action rods for this exact purpose because I think they do that balancing act between castability/fish fightability a little better and feel great doing it.

This is just my 2c, I have known people that think the Extremes were great. Your mileage my vary drastically from my take on this series. Having tried out a bunch of different rods, the only ones I really regret selling from St Croix were my 6'8" spinning legend elite and my 7'4" Heavy Fast Legend X. I would consider buying those two again for sure. Also St Croix's warranty has been the best to work with in my experience thus far.