Diehard salmon and steelhead anglers are a one-of-a-kind breed. From enduring the roughest seas while trolling open water to wading frigid rivers in below-freezing temperatures, those obsessed with hooking these hard-fighting slivery-sided species will suffer through both thick and thin in their pursuit of a screaming drag.
But perhaps the biggest dilemma faced sparring with chrome-flashing thugs is finding one high-quality yet affordable rod series that抣l withstand serious muscle and cover the myriad tactics employed. From handling ripping hardware behind downriggers to delicately delivering the tiniest of tidbits through a slow moving river eddy, and all techniques in-between, finding the right rod series to cover it all has been nearly impossible.
So the designers at St. Croix Rod spent a lot of time working with salmon and steelhead anglers over the past couple years to find a solution. Plenty of overtime was put in to create a rod series that incorporates all things necessary to raise the performance bar.
The end result is the redesigned Wild River series梐lready considered one of the best sticks on the market by steelhead and salmon gurus. And now, for 2013, St. Croix is introducing 35 new models sure to please anglers from East to West, the Great Lakes and every roiling river in-between.
Onboard west coast guide John Krauthoefer抯 boat, for example, you抣l find heavy-power, moderate-action Wild River rods that can withstand the torque of Delta Divers as well the boisterous strike of a monstrous King from the Pacific Ocean.
揂s guides,?explains Krauthoerfer, 搘e抮e pretty abusive on our equipment, let alone what the fish can do to low-grade rods. We抮e having tremendous success with the new Wild River rods in great part because the blank designs are so dialed-in to the techniques we use.?
Up and coming Great Lakes river guide Kyle McCelland, would put St. Croix up against all others when it comes to making the perfect drift with a tiny jig tipped with a minuscule morsel of bait with a Wild River. 揝t. Croix rods are ideal for Great Lakes trout and salmon.?
Wild River rods are built on all-new SCII graphite blanks featuring a rich, gold-dust-green metallic finish. Additional improvements include Kigan Master Hand 3D guides with premium, thin aluminum-oxide rings. There are also new 9- and 10 ?foot spinning models featuring St. Croix抯 exclusive neoprene skin handle for superior grip and sensitivity in wet and cold weather. And if you target salmon and steelhead, you know they bite best in bad weather.
Also new for 2013, St. Croix added downrigging and kokanee rods to the expanded Wild River series. Models in these two categories feature blanks built with a dynamic blend of SCII graphite and SCI linear fiberglass for incredible action and durability while also providing light weight.
Wild River rods are handcrafted in the USA and feature a 5-year warranty backed by St. Croix Superstar Service. Designed and built in Park Falls to fish walking-distance trickles to epic fly-in destinations.
About St. Croix Rod
St. Croix Rod is a family-owned manufacturer of high-performance graphite and fiberglass fishing rods headquartered in Park Falls, Wisconsin. The company offers a complete line of premium, American-made fly, spinning and casting rods under their Legend Elite? Legend?Xtreme, Legend Tournament? Avid Series? Premier? Wild River? Tidemaster? Imperial?and other trademarks through a global distribution network of full-service fishing tackle dealers.
The company抯 mid-priced Triumph? Mojo Bass/Inshore/Surf, Eyecon?and Rio Santo series rods are designed and engineered in Park Falls, Wisconsin and built in a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Fresnillo, Mexico. Founded in 1948 to manufacture jointed bamboo fishing poles for a Minneapolis hardware store chain, St. Croix has grown to become the largest manufacturer of fishing rods in North America.
