“Game Changer.” The phrase echoed through the American Sportfishing Association’s ICAST “On the Water” event and carried over to the tradeshow floor the following day. With a radically different look, the reborn Avid Inshore sports a seafoam green metallic skin that tempted buyers and members of the media to hold it.
Once in hand, they were hooked. Impressed, they asked what made the rod so light? What genius had St. Croix Rod imbued this time around?
St. Croix Rod Pro-staff guide Captain Richard Bradley, of Lagooner Fishing Guides in Cocoa Beach, Fla. – a longtime St. Croix advocate – explained from the standpoint of a hardcore saltwater aficionado.
“Florida’s Space Coast – that all too familiar NASA outpost – offers some of the most exciting and challenging saltwater inshore fishing, requiring equipment that can handle the conditions. The Avid Inshore’s lighter, more responsive SCIII graphite blank allows anglers to last longer on the casting platform. It’s a winning combination that provides the backbone needed to hookup and win the fight with beastly inshore gamefish, yet offers a delicate presentation for lighter lures and baits.”
One of the most exciting features of the new Avid Inshore series is the light guide train, making the rod more reactive and more sensitive. This enhanced guide platform boasts Kigan Master Hand Zero Tangle guides with solid-titanium frames for 100% protection from saltwater conditions.
“The new guides will keep my maintenance to a minimum, as rods with inferior guide frames constantly cry for extra attention to protect them from saltwater corrosion,” explained Captain Bradley.
The 22-model series includes spinning and casting models that come ready for the industry’s most high-tech braided lines, monofilament and fluorocarbon.
One of the most important benefits of the Avid Inshore series for the fulltime charter Captain is affordability. “The new Avid Inshore series will contribute to our bottom line as an affordable rod that still boasts superior components and high performance. We’re getting more bang for our buck—less time maintaining or replacing corroded rod components; a better experience for our clients and more time with my family after a day on the water. It’s a win-win for our Charter Fishing Guide Service and a definite game changer.”
In 2012, Legend Inshore swept the ICAST vote. In 2013, it was the avant-garde Legend Extreme Inshore. Would the new Avid Inshore rod fare as well? Indeed, it did. St. Croix’s new Avid Inshore earned Best Saltwater Rod for 2015, tallying a third win in four years for the saltwater category.
Features:
· St. Croix’s proprietary Integrated Poly Curve® (IPC®) tooling technology.
· New blank designs built with premium, high-modulus SCIII graphite.
· Enhanced guide platform with Kigan Master Hand Zero Tangle guides with solid-titanium frames
· All thread wraps are protected by two coats of Flex Coat slow-cure finish
· Fuji® DPS reel seats with gunsmoke hoods deal a comfortable grip and solid foundation on spinning models.
· Avid Inshore casting models sport trusted Fuji® ECS or TCS reel seats
· All models feature super-grade cork handles tipped with corrosion-proof wind checks
· Designed and handcrafted in Park Falls, Wisconsin, U.S.A.
· 15-year transferable warranty backed by St. Croix Superstar Service
· Retail price range is $230 – $290
About St. Croix Rod
St. Croix Rod is a family-owned and managed manufacturer of high-performance fishing rods headquartered in Park Falls, Wisconsin with a 65-year heritage of USA manufacturing. Utilizing proprietary technologies, St. Croix controls every step of the rod-making process, from conception and design to manufacturing and inspection, in two company-owned facilities. 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’s mid-priced Triumph,® Mojo Bass/Musky/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.