New St. Croix Legend Tournament.

[bassboy1]

Well, about a month ago, I started my search on a St. Croix Avid or Legend Tournament 68MXF spinning. Ended up with this St. Croix Legend Tournament LTBS68MXF for 125 shipped from Arkansas. It has a couple dings in the gel coat, but that doesn't affect it functionally, and inevitably, I end up scratching them up a little bit as it is, and I was able to use that as a tool to talk the price down with.

Don't have a designated reel for it yet, but for now, I am going to run my Pfleuger Criterion on it. It was my primary panfish/trout reel, from years back when I was a designated nightcrawler thrower for bluegill/trout. A little small, but it will work until I work up the funds for a reel for this. I am looking possibly at the Daiwa Tierra 2500, Abu Garcia Soron or the Pflueger Supreme XT.

Not sure what line to use. This will be my shakeyhead setup. Doubt I want mono. Just not sure if I should go with a fluoro or a braid. I have always been real happy with fluoro on my casting reels, and were this reel a bit bigger, would do it just fine, but I am not sure how the little reel will react with fluoro. I will probably go with 8 pound. I used to use 10 when throwing shakeyheads on casting gear (AV68MXF with Daiwa Viento), and never had a breakoff problem. The line capacity on the little reel is 195yds/4lb, 115yds/6lb, 100yds/8lb.

 

[Jim]

Nice rod man! Good luck with it.

 

[poolie]

Excellent score! I'd probably go with an 8lb fluoro.

Nice bed comforter too

 

[Brine]

Seguar 8# InvisX :wink:

Also, ever since I bought a wide spool reel, I don't think I'll ever buy one that isn't again.

 

[FishinsMyLife]

That's a good rod from what I've read..I'd go with 20lb braid and a leader, but that's just me

 

[poolie]

Nice rod it looks awsome! My st croix are on back order till june Enjoy
Joe

That's a bummer! I received the Avid I bought off eBay earlier this week and have a full day of fishing planned this Sunday. I'll let cha know how it fishes.

 

[shamoo]

good luck with rod, St Croix make a decent stick.

 

[ilinimud]

I have really been wanting one of those. Let us know how you like it.

 

[BLK fisher]

I use a St. Croix avid spinning 7' med. heavy but with a fast tip with 12lb p-line copolymer line and I love it. The rod is sensitive with a nice backbone. And the p-line does not break. I use it for a drop shot and shakeyhead and I have straightened hooks before the line broke. Its good stuff. Good luck with the setup though, you will like it.

 

[bassboy1]

The rod I am liking a lot. I am not using it much, as the reel that is on it certainly isn't the right one (as I knew before I started), and I haven't been to much shakeyhead water since getting it. Once I get the right reel on it, I will definitely like it a lot.

 

[ilinimud]

You guys are still doing the shaky head in warm water? I thought that was more of a winter/dog days of summer thing?

 

[poolie]

Just got from a 1/2 day on lake Lanier (one of the large reservoirs in N. Georgia) with my step brother and the 6 spots we caught all came from shaky heads. Water temp was around 70 degrees. We tried pretty much everything else most of the morning and finally gave up and hit the points with a Shaky head and that was the ticket.

 

[bassboy1]

You guys are still doing the shaky head in warm water? I thought that was more of a winter/dog days of summer thing?

Our fish have spawned out, and are moving deep already. The dog days of summer are pretty much here. I hate that, as I am a spinnerbait and jerkbait fiend, and those are both excellent right before the spawn, and right after it, but all good things come to an end, at least until fall gets here.

 

[ilinimud]

hmm, i fished a powerplant lake, and it kinda left me confused. The water on the hot side was 95 degrees and i wasnt even all the way back to the discharge!! When i was motoring down the middle of the lake to get where i wanted, there was stuff everywhere on my graph, but when i would get where i wanted to fish, shallow grass, or points there would be NO fish there. I skunked. The "cold" water side was only 82-84 degrees, but one local told me dot belive the people who say dont fish the hot side during summer, and that he has caught bass in 98 degree water temps there. Maybe using a shaky head deep would be the ticket. The only thing is deep is 30 feet here at normal pool, and i seen NO deep structure, just a flat bottom.

This place really has me scratching my head, but i am going to go back. The lake record is 11.7 lbs and i think the IL state record is only 13.2 or something. I heard a rumor that the DNR sampled multiple 16# bass there. :shock: Also, Denny Brauer is a co-owner of a lodge there, and says it is one of his favorite lakes....