Shimano vs St Croix

[genegodawa]

Ffishman,

I know you once were "punished" here, so I expect that is why you know about "other boards"?

Who you gonna trust? Rod-busters?

[The Texan]

Stay on him jones

[Otter]

Quote:

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As of now, I'm leaning towards the Croix. My biggest holdback is on other sites, a lot of guys claim the new ones break easily. Anybody know if theres any truth to this, about them breaking easily?

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I typically land several large muskies and northerns each year on my St. Croix walleye rod while fishing walleyes. Over the years I've only had one rod break, and that was due to the drag on the reel freezing when a huge fish dove directly under the boat.

[gowdy]

Otter,

I almost had one break when Maginot didn't have the drag set properly when a monster hit and I was using Power Pro line. That line is great if you know what you're doing, but it has no stretch to it. If that drag isn't set correctly, you'll bust any rod.

St. Croix are good, but if you want what I think are the best, try a Rogue.

Take care,

Gowdy

[gowdy]

Stinky stoogie, huh?

Actually stinky stoogies are very good for your state of mind. People stay away from you. So do mosquitos. Texans on the other hand have another aroma. I beleive it is 'au de cow patty'.

Gowdy aka "the Rogue"

[PikeBayCommanche]

I have had a few st. croix rods that have broke on me so I have decided that If I am going to go the cheaper route I really like the Gander Mountain Guide Series Rods, The IM-7 is a good rod for 50-80 $

Overall you can never beat a G-Loomis rod, They may be expensive but they wearout those big pigs on the end of my line.

[Otter]

I used Power Pro on all my rods for several years, but have switched exclusively to Cajun Red on all my walleye outfits. I still use PP on the rare occasions that I choose to irritate muskies or northerns. PP is an incredibly tough line, but I ran a few trials that seemed to indicate that it was decreasing my number of walleye hits. I have 8 St Croix rods that have landed thousands of fish, many much larger than what the rods were intended for - I think some people just set their drags too tight. I also have GLoomis GLX 721 and 722 that I love - excellent, but pricey.

[genegodawa]

My .02 is in, so I gotta stick with the (dark)comedy on this thread about "stinkyness" -

On second thought, couldn't get that dark afterall - too many prim and proper people in public so I'll have to send it via email!

[ffishman]

Did you guys see the Hearld today? Cabela's and Hoffman finally inked the deal to build a store in Hoffman Estates. They said it will open in 2007. All I can say is yeowwwww, its about time. The wife says I spend too much with the catalogs, what is going to happen when I can handle all the goodies? Its a shame there not open now, I could compare the Shimano and Croix side by side.

[gowdy]

Otter,

I'm in total agreement. Many people do set those drags too tight, and Power Pro is not a good walleye line. According to one guide I talked to, he said that the fish can feel the weight a lot easier and immediately spit out the bait. That makes sense as there is no stretch at all in that line.

I'll take a guides word for it. Brian and all the rest of these guys are on the water 10 hours a day. They know their stuff.

Take care,

Gowdy

[ffishman]

Ditto on the "too tight drags". I tend to fish with mine on the loose side. And Gene, don't know what would be worse, but I do know I hate the smell of those nickel cigars.

[genegodawa]

Don't smoke 'em much anymore, since a good $1 cigar now costs about $5. Do remember one time I was on my friend's Jaws boat on Cass and it was completely still - no wind! 7 yrs ago and he STILL reminds me how bad the stench was and how it just enveloped the boat 'cause of course I'm a chain smoker.

But I'm like Gowdy - it didn't bother me one bit.

[ffishman]

So that't what that was! I was out there that day, and I saw that, I thought it was a small moving fog bank. Never did see a boat. As for dollar cigars, the ones I smelled must have cost a nickle, or it was a piece of old rope someone was smoking.

[genegodawa]

Well, sometimes when I'm desparate.........

But don't let that stop you from taking me out to your Lk Geneva or Delavan hotspots. I can go a couple hours without SOME things!

PS Good thing about the "fog" is that the CO's can't see us either and I'll have to remind my friend of that the next time he complains.

[ffishman]

Delavan and Geneva sound good, but the closest to ice I get this time of the year is in my Martini's. So, we will have to wait until next summer to get together. Hey Gene, and maybe gowdy,and everybody else, you guys should think about joining our fishing club AA. Arlington Anglers meets at Dicks, by woodfield on the third Tuesday of the month. Lots of guys like to hit Delevan and Geneva, and a whole bunch of other local lakes. Let me know if you are interested, I will give you more info. Also, each month we have a guest speaker, some of which are pretty interesting.