"Successful Fly Fishing for Trout"
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St Croix Fly Rods

History of St Croix Fly Rods
from 1948 to present.

St Croix Fly Rods have been manufactured at The St Croix Rod company since 1948.  Located in Park Falls, Wisconsin, St Croix was the first company to manufacture a multi-section bamboo fishing pole.

In 1956, fiberglass replaced bamboo with some innovative designs.  The main one being the "Whip-out" tubular telescopic rod.  Some of these rods extended to 20 feet and were manufactured until 1993.  1956 also saw the beginning of the 3 piece fiberglass travel fly rod

2001 was the year of SCI, SCII and SCIIW graphite blends for rod manufacturing.

 

2003 saw the release of the IPC (Integrated Poly Curve) technology for fly rod tapers to make the most delicate presentations over long distances.  Used in the Legend Elite and Legend Ultra. 

Traditional fly rod blank linear compound taper technology produces transition points where the wall thickness of the blank is slightly thicker to allow for the taper. These transition points can be weak spots in the blank or affect the feel of the fly rod.  

St Croix's new IPC Technology solves the issue by transforming the compound taper points into a smooth "poly curve".  The smooth poly curve fly rod building process produces a fly rod blank with uniform wall thickness along the entire blank.

"SO WHAT does all this mean to me as a fly fisherman?" you ask.  Good question.  Here is the answer:

  1. Smoother "actions" because the graphite is rolled and compacted onto the rod making mandrel in one continuous taper.
  1. Eliminates all transitional points of weakness on the blank
  2. Produces a stronger blank because stress is distributed along the entire blank.
  3. Results in superior graphite fiber alignment along the length of the blank.

IPC ensures better longitudinal strength because the fiber alignment is never distorted at transition points. It also results in more uniform strength, stiffness and sensitivity along the entire blank shaft for better vibration transmission and enhanced feel. 

In short you get a better fly rod period.  The IPC technology is used exclusively in the St. Croix Legend Ultra and Legend Elite Series fly rods featured on fly-fishing-colorado.com.

2003 was the year St Croix engineers developed SCIIW woven graphite combined with SCIII for Avid and Premier Surf rods.

2005 brings ART (Advanced Reinforcing Technology).  ART wraps exceptionally thin graphite fibers around the rod blank at critical points to add strength without sacrificing weight or increasing rod diameter.  Exclusive to the Legend Elite and Legend Ultra Series Fly Rods.

St Croix also makes ice fishing, surf rods, spin, casting, tournament, walleye, tournament bass and salt water rods in addition to their fine line of fly fishing rods.

They offer a full line of rod building materials too. 

Altogether a remarkable history in developing innovative fly rod and other rod products and materials.

The Fly Rod series consists of (In order of quality)

* -- Limited lifetime warranty

Brand Rod Model Weight Price Price / oz
Orvis Helios 2.375 775 326
         
Orvis Hydros 2.625 495 189
         
Orvis Access 2.5 350 140
         
Sage Z-Axis 3.375 695 206
         
Sage ZXL 3.313 695 210
         
Sage VT2 3.25 475 146
         
Sage Flight 3.438 330 96
         
Sage Vantage 4.188 250 60
         
St Croix Legend Elite 2.75 440 160
         
St Croix Imperial 2.75 190 69
         
Stone Creek Halcyon 4.375 160 37