St Croix Avid A762.4
 

Score  3.38

7'6", 4-Piece, MSRP $230.00, AA  64, ERN  2.38

 

Jim Stuard's Comments:  The sage green color of the blank mixed with black hardware was one of the cooler combinations in the shootout. St. Croix ranks as one of the best on the fit and finish scales. Their level of attention to detail is evident in the inclusion of a container of ferrule wax with every rod. I love the tube with the divided insert. Nothing to lose and well identified. The Avid was a bit of a mystery to me. It looked right but felt undeniably tip heavy, even when properly balanced with the right reel. 2wt lines were not this rods forte’. It felt much better with a 3wt line and would probably be even better with a 4. My least favorite of the St. Croix rods.

 

Joe Cornwall's Comments:  I really like the shape of the grip on this rod, it's wonderfully proportionate and superbly comfortable in the hand.  The reel seat insert is a stained black wood, so dark it almost looks plastic to my eye.  The effect, when combined with the somewhat coarse epoxy work, adds up to an aesthetic that isn't quite to my liking.  The rod looks okay, but it didn't knock me out.  Finally, I'm getting really tired of the lack of witness marks on a 4-piece rod.  Especially when there isn't a guide on the butt section to help line up the reel seat.  It's a small thing, but how much can eight little dots of paint really add to the cost?

 

The Avid is a near perfect match in balance with the Bass Pro Classic UL reel.  I'd advise avoiding any reel much heavier than two-and-a-half ounces.  I liked the way the rod felt in my hand, but unfortunately I didn't care for the taper. It seems the tip has plenty of action, but the butt is just too heavy.  This led to a slightly dead casting feel when directly compared to some of the best of the competition.  Over-lining with a WF3 helped, but not enough for me to get excited.  Everything about the Avid was serviceable, but like a few other sticks in this review I just couldn't work up much enthusiasm for it. 

 

Jeremy Kurtz's Comments: The Avid is very close in performance to the Legend Ultra. It feels just a bit heavier in my hand, but the casting characteristics are pretty close to the same, that is to say, silky smooth with good feel and presentation. It doesn't cast quite as well in close as the Legend Ultra, but mid range, and long distance are the same. It feels good with smaller fish, but will no doubt handle larger fish with ease. The rod is a nice olive color with metallic flecks in it. Guides are chrome single foot. The cork Super grade, and is sized smaller than on the Legend Ultra, but is still comfortable. The reel seat is an aluminum up-locking with a black laminated wood insert. Another solid performer from St.Croix.

 

Paul Feldman's Comments: This rod has a somewhat unusual finish in that it appears to be a sprayed, somewhat textured gray metallic paint finish. It’s not unattractive, but it’s not the glossy clear coat that you are used to seeing. The grip was slender and felt good in my hand. I should also mention that this rod, like most St Croix rods, comes in a case that I particularly like. It has a buckle snap open lid as opposed the usual zipper arrangement, and the rod length and line weight information are on the lid so as to be visible in your rod rack. St Croix rods now come with a cake of ferrule wax, which does an outstanding job of keeping ferrules from loosening during a day of fishing.  The rod initially felt very solid and heavy in my hand and I didn’t expect much as I hate tip heavy rods. I was pleasantly surprised when casting it as it handled a short line very well and was quite capable of fairly long casts when needed. The rod had adequate strength in the butt for fighting larger fish. After I got used to the feel I found it pleasant to fish with.

 

Manufacturer's Comments:

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