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St. Croix Mixes Tech to Redesign the Legend Xtreme Series, and Wins!
 

Introduction: Every year we always look forward to meeting up with the team at St. Croix as they never disappoint when it comes to having some slick new rod leveraging their latest in-house design and technology to show us. This year it was all about the complete redesign of the Legend Xtreme rods and it paid off with a win in the freshwater rod category. St. Croix dominated rods this year with a second win in the saltwater category for their Legend Inshore as well.

The St. Croix Legend Xtreme took home top honors in the freshwater rod category (and the Legend Inshore took home the saltwater win)

The current Legend Xtreme rods are considered some of the best rods on the market so redesigning this series was a tall order. To accomplish their goals St. Croix mixed their exclusive IPC® tooling technology and ART™ reinforcing material for the first time to create a premium rod that is designed to be not only stronger but more sensitive.

The rods have an ergonomic hourglass shaped grip covered in the company's Xtreme-Skin material

The result is a rod that is 33% stronger than previous version, thanks also to Fortified Resin System (FRS). St. Croix combined this resin with new high-tech, computer-controlled curing ovens to create perfectly cured blanks. Carbon fibers are kept in proper alignment, which means uniformly strong blanks, no weak spots, no microbucking.

A look at the graphics on the new series

To further improve the process they eliminated hand-cutting rod blank patterns and utilized Taper Enhancement Technology (TET), which basically utilizes a computer controlled machine which cuts curved blank patterns with surgical precision. The patterns are then rolled onto Integrated Poly Curve® (IPC®) mandrels with the goal of building better and more uniform actions and maximizing sensitivity.

Fuji guides adorn the new rods

St. Croix also moved to high-modulus/high-strain SCV graphite with carbon-matte scrim for increased strength, durability and sensitivity in the new Legend Xtreme. The company also utilized super-high-modulus SCVI graphite in the lower section to increase hook-setting power and reduce weight. The new series comes loaded with Fuji K-R Concept Tangle Free guides and Fuji SK2TM split reel seats which provide complete access to the blank.

the machined aluminum butt cap and logo add an elegant touch

The most striking cosmetic aspect of the rod is not the green blank but the sculpted handles which are hourglass shaped for comfort and balance. The handles are coated with St. Croix’s Xtreme-Skin which provide a nice tactile feel while offering the added advantage of repelling water, dirt and fish slime, and can be easily cleaned.  

Jeff Schluter shows us the award winning legend Xtreme Series 

The new Legend Xtreme rods also feature slim-profile ferrules, machined-aluminum wind checks, handle trim pieces and butt caps with a St. Croix logo badge. All thread wraps are protected by two coats of Flex Coat slow-cure finish, and the rods come with protective rod socks. The series includes 17 spinning and 12 casting models and will retail between $340 - $420. These rods will be built I the company’s Park Falls, WI factory and come backed with a lifetime limited warranty. St. Croix takes a scientific approach to rod building and the new Legend Xtreme leverages some serious tech to deliver a more refined, more ergonomic, and more exciting fishing tool. Congratulations to St. Croix for the win!