St Croix Vs Fenwick 2024
Jraut98 reply :
In your guys opinion which is better. I'm looking to buy a 6'6 rod med or med hvy power fast action spinning rod and am not sure which bran I should get. I own a st croix premeir and love it but kinda want to upgrade a little. I might get the at croix avid or maybe try a fenwick. In your guys opinion what's better?
Alonerankin2 reply :
Avid hands down
J Francho reply :
Not sure what Fenwick you're looking at, but the Avid line represents that pinnacle of the "bang for your buck" in domestic built sticks. I have more than a dozen, and love them all.
new2BC4bass reply :
Aetos 6'6" MF 1/8-3/4 oz. 6-14 lb.
I'm bias. No St. Croix rods. Several Fenwicks. My buddy fishes St. Croix almost exclusively, but he is hoping I'll sell my Smallmouth 6'9" M-XF spinning rod. He'll have a long wait. 
Fishes in trees reply :
I've got some of each and I think that they are all good rods. I've got a 7' MC Fenwick HMG MH spinning stick that I like a lot. It can throw jig worms/shakey heads down to 3/16 as far as I need to. It can handle 1/2 oz jika rigs. I mostly use a 14 lb fire line with fluorocarbon leader on it.
Why 6'6"? I think that the only reason to go shorter with that variety of rod would be if the 7' didn't fit into your vehicle easily. I don't know if there would be significant weight/handling characteristics between a 6'6" and a 7" rod.
fishballer06 reply :
An Avid is a pretty big step above basically anything Fenwick offers.
hatrix reply :
A 7' rod should fit in any vehicle easily. I can fit a bunch of 8' rods in a little Honda with ease. Go over top of the passenger door and straight in. Fishing rods have perma shottie 
OntarioFishingGuy reply :
Fenwick offers some great rods at a good price point, but doesn't compare to any of St Croix's rods above the premier line.
J Francho reply :
I'd say the Aetos I've handled are comparable to Avids. Pretty close, and maybe lighter. I don't care for the trimmings, though.
smalljaw67 reply :
On 11/5/2014 at 4:58 AM, J Francho said:I'd say the Aetos I've handled are comparable to Avids. Pretty close, and maybe lighter. I don't care for the trimmings, though.
I've owned an Avid and I have a few Aetos rods, in all seriousness with no bias I'd say the Elite Tech smallmouth is closer to the Avid, the Aetos is much better, in fact I'd put the Aetos up against the Legend Tournament Bass. Now if you are talking the Legend Elite or Legend Extreme then you are at the top of the heap, Fenwick doesn't make a rod to compare with those. I'm an older angler, I have a pretty good size collection and before I got sick I was buying customs, as well as high end rods many of which I still own and I found Fenwick rods work for my new income structure, I can get a rod without sacrificing performance. I still have a G.Loomis jerkbait JBR752C, 2 mag bass MBR753C IMX, a CR721 GLX and 2 SJR722 GL3s. The St. Croix I owned that I have sold to my neighbor and St. Croix fan was a 6'6" MH-F and while it was a really good rod I found that all things equal, I liked my Elite Tech smallmouth more as the rod was lighter and had more sensitivity, I have fished with my neighbor and fishing buddy, his Legend Tournament bass just comparing rods and it is another good rod but very similar to the Aetos, again the Aetos was lighter but sensitivity was hard to distinguish. If I got better tomorrow and my income tripled, I would still keep buying Fenwick rods, to me they are the best bang for buck I ever used, I'm not saying the best but the best I have used, these sticks work for me, build quality is great, and the blanks are really good, I never fished with a rod of that quality under $200, but that is my assessment. The best way for anyone to make their own judgement is to hold which ever models you want side by side or if you were able to get on the water and use them, that would be the best way, unless you were looking at the Legend Elite or Extreme then it is a no brainer. BTW my neighbor loves his St. Croix rods, he has 3 Legend Elites in both the older and newer models and the same with the Extremes although he is still getting acquainted with the handle, and we went out when I got my first Elite Tech Smallmouth rod, we fished for a few hours and a few days later he sold 1 of his Avids to buy 2 of them himself and he still takes them on every trip.
IAY reply :
I was in the same predicament a month ago, and I would have picked Aetos simply because it can handle larger weight range. Then I realized I don't like using spinning reels, so I got neither 
.
Jraut98 reply :
Ok guys so the real question is st croix avid or fenwick aetos spinning rod?
Alonerankin2 reply :
St. Croix... American Rod Co. Made in America, I believe it's a wise investment in a rod. It will get you years down the road, easily.. Whatever you decide though, I hope you enjoy it!
Mike2841 reply :
The avid is my favorite spinning rod. I love the handle and it's plenty sensitive, I don't intend to got any other spinning rods except for avids.
That being said I've never used a fenwick and I'm sure it's a great rod, but I love my avid and I plan on getting more.
S Hovanec reply :
If anyone remembers the Villain pics I posted a while back....The Aetos has those same high quality guides, LOL!! I'd never pay what they're asking for an import with components like that.
Disclaimer: I am a big St. Croix fan, so I might be a bit biased.
J Francho reply :
The guides are what I was referring to as trimmings.
kickerfish1 reply :
On 11/5/2014 at 7:40 AM, smalljaw67 said:I've owned an Avid and I have a few Aetos rods, in all seriousness with no bias I'd say the Elite Tech smallmouth is closer to the Avid, the Aetos is much better, in fact I'd put the Aetos up against the Legend Tournament Bass. Now if you are talking the Legend Elite or Legend Extreme then you are at the top of the heap, Fenwick doesn't make a rod to compare with those. I'm an older angler, I have a pretty good size collection and before I got sick I was buying customs, as well as high end rods many of which I still own and I found Fenwick rods work for my new income structure, I can get a rod without sacrificing performance. I still have a G.Loomis jerkbait JBR752C, 2 mag bass MBR753C IMX, a CR721 GLX and 2 SJR722 GL3s. The St. Croix I owned that I have sold to my neighbor and St. Croix fan was a 6'6" MH-F and while it was a really good rod I found that all things equal, I liked my Elite Tech smallmouth more as the rod was lighter and had more sensitivity, I have fished with my neighbor and fishing buddy, his Legend Tournament bass just comparing rods and it is another good rod but very similar to the Aetos, again the Aetos was lighter but sensitivity was hard to distinguish. If I got better tomorrow and my income tripled, I would still keep buying Fenwick rods, to me they are the best bang for buck I ever used, I'm not saying the best but the best I have used, these sticks work for me, build quality is great, and the blanks are really good, I never fished with a rod of that quality under $200, but that is my assessment. The best way for anyone to make their own judgement is to hold which ever models you want side by side or if you were able to get on the water and use them, that would be the best way, unless you were looking at the Legend Elite or Extreme then it is a no brainer. BTW my neighbor loves his St. Croix rods, he has 3 Legend Elites in both the older and newer models and the same with the Extremes although he is still getting acquainted with the handle, and we went out when I got my first Elite Tech Smallmouth rod, we fished for a few hours and a few days later he sold 1 of his Avids to buy 2 of them himself and he still takes them on every trip.
I am with this guy on this! The Elite Tech rods are some of my favorite rods for the money. For the $ I believe the Fenwick line of rods is the better buy. However From the Avid line up the components, warranty, and quality are there but they just aren't to my persona liking. Not saying its a bad rod just not what I look for personally.
There are a few of us on here that are pretty strong believers in the Elite Tech series ... www2farmer, new2bcbass, smalljaw, myself and several others that the user names escape me. When I fished my 6"9 ML Elite Tech for the first time I was in shock. Liked the rod so much I bought a second. For the record I do NOT own any duplicate rods of the same exact make and model outside of this one out of the dozens or rods in my arsenal.
ww2farmer reply :
I fished St Croixs for 7-8 years. I only switched to something else out of being board with them and wanting to try something new. At first it was Abu rods.......which I liked, but are not what is being asked about, so I'll refrain, then/currently it's Fenwick. I have Elite Tech's, HMX's, and HMG's. Here is my take on a Fenwick vs. St Croix debate. Keep in mind I don't think it's fair to compair US made St Croixs to imported Fenwicks, that's a different ball game IMHO, If you want to compare apples to apples, compare Fenwicks to St Croixs import models (Triumph's, Mojo, Rage) :
St Croix's US made rods have the better warranty and use better components than both there own imports, and Fenwick rods (guides, reel seats, grade of cork, etc....)
St Croix's import rods are WAY WAY over priced for what you get, especially compared to Fenwick.
Fenwick simply has the better "bang for the buck" in import rods..........IMHO HMG > Rage for $50 less, Elite Techs > Rage for the same money..................BUT it's up to you to decide. Like I said with the extra $$ for a St Croix US made rod, your getting the better guides, and warranty, and the made in USA factor if that matters to you, with the import rods from St croix, IMHO your not getting full value for the buck.
roadwarrior reply :
On 11/5/2014 at 7:52 PM, ww2farmer said:I fished St Croixs for 7-8 years. I only switched to something else out of being board with them and wanting to try something new. At first it was Abu rods.......which I liked, but are not what is being asked about, so I'll refrain, then/currently it's Fenwick. I have Elite Tech's, HMX's, and HMG's. Here is my take on a Fenwick vs. St Croix debate. Keep in mind I don't think it's fair to compair US made St Croixs to imported Fenwicks, that's a different ball game IMHO, If you want to compare apples to apples, compare Fenwicks to St Croixs import models (Triumph's, Mojo, Rage) :
St Croix's US made rods have the better warranty and use better components than both there own imports, and Fenwick rods (guides, reel seats, grade of cork, etc....)
St Croix's import rods are WAY WAY over priced for what you get, especially compared to Fenwick.
Fenwick simply has the better "bang for the buck" in import rods..........IMHO HMG > Rage for $50 less, Elite Techs > Rage for the same money..................BUT it's up to you to decide. Like I said with the extra $$ for a St Croix US made rod, your getting the better guides, and warranty, and the made in USA factor if that matters to you, with the import rods from St croix, IMHO your not getting full value for the buck.
Very nice review.
I think St. Croix's reputation is built on the Avid. At the pricing point this series is a great value.
Delaware Valley Tackle reply :
I don't like to say any whole brand is better or worse than another across the board. Many times each will have standouts or duds at certain price points. For example, the Elite Tech Smallmouth rods were pretty nice at the price. St Croix really shines from the Avid level and up IMO. On some level I understand the standardization of tackle collections, you know pretty much what to expect from a purchase, but some mixing and matching can go a long way especially if you're really into fine tuning technique specific setups.
xxmurrxx reply :
Get your hands on each and see how they feel.. Either of those rods would be great im sure.
I have an avid I use for walleye jigging and really like it.. I also just got an Elite Tech bass rod for my bass jigs and it also feels great.
Just saying I would not sweat this decision too much... either way you will get a good rod.
I have never dealt with fenwicks customer service but have went through st croix several times once for a broken rod and once for an upgrade and was very happy with they way they handled everything.
Jraut98 reply :
I think I might go with the st croix avid. I have a couple questions though. I live on the chesapeake bay and want to know if the rod will be fine fishing in brackish water? Also what kind of reel should I match it with?
lmbfisherman reply :
On 11/5/2014 at 11:46 AM, kickerfish1 said:
On 11/5/2014 at 7:40 AM, smalljaw67 said:I've owned an Avid and I have a few Aetos rods, in all seriousness with no bias I'd say the Elite Tech smallmouth is closer to the Avid, the Aetos is much better, in fact I'd put the Aetos up against the Legend Tournament Bass. Now if you are talking the Legend Elite or Legend Extreme then you are at the top of the heap, Fenwick doesn't make a rod to compare with those. I'm an older angler, I have a pretty good size collection and before I got sick I was buying customs, as well as high end rods many of which I still own and I found Fenwick rods work for my new income structure, I can get a rod without sacrificing performance. I still have a G.Loomis jerkbait JBR752C, 2 mag bass MBR753C IMX, a CR721 GLX and 2 SJR722 GL3s. The St. Croix I owned that I have sold to my neighbor and St. Croix fan was a 6'6" MH-F and while it was a really good rod I found that all things equal, I liked my Elite Tech smallmouth more as the rod was lighter and had more sensitivity, I have fished with my neighbor and fishing buddy, his Legend Tournament bass just comparing rods and it is another good rod but very similar to the Aetos, again the Aetos was lighter but sensitivity was hard to distinguish. If I got better tomorrow and my income tripled, I would still keep buying Fenwick rods, to me they are the best bang for buck I ever used, I'm not saying the best but the best I have used, these sticks work for me, build quality is great, and the blanks are really good, I never fished with a rod of that quality under $200, but that is my assessment. The best way for anyone to make their own judgement is to hold which ever models you want side by side or if you were able to get on the water and use them, that would be the best way, unless you were looking at the Legend Elite or Extreme then it is a no brainer. BTW my neighbor loves his St. Croix rods, he has 3 Legend Elites in both the older and newer models and the same with the Extremes although he is still getting acquainted with the handle, and we went out when I got my first Elite Tech Smallmouth rod, we fished for a few hours and a few days later he sold 1 of his Avids to buy 2 of them himself and he still takes them on every trip.
I am with this guy on this! The Elite Tech rods are some of my favorite rods for the money. For the $ I believe the Fenwick line of rods is the better buy. However From the Avid line up the components, warranty, and quality are there but they just aren't to my persona liking. Not saying its a bad rod just not what I look for personally.
There are a few of us on here that are pretty strong believers in the Elite Tech series ... www2farmer, new2bcbass, smalljaw, myself and several others that the user names escape me. When I fished my 6"9 ML Elite Tech for the first time I was in shock. Liked the rod so much I bought a second. For the record I do NOT own any duplicate rods of the same exact make and model outside of this one out of the dozens or rods in my arsenal.
I'm one of those Elite Tech fans and Aetos. I've owned Avids (past tense, well down to 1 the 6'6" Medium is the best jerk bait rod ever!) and own 2 Elite Techs and 2 Aetos. I concur with these two. The ET is at Avid level and I personally will state the Aetos kicks LTBs. Please note I'm not saying Avids suck, I just think the ET performs equally and better bang for your buck. The Aetos is an even better buy.
Jraut98 reply :
I think I've made up my mind to go with the st croix just not sure whether to get an avid or a tidemaster anyone have any opinions?
Alonerankin2 reply :
The locked thread elite tech.
WIGuide reply :
I'm pretty sure the Avid will do just fine in any condition. You're definitely going to love it!
S Hovanec reply :
On 11/6/2014 at 7:52 AM, Jraut98 said:I think I've made up my mind to go with the st croix just not sure whether to get an avid or a tidemaster anyone have any opinions?
Unless there is something specific you want in the Tidemaster that isn't available in the Avid, I'd go with the Avid. Avid uses SCIII graphite as opposed to SCII in the Tidemaster. Also, the Avid has better guides.
One other thing to consider: A Medium power in the Avid will not equal a Medium power in the Tidemaster.
Jraut98 reply :
What's the difference in power
S Hovanec reply :
Avid 6'6" M/F spinning is rated for 6-12# line and 3/16-5/8oz lure
Tidemaster 6'6" M/F spinning is rated for 8-17# line and 3/8-3/4oz lure.
It's about 1 power heavier than the Avid. Would probably compare to a MH Avid. All of the saltwater St. Croix's I've played with are heavier than the freshwater blanks of the same labeled power.
for example, I use a 5s69mlxf for dropshop and a 5s68mxf for tubes. There is a very large gap between those 2 powers. The 5SW70MLF or the 4SW70MLF fills that gap in my line-up.
Jraut98 reply :
So for te type of fishing I'm doing should I go with the avid or tidemaster? Also will brackish water harm the avid?
IAY reply :
On 11/7/2014 at 4:39 AM, Jraut98 said:So for te type of fishing I'm doing should I go with the avid or tidemaster? Also will brackish water harm the avid?
Based on experiences, well built freshwater things will do fine in blackish water, as long as you make sure to give them a rinse after every use to avoid salt deposits.
tomustang reply :
On 11/7/2014 at 4:39 AM, Jraut98 said:So for te type of fishing I'm doing should I go with the avid or tidemaster? Also will brackish water harm the avid?
Just get the Avid Inshore model
http://www.stcroixrods.com/products/saltwater/avid-series-inshore
the tide master is basically a saltwater premier rod, you said you wanted to upgrade from the premier model so get an avid that is rated for salt which would be the avid inshore
S Hovanec reply :
Brackish won't harm either as long as you rinse the rod with fresh water after your outings. Both rods have stainless framed guides and are equally susceptible to rusting.
Alonerankin2 reply :
I've had a half dozen rods, various rod company's that have had the upper sections.. Primarily 8" to 12" areas that were/ did , suffer from salt/ brackish fishing, (Salt )clear coat damage, as well as a bit of damage ( clear epoxy) on a couple guides... It did not hurt the rod, however, 3 of those rods tip areas did break. Only after 10 years of use, though... Again, long life on great rods, and great warranty from St. Croix ( lifetime ) on avid.. That's my experience only, you can't keep your rods rinsed off till the days fishing is done, there is bound to be some degradation over the long haul. That's pretty much all rods in that environment.
Jraut98 reply :
Are the tidemaster'a big downgrades from the avids? Just wondering
GANGGREEN reply :
I'm glad to see a few guys have shown up to champion the Fenwick rods. I admit to having only a little experience with the Fenwick and St. Croix rods, but this is a discussion forum and it's not worth much without a wide range of responses. I know that I learn a lot from anecdotal posts about this or that.
I've only ever owned one St. Croix rod, it's a 6'6" MLF Premier. I've also previously fished with a 6' UL Premier and a 6'6" ML Avid. I know that the Avids get really, really good reviews on this site and are pretty much universally popular, but my very limited experience with them hasn't been as positive. I fished with the Avid very recently and compared it side to side with my 6' ML Fenwick HMG and I honestly liked the HMG a bit more (although it wasn't completely an apples for apples comparison since the HMG is 6" shorter and to my hands, a bit "faster"). The Fenwick is about $100 less and I liked it more. Maybe it's just me and I'm all wet. The same HMG, at least in my hands, is a far superior and more sensitive rod than my 6'6" Premier at roughly the same price point. The little 6' UL St. Croix that I fished with years ago was a fine little rod but at the price point, I'm not sure it was any better than any number of other options. Admittedly, I know that it's the Avid and not the Premier that's being recommended in this thread.
I have a new Elite Tech Smallmouth and 2 new HMGs on the way because I'm so happy with the Fenwicks. I hope that these ones are as nice as the current HMG that I like so much. So, in a nutshell, here's another vote for the Fenwick over the St. Croix at the same price points.
Oh, and as an aside, I got this current HMG after a friend had borrowed a previous Fenwick Walleye Series that I owned. He broke it through his own stupidity, sent it back to Fenwick and they replaced it with the current HMG since the Walleye Series was no longer in production. It was actually an upgrade and they replaced it no questions asked so at least in that instance, their customer service was exceptional, though I really have no other experience with customer service at Fenwick or St. Croix.
Jraut98 reply :
Which of these rods are more sensitive in 6'6 power fast action the avid, avid inshore, or tidemaster
J Francho reply :
SCIII is more sensitive and lighter than SCII.
Poolshark reply :
I've owned primarily st croix avids and legends in the past. They build a great quality rod. I had ten of them. Avids to me represent at croix step up line in terms of quality.
Jraut98 reply :
What kind of reel and size should I match a 6'6 med power fast action st croix avid with?
Lastly so u think the medium power avid can handle stripers up to 30 inches
Alonerankin2 reply :
On 11/8/2014 at 5:25 AM, Jraut98 said:What kind of reel and size should I match a 6'6 med power fast action st croix avid with?
Lastly so u think the medium power avid can handle stripers up to 30 inches
Spinning or Casting?
Jraut98 reply :
Sorry didn't make that clear spinning
Poolshark reply :
A 3000 size shimano would balance nicely. I have a sfradic on mine and like it. I have no clue on the stripers though. Works nicely for bass. I do use a seven foot medium I use for light salt water and have caught many peacock bass and snook with it. I use 20lb braid and a floor leader. Hope that helps.
Poolshark reply :
I would use a casting though. You might find it more versatile. I use a 200 size curado.
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