St. Croix Avid Inshore Fishing Rod Review: Top Pros & Cons
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
Have you had the chance to use the St. Croix Avid Inshore fishing rod?
How well does this rod stack up against other inshore fishing rods?
Check out this awesome review of the St. Croix Avid Inshore Rod Series!!
Take a look below!
St. Croix Avid Inshore Fishing Rod Review
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This review is centered around the Medium-Power Fast-Action 7’6″ model.
The Pros
The St. Croix Avid is a nice rod built on a quality blank.
From top to bottom, the rod has a good blend of both power and feel.
The very tip of the fishing rod is on the softer side with little backbone to it.
This rod launches small rigs and jigs along the flats.
Also, it is an excellent choice for fishing with live bait.
The sensitive tip of the rod allows you to cast light lures and live bait without the bait sliding off.
Overall, the rod itself is balanced well and has a good blend of power gradually shifting to sensitivity at the tip.
Additionally, the other features of the rod are of high quality.
The guides along the rod are well-made and can withstand heavy saltwater conditions.
Rust on fishing rods normally starts at the lure keeper, but not with this rod.
The individual components of the rod were thoughtfully designed and put together to assemble a quality inshore fishing rod.
Finally, the fishing rod itself was built in the U.S.A.
Not many fishing rods are truly made in the U.S.A. and it further ensures the quality of the product.
This is an excellent rod choice for heavier jigs, topwater lures, as well as suspending twitch baits.
The Cons
The main con of this rod is the price point.
It is an expensive fishing rod at around $260 retail.
Another con is the lure keeper design makes it hard to secure weedless soft plastic lures to it.
It comes down to personal preference for the lure keeper but it helps for weedless soft plastics for it to be the hook design over the attached design.
The last con is situational for when you are using weedless soft plastic lures on this rod.
Your hook-up ratio will decrease when using this rod with weedless soft plastic lures.
The softer tip makes it hard for you to dig the hook into the fish and secure a firm hookset.
As far as exposed hook soft plastic lure rigs, the rod will work just fine.
The concern for secure hooksets applies to weedless soft plastic lures.
Conclusion
The St. Croix Avid Inshore Fishing Rod is an excellent choice for inshore saltwater anglers looking for a quality product that lasts a long time and holds up to its price point.
Be sure to avoid using weedless soft plastic lure presentations with this setup as it could cause you to miss out on hooksets!
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Would the hyperfast action medium version be great for trouts in canadian lakes?
Thanks for an answer.
I stick with 6’6″ Avid spin because they’re very accurate throwing around mangroves fishing around Pine Idland Florida. The extra foot of length of the model tested is what diminishes it’s hook setting power with soft plastics IMO. I just ordered two of the Avid Inshore 66MF on sale online now for $156 each. I think St Croix has discontinued the Avid series.
They aren’t discontinued – they just came out with an update. The new ones are the Avid Inshore 2024 – a few changes to the lineup and said to be lighter. I’m looking to pickup one on clearance as well.
Great review Luke!
I feel like you wouldn’t have issues with weedless soft plastics with the 7 ft model.
The extra length is what makes the tip that soft.
How would this compare to a Mojo?
I have two I use for inshore fishing: both 7 1/2 ft, fast action – the medium light and the medium. Both are great rods. I’ve had no problems with either. As noted, they have softer tips, which I prefer. I’ve used the medium action for Texas rigged plastic worm fishing for bass with no issues setting the hook. I use braid with a mono or flouro leader (because flouro sinks and that helps in worm fishing, especially in shallow water). Absolutely no rust issues. I’ve settled on St Croix rods for most applications because I believe the company provides the best price point/warranty/quality product out there today. And I’ve tried a bunch of them.
Hi- I received this rod for my birthday this October. I have had great success with this rod. I have fished Little Sarasota Bay, Sarasota Bay, Homosassa, Crystal River and Chiefland. I love the lightness, my wrist does not get tired! I have used, soft bait paddle tails, top water, spoon and a rig with a popping cork. All fantastic. Easy to cast, I love it. 7 foot medium power – fast action. Caught Snook, Red Fish and Trout.
Great review. I didn’t know about the softer tip. With that in mind, I am planning to get a 7′ Medium for inshore fishing in NE Florida would you recommend a fast or moderate action?
I have 5 of these rods that I picked up when a certain store was shutting down. 50% off at the time. Couldn’t pass up such a deal! Absolutely love them! Have the MLF, MF, MHF, and HF. I will agree that the MF can be a bit soft for weedless soft plastics but the MHF has no problems. Each action definitely has its niche for certain baits and situations but you definitely cant go wrong with one! Or 5! Thanks for the review!
So the 7’6” MH Fast works fine on weedless soft plastics? I have an 8 ft MF and it is a little soft.
I’ve had one for three years. Very high quality and , as you said, not a hint of rust or wear-and-tear. Have used it inshore and multiple times offshore on mahi up to 15 pounds. Tough backbone.