Trollers deserve responsive rods as much as the artsy caster

Eyecon Trolling Rods build lasting relationship between angler, bait and quarry

Park Falls, Wis. (12/15/11) - It's well known that walleyes are fickle fish. Strikes are often so slight that the finned burglars nip without leaving a trace of evidence. Those missed bites are the very reason St. Croix designed the Eyecon series of rods. The species-specific rods are dedicated to us terrestrial stalkers of these capricious critters. And now, even the biggest and burliest of the lot can get in touch with their sensitive side and feel what they've been missing. (Ahem, that would be you trollers...)

Anglers who prefer muscling full-size crankbaits, big-bladed crawler harnesses and large spoons through the strike zone while trolling - rather than jigging, rigging and casting - also require rods that are responsive and allow a tight, personal bond between the angler, bait and fish. Such rods must be stimulating to the senses visually; their tip forgiving, allowing lures the freest action while at the same time quick to telegraph debris that might be fouling the line. That, and the entire blank must be receptive for trollers to feel the rod load and know a walleye's swimming away with the lure in its yapper.

St. Croix's Eyecon Trolling Rods bring those characteristics to a gunwale and rod-holder near you - six new models that encourage that one-on-one relationship with the catch. Whether pulling lightweight lures high in the water column or life-size replicas of fatter forage at bottom - be they tied to monofilament, superline or leadcore, or being hauled behind in-line planer boards or drawn directly behind the boat - there's an Eyecon Trolling rod for every job.

The tips of all six models respond to every waggle of a crank, every roll of a blade and shake of a spoon, yet have the perfect taper in the blank's mid- and butt sections to yield solid hook sets. "When I felt the action of each model of Eyecon Trolling rod, I thought 'why would anybody use anything else?" says St. Croix Pro Staff Tommy Skarlis-a fulltime walleye tournament pro who helped mastermind the series. "It just blew my mind how serious the company was about this rod project. These rods are built to St. Croix's strict standards, yet are priced affordably for the everyday angler."

Eyecon trolling rods are made from SCI Glass-a higher-modulus fiberglass than standard E-Glass, with strands running tip to butt for that much-needed immediate transmission of what a lure's doing yards behind the boat. The blank's dialed-in design provides superior strength while high-quality cork handles and first-rate guides complete these trolling trophies. The moderate-action Eyecon Trolling rods are available in four medium-power models rated for 10- to 20-pound test in 5-, 7-, 8- and 9-foot lengths, which are ideal for trolling directly behind the boat or stretching into the outer limits with in-line board; and two medium-heavy power models in reach-out-and-touch-me lengths of 10.5 and 12 feet rated for 15- to 30-pound line as well as leadcore.

St. Croix's Eyecon series instantly became an industry icon. The new Eyecon Trolling series is destined to maintain that preeminence, while building upon the relationship between angler, lure, and "Fish On!"

About St. Croix Rod
St. Croix Rod is a family-owned manufacturer of high-performance graphite and fiberglass fishing rods headquartered in Park Falls, Wisconsin. The company offers a complete line of premium, American-made fly, spinning and casting rods under their Legend Elite,® Legend Ultra,® Legend Tournament,® Avid Series,® Premier,® Wild River,® Tidemaster,® and other trademarks through a global distribution network of full-service fishing tackle dealers. The company's mid-priced Triumph,® Mojo, Imperial® and Rio Santo series rods are designed and engineered in Park Falls, Wisconsin and built in a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Fresnillo, Mexico. Founded in 1948 to manufacture jointed bamboo fishing poles for a Minneapolis hardware store chain, St. Croix has grown to become the largest manufacturer of fishing rods in North America.