Engineering a Legend

The designs and materials behind St. Croix's all-new Legend Tournament Bass Series - available to anglers March 25

PARK FALLS, WI - Building on its expanding and proprietary expertise with hybrid blank development, St. Croix's latest expression of angler-centric design becomes reality in an all-new series of Legend Tournament Bass rods that are lighter, stronger, and poised to elevate the bass-fishing experience further with improved balance, performance, and capability in any technique or presentation.

Unveiled this week at the 2022 Bassmaster Classic, these 24 all-new Legend Tournament Bass casting and spinning rods will be available to anglers at stcroixrods.com and at St. Croix dealers worldwide beginning March 25.

New Legend Tournament Bass rods feature next-generation hybrid SCIV+ carbon fiber blanks. Select reaction bait models will feature all-new iACT Glass hybrid blanks. In addition to their unique combinations of proprietary materials, all-new Legend Tournament Bass rods will also incorporate all of St. Croix's top technologies and premium components.

Despite the all the improvements, some things will stay the same: new Legend Tournament Bass rods remain handcrafted in Park Falls, Wisconsin, USA with a 15-year transferrable warranty backed by St. Croix Superstar Service. They also retain their iconic Tournament Blue Pearl color.

New St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass Features

Next-generation hybrid CARBON FIBER SCIV+ blanks
Technique-specific iACT SCIV+ and linear S-Glass hybrid blanks on specific models
Fortified Resin System (FRS) technology
Advanced Reinforcing TechnologyTM (ARTTM)
Integrated Poly Curve® (IPC®) mandrel technology
Taper Enhancement Technology (TET) blank design
Fuji® K-Series tangle-free guides with Alconite® rings
Fuji® SK2 reel seat on casting models with ergonomic complimenting componentry
Fuji® VSS real seat on spinning models with extended foregrip
Precision machined aluminum reel seat nuts and wind checks on spinning and casting models
Split-grip, super-grade cork handles customized per model
Full-grip super grade cork handles on select models
Model specific hook keepers selectively placed per technique
Single coat sealer on blank with slow cure finish
Two coats of Flex-Coat slow cure finish on guides
15-year transferable warranty backed by St. Croix Superstar Service
Designed and handcrafted in Park Falls, U.S.A. for bass anglers worldwide
Retail price $290 to $345

New St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass Casting Models

JERKBAITS / LBTC68MXF - 6'8", medium power, extra-fast action / Retail $295
ALL-IN / LBTC71MHF - 7'1", medium-heavy power, fast action / Retail $300
FINESSE CARBON CRANKER / LBTC72MHMF - 7'2", medium-heavy power, moderate-fast action / Retail $315
CARBON CRANKER / LBTC72MHM - 7'2", medium-heavy power, moderate action / Retail $315
FINESSE GLASS CRANKER (iACT) / LBTC72MM - 7'2", medium power, moderate action / Retail $315
RIP-N-CHATTER / LBTC72HM (iACT) - 7'2", heavy power, moderate action / Retail $315
POWER FINESSE / LBTC73HXF - 7'3", heavy power, extra-fast action / Retail $320
WORKHORSE / LBTC73MHF - 7'3", medium-heavy power, fast action / Retail $320
FLIP-CHAT-CRANK / LBTC73HMF - 7'3", heavy power, moderate-fast action / Retail $320
SLOP-N-FROG / LBTC74HF - 7'4", heavy power, fast action / Retail $325
POWER GLASS CRANKER / LBTC74MHM (iACT) - 7'4", medium-heavy power, moderate action / Retail $325
WARHORSE / LBTC75MHF - 7'5", medium-heavy power, fast action / Retail $330
FLIP'N / LBTC76HMF - 7'6", heavy power, moderate-fast action / Retail $335
BIG CRANKER / LBTC710HM - 7'10", heavy power, moderate action / Retail $345
MAG CRANKER / LBTC710XHM - 7'10", extra-heavy power, moderate action / Retail $345
POWER FLIP'N / LBTC711HMF - 7'11", heavy power, moderate-fast action / Retail $340

New St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass Spinning Models

PINPOINT / LBTS68MXF - 6'8", medium power, extra-fast action / Retail $290
DROPSHOT FINESSE / LBTS610MLXF - 6'10", medium-light power, extra-fast action / Retail $290
VERSATILE / LBTS71MF - 7'1", medium power, fast action / Retail $300
POWER VERSATILE / LBTS73MHF - 7'3", medium-heavy power, fast action / Retail $300
DROPSHOT FINESSE XL / LBTS73MLXF- 7'3", medium-light power, extra-fast action / Retail $300
POWER FINESSE / LBTS73MXF - 7'3", medium power, extra-fast action / Retail $300
HAIR JIG / LBTS710MLXF - 7'10", medium-light power, extra-fast action / Retail $335
SWIMMING BAITS / LBTS710MMF - 7'10", medium power, moderate-fast action / Retail $335

A Look Behind the Park Falls Curtain

"Recent launches of Croix Custom Ice, Legend Xtreme, Victory, Panfish and other series have proven the performance advantages that can be attained using hybrid blank designs," says St. Croix Brand Manager, Ryan Teach. "We're building rods for anglers today that are markedly lighter, stronger and better balanced than previous models, and these hybrid designs are also allowing us to dial in specific models within each series to possess the unique performance characteristics that allow them to excel in their intended applications. In other words, rods within the same series may look the same, but each individual blank contains a different and distinct combination of materials. In the case of these new Legend Tournament Bass rods, those materials are high modulus SCIV carbon, super-high modulus SCVI exotic carbon, and in the case of some of the reaction-bait models, linear S-Glass. The specific and proprietary percentages, locations, and combinations are based on exhaustive research and testing for each length, power, and action."

Teach says the exercise of designing, testing and building the new Victory Series opened the door to wider-ranging opportunities. "After we saw what could be accomplished with the hybrid SCIII+ material in the Victory Series, we knew SCIV+ would be next, and the angler-favorite Legend Tournament Bass Series was the logical place to deliver the exciting advantages of this new material to anglers."

While every new Legend Tournament Bass rod is special and distinct, St. Croix Engineering Supervisor, Gavin Falk, says the three iACT Glass models - specifically engineered for hardbait applications like crankbaits and chatterbaits - represent an even greater technological achievement for anglers. "These rods introduce a third material - our linear S-Glass - to the hybrid SCIV+ blank to produce rods with the softer actions reaction presentations demand. We call the combination iACT Glass. It stands for Internally Active, and it allows us to deliver those slower, parabolic actions while maintaining peak sensitivity in a blank that's significantly smaller in diameter and lighter than a pure glass cranking rod," Falk says. "Our anglers have asked for this and we're always listening, not being reactive but addressing ideas and opportunities as they come forward."

Teach says these three iACT Glass models deliver everything anglers have asked for in a reaction-bait rod and more. "You can even walk a topwater with complete control using one of these Legend Tournament Bass iACT rods," he says. "That's not something typically thought of or possible with a rod that has any type of glass in it. You can walk these baits with precision and never even think you have a glass rod in yours hands until you've hooked up on a fish and the parabolic action takes over."

In addition to their distinct hybrid blank designs, new Legend Tournament Bass rods also feature all of St. Croix's top technologies including IPC, ART, FRS, and TET. When combined with IPC (Integrated Poly Curve) mandrel technology, St. Croix's new SCIV+ material has been lauded by rod engineers and beta-test anglers for its ability to transmit energy. IPC removes hinge points during the layup process for smoother actions, and ART (Advanced Reinforcing Technology) reinforces key transition areas. "Extremely lightweight, sensitive rods are worthless without durability," says Teach. "ART and FRS (Fortified Resin System) combine to guard against rod failure in every new Legend Tournament Bass model, which is something that's been proven on our Dynamic Analyzer and confirmed on the water by our test staff."

"SCIV already delivered extreme lightweight performance and sensitivity," says St. Croix Vice President of Research and Development, Jason Brunner. "Exotic SCVI carbon is too stiff and rigid to build a complete rod out of, but when added in the right amounts in the right locations to other materials - SCIV in this case - we can produce lighter and more sensitive rods that excel in technique-specific applications without sacrifice to strength or durability." Falk adds that Legend Tournament Bass iACT Glass models are the first carbon/glass hybrid rods ever to be rolled on IPC mandrels.

Teach says months of testing have gone into every single length, power and action offered in the all-new Legend Tournament Bass Series. "All went through multiple design and construction iterations and were repeatedly refined before our anglers and product team were completely satisfied," reveals Teach, adding that anglers may notice the biggest difference in medium-to-heavy power LTB models. "All of these new rods are exceptionally balanced. In the heavier-power rods, we use a greater percentage of SCVI material and less SCIV to minimize tip weight and rod torque. All models have been sensitivity tested on our SC Dynamic Analyzer, which helped us determine precise placement and quantities of the SCVI material on each model."

All lengths, powers and actions in the new series are tailored to specific bass-fishing techniques. They'll all have the same series name and cosmetics, but each is designed for its specific purpose. "Even the hook keepers are different," says Teach, who adds the series includes never before seen lengths powers and actions to support emerging techniques and presentations. All models feature premium componentry and split-grip or full-grip super-grade cork handles.

Plan to make the all-new Legend Tournament Bass rods your own at stcroixrods.com and at St. Croix dealers worldwide on March 25. Learn more.