Musky Anglers: Get a Grip on Pinnacle Performance

Completely reengineered and expanded Legend Tournament Musky Series rods are lighter, stronger, feature St. Croix's new GRASP reel seat, and are available right now

Covering a complete range of musky-fishing presentations with inspiring performance, premium materials and componentry, and inclusive of more distinct models than any other St. Croix musky series, made-in-the-USA Legend Tournament Musky rods have been the tools of choice for discriminating musky anglers for over a decade.

"No doubt, we make a lot of exceptional musky rods," says St. Croix Engineering Supervisor and self-described musky nut, Gavin Falk. "But even with everything we do to ensure an elevated fishing experience for musky anglers across multiple price points, there's a reason so many elite-level musky anglers consistently reach for our blue rods. All the St. Croix technologies are there along with uncompromising components, but it's those SCIV carbon blanks that have really green-lighted Legend Tournament Musky rods in the brains and hands of musky anglers in the know. The material just makes such a light and sensitive rod. Combine that with the fact that anglers can choose from so many different lengths, powers and actions, and you can start to understand why the Legend Tournament Musky Series has always been so special. And we recently set out to make them even better."

Origin Story

Falk says St. Croix organized a Musky Round Table event a couple years ago where they challenged the who's who of the musky world to critique and offer insights on every musky rod St. Croix has ever made. "All the best musky anglers were there on the shores of Big St. Germain Lake in Northern Wisconsin, and we pressed them to open up and tell us everything the liked and didn't like about all St. Croix musky rod models and series in a very open setting," Falk recalls. "Everything they told us was like pizza, cold beer and peach pie to our engineers… we couldn't get enough. We took our notes back to the full team and set our sights on an epic rebuild of what everybody told us was already the best musky series out there… Legend Tournament Musky. Today, the next generation of all-new Legend Tournament Musky rods are available to anglers."

Reengineered and Expanded Legend Tournament Musky Series

Available today, St. Croix Rod introduces the next generation of Legend Tournament Musky - rods that are lighter, stronger, more balanced, and more comfortable to fish for hours on end than any previous St. Croix musky rod. "This is destined to be a defining series for St. Croix," says St. Croix Brand Manager, Ryan Teach. "Put simply, the next-generation Legend Tournament Musky Series is comprised of the finest musky rods St. Croix has ever built."

Lighter in the hand and more durable than ever, new Legend Tournament Musky rods for 2023 feature next-generation hybrid SCIV+ carbon fiber blanks. "Designing, testing and building the new Legend Tournament Bass Series with our new SCIV+ material was a real eye-opener," Teach says. "We knew these hybrid materials - a blend of SCIV carbon and SCVI carbon - would have the same benefits for musky anglers as they'd proven to have for bass anglers. SCIV+ allowed us to build new Legend Tournament Musky blanks that were not only stronger and lighter than their predecessors, but also fine-tuned and dialed-in for specific techniques and presentations. Each individual new Legend Tournament Musky blank - from the 8'6" medium-light power LIL' DAWG to the 9' extra-heavy power BLUE OX rubber rod - contains different and distinct combinations, percentages and locations of those two materials that allow it to perform to its highest potential in its intended application."

Teach says SCIV+ material retains all the best attributes of SCIV carbon, while taking weight off the tips to make each rod lighter and more balanced while - as amazing as it sounds - making them even stronger and more durable at the same time. "All of this means easier fishing with a lot less worry," Teach adds. "We've tested, refined and reengineered these 21 new Legend Tournament Musky models repeatedly over the past couple years to make sure anglers will be blown away by any new Legend Tournament Musky rod they invest in."

In addition to their distinct hybrid blank designs, new Legend Tournament Musky rods also feature St. Croix's top technologies including IPC, ART and FRS. "When combined with IPC (Integrated Poly Curve) mandrel technology, our new SCIV+ material really shines in its ability to transmit energy, which means even more sensitivity for the angler," Teach says. "Each distinct thump of the blade or a single small piece of grass fouling the action of a jerkbait… anglers are going to feel it." Meanwhile, ART (Advanced Reinforcing Technology) is added to further reinforce key transition areas between the SCIV and SCVI materials. "Simply put, these are the most durable Legend Tournament Musky rods to date. We've proven this on the water via our test staff, as well as inside the factory on our Dynamic Analyzer."

GRASP Technology

St. Croix didn't stop with lighter, stronger and more sensitive performance in its redesign of Legend Tournament Musky. "Angler ergonomics are important in any style of fishing, because if their rod can help them fish longer with less effort and less fatigue they're going to enjoy their outings more and increase their chances for success," says Falk, adding that the scale of the tackle employed makes ergonomics an especially critical consideration for musky anglers.

"Our team knew we had a real opportunity here," offers Teach. "So we engaged our field staff - some of the best and most-respected musky anglers in the country - to help us engineer a new angler interface that would make our next-generation Legend Tournament Musky rods even more fishable than they already were.

All 21 new Legend Tournament Musky Series models feature the all-new St. Croix GRASP (patent pending) real seat. The angler-requested St. Croix-exclusive GRASP reel seat helps give anglers the upper hand by delivering superior ergonomic control of Legend Tournament Musky rods during the cast, retrieve, and throughout fight.

GRASP effectively combats the hand and wrist fatigue that commonly sets in when casting and retrieving heavy lures and doing battle with large, powerful fish. GRASP accomplishes this by always keeping the wrist properly aligned while affording the most comfortable and efficient grip on the rod and casting reel - straight and in line with the rod in the ultimate palming position, not canted back when casting or canted forward while retrieving as commonly happens with traditional casting-rod grips. The result is total control over rod and fish, with less fatigue so anglers can fish longer, harder, and earn more success.

In addition to GRASP's ergonomic design, its angler interface is sweetened with an extremely durable and tactile SoftTouch coating. "The selection of the proper coating took years of discovery, trial and error, and it's a big part of what makes GRASP distinct in the marketplace," Teach says. "The SoftTouch coating we landed on is just as important as the refined geometries that make GRASP a complete and unique design. It is incredibly resilient yet remains slightly tacky when wet."

GRASP itself is a fully integrated reel seat that blends seamlessly into one of 11 distinct handle designs, each purpose-engineered to enhance balance and overall performance in each rod's intended techniques. As a result of angler input, the new Legend Tournament Musky Series offers seven different super-grade cork split-grip (S) handle configurations and four super-grade cork/premium EVA full-grip (F) designs to support the ways anglers will fish each model. In three models - THE JERK II, SWITCH BLADE and SLING BLADE - anglers have the option of selection split grips or full grips based on their preference. Each GRASP handle and reel seat are finished with a machined aluminum locking nut.

New Legend Tournament Musky models are available in the lengths, powers and actions that support a complete range of musky presentations and techniques. Ranging in length from 7'6" to 9'6" in medium-light through extra-heavy power, all new Legend Tournament Musky rods have fast actions, with the exception of the moderate-fast 8'3" LIPSTICK II model. Five telescopic (T) models with a collapsible design are also available, reducing overall length to 90" or 94" (depending on model) for easier transport and storage.

Blue-rod afficionados will also appreciate that some parts of Legend Tournament Musky have not changed. Namely, they're still handcrafted in Park Falls, Wisconsin, USA with a 15-year transferrable warranty backed by St. Croix Superstar Service and they still retain their iconic Tournament Blue Pearl color. Most of the recognizable model names are back, too, as well as some brand new ones like BLUE OX, TOOTH FAIRY and GRINDER, which are destined to become angler favorites.

Reengineered St. Croix Legend Tournament Musky Features

Next-generation technique-specific hybrid SCIV+ carbon fiber blanks
Fortified Resin System (FRS) technology
Advanced Reinforcing TechnologyTM (ARTTM)
Integrated Poly Curve® (IPC®) mandrel technology
K-Style tangle-free stainless-steel guides with Alconite rings
Ergonomic full-grip super-grade cork/premium EVA hybrid handles on select models
Ergonomic split-grip super-grade cork handles on select models
St. Croix GRASP reel seat with ergonomic complimenting componentry on all models
Precision-machined aluminum reel seat nut
Model specific hook keepers
15-year transferable warranty backed by St. Croix Superstar Service
Designed and handcrafted in Park Falls, U.S.A. for musky anglers worldwide
Retail price $380 to $500

Reengineered St. Croix Legend Tournament Musky Models

TWITCH STICK / LMTSC710MF - 7'10", medium power, fast action, split-grip, casting / Retail $380
LIL' DAWG / LMTSC86MLF - 8'6", medium-light power, fast action, split-grip, casting / Retail $390
BANTAM BAIT / LMTSC90MLF - 9'0", medium-light power, fast action, split-grip, casting / Retail $400
THE JERK II / LMTSC76HF - 7'6", heavy power, fast action, split-grip, casting / Retail $380
THE JERK II / LMTFC76HF - 7'6", heavy power, fast action, full-grip, casting / Retail $385
LIPSTICK II / LMTSC83HMF - 8'3", heavy power, moderate-fast action, split-grip, casting / Retail $405
TOP-N-TAIL / LMTSC80MHF - 8'0", medium-heavy power, fast action, split-grip, casting / Retail $390
SWITCH BLADE / LMTSC80HF - 8'0", heavy power, fast action, split-grip, casting / Retail $395
SWITCH BLADE / LMTFC80HF - 8'0", heavy power, fast action, full-grip, casting / Retail $400
LONG RANGER / LMTSC86MHF - 8'6", medium-heavy power, fast action, split-grip, casting / Retail $410
SLING BLADE / LMTSC86HF - 8'6", heavy power, fast action, split-grip, casting / Retail $420
SLING BLADE / LMTFC86HF - 8'6", heavy power, fast action, full-grip, casting / Retail $425
BIG DAWG / LMTFC86XHF - 8'6", extra-heavy power, fast action, full-grip, casting / Retail $430
GRINDER / LMTSC90MHF - 9'0", medium-heavy power, fast action, split-grip, casting / Retail $435
BIG NASTY / LMTFC90HF - 9'0", heavy power, fast action, full-grip, casting / Retail $440
BLUE OX / LMTFC90XHF - 9'0", extra-heavy power, fast action, full-grip, casting / Retail $450
BIG FOOT / LMTSC90MHFT - 9'0" (collapses to 94" storage length), medium-heavy power, fast action, split-grip, casting / Retail $470
SLING SHOT II / LMTSC96MHFT - 9'6" (collapses to 94" storage length), medium-heavy power, fast action, split-grip, casting / Retail $475
TOOTH FAIRY / LMTFC86HFT - 8'6" (collapses to 90" storage length), heavy power, fast action, full-grip, casting / Retail $460
BEEF STICK / LMTFC90HFT - 9'0" (collapses to 94" storage length), heavy power, fast action, full-grip, casting / Retail $475
BLADEMASTER II / LMTFC96HFT - 9'6" (collapses to 94" storage length), heavy power, fast action, full-grip, casting / Retail $500

Get a grip on all-new pinnacle musky-rod performance. Next-generation St. Croix Legend Tournament Musky rods are lighter, stronger, better balanced and more comfortable to fish than ever. Best of all, these 21 all-new beauties are available right now at St. Croix dealers worldwide and at stcroixrodfactorystore.com.