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OutdoorHub Review: St. Croix Trout Series Spinning Rod – TFS70LXF2 7ft Light
While you don’t think of a coldwater trout fishery when you think of the deep south, there is a surprisingly robust trout fishery in the northern half of Georgia. While most bodies of water around here regularly have a water temperature in the upper 80s in the summer. The combination of spring-fed creeks and streams flowing down from the Appalachians, cold rivers flowing from deep reservoirs, and a healthy trout stocking effort by the Georgia DNR, lets you catch trout year-round in North Georgia. So for the past year, I have been fishing with a 2022 St. Croix Trout Series Spinning Rod to target these trout with both bait and lures. I fished in a variety of trout waters from small creeks to large rivers targeting mostly stocked rainbow trout, with the occasional wild brown trout tossed in the mix.
Specifications – St. Croix Trout Series Spinning Rod 7ft Light
The specific St. Croix Trout Series Spinning Rod I have and am reviewing is the TFS70LXF2. This is a 7-foot-long 2-piece rod. It is a light power blank with an extra fast action. The line rating for the rod is 4 to 8 lbs and the lure weight rating is 1/16 to 1/4oz. So while the rod is a trout rod, it still is capable of a bit of oomph and backbone when needed. The SCII carbon fiber construction with SCVI reinforcements gives a lot of strength to the blanks of the Trout Series Spinning rods while still keeping them light and nimble.
- Model: TFS70LXF2
- 7’0″
- Light Power
- X-Fast Action
- 4-8lb Line Wt
- 1/16-1/4oz Lure Wt
- 2 piece.
- MSRP – $170
St. Croix Trout Series Spinning Rod 7ft Light Key Features
- Constructed with newly engineered SCII carbon fiber, and SCVI reinforcements, that is both stronger in flexural strength and lighter than its previous formulation.
- Sea Guide® Atlas Performance guides with stainless steel rings and frames; PVD coated tip-top.
- Built with Fortified Resin System (FRS) technology.
- Sea Guide® NPS reel seat with integrated rear nut.
- Split grip handle configurations with premium EVA handle materials.
- Two coats of Flex-Coat slow cure finish.
- 5-year warranty backed by St. Croix Superstar Service.
- Built to provide superior performance for trout specific anglers globally.
- Designed in Park Falls and handcrafted in Fresnillo, Mexico.
On the Water – St. Croix Trout Series Spinning Rod 7ft Light
The first spot I went to with the 7ft Trout Series Spinning Rod was the Chattahoochee River. This is the spot I grew up fishing for trout on and probably has the most prolific stocking trout program in the state. The Chattahoochee runs from the Blue Ridge Mountains all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico, flowing along almost the whole length of the state of Georgia. While the northern end of the river has plenty of trout, I actually don’t fish that stretch of water often. Instead, I fish south of Lake Lanier and Buford Dam. The Hooch flows out of the dam from deep under the surface of Lanier at a brisk 45-50F year round. This makes this river that runs through Metro Atlanta a perfect habitat for trout. Along with the stocked rainbow trout, there is a healthy population of brown trout that spawn on their own in the river. These brown trout are thriving, with the largest specimens feeding on the smaller stocked rainbow trout.
The river is very wide for most of its length so a longer rod is ideal for making long casts from the center of the river towards the structure on either bank of the river. Matched with a 2500-size reel loaded with a 6lb braid, it made casting lures a breeze. After putting on our waders we walk down the boat ramp and wade down river to some deeper shoals of rocks. Here the sensitivity of the extra-fast action was key so you could feel every little thing as your bait or lure went over structure. I did notice one problem fishing the rod though, it was easy to sling the Berkley Powerbait dough when you tried to get some distance. The action along with the braided line was just too much to keep it on the hook. But what was a small inconvenience for bait fishing turned out to be great for throwing lures. The rod excelled at working small jerkbaits in the deeper pockets and channels. This pretty little brown trout definitely found the action of the lure agreeable.
Final Thoughts – St. Croix Trout Series Spinning Rod 7ft Light
After fishing this rod for the past year, I really do like this lightweight St. Croix rod, even with being so light and nimble it has proven itself to have plenty of strength. While I mainly targeted trout with the rod I did take it out to the lake to chase after largemouth bass. Just to test its strength I fished small live shad on the rod and caught dozens of bass up to 5 lbs on the rod as well as a few larger catfish as bycatch. Past how the rod fished, the build quality on the rod is very nice. The components are quality and have not given me any issues of wear or corrosion over the past year. I do have one particular nitpick with the rod butt though. It’s very small and if you palm the rod butt when casting it does not sit in your hand well.
Another thing I need to note is this is not really a small water rod. I fished a few small creeks with this and found it unwieldy. Which makes sense it’s a long rod, so make sure to fit your rod to the waters you will fish most often. On the wide Chattahoochee, it is an excellent choice, in a small Smokey Mountain creek not so much. But if you do fish in wide open spaces like larger rivers or lakes and ponds this is a great choice. Match it up with a 2500-size spinning reel and 4-6lb braid and you are good to go. It will handle and trout you run into and maybe even more if you choose to use it as a finesse combo for some larger species.
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