Legend Elite for verticle jigging.
 

I have a Legend Elite 6' mlf that I love for Vertical jigging:rockit:. It's great for light jigs up to 1/4 oz. Sometimes I need to use 3/8 ounce jigs and I don't like the way it performs with the heavier jig.

I'm looking at 2 Legend Elite rods that I think would work but I cant compare them in person so I'm looking for someone that has handled one or both of these rods. They are 6' MF and the 6'3" mxf.

Which one is more sensitive and which one can handle a 3/8 ounce jig better. I normally like shorter rods for vertical jigging.
Any thoughts are welcomed.

Call the folks at St. Croix, they all fish and will give you solid info.

Follow-Up
 

Greetings,

I'm curious as to why the original poster needs to go to a 3/8 ounce jig? Are you fishing in current, such that you need that heavy of a jig to hold bottom?

I routinely vertical jig with St. Croix Elite spinning rods in Light power Fast action or Medium Light power Xtra-Fast action. I use 1/16 ounce jigs in water as deep as about 15-20 fow. I might move up to 1/8 ounce jigs if fishing 20-35 fow and the wind is blowing big waves. I can't even remember the last time that I used a 1/4 ounce jig - it's probably been fifteen years at least.

If the original poster is not fishing in water with current, I'm wondering if his fishing line is too heavy such that he is struggling to feel bottom with lighter weight jigs. All of my walleye fishing is with six pound Trilene XT or XL. I have no problem feeling bottom in thirty feet of water with a 1/16 ounce jig. I would move down to four pound test before I would move up to eight pound test.

It seems to me that a 3/8 ounce jig in water with no current would be akin to putting a wet blanket over the jig and still trying to feel a subtle walleye bite. If it works for the original poster, go for it!

I agree with Nails - give the fine folks at St. Croix a telephone call and chat with them. You might want to also look at the recommended range in lure weight for each of the spinning rods of interest to see which rods have a recommended range in lure weight that encompasses 3/8 ounce.

Good fishing and tight lines!!

[QUOTE=BornToFish;6500458]Greetings,

I'm curious as to why the original poster needs to go to a 3/8 ounce jig? Are you fishing in current, such that you need that heavy of a jig to hold bottom?

I routinely vertical jig with St. Croix Elite spinning rods in Light power Fast action or Medium Light power Xtra-Fast action. I use 1/16 ounce jigs in water as deep as about 15-20 fow. I might move up to 1/8 ounce jigs if fishing 20-35 fow and the wind is blowing big waves. I can't even remember the last time that I used a 1/4 ounce jig - it's probably been fifteen years at least.

If the original poster is not fishing in water with current, I'm wondering if his fishing line is too heavy such that he is struggling to feel bottom with lighter weight jigs. All of my walleye fishing is with six pound Trilene XT or XL. I have no problem feeling bottom in thirty feet of water with a 1/16 ounce jig. I would move down to four pound test before I would move up to eight pound test.

It seems to me that a 3/8 ounce jig in water with no current would be akin to putting a wet blanket over the jig and still trying to feel a subtle walleye bite. If it works for the original poster, go for it!

I agree with Nails - give the fine folks at St. Croix a telephone call and chat with them. You might want to also look at the recommended range in lure weight for each of the spinning rods of interest to see which rods have a recommended range in lure weight that encompasses 3/8 ounce.

Good fishing and tight lines!![/QUOTE]
Situation: River 25 to 30 ft deep with current and heavy wind and waves necessitate using 1/4 to 3/8 th ounce jig. I know I want a medium action rod,actually one of the 2 rods in my first post. One is fast action 6' and one is xf 6'3" strictly vertical jigging. I normally like short fast action rods for this application but am intrigued by the 6'3" xf rod but have not tried one.

When fishing the river in the 80 foot washout hole below the dam, I commonly use 1 oz jigs.

The current is so stiff and the water so deep, that anything lighter will not get to the bottom.

Just in case you wonder, Yes -- I have caught Saugers that are only 8 inches long on a 1 oz jig.

These river fish can be quite aggressive - particularly when fishing heavy current in deep holes.

If the fish aren't aggressive, the current whisks away their lunch and they starve.

------------------
But for fishing heavier jigs, I routinely use medium action Elite rods with excellent results.

Any time that I am working big waves in the wind, I will go up to a 3/8ths and possibly a 1/2 oz jig.

If one uses a lighter jig in these conditions - the jig never gets close to the bottom.

Sure, in light winds and or shallower fishing I will use 1/16th, or 3/32nz jigs on a medium light or even a light or extra light actin rods with productive results.

Simply put, the St. Roix Elite rods are excellent and will put lots of fish in the boat. Normally, that is the only type rod that I have in the boat - light action, medium light, medium and heavy action rods.

Then, I simply use the rod and the jig that is necessary to execute the style and type fishing that I am doing at the time.

I will say that for lake fishing in 5-16 feet of water, I will typically be using a ml rod, or light action rod with a 1/16th - 1/8th oz jig, if I am jig fishing.

Good luck

Follow-Up
 

Greetings,

I favored "shorter" spinning rods for vertical jigging when I learned the technique years ago. By "shorter", I mean rods in the 5.5 to 6.0 foot range. Now, I much prefer "longer" rods in the seven foot range.

A 3/8 ounce jig might be better suited to a Medium Power spinning rod as the jig weight is likely in the "sweet spot" of the recommended lure weight range. A 3/8 ounce jig might be on the upper end of the recommended lure weight, thus out of the "sweet spot".

I'm wondering if the original poster might benefit from an Extra-Fast Action tip on a Medium Power spinning rod. I find that a 6'10"MLXF spinning rod with a 1/8 ounce jig has the same feel as a 7'0" LF spinning rod with a 1/16 ounce jig.

Any way the original poster wants to go works for me!

Good fishing and tight lines!!

[QUOTE=BornToFish;6500536]Greetings,

A 3/8 ounce jig might be better suited to a Medium Power spinning rod as the jig weight is likely in the "sweet spot" of the recommended lure weight range. A 3/8 ounce jig might be on the upper end of the recommended lure weight, thus out of the "sweet spot".

Good fishing and tight lines!![/QUOTE]


:exactly:Which leads us back to my original post.:laugh:

[QUOTE=BornToFish;6500458]Greetings,

I'm curious as to why the original poster needs to go to a 3/8 ounce jig? Are you fishing in current, such that you need that heavy of a jig to hold bottom?

I routinely vertical jig with St. Croix Elite spinning rods in Light power Fast action or Medium Light power Xtra-Fast action. I use 1/16 ounce jigs in water as deep as about 15-20 fow. I might move up to 1/8 ounce jigs if fishing 20-35 fow and the wind is blowing big waves. I can't even remember the last time that I used a 1/4 ounce jig - it's probably been fifteen years at least.

If the original poster is not fishing in water with current, I'm wondering if his fishing line is too heavy such that he is struggling to feel bottom with lighter weight jigs. All of my walleye fishing is with six pound Trilene XT or XL. I have no problem feeling bottom in thirty feet of water with a 1/16 ounce jig. I would move down to four pound test before I would move up to eight pound test.

It seems to me that a 3/8 ounce jig in water with no current would be akin to putting a wet blanket over the jig and still trying to feel a subtle walleye bite. If it works for the original poster, go for it!

I agree with Nails - give the fine folks at St. Croix a telephone call and chat with them. You might want to also look at the recommended range in lure weight for each of the spinning rods of interest to see which rods have a recommended range in lure weight that encompasses 3/8 ounce.

Good fishing and tight lines!![/QUOTE]


You are making me feel quite inadequate because I surely can't say that I have no problem feeling bottom in thirty feet of water with a 1/16 ounce jig.

[QUOTE=BornToFish;6500458]Greetings,

I'm curious as to why the original poster needs to go to a 3/8 ounce jig? Are you fishing in current, such that you need that heavy of a jig to hold bottom?

I routinely vertical jig with St. Croix Elite spinning rods in Light power Fast action or Medium Light power Xtra-Fast action. I use 1/16 ounce jigs in water as deep as about 15-20 fow. I might move up to 1/8 ounce jigs if fishing 20-35 fow and the wind is blowing big waves. I can't even remember the last time that I used a 1/4 ounce jig - it's probably been fifteen years at least.

If the original poster is not fishing in water with current, I'm wondering if his fishing line is too heavy such that he is struggling to feel bottom with lighter weight jigs. All of my walleye fishing is with six pound Trilene XT or XL. I have no problem feeling bottom in thirty feet of water with a 1/16 ounce jig. I would move down to four pound test before I would move up to eight pound test.

It seems to me that a 3/8 ounce jig in water with no current would be akin to putting a wet blanket over the jig and still trying to feel a subtle walleye bite. If it works for the original poster, go for it!

I agree with Nails - give the fine folks at St. Croix a telephone call and chat with them. You might want to also look at the recommended range in lure weight for each of the spinning rods of interest to see which rods have a recommended range in lure weight that encompasses 3/8 ounce.

Good fishing and tight lines!![/QUOTE]


So you're running 6lb mono and have no trouble feeling bottom with 1/16 in 30+ feet? I just don't believe that. Unless it is absolutely dead calm.



RJR

Hey Freedom,


It's funny this got brought up, because I was actually debating between these exact 2 models of legend elite for fishing 1/4oz and up with 8lb braid in deep water/rivers. I already have a nice 6'3 MLXF that I run 6lb mono on for my finesse/shallow water jigging, but I wanted to upgrade my Loomis E6X 6'3 MF to something better for when I vertical jig in rivers and on deep structure.

I talked to guys that own both the 6'0 MF and the 6'3 MXF Legend Elites. From what I've been told, the 6'0 MF is actually better with slightly heavier jigs, say your 1/2oz - there is just a bit less deflection in the rod tip as the rod is a tad shorter, with the tip being a bit more stiff. The rod is also rated to 5/8oz, where the 6'3 MXF is only rated to 1/2oz.

Short summary: if you mainly fish 1/4-3/8, then the 6'3 is best. But if you bomb in heavy current with 3/8-1/2, with 3/8oz being the minimum you will use, then the 6'0 MF is the way to go. For me personally, I'm probably going with the 6'3, as 3/8oz is about the heaviest I need to fish.

If I ever do need to run 1/2oz, I'll just use my 6'8 MXF.


RJR