Help picking new river jigging rod!!!

[Gunslinger]

Read lots of reviews but still looking for direct comparisons. Looking for a new longer river jigging rod.

Narrowed down to this:

St croix avid: AVS68MXF OR AVS69MLXF
St croix legend tourney: LTWS68MXF
St croix eyecon: ECS68MXF
Fenwick elite tech: ETW69ML-XFS

I have not used St croix avids or eyecons so nothing to compare it too. I have a St croix legend tourney for rigging and like it. I have a fenwick elite tech 6'3" for vertical jigging and like it as well.

Maybe buying a new rod will cure my spring fever! Thanks for the help.

[Thaddeus]

Id recommend St. Croix. 68mxf with mono and jigs over 5/16 and a 610mlxf or 69mlxf with braid for jigs 1/16-5/16 oz. if your budget allows I would get at least avids.

[ftfarms]

I would buy a st croix. For $100 the eyecon is hard to beat but the new avid x rod feels awsome. But I like split grips some people don't. I have eyecons for my grandsons or who ever is fishing with me and I use the legend xtreme and a new legend elite. The xtreme is my all time favorite jigging rod We use alot of worms and the handle wipes clean.

[hnd]

my buddy has the avid and i have the eyecon in the 68MXF. we both love them. whether or not the avid vs eyecon makes much of a difference is in the eye of the beholder i guess. we swapped and he kind of wished he had bought 2 eyecons instead of 1 avid.

If you're looking to save a little money, the new version of the St. Croix Mojo rods are built on the same blank as the avids. You can get a 69mlxf in that rod for quite a bit less. I have both the avid and mojos in 69MLXF (old mojo not the SCIII blank). The Avid was lighter and had more feel, but the tip on that rod breaks way too easily. It's the only rod I have ever broken, and it's happened twice on fish.

I wasn't hoisting them into the boat, or doing anything I shouldn't. One was an 18" Walleye, drag was normal to fairly loose. I think the extra fast action is just so limber that over a few years of time it gets worn down about 8" down. Both breaks were in that same area for me.

Another thing is, what do you mean by "jigging". 69MLXF is a great pitching rod for jigs and blades. If you're talking vertical jigging, I have an Eyecon 63MXF which I much prefer for vertical for both jigs and blades (much less fatigue in 8-10 hours of jigging with that shorter rod). 69MLXF is a good all around rod, but I wouldn't say it's perfect for both.

[ftfarms]

If you would go to a fast tip and not a x fast tip it should help with you not breaking the rod 8" down. Let more of the rod do the work not just the tip. X fast is not limber enough. I always thought a x fast tip was made for bass fisherman to hawg bass out of cover so the rod tip is less limber and more stiff

[TomP.]

Originally Posted by Thaddeus

Id recommend St. Croix. 68mxf with mono and jigs over 5/16 and a 610mlxf or 69mlxf with braid for jigs 1/16-5/16 oz. if your budget allows I would get at least avids.

Thadious has it right on the reason for the difference is when a Walleye picks up the bait on braid the XF tip has more give so the fish can take the jig in farther with less resistance. The StCroix's load very quickly so the hook set is very solid. When playing fish the XF with braid will take the heads shakes without ripping out the hooks.

The biggest difference to me between the Eyecon and Avid is the Avids are a little lighter with better warranty and the Avid`s have the up grade benefit. Say you pay $190 for an Avid and own it for 3 years StCoix will take $5 off for each year of ownership towards stepping up to the next higher quality rod so that would give you $175 towards say a Tournament Series rod. I don`t know of any other rod company that will do this.

[Lake Wisconsin]

From a feel stand point, it is tough to beat the legends. They are very expensive, but do pay off when the fish are either sucking in the bait or just hanging on and not smacking it. These rods have outfished my avids, premiers, Gloomis and fenwicks.

[Gunslinger]

Thanks all. Went with the St. Croix legend tourney. Can't go wrong there. Now off to try it out!