St Croix Avid Inshore Spinning Review

The St. Croix Avid Inshore spinning reel is an extremely well-built lightweight graphite rod designed specifically for saltwater inshore fishing.

In 2015, the St. Croix Avid Inshore was completely redesigned and won “Best Saltwater Rod” at ICAST in 2015. When you pick this new seafoam colored rod up, you know that you have a high-end piece of fishing equipment in your hands.

The quality of the build and the components that St. Croix has used in the Avid is apparent right away.

The rod blank is made of premium quality SCIII graphite, the guides are Kigan Master Hand Zero with very slim aluminum-oxide rings and titanium frames that offer the highest level of protection from saltwater and tangle-free construction.

A Fuji reel seat with a gunsmoke hood and super-grade cork handle finish off the construction all backed by a transferable 15-year manufacturer warranty.

The St. Croix Avid is the step up from the St. Croix Mojo which I personally fish and love. If you have the budget of between $229-$289 retail and are looking for that very high-end rod feeling, without the extreme price point of saying the G Loomis NRX then this is a great choice.

Features

Integrated Poly Curve^® – IPC or Integrated Poly Curve tooling technology allows St. Croix to eliminate all of the transition points in the rod making for not only a strong rod but one that also has a smoother action.

You can learn more about IPC and some of the other technologies that St. Croix has integrated into its rods.

Premium quality SCIII graphite blank – The Avid Inshore spinning rod starts out with a premium quality SCIII graphite rod bank. Premium means the amount of graphite modules that are found in the blank.

The graphite modulus basically describes the stiffness-to-weight ratio of the graphite used to make the blank. Typically, the higher the modulus, the lighter and more sensitive the rod. The reason is that it requires less material because the higher modulus graphite is stiffer.

Kigan Guides – Kigan Master Hand Zero tangle free guides have slim and strong aluminum-oxide rings and titanium frames for the ultimate protection from saltwater corrosion.

Fuji^® DPS reel seat – The St. Croix Avid inshore rod uses standard Fuji DPS reel seats that are known for their quality and durability. A quality reel seat means that you will be transferring the feel of the fish you are fighting or in the process of hooking into the handle of the rod without any slop and therefore increased sensitivity. The spinning model feature gunsmoke hood covers.

Kigan titanium hook-keeper – The new Kigan hook-keeper allows you to have just the right spot to place the hook and with the new sideways design, the hook tip can no longer dig into the rod, weakening it.

Super-grade cork handle – All Avid rods have top-of-the-line super-grade cork handles which are flawless, this means that you will not experience any flaking of the handle over time.

Two coats of Flex Coat – Once all of the components have been assembled St. Croix brings it all together and finishes the rod off with 2 layers of the Flex Coat slow-cure finish. Flex Coat is an epoxy finish that is used to seal the rod wraps to a point where you basically can not see the wrapping material. This provides for a clean look and a long lifespan.

15-year warranty – St. Croix offers a 15-year fully transferable warranty backed by St. Croix Superstar Service.

Features at a Glance

Integrated Poly Curve tooling technology
High-modulus SCIII graphite
Specialized inshore specific designs
Kigan Master Hand Zero Guides
Fuji DPS reel seat
Select grade cork handle
15 year warranty
Handcrafted in U.S.A.

At the end of the day what really sets the St. Croix rods apart from much of the competition is the engineering that goes into every rod. St. Croix engineers are constantly looking at new design and manufacturing technologies to see how they can improve the rods overall performance.

For the geeks out there, and I say that with all respect, St. Croix uses the latest CNC technology to manufacture their own plastic and aluminum trim pieces such as wind checks, and shims. By keeping the manufacturing process in house, they are able to maintain a very high level of consistency and quality.

St. Croix also has produced such breakthroughs as Integrated Poly Curve^® and Advanced Reinforcing Technology™ that literally eliminates all of the transitional points in the rod blank making for a stronger and more durable rod that has a smoother action. In my opinion, this is the key feature that makes the Avid the rod that it is.

The St. Croix Avid Inshore spinning reel comes with 6 different handle designs.

Pros

Made in the USA
Handmade rod
Premium SCIII rod blank
Top notch components
15 year warranty

Cons

Price is at the high end but you are investing in a quality rod that will last for decades is cared for.

Alternatives

If you want to spend a few dollars less, then I can recommend that you check out the St. Croix Mojo Inshore. It’s my favorite go to rod which costs about $100 less.

The Star Stellar Lite series of rods which start at around $100, carry a lifetime warranty and are also made here in the USA.

The third rod I would have you take a look at would be the G Loomis E6X rod, which is an excellent mid-range rod.

The price point of the E6X starts out at $179 and for me fishes very much like its big brother the G Loomis NRX which is a a $600+ rod.

In Conclusion

The St. Croix Avid is a nice step up from what I normally fish with – the St. Croix Mojo for about 80% of my fishing here in the SW Florida flats.

The Avid adds a certain level of refinement above the Mojo and has higher component and a higher end rod blank that has more sensitivity. I think at this point it all really comes down to the budget if you have the money then spend it on the Avid and you will not be disappointed.

If you think that $229+ is too much to spend on a rod, then consider the St. Croix Mojo. Before switching to the St. Croix line of rods, I had been fishing the Star Stellar Lite which is still a fine rod but I like the action and the weight of the St Croix rods better.

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David Edwards

David is a freelance writer. He enjoys fishing as much as you do. He understands the challenge to pick the best fishing rod or learning the lifestyle. He provides a detailed review of the available products in the market. He wants to ensure you make the right decision for your next shopping day.