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Posts: 134
Location: East TN | I am getting ready to look into purchasing myself another rod. I'm looking for something heavy enough to be able to throw shallow mag dawgs and dbl 10's, but not too stiff to be able to handle smaller jerkbaits, etc. I currently have two Premiers which I really like the action and flex of those(6'6 MH and 8' MH), but am wanting something a little bit better for throwing bulldawgs, and a little less flex when figure 8'ing dbl 10's. I am thinking anywhere from 7'6-8ft. As far as the st croixs, i've had in mine either a triumph 7'6 H, premier 7'6 H, or a premier 8' H.
I have heard alot of good reviews on the Okuma EVx's, but am just wondering how the action compares to the St. Croixs? I have heard a few times that the Okuma's have a softer tip than some musky rods, and I really like the St. Croixs, so i'm not sure if the Okuma's would be for me. Just wondering what your guys thoughts on these were? |
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Posts: 375
| croix premier / legend! i own a custom legend xh big dawg that i hold 95% of the time. buy one and if you don't like it i will buy it from you! |
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Posts: 134
Location: East TN | STUSHSKY - 9/8/2009 11:50 AM
croix premier / legend! i own a custom legend xh big dawg that i hold 95% of the time. buy one and if you don't like it i will buy it from you!
I know I like the Croix rods, Like I said, I already have two of them. But my real question is how does the action of the St. Croix's compare to the Okuma rods? |
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Posts: 375
| what type of "action" are you looking for that the croix's possibly are not providing? |
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Posts: 134
Location: East TN | STUSHSKY - 9/8/2009 11:58 AM
what type of "action" are you looking for that the croix's possibly are not providing?
Both of the croix I have are MH, I am looking for something a little stiffer for throwing Dbl 10's, bulldawgs, etc. I also like the idea of an 8ft rod, which the triumph series croix's doesnt offer...and the premiers are more expensive than the EVx. So this is why i'm considering the Okuma. But like I said, I've read they tend to have a softer tip than the croix's, which i'm not really liking the sound of, personally. |
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Posts: 375
| for what it's worth...i've owned croixs since i was a tike..two years ago i bought a musky innovations stick because of price then sold it two weeks later and bought what i should have in the first place...another croix! i also own a croix legend made out of the bass mega swimbait blank that is great for light stuff but i still prefer the xh for the stiffness it provides when cranking in the db 10's...
Edited by STUSHSKY 9/8/2009 11:27 AM
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Posts: 582
| this is quite scary. i was just going to post this same question. I will be watching for responses. I just bought the Okuam 8.6 XXH rod for the big stuff and have been quite impressed. however, most of my other St croix rods are around the 7 foot range and are Med Hev.. i am now looking for a 7'6" Heavy fast and want to spend about $100. I am looking at okuma as well over St Croix. Just need to know more about this particualar rod too..!!!!
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Posts: 375
| jackson...what impresses you about the okuma xxh rod? the way it casts heavy baits? what is the weight range of baits that you have tried to throw with it? how many muskies have you hooked / landed with that rod? is it heavier or lighter than the croixs you have? what reel do you have mounted on it? just curious... |
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI | Bubba - I think the rod you're looking for is the EVX 8'6" XH. That will cover the two baits you mentioned perfectly and not be too stiff for smaller baits (except spring stuff of course). The action on the 8'6"xh is similar to the 8' premier (more moderate than fast) but stiffer, of course, to handle a wider variety of baits. |
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Posts: 582
| I bought it one week ago and only used for the past 3 days (labor day weekend). I didn't catch anything but i can give you my assesment of the rod;
It's heavier than i expected. But it's a powerful rod. And it should be heavier being a telescoping XXH. But after casting with it for a few hours, it's not as bad as i thought. You can and i did cast large bulldawgs, DCG's all day long and you don't have to work as hard. I tried doing this with my 7' SCroix MH, and it wears you out. The Okuma is balanced pretty nicely. It's heavier at the tip it seems so you don't have to work as hard. The fast action was a very nice surprise. With most XXH rods i have played around with, you don't have the flex in the tip of the rod for casting. The Okuma does. It can cast a mile. I really like this rod, it telescopes down to about 7' so it fits well in the boat. I would say it's a good rod for casting the big stuff. You don't have to work as hard. I also think you could land a swordfish with the strength of this rod. Again, this rod is stout.. you probably won't be casting small bucktails with it, as it really is designed for the big stuff.
I started off with a cheap Pflueger reel on the rod and then traveled up to St Croix and picked up a AC300 reel for it. That was quite a difference. It really helped make it more easy to work as was to be expected. Whatever you do, get a good reel for this rod if you buy one. It needs a good solid performer to make it shine even more.
The rod is nicely made, only $120 with a lifetime warranty which is important. Shows okuma stands behind their stuff. I was a muskie fisherman that never liked casting the big baits. I did well with normal bucktails, jerkbaits, swimbaits and never really saw the need. Then i started fishing other lakes with different depths, patterns etc and found the need to have a bigger assortment of equipment to handle different situations. That was the driver behind the okuma purchase. I would buy another okuma in a hearbeat thus my post above. The prices are great, the rods are nicely built. Many others have great things to say about them as well. At $120, it sure beats spending well over $250 on some of the others. this rod even came with a nice rod sleeve included in the price. Nice touch. |
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Posts: 134
Location: East TN | Thanks for the input guys. I just get nervous about ordering a rod i've never messed with online. Down here in TN, as you might guess...musky fishing isn't "the thing", so there is no where I can go to check these rods out.
I am seriously gonna consider looking into one of these rods. Thanks. |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | Crash's landing usually has a good amount of musky stuff, Dryden's has a little too. |
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Posts: 134
Location: East TN | Flambeauski - 9/8/2009 2:59 PM
Crash's landing usually has a good amount of musky stuff, Dryden's has a little too.
I'm sure they do, But unfortunetly Crash's is about 3 1/2-4hrs away from me. |
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Posts: 1316
Location: Madison, WI | Also don't forget about Okuma's life time guarantee. I have both an 8 ft avid heavy and an okuma 8'6" XXH I really do like my okuma for double blades an bigger plastics. It's a shame that I use my 8 ft avid as a sucker rod on the fall... Hook sets are awesome though. |
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Posts: 582
| Still waiting for anoyone to reply on Okama 7'6" rods or their 8'. Anyone using these? |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | Naw too short. I use the EVX 8 1/2" XH and love it. I use for almost everything from DC10s to topwaters. I tend to use a stiffer rod for Big Joe's and other plastics, but I'm sure it would be great for that as well. |
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Posts: 32888
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I have a couple 7.6" MH and H Okuma rods. Topwater, twitch baits and spinnerbaits are what I bought the rods to toss, and they are perfect for that purpose. |
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Posts: 531
Location: Hugo, MN | I use a 8' heavy EvX rod for topwaters and small bucktails, coupled with a Curado 300. It's awesome for that, but too light for double tens. I've thrown small Dawgs with it and it's fine, but I wouldn't throw magnums. Probably not a rod that would fill a void in your arsenal. I'd lean toward the 8'6" XH. I've thrown a few baits with this rod also and was impressed. I will say that all the Okuma rods I've tried out have seemed like they lean more toward a moderate action than an equivalent St. Croix. If you try the 8'6" XH Okuma I think you'll be pleasantly suprised. |
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