Wind what? Wind who? St. Croix Fly asked guides what their biggest struggles were on the water, and the answer was clear. Sure, you can cast on a casting pond with just about any fly rod, but what happens when dry flies meet moving water? What are the people who fish day in and day out, seeing when they hand a rod over to a paying customer?
“After talking with a bunch of dedicated trout guides about the challenges of dry fly fishing with clients, a common issue emerged,” says St. Croix Fly Brand Manager Tom Larimer. “What we heard from the Deschutes to the Delaware, is that traditional deep-flexing dry-fly rods are fine for parking lots and calm days, but when the wind ramps up and you’re trying to get a long leader to turn over, they fall short. These conversations led to a unique action specifically tuned for technical trout fishing.”
Thus, TECHNICA was born.
St. Croix Fly TECHNICA Series
- $975
- Recoil single-foot guides
- Cerecoil stripper guides
- Hook-keeper
- Snub nose flor-grade cork handle
- Uplocking, machined aluminum reel seat with tiger maple insert
- Aluminum rod tube with rod sock
- 15-year transferable warranty
Touted as the rod you need for sophisticated trout, these moderate action rods are aimed at anglers who need to finesse a picky eater to the line. With a graphene-enhanced carbon fiber build, St. Croix promises anglers clean mending and easy casting through windy conditions in the chase for dry-fly-hungry salmonids.
“The benefit is an incredibly stable loop with maximum line speed, while the overall result is a blank that possesses all the feel, finesse, and tippet protection of a moderate-flexing rod, with the speed and power of a medium-fast action.”
“The best way to describe TECHNICA’s action is balanced,” says Larimer.
The TECHNICA Series will initially consist of six models, available May 31, 2024:
- 5-weight, 9’0”
- 5-weight, 8’6”
- 4-weight, 8’9”
- 4-weight, 8’0”
- 3-weight, 8’9”
- 3-weight, 7’9”
Initial Thoughts on the St. Croix Fly TECHNICA Series Launch
Without having the rod in hand, we can certainly agree that one of the biggest issues with shooting line to the places we want to get it is wind. It seems with most rods, you either have power or finesse, but rarely both. If the TECHNICA series delivers the balance the company is claiming, it might be a real winner. With a price tag that hurts to look at, it better be.
Once we get this thing in hand and out into the midsummer breeze, we’ll update you with any promises broken or kept.
