Jump to content

Legend Surf Butt Length

Rate this topic


yogiiiboy

Recommended Posts

...Anyone think the butt length on the 8' Legend surf is a little too long ?? It measures 24" from the bottom of the butt to the "top" of the reel seat....the very same as their 9' stick (why would they do that). Just finding myself hitting my stomach when applying an over the head "snap" cast. I usually wouldn't lay into my 8 footers like i do the 9's and 10.6 sticks. I like to snap cast with the 7's and 8's which get me very good distance at that length.

 

Any suggestions...........opinions...................Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

alot say that the legend longer sticks have the handles to short for there liking i guess this is a good reason to have a rod made up. that way your sure it feels right to you.

 

I gotta tell you....the 10.6 is spaced superbly, in my opinion, because you can feel the physics at work (rod Loading). Even though i can feel really good with the 9 ftr also, you're only getting a 2 inch reduction in handle length while the front end is reduced by a foot and a half. What perplexes me is that St. Croix kept that same handle (butt) length on the 8 ftr as the 9 but you now have another foot gone up front..................Can we still expect the same arch of power with less rod up front from this particular model ??

 

 

 

p.s. love all the Legend surf sticks.....just asking face value questions..........Thanks for your help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was saying the same thing about the Mojo version. Casting it, it feels like a 7 footer with way too much butt. When hauling in a fish the extra butt gives more leverage so that is a small plus. I have a hatred for 2 piece blanks and this is the biggest 1 piece surf rod St. Croix currently offers, so I took the plunge. Turns out my 9' Lami GSB is much better at doing what this blank does and its a 1 piece as well. Had they placed the center of the reel seat 4-6 inches to the rear I'd probably feel differently but I agree with you that St. Croix failed on their current 8 footer reel seat placement. I'll probably dump mine as it doesn't seem to have a role in my rod line up.

"Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after."  

~Henry David Thoreau
(member formerly known as MV Bluefish)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was saying the same thing about the Mojo version. Casting it, it feels like a 7 footer with way too much butt. When hauling in a fish the extra butt gives more leverage so that is a small plus. I have a hatred for 2 piece blanks and this is the biggest 1 piece surf rod St. Croix currently offers, so I took the plunge. Turns out my 9' Lami GSB is much better at doing what this blank does and its a 1 piece as well. Had they placed the center of the reel seat 4-6 inches to the rear I'd probably feel differently but I agree with you that St. Croix failed on their current 8 footer reel seat placement. I'll probably dump mine as it doesn't seem to have a role in my rod line up.

 

yep........i really do think if that reel placement was 5 -6 inches lower, there would have been an increase in loading power the rod could exhibit. Rod still feels nice and light and does good work but i could see where this 8 ftr could have juiced up its' horsepower with that little change. Would have reminded me of a super advanced model of the Ben Deorr!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have an 8ft Legend and like a lot of people at first I thought that the butt seems a bit long but to all those complaining you have to remember it's marketed as a "Surf" rod and not an inshore stick. No self respecting company can honestly make a "surf" rod with a 12-16 inch butt.

 

Trying to snap cast this rod it tight spaces or on a boat, or to fish it like you would a lightweight back bay rod is not what it's intended to do and doesn't showcase the capabilities of the rod. To make it shine you have to use it for it's intended purpose and that's fishing the surf.

 

I've found that when I rest the butt of the rod (do yourself a favor and add a butt cap) on my upper thigh, just below my belt line the reel rests in a natural position around the mid chest area (I'm 6'1) where my hands can access my reel with little to no wasted motion/energy.

 

Casting and retrieving all night this way is easy and almost effortless. This rod shines with 1-2 oz tins/metals in any situation you'd fish a 9-10 ft rod. I've personally fished this rod for over 2 years now and have found it to be easily capable of handling any size fish you'd find on the shores of the NE.

 

Example:

 

552

 

I caught this 37 lb fish a few years ago fishing a 3 oz Conrad in whipping current on Wasque using my Legend and a 5000SW with 20lb braid. A great fight for sure but I never for even a second felt outgunned. (I lost a few fish that night that were much bigger I'm sure they were 50's as they were just peeling off drag on the same settings I landed this fish...I still have nightmares/flashbacks about them).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have an 8ft Legend and like a lot of people at first I thought that the butt seems a bit long but to all those complaining you have to remember it's marketed as a "Surf" rod and not an inshore stick. No self respecting company can honestly make a "surf" rod with a 12-16 inch butt.

Trying to snap cast this rod it tight spaces or on a boat, or to fish it like you would a lightweight back bay rod is not what it's intended to do and doesn't showcase the capabilities of the rod. To make it shine you have to use it for it's intended purpose and that's fishing the surf.

I've found that when I rest the butt of the rod (do yourself a favor and add a butt cap) on my upper thigh, just below my belt line the reel rests in a natural position around the mid chest area (I'm 6'1) where my hands can access my reel with little to no wasted motion/energy.

Casting and retrieving all night this way is easy and almost effortless. This rod shines with 1-2 oz tins/metals in any situation you'd fish a 9-10 ft rod. I've personally fished this rod for over 2 years now and have found it to be easily capable of handling any size fish you'd find on the shores of the NE.

Example:

552

I caught this 37 lb fish a few years ago fishing a 3 oz Conrad in whipping current on Wasque using my Legend and a 5000SW with 20lb braid. A great fight for sure but I never for even a second felt outgunned. (I lost a few fish that night that were much bigger I'm sure they were 50's as they were just peeling off drag on the same settings I landed this fish...I still have nightmares/flashbacks about them).

 

...I concur with you Jon....and very nice fish BTW........................I fully understand the dynamic of this being a surf rod and needing the rod handle to be somewhat of a power tool to deliver the punch that it was intended to do. Just a little weary on why the same length was given to both the 8 and 9 ftrs.? Just think an additional 5 inches on the front end of the rod instead of the back of the 8 ftr would have helped exhibit more power. No one ever doubted its' fish fighting capabilities and power----it's a phenomenal rod !! At 5'9", i guess i'm nit picking to my preferences.............nevertheless, i love the whole Legend Surf line...............

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think 4-6 inches difference turns it into an inshore rod, more of a mini surf. 8 feet is not a lot of blank to work with so placement is imperative. I have an older St. Croix Ben Doerr Surf system that places the reel seat right where Yogiiiboy and I would prefer it on a 8'6". I don't consider it an inshore rod or less capable, just more comfortable to cast minus the cone of flight guide system.

"Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after."  

~Henry David Thoreau
(member formerly known as MV Bluefish)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 years later...

I have an 8 foot St Croix Legend surf that I keep in south Florida for my winter fishing. When I go fish the open beach the butt length is fine. There are also sea walls along an Inlet and back bays adjacent to the beach I usually fish that would be better suited for a shorter rod handle. I'm thinking of cutting around 6 inches off the butt of my 8 foot St Croix Legend Surf.

I usually take both a 9 foot surf rod for the beach and a 7 foot inshore rod for the Inlet and back bays. Being that the ocean surf most of the time is a lot calmer down here then up in the north east an 8 foot St Croix Legend Surf cut 6 inches off the butt should probably work better as an all around rod especially times when I only want to take one rod with me,

Edited by Fishing & Hunting
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Fishing & Hunting said:

I have an 8 foot St Croix Legend surf that I keep in south Florida for my winter fishing. When I go fish the open beach the butt length is fine. There are also sea walls along an Inlet and back bays adjacent to the beach I usually fish that would be better suited for a shorter rod handle. I'm thinking of cutting around 6 inches off the butt of my 8 foot St Croix Legend Surf.

I usually take both a 9 foot surf rod for the beach and a 7 foot inshore rod for the Inlet and back bays. Being that the ocean surf most of the time is a lot calmer down here then up in the north east an 8 foot St Croix Legend Surf cut 6 inches off the butt should probably work better as an all around rod especially times when I only want to take one rod with me,

I cut a lot of prebuilt rods (not talking blanks here)  in my day and regretted it 95% of the time. The legend is not a cheap rod obviously. The butt length on many SC rods just does not fall into my wheelhouse. Most are way too long. For some reason they designed the Triumph series 8 footer to be absolutely perfect as far as length goes. At least for me. I know it's a less expensive rod than the legend but its fishes very nicely from 1/2 -2. You can probably sell the legend and buy a couple of the Triumphs. Just a thought.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to register here in order to participate.

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


×
×
  • Create New...