Pairing a St. Croix spinning rod with a Battle II 3000

[Jim McFalls]

I'm looking to pair up a Battle II 3000 with a St. Croix spinning rod. Mostly used for casting/topwater for stripers, specks, reds, etc. The Battle is spooled with 20lb braid, and I use a 20lb mono leader. It looks like the Mojo Inshore might be the best bet. I use a Bass X for striper jigging and a Premier and Triumph for bass and freshwater, and love those rods.

As always, any suggestions would be appreciated.

Tight lines.
J

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[Redfish12]

Stick with the premier or the mojo bass if you want a split grip. The mojo inshore is a bit long in the butt for comfortable kayak casting and jigging in my opinion. M or MH is pretty much all you need for fishing around here

[Mark]

...The mojo inshore is a bit long in the butt for comfortable kayak casting and jigging in my opinion...

The length of rod handles is an important consideration for kayak casting as Redfish 12 says above. Some handles may also be too long for certain rocket launcher style rod holders. I had a rod maker cut 4 inches off of the handle of one of my newer spinning rods because it was too long to comfortably use in the close quarters of my kayak. You may not consider the handle length is a factor while you're standing in front of a rod rack at a store or looking at them online, but it really is for kayak anglers. I'm surprised rod makers have not targeted us with short handle kayak-specific rods.

[rugbyfish]

St. Croix also has the Mojo Yak line of rods available now that are made specifically for kayak fishing. I haven't used one, but I do have both the Premier and the Mojo inshore. You can't go wrong with either.

[Redfish12]

There have been several attempts at yak rods over the years. The latest is the st croix mojo yak series. In my opinion they missed the mark bc the handles are too short for the length of the rod and the rod is tip heavy unless you put a heavier reel on them. If they had made a 6’6” version it might have balanced better but they made them 7’ & 7’6” and at that length they are uncomfortable with the short handle. Other makers have rolled out versions that are composite based and 2-4 times more expensive than ugly sticks with similar sensitivity. And the one I understand the least are the exceptionally short kayak rods that have been tried. A 5’ rod is fine for ultra light fishing but it’s not easy for casting heavier lures, jigging or fishing ring a larger fish that goes under or on the other side of your kayak!

Which is why I say, stick with one of the bass style rods and you’ll have the right mix of comfort, quality, and performance. If you are targeting bull reds then I would say that the st Croix tide master or Shimano teremar are good (less sensitive and heavier) options due to their durability, strength, and short butts.

[yakscientist]

Like Redfish12, I can vouch for the Mojo Bass. I've got the MH 7'1 rod and it's insanely light, and feels pretty sensitive, but I'm going to wait a few months to really make a determination on that. I caught a bunch of medium-huge size blues on it, and the biggest CNR I've ever seen, and the daiwa BG 2500 (which is probably similar in size and weight to the battle 3000) and the rod performed flawlessly. I think that rod would be fine for bull reds, cobia, etc, if it can handle horsing in a huge ray to the kayak several times, and still be sensitive enough to feel every head shake or short strike of some angry blues. But I do hear good things about the inshore series as well, but mainly I think most kayak guys use them for trolling as opposed to the mojo bass which is more of a casting friendly rod. I would love to try out an avid inshore to see if I like the full grip paired with the SCIII graphite (same blank as the mojo bass now), but it's about $100 more than the mojo because it uses better guides and is made in the USA, with a better warranty too. I also felt the mojo yak before I decided on the mojo bass, very similar rods, but I preferred the way the cork felt and when I paired my reel to it (bring your reel to the store if they let you), the mojo bass just felt better. This was my first non-ugly stik rod, and first one I spent more than $50 on, thanks to BPS gift cards, so I wanted to thoroughly examine it. I also looked at the Gloomis e6x inshore series, but it didn't seem drastically lighter than the mojo, and for $70 more, didn't seem worth it. I wish BPS carried star rods in the store, since I've heard good things about them, but they're only available online. Another rod you may want to look into is the Toadfish Inshore rod. Redfish12 showed me one at a flea market, and man that's a nice rod for $100 or less. Anglers sells them, and they seem like really tough well built rods, and have a great color scheme. That'll probably be my next rod, they offer a bunch of sizes and powers for specific fishing situations.

[J.A. Veil]

Nearly all of my spinning rods are St Croix. I do not like the split grips, but prefer the full cork handle. Most of the rods I have are Premier, but I do have two Avids (the freshwater version, not the Avid Inshore). Those Avids are really sweet rods. I have one 6'6" ML Avid X with a split grip that I do not like as well as the standard Avid. I would consider selling it or trading it, but in the meantime I will keep using it. I have used a Mojo occasionally when fishing with a guide and did not like the feel as well as the other St Croix models.

I use all my rods in both of my kayaks and in my 16' center console flats boat. My rods range in length from 6' to 6'6" except for two three-piece 7' M travel rods.

[ronaultmtd]

I have a hodgepodge of Rods...7 ‘ medium light Mojo Inshore paired with Stradic 2500 CI4(+) with 10# braid is my favorite outfit for casting all day...Penn Regiment 7’ medium heavy with 3000 Sustain FG with 15# braid is my top water and light jigging rod...got two identical 2500 Stradic with 12# braid on 7’ medium Shimano Teramar SE rods...mostly troll redfish magic and swimbaits on these...but they fill in as all around use...