MuskyHunter Loc: Torrington, CT

Just so you know, St. Croix makes no effort to align the guides on the spine. I have been to the factory and actually discussed with the person putting the guides on the rod. They also told me the spine is not a straight line and that this is an old wives tale. When I saw them wrap the mandrel, before forming the blank, you could see where the spine would be and how it changed position on the mandrel.

Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA

That is one prevalent old wives tale among rod builders that I've talked to. That's kinda astounding to me to hear that. I wonder who's right?

MuskyHunter Loc: Torrington, CT

I got the info directly from St. Croix and saw it in action. There is no alternate fact I am presenting.

When the guides were put on the blank, the person doing it made 0 effort to find the spine. They picked up a blank from a bin, inserted it into a holder, and then used a laser to create an alignment path for the guides. Then they added the guides.

I do know some rod builders here who also do not make any effort to align guides to a mythical spine. They have also told me this is a marketing myth.

St. Croix makes some of the best rods 'on earth'. They know what they are doing.

Here is a rod building site where they are debating this very issue. Most, it appears, do not look for a spine:

https://www.rodbuilding.org/read.php?2,260838,260902

FS Digest will not present the above link correctly. If you want to go to the page I linked, you will have to copy the entire link (including the numbers at the end) and paste it into a browser.

Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA

See what it says at the bottom of my posts? Very apropos for this topic. Thanks. If your not very careful . . . . . . .

Gripnriprod Loc: Concepcion Costa Rica

I just read about a Mojo Inshore Casting Rod. Designed in the US and assembled in Mexico.

Mr. T

I've not used Sougayilang rods, however, if you're looking for something in that price range, my wife, grandson & I used Okuma's Celilo ultra-light spinning rods for trout for years. They're made in China and I no longer buy them, but we never had any problems with them.

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

Yeah Grip, my Mojo Bass Glass crankbait rod is the same, designed here, made in Mexico.

SONOFASPUD Loc: S E Virginia

Recommend everyone view customer reviews critically. In many cases the reviews relate to the manufacturers complete product line rather than a specific model. For example, the rod you are considering has consumer reviews for both a 5' 9" and a 5' 5" rod in the same rating. Since the manufacturer controls/ publishes the reviews due diligence is likely appropriate.......

Justoldjim Loc: JUNCTION CITY, OR.

Have been wondering the same

Billycrap2 Loc: Mason county,W(BY GOD) Virginia, 🇺🇸🦅

At least it have ceramic ring, for the price 🎣🎣🎣🐟🐟🐠🐠🐋🐋🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅

Gripnriprod Loc: Concepcion Costa Rica

And stainless guide feet.

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Hmmm...very interesting! I believe what you are saying...especially since you have seen it first hand! My own personal experience dates back to about 45 years ago when guy in St. Clair Michigan that owned a riverside tackle shop along the St. Clair River gave me some pointers on how to assemble a rod. I was browsing merchandise one day and noticed that he had all the "stuff" needed to put a rod together. I think graphite blanks were just coming into vogue and pricey, so I went with a fiberglass Fenwick for my first go at it. He had made up a leaflet of instructions and made a point to tell me about the spine theory thing...which I had no idea about. Supposedly, it only applied to the "tip" section of a rod, which in most cases was 2 piece anyways.

Sure enough, when I held the rod tip in one hand, and "rolled" the lower end on a hard surface with my palm, you could "feel" the blank "jump"...kind of like finding an index point. Since his description of the process seemed to work when I did it, I was convinced that it really meant something. From that point on I never questioned it, and always put rods together with that in mind. Over the years, I managed to do another half dozen in fiberglass, and then another half dozen from graphite, which in my case all behaved in the same way. In a nutshell, I figured that it did matter, but now I suspect that it was all "hogwash". What does make sense...possibly...is that in the really "old" days, when blank construction methods were crude, maybe there was something to it...but as technology advanced, the whole spine thing simply went away.

So...pardon me if my previous "rant" on this topic seemed off base, as I am now consoled to know that it never really mattered!

Spirit...I think you should go ahead and get that ultra-lite on order! I think it will be a great set up for you...along with those Joe's Spinners! Looking forward to seeing some of your new snapshots! By the way...very nice PB rainbow pictured in your other post!

Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA

Yeah that's a nice one. I remember thinking at the time, well if that's the last one I ever catch that'll be alright with me. Careful what you wish for.

MuskyHunter Loc: Torrington, CT

There is nothing off base about your comments. When I was at the St. Croix factory and I asked the rod builder about the spine I was truly surprised as well. I always tested my rods for the jump before I purchased them. Now I never worry about that.

I just buy good rods. I have nine really nice St. Croix rods and I love every one of them. I also put really nice reels on them. I keep my rod and reels forever, so expense isn't a very big deal in that context. Most of my casting reels are over 30 years old.

Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA

You've told me you use Ambassadeur. Is that right?