Like alot of you I like St Croix rods, there are less expensive rods to choose from I know, but you cant beat there service. I am looking for some input on a slip bobber rod for walleyes, I have norrowed it down to there Steelhead line in either the Wild River 8 1/2′ or ther Avid Steelhead 8 1/2′ both med. action fast tip. Any thoughts on these selections? The Avid is more coin, they are nice, I have both in shorter versions now.
Thanks KLH
I have not used either one of those rods but I just did pick up two of the 8 ft. 6 inch Wild River rods to be used for 3-ways, cranks and even for board pulling. I usually like to use med. light St. Croix rods for slip bobbering. If you choose to go with one of these rods please feel free to let us know how you like them for slip bobbering. Those rods should be able to give you a long cast for eyes. 
Thanks, Bill
Sorry to get off the subject, but Bill where did you find those Wild River rods? Do you have to order them direct or is there a store that stocks them? I’m thinking about that WC86MF2 rod myself for trolling etc. I don’t know if I could handle those 10 footers yet!
thanks,
Chris
Quote:
I’m thinking about that WC86MF2 rod myself for trolling etc. I don’t know if I could handle those 10 footers yet!
thanks,
Chris
Chris, maybe you and Bill could hook up some time and he could introduce you to those 10+ WR rods? I’m thinkin’ he’d have you feelin’ confident in no time at all! Then you might eliminate the conflict of wanting 10’6″ instead of the 8’6″ and buy the one that suits you best up front!
I see WR rods at Gander Mountain locations. I forgot to look at Cabela’s and it’s possible Bass Pro would have them on display as well. Good luck in your research!
I see a lot of guys migrating to rods longer than 8 1/2 feet for both trolling and bobbering. Not me, at least not yet! lol.
I do a fair amount of corking on Mille Lacs and my go to rod for that application is a St Croix Premier Series “PS76MLF” It’s 7’6″ long with a ML Fast action. Just another option to take a look at.
Jon J.
I looked the Premier 7’6″ but it is a one piece will not fit into a 7′ rod locker.
klh
I ordered mine from St. Croix. Cabelas or Gander might have them or you could always have Mike Fischer at Hooked On Fishing in Rochester, Mn. make you some. I have the 10 ft 6 inch ones too but I think I’m really going to like these 8ft. 6 lnch ones as I like the feel of them just checking them out in the house as I haven’t had a chance yet to be on the water with them. I’m a St. Croix rod nut. I love em and even though I just got some new ones I can’t wait til I can get some more. Think I go crazy with them or something. 
I use to buy the broken tip ones that bait shops use to get sent to them when they ordered blanks and St. Croix would also send them the returned rods just to get rid of them along with the blanks that were orederd. So bait shops would put a new tip guide on those rods and sell them cheap. At the time I couldn’t afford the new ones so I bought every returned repaired old one I could get my hands on. Sorta fell in love with St. Coix I guess. 
Thanks, Bill
I talked to the St Croix reps at the Quad City Outdoor Show. They fixed me up with a rod from one of the dealers and threw in a St Croix hat. I told them the reason I was getting one of there rods was because all of you guys on this site. They wrote down the site name, so maybe we will hear from them in the near future. The show just ended today.
fyi, i have a fenwick steelhead rod that’s 8 1/2′ and i love it, but i did get it cheap and I think that helps the love. i have the same length fenwick fiberglass crankbait rod that is great for hooking up with circle hooks. But, if i had to go buy one, i’d look at ugly stick lights. they are that long and about the right weight and well, cheap. And i’d buy medium action cause the action don’t matter when you are using a bobber, except I think medium action rods are softer on the fish.
I have played around with coem slip bobber rods over the past couple of years. St.Croix makes several really nice models for slip bobber applications, but more importantly, I have several rods that I use for both light livebait rigging and slip bobbering both because they both require much of the same action out of the blanks. Generally, I like a longer than average rod, like 7′-7’6″ lengths for nice gentle rod sweeps for setting the hook. These three I have listed here are some of my personal Avid series favorites for both of these applications.
AS70MLF AS76MLXF and even the AS70MF
I like the medium light actions mostly for their forgiveness when dealing with light wire hooks and generally lighter line diameters, yet strong enough to drive that hook home.
Here is a link to all the Avid series that are availible
Good luck! Let us know how it turns out for you!
As for the 10’6″ Wild River rods….AWESOME! is all I can say for trolling rods. I like to pull boards and lighter 3-way applications (2-1/2 oz weights and less) and have been nothing short of amazed of the versatility of these blanks deliver. The 10’6 rods does take a little to get used to when swinging them around in the boat, but after you fight that first fish on one, you will quickly overlook its slight ackwardness. After a couple outings, they become very easy to adapt to. The 10’6′ Wild river models have that forgiving action that is so important when pulling inline planer boards or 3ways. The slow action of the entire blank makes up for any sudden movements the boat may have (waves from the wind or boat wakes).
I have got several years on them now and they have been bullet proof to say the least! 
I have some med. light St. Croix Avid rods that I also like for slip bobbering and also just purchased some med. light, light, and ultra light St. Croix Premier rods that I will use not only for slip bobbering but also for casting light jigs for multi species fishing too. St. Croix makes alot of different rods for different presentations and they are really geared for the fisherman as they are made by fisherman and really take pride in their products. You just can’t find a better brand of rod in my mind. And their service is outstanding. And they do sell their blanks to Bait Shops like Hooked On Fishing in Rochester where my son Nate has recently had 12 custom rods made for him and he is really excited about them. You just can’t go wrong with St. Croix rods, factory made or custom made. Thanks, Bill
I use the ST.Croix steelhead line for slip bobber fishing.
They also came out with a 8′ rod, great as a long lindy rig rod and also for slip-bobberin. One thing, I believe it’s all ONE piece. So if storage is tight, might need to go 2 piece.
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