ST Croix rods and Ambassadeur Record 6601 review.

[gerry]

Been wanting to do this for a while since there are a number of fisherman on this forum.

St Croix Avid fly rod.

Have had this 3 piece - 9 weight - 9' rod for many years now and have caught a lot of fish on it ranging from pinks all the way up to chinook. It is a bit under powered for chinook and the biggest chum but most fly rods are, it still does the job though. It is perfect for sockeye, coho, pinks and steelhead. The reel is an old System 2 that has been very durable and works well even on big fish. My first sockeye of the year on Canada day.



St Croix Avid casting rod and Ambassedeur Record 6601 HC reel.

This is my wife's rod that I built for her from a blank a couple of years ago, this is the rod they build from the same blank. It is a 9' - rod rated for 12-25 lb test line. It is a really light rod but has power to spare for pretty much any salmon, she really likes it and has caught quite a few salmon with it in the last few years. Last night I caught a sockeye on my rod and then used her's when Maria was having a break to catch the bigger one pictured.

Her Record 6601 reel is the nicest reel any of us own and is a noticeable step up from the C3 series. Quite frankly I want one too now it holds lots of 20 lb Berkley Big Game and is so smooth it casts with a flick of a wrist. This combination works very well for big fish but is light enough to still be fun catching pinks. Can't say enough good things about this reel.





St Croix Wind River salmon rods.

Don't have any current pictures of them but will try to update this post later. I have used an 8' - rod rated for 15-40 lb test that is a telephone pole. It is a boat rod for the absolute biggest chinook's but I even caught a few coho on it last year with my 6501 Ambassadeur C3. It normally has an Ambassadeur 10000 on it and gets used in the ocean for halibut, lingcod and other bottom fish.
I have also built a few rods on their 8'6" - 12-25 lb blank as well and they are excellent as well. These rods are on the stiff side which some of you may or may not like.

 

[DrMike]

Good equipment, all. Find gear makes all the difference in the world when tangling with those bad boys.

 

[salmonchaser]

Gerry I'll bet we have a couple dozen of the older C 3 ambassador reels, they are a great value; the new model as you mentioned are even better, particularly the drag system and the redesigned power handle.
I run 50 pound braided mainline on my reels.
The only reservation I have is the length of the reel seat. I've seen the reels pop off the rod when battling very large kings that flex the rod clear to the butt.


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[gerry]

Haven't had that happen yet and hope not to What kind of rods do you use?

Around here the Ambassadeur reels are the standard salmon fishing reels and very popular. The 7000's are the typical reel for chinook's (kings in the U.S.) For Maria I really like the Record 6601 for big fish and I use the 6501 C3 as a do it all reel from chinook's on down. Have used the 5501 C3 a lot for coho as well. Maria used a C4 5501 for salmon at first but the high gearing of the reel (6.3:1) leaves a lot to be desired on big salmon. It is kind of like starting a standard vehicle in second gear all the time, you can do it but it isn't great. I have gotten her to use that reel now with lighter line for trout and pinks which it does very well on. Finally my big 10000 works well for big saltwater species and 50 lb fused line but those aren't very common around here. Great reel for that purpose though

 

[truck driver]

I love ST Croix rods and use them for Small Mouth Bass fishing.
As for my fly rods I have a Fenwick glass 8' #8 weight I use for bass to throw large flies and a glass 6' Pfluger #6 weight I use for trout on our small narrow streams. One day I'll step up to graphite but like my slow action glass rods.

 

[salmonchaser]

Gerry
I run G Loomis rods. The HSR 1021 (8.5 foot) or the slightly more powerful 1023. I prefer the 1021 as it is easier to read the tip action fishing plugs or spinners for Kings. It's a bit like using 257 Bee for elk. 20 pound kings it's perfect. 30 pounders you've got your hands full. Battle a 40 pounder and you're going to need a drink after it's over. We don't have the genetic strain to get huge fish, the rare 50 pounder is about it.
As we break our Loomis rods we will be replacing them with St. Croix.
Silvers I use Loomis steelhead spinning rods, 1025 series.
Again we will replace these with St Croix rods. G Loomis is not the same company since they were bought by Tommy Shimano.
Fly rods; 8 weights for rainbows silvers and sockeyes on the Naknek river. 5 weights on most of our fly out creeks


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[Guy Miner]

Have been happily using an 8wt St Croix fly rod for salmon & steelhead for a long time now. Good rod. I also use it on... ahem... carp... And bass, I meant bass... :mrgreen:

Am on my second 8wt St Croix. Finally broke the first, landing a salmon. They didn't make that exact model anymore, but made me one heck of a deal on a newer, better rod.

Do need to get my Ross reel rebuilt. Drag is getting kind of "iffy" after a lot of use.

Good equipment does help. No doubt!

Guy

 

[gerry]

Salmonchaser thanks for the info. Years ago I built my brother a rod on a 10'6" GL 2 (a 1265 I think) and he has caught a ton of fish on it mostly throwing lures and bottom bouncing. He fishes for the big boys more and has caught some 50 lb + on it. It has been very durable. I had some 7' GL 3 rods for coho but had trouble with them breaking so stopped using them. The GL 2's were much more durable it seems.

I fish for the smaller chinook (most are under 50 lbs) more mainly because of the river's I target and built my rod on a Sage 3106 blank which is quite nice and has been durable.

Has anyone tried the North Fork Composite's blanks yet by any chance? They are built by Gary Loomis and apparently are quite similar to his old G Loomis designs but improved.

 

[gerry]

Have been happily using an 8wt St Croix fly rod for salmon & steelhead for a long time now. Good rod. I also use it on... ahem... carp... And bass, I meant bass... :mrgreen:

Am on my second 8wt St Croix. Finally broke the first, landing a salmon. They didn't make that exact model anymore, but made me one heck of a deal on a newer, better rod.

Do need to get my Ross reel rebuilt. Drag is getting kind of "iffy" after a lot of use.

Good equipment does help. No doubt!

Guy

Guy I hope you don't mind me asking but what St Croix fly rod did you have and what did they replace it with? My old Avid 3 piece 9 weight isn't made anymore either so I would imagine the closest model these days would be the Imperial line. It still is going strong though

 

[gerry]

I love ST Croix rods and use them for Small Mouth Bass fishing.
As for my fly rods I have a Fenwick glass 8' #8 weight I use for bass to throw large flies and a glass 6' Pfluger #6 weight I use for trout on our small narrow streams. One day I'll step up to graphite but like my slow action glass rods.

Rodger, I just ordered a blank to build my wife a trout/pink salmon rod yesterday. She doesn't want nearly as many rods as me so 2 will have to do it all. The equivalent rod they build from this blank is the Premier spinning 7' for 6-12 lb test line but I'm going to build a casting rod instead since she likes a bait caster much more than a spinning reel.

 

[sask boy]

gerry most of the tournament Walleye guys around here use the St.Croix or the G. Loomis rods. My cousins boy is sponsored by them this year. I asked him what that meant and he advised he got one rod free and then his other 3 or 4 he got at cost.
I have a pretty good real on my spin cast it is a Stradic, I was wondering if I should throw on a braided line for Salmon, what do you think?

Blessings,
Dan

 

[gerry]

gerry most of the tournament Walleye guys around here use the St.Croix or the G. Loomis rods. My cousins boy is sponsored by them this year. I asked him what that meant and he advised he got one rod free and then his other 3 or 4 he got at cost.
I have a pretty good real on my spin cast it is a Stradic, I was wondering if I should throw on a braided line for Salmon, what do you think?

Blessings,
Dan

I can't remember off hand what exactly do you have for rods and what kind of line? I don't use braided in the river but know a lot of guys who do so it can be done. A rod that is good for big pike should work for salmon. I don't like light line since the rocks are big and are tough on the line and gear.

 

[salmonchaser]

No question about the durability of the GL2 vs the GL3. I have 1/2 dozen GL2 that are 20 years old. When I retired I bought 1/2 dozen GL3 spinning rods for silvers (coho). They all broke.
Had the same experience with their fly rods. The exception would be the Glx series. That has been indestructible.
On a side note I've seen more Sage 8 weights busted on sockeyes then any other Rod. They seem to work great on silvers and big bows but get busted on sockeye. I have two sage rods, an 8 and a 5. I don't fish sockeye with them and don't let guests use them.


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[salmonchaser]

Dan
I fish a lot of braided line, I happen to like POWER PRO. In any event the only issue I've experienced with spinning reels is getting line wrapped around the tip. Just something to pay attention to.


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[gerry]

I'm glad to hear I wasn't the only ones with issues with the GL 3's, pretty expensive rods to have trouble with. Honestly I don't even look at the more expensive rods from the better makers, even they will admit they are not as durable as the less expensive versions. I will gladly give up a slightly lighter rod that may be brittle for one that will last. With the St Croix's their rods with SC II and SC III graphite are the ones I have bought and they have been tough so far.

 

[salmonchaser]

Not too many years ago many of the lodges around here were Loomis authorized pro shops as we were. A number of the guides we know have gone to st Croix. Those that have made the switch for their King rods have been very happy.

Spinning reels. I've run most of them from 60.00 to 250.00. Even the high end Shimano reels don't make it more then a couple of years.
4 years ago I bought 8 Penn spinning reels. The penn Battle. These will fight some where between 10 to 40 silvers a day during August. Haven't had an issue with any of them. They just flat work and have an outstanding drag.


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[truck driver]

I love ST Croix rods and use them for Small Mouth Bass fishing.
As for my fly rods I have a Fenwick glass 8' #8 weight I use for bass to throw large flies and a glass 6' Pfluger #6 weight I use for trout on our small narrow streams. One day I'll step up to graphite but like my slow action glass rods.

Rodger, I just ordered a blank to build my wife a trout/pink salmon rod yesterday. She doesn't want nearly as many rods as me so 2 will have to do it all. The equivalent rod they build from this blank is the Premier spinning 7' for 6-12 lb test line but I'm going to build a casting rod instead since she likes a bait caster much more than a spinning reel.

I use the Premier rods both casting and spinning. They seem to have the right balance of glass and graphite mix.
I also use Spider wire braid on one spinning reel for tube baits and soft plastics. It doesn't stretch like mono and really drives the hook home when you set it plus since it doesn't stretch you get a more sensitive bite feeling. For hard plastics and spinner baits I use mono.
The only down side I find with braided line is if you get hung up on the bottom you will generally loose the lure unless your fishing from a boat, you'll also break more rods with braid than mono.
Because braid is stiffer than mono it cast different and takes some getting use to the first time you use it.

 

[Darkhorse]

Gerry, I noticed that baitcaster right off as I've been considering another round baitcaster for inshore saltwater fishing.
I grew up using direct drive baitcasters with black braided line. No drag. When a fish hit and run the handles would spin backwards and rap your knuckles.
40 or so years ago I bought a Ambassauder (spelling?) 5000C. The older 5000's were red and had bronze or brass bearings. But the new 5000C's were black with ball bearings. I used this reel in both fresh and salt for years. Finally replacing it with a series of newer baitcasters.
A couple of years ago I ran across that old 5000C in an old box. It was stiff, would hardly turn, and the drag was not smooth. Well, I cleaned it up and got it oiled and the old reel came right back. Almost as smooth as my Lew's. I replaced the old handle with one like is on your reel. The only negative is she is real slow, like 2.5 to 1 or so.
It casts almost as good as the new stuff and is the best reel I have for pitching a bait. Those were good reels.

 

[gerry]

I do believe you would be quite happy with the 6600 Record series if you go that way, a very well built reel. I bought my first ones in 1988 and they did the job well, they were the black ones. The Swedish made modern reels are quite good, the Chinese cheaper versions aren't nearly the same quality from what I have seen. Like you did I'm thinking of putting the bigger handle on my 6501 C3, it is a bit nicer to fight a big fish that way although the standard handle works just fine.

 

[truck driver]

I use a few spinning rods that don't have reel seats and are just cork handles. I hold the reels on with 3M black vinyl electrical tape and haven't had one come off a handle yet and the tape stays nice and tight.

Salmon Chaser this may help with the reels that pop out of the reel seats on the rods you use. Just about 4 wraps should do it for you.