Maybe I am behind the curve but I was just told by a reputable dealer that is not one to start rumors, that St. Croix has stopped selling blanks to custom builders as of this week ala G. Loomis a few years ago. Did I miss this announcement earlier?

It hasn’t been made public but it did happen. From now on you will have to contact Rod Geeks. From what I was informed of, you will be able to get the SCV’s in st croix form however all other flavors will be RODgeeks

It is true! The SCV blanks will continued to be sold and as of now RODGEEKS are their exclusive distributor. The SC2 , SC3 and SC 4 St Croix blanks are no longer being made for purchase .
More information from RODGeeks should be coming sometime this week.

Karen
Bingham Enterprises

Pretty soon we will only have choice of MHX and point blank..... if that ever happens I’ll quit building and take up golf n duck hunting

Well at least we still have Batson, Phenix, Northfork and Lamiglas. If only we could get an update on the new SI blanks



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2019 06:27PM by Thomas Kaufmann.

I don't know why anybody would spend considerably more money on St. Croix branded blanks in the SC II and SC IV designations when RodGeeks offers similar models made out of the same material for considerably less money . Imo St. Croix blanks were always priced too high compared to what you can get from the competition these days especially when you compare them to NFC's latest offerings .

I built two inshore rods on RodGeeks blanks for the price of a single St. Croix Tidemaster model and they are amazing . I have an original Avid Inshore 8 footer with Alps VS III frames & Zirconia rings that i don't use anymore , the running guides are WAYYYYYY too big , look like size 12 rings . All my new rods including my 11 foot surf rods have size 5 guides , what an amazing difference .

That stinks that their blanks are going away. Haven’t built on a st Croix in years though. Since Bushido blanks introduction I haven’t had to try any others because of the quality and variety of choices.

Don't for get about American Tackle and their Bushido and Matrix line up. It's all I use anymore unless a customer is @#$%& bent on another brand. I build mostly saltwater stuff from inshore light tackle to heavy tuna trolling rods and everything in between. Can't say enough about the quality and customer service with the AT brand.

Capt. Craig Freeman
Grading Scales Sportfishing and Back River Rods

Thank you for sharing! I was having a fit because I have a client wanting a certain St. Croix blank, but my regular distributors are all sold out. I can breathe now.

Dang, their SC III Inshore blanks were some of my favorite. For those in the know, are the Carbon 2 and Carbon 4 similar to the St. Croix SC II and IV or is it the Bass 2 and 4?

The RODgeeks C2 series are like the St Croix SC2 designs and the C4 series are like the SC4 design.

I never knew RodGeeks took over St. Croix's Fresnillo Mexico facility in a joint venture but i knew that location is identical in every way with the same exact protocols and machinery as St. Croix's Park Falls Wisconsin factory so i knew the blanks being produced would be excellent . When i got to check the RodGeeks blanks out first hand at last years expo i knew immediately they were the real deal and bought two of them . No question about it they're indeed the same material as Croixs SC II and SC IV just at a much more reasonable price.

Hate to see great USA made rod blanks being taken off the market. If all decide to sell direct their blanks or only sell completed rods that is not good for the rod building supply businesses. They have to make ends meet so my guess is components and supplies will go up in price.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/26/2019 09:08AM by David Miller.

I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, St Croix has accounted for 95% of my builds, SCIII making up a large portion of them. On the other hand, I've been wanting unpainted SCV blanks for a long time.

Going to have a tough time replacing the 3S70ULF. Any recommendations?

This is from an email announcement from Rod Geeks, maybe with enough demand they can offer some SC3s.

“Let us know if there are some models we should add to our lineup, SC1 - SC5. We have been basing all of our product development on customer input for 5 years and we will continue to do so. “

Scott, I have to agree with you the idea of an unpainted SCV is exciting however I really liked the SC1’s too. I have ordered a rod Geeks s glass for comparison but it looks like I will be seeking out the ole bs706 again for my guys. Would rather a US company if I can.

Does this mean RodGeeks will no longer be selling blanks or just St.Croix?

It is my understanding that RodGeeks will continue to sell their blanks, plus the St. Croix SCV models. No other St. Croix models will be available from anyone.

..............

I think David makes a good point. Rodgeeks has very impressive customer service, and if they know what enough of us want, they just might offer it. I would expect that the SC III line would be the most likely to be offered. Let them know what you want. If the SC V experience were to be repeated with SC III, you would be able to get them unpainted or painted. An improvement over today's situation. We survived Loomis; we will survive this.