Trick Stick: St. Croix Tidemaster TIS66MHF
If you had to ask me which rod was my all-around favorite for inshore saltwater fishing, the St. Croix Tidemaster would certainly be in the running. It’s light weight, fast action, and strong enough to take on trophy-sized stripers.
The Tidemasters are built on mid-modulus SCII graphite blanks that find a great compromise between sensitivity and durability. Remember: he higher the modulus the better the sensitivity may be, but the more brittle a rod becomes. The Tidemasters are, in my experience, pretty darn tough. In fact, I’ve had ‘em piled up in the cabin during white-knuckled rides through summer squalls, seen ‘em fall out of under-gunwale rodholders, and dropped ‘em from the bridge, all without killing the rod. (Though I did find one broke when I slammed the car door on it…surprise.)
Grips are cork, reel seats Fuji ECS, and stainless-steel guides are lined with aluminum-oxide. There’s a large range of sizes in the series from a 6’6” rated for eight to 17-pound test, to an 8’ long heavy action rod rated for line up to 40. My testing has been with 6’6” medium-heavy action rods rated for 10 to 20-pound test line (the TIS66MHF) which is absolutely ideal for chumming up stripers and blues when matched up with a Penn 5600L Liveliner—and has conquered rockfish up to 44 inches long. However, I’ve also cast the TIS76MF and TIS70MF, which showed the same excellent sensitivity.
Price: $110 - $240 depending on model (the TIS66MHF lists at $130).
High Points: Great sensitivity with good durability.
Low Points: Small metal rings on the reel seats tend to come loose after a while. It’s purely cosmetic, but a bit annoying.
Who Wants It: Inshore chummers and casters on the hunt for mid-sized saltwater species like striped bass, bluefish, and redfish in the 22” to 40”-plus size range.
Contact: www.stcroixrods.com
