“No way!†said Scott Bradley, a local angler on Kentucky Lake as he watched the tip of his new rod sail off into the distance with his jig on a long cast. “I’ve made maybe a 100 casts with this rod. I can’t believe it broke on the cast.â€
I reached down and picked up one of my St. Croix Mojo Bass rods and handed it to him. After about a minute, he set the hook and fought a chunky bass to the boat. “Man. I can’t believe the difference in sensitivity from my rod to this rod,†Bradley said. “That’s crazy. This is a high-end rod isn’t it?â€
It probably was higher quality than the one that broke, but it’s still what we consider a value rod. It’s priced at a range most guys can afford, and it still offers great components, weight and sensitivity. That day on the lake with Bradley, we fished for about 5 hours until the Fourth of July boat traffic got so bad we couldn’t stand it anymore. In those 5 hours, we used the Mojo Bass rods probably 95% of the time and boated some awesome bass. I’ve got the Legend Xtreme rods and the Avid Series rods as well but because the bite has been so good on jigs and worms on the ledges and that’s what I had on the Mojo rods, that’s what we threw most of the day.
A rod is an investment. You’re going to fish it more than a year. A rod will last you 10 years or more if you take care of it. But a rod is also a very personal purchase. There is brand loyalty, action, weight and things like that to consider that differ from person to person.
There is a lot of hype made about weight, cutting edge guides, but at the end of the day the rod needs to have the sensitivity to feel a bite and the backbone to get the fish in the boat. All those other things can increase both of those and probably lead to more bass in the boat, so there is something to be said about buying a high end rod. But that doesn’t mean you can’t catch bass with a $50-$100 rod either.
That’s what I like about the Mojo Bass rods. They look good, they are a good weight, they have lots of backbone and good sensitivity, but an angler doesn’t have to spend $300 on a rod. Are there rods that are lighter, more sensitive, stronger and sleeker looking? Probably so. But at the end of the day, an angler has to ask themselves if it fits in their budget.
The Mojo Bass rods are designed for specific applications. Everything from wacky rigs to swimbaits, the Mojo Bass line features 10 casting models and four spinning models. The rods vary in length from 6-feet, 6-inches to 7-feet, 11-inches. Their actions cover the gamut from moderate to fast, and their powers range from medium-light to heavy.
There has been some thought put into the suggested techniques for each rod action and power, but that doesn’t mean you can’t mix it up. We often use the Plastics Mojo Bass rod for a topwater rod and we use the Spinnerbait rod for our big worm rod for offshore fishing. The actions are still there. So pick the best action that you like for your technique, and don’t worry about what the label says. But if you have no idea what to throw on what rod, St. Croix has given you a heads up with these rods.
Also I like the labels on the rod handles of the Mojo Bass rods because you can quickly grab the right rod in a crowded rod locker. When the rods are labeled like that, you can keep the rods in the locker and just grab them out based on what you’re looking for.
Casting performance with the rods is superb. St. Croix obviously put their extensive knowledge of complimentary powers and actions into play with these rods. The rods have tip actions to be able to cast and work a bait effortlessly but then the supporting power to set a good hook on a long cast and play the fish down until it’s ready to land.
Personally I’ve caught more than a hundred bass in the last two months on my St. Croix Mojo Bass MBC70MHF rod and I’ve swung a bunch of bass, weighing as much as five pounds, into the boat without any issue. The rod still looks brand new. I like the deep, dark purple blank. It looks like a dark rod from a distance but looks real slick up close.
The guides are Batson Forecast hard aluminum-oxide guides with double-plated black chrome frames. That’s a fancy way of saying, they are pretty good guides that will hold up to normal wear and tear. With Fuji seats, high quality cork and removed fore grips, the rods look and feel much more expensive.
I have four Mojo Bass rods, and I plan to buy a few more. I have several rods that cost more than $300. While I won’t give up those for a value rod, I have no problem putting down a $300 rod and picking up a $100 rod and catching a bunch of bass. I like to think I’m like a lot of guys in that I can’t afford 20 $300 rods. When I can afford a high-end rod I buy one. But when I need to fill out several techniques on the deck of my boat, I’m going to go with the best value I can afford.
