Shimano Compre vs. St.croix Premier

[Fishin Dan]

I was wondering which of these rods you guys prefer? I was looking at getting either the 8' H Compre or the 7' 6" H premier. The Compre is about 50 bucks cheaper. Would you say the premier is worth the extra 50 bucks? From what i have heard there both good rods. Just thought i would see if anyone had experience with these rods, and what you thought of them. Thanks. Dan

[propster]

I throw both a 7'6" Compre H and an 8'MH St Croix Legend Tournament - night and day difference there in favor of the St Croix. However, I have not used a Premier, though build-wise it's very similar to the Compre (weight, etc). For the money the Compre is a pretty decent rod, nothing spectacular but does a good job, throws everything but mag dawgs and up very well, and a great warranty. If you go with the Compre I agree, I'd go with the 8'.

[PerchJerker]

It's not one of my muskie rods, but I picked up a Compre earlier this year to use with a Curado for casting cranks for walleyes / bass/ pike. At the time I picked it over several other rods that were more expensive because I liked the action the best in the Compre.

I've been really happy with the rod, more than I expected. The action is great, I can throw small crankbaits a mile with that setup. And I've really come to like the way the Compre feels and performs. After using it a lot for half a season, I have no complaints at all with it.

[JRedig]

I have several compre rods, i've been very happy with them. Unfortunately I can't compare to the St. Croix as I haven't used them.

My only other rods are Shimano Calcutta Inshore series in several sizes, they are a whole different world from the compre's, in price and how they fish.

[slipperybob]

The Premiere's aren't cheap and because it's a St Croix you almost have to tag a premium price on it. I find that the Premiere's are a tad heavy for me, but the finishing is better. I have to admit that price point the Shimano Rods do offer a lot less cash. You might want to sift through the rod rack and pick out that one that suits you. Not all of their rods will perform alike and there could be a fairly big tolerance for differences in blank action of two identical rods.

[Professional Edge]

I have never used a Compre so I will not comment on that one but the I have built a bunch on the Tournament and the Premier.

The new Premier is one of the best redesigned musky rods on market today. The old version were heavy but this one has cut a bunch of weight with the new design but kept the strength and action. They are not the same stick they were in the past.

[Quackaddict9]

I have two 7'-6" MH/H premier rods and have no complaints on them and love em. They don't seem heavy, I must have got the redesigned ones Keith is talking about. Although I've never tried out the compres and have heard good things about them. So both are good rods.

[cjac]

The only downside is off the rack Croix Premier only has the H to a 7'6", to get the 8' you have to step down to a MH. I prefer the longer rods, so I'd opt for the 8' length. If not tossing the heavy rubber, the MH will be fine.

I had a Compre and liked it a lot, I do think they are rated a little on the light side. Meaning the Shimano 8'H is probably pretty close to the 8'MH Croix.

Shimano lifetime warranty is an added bonus.....

[ole matty]

I have 76 h compre n 8 mh croix premire.. I really like them as I really like the soft tip on comnpre. Seem to work better with gilders at least to me. I throw db10 all the time on croix n I like it a lot.

[JRedig]

Threadjack-- ole matty, you doing any good on the 'croix for ski's?

[ole matty]

Don't fish for ski on croix yet as I always want to try. Just dunno which part of river to start.. Maybe will try sometime this late summer. What about you?

[Quackaddict9]

Cjac- St.Croix came out with 8' Heavy power in the premier series, they are available at Thorne Bros. I saw them last week. Heads up to the guys who wanted one of these, give em a call

[TrophyEyes]

I just got a Shimano Crucial 8' H and love it. I know that with a Shimano it has an over the counter lifetime warrenty. This means that if you ever break it, just bring it into any store that sell Shimano and they will replace it. I have had a difficult time replacing a premier after the 5 year warrenty passed.

[cjac]

Quote:

Cjac- St.Croix came out with 8' Heavy power in the premier series, they are available at Thorne Bros.

Cool, thanks for the heads up! I've not seen them but I'm glad to hear its available. Good news in this is that I've steered clear of Thorne lately, and my wallet shows it!

[HugoBox]

I talked to the St. Croix guy at the expo and he told me they were working on a Bulldawg/DCG type of heavy rod for the Premier blank as they recognize that giving the muskie guys more options at a better price point to the Legend Elite was important. I'll be anxious to hear the reports on performance.

[Grant Pearson]

I like the compre. it holds up well for me during a day of casting, and it will still throw a sucker out under a bobber without it coming off the hook.