St. Croix made a big splash a few years ago when it announced it would once again return focus to the world of fly fishing. Countless anglers, for which the vaunted St. Croix Imperial was their first “real” fly rod and who had long viewed the brand as a hallmark mark of American-made quality, perked up with wide-eyed anticipation. The vaunted, Wisconsin-based rodmaker has been relatively busy since, releasing its award-winning EVOS series of fly rods and its lineup of dry fly specialist TECHNICA rods. St. Croix’s latest offering, a new, completely updated version of its well-loved Legend Elite fly rods, will no doubt give anglers another legacy lineup to ponder.
When originally introduced in 2003, a few years after its conventional fishing counterpart, as St. Croix’s flagship fly offering, the Legend Elite was one of fly fishing’s most coveted rods. Both St. Croix’s initial incarnation and its 2008 reintroduction — were celebrated by anglers for offering top-tier performance at a price point that bested most of its competitors.
The new Legend Elite rods arrived on fly shop shelves this past week, awaiting a spate of wiggle and parking lot casting tests from prospective buyers. However, the new rods were officially announced back in July at the ICAST trade show in Florida, where the lineup took home early accolades, winning the show’s award for Best New Fly Rod series.
Given that Legend Elite rods were praised primarily for their up-tempo, medium-fast feel and their responsive tip sections, St. Croix fans will no doubt be pleased to know that the 2026 versions of the rods are rolled on the original Legend Elite mandrels but have been updated to incorporate new materials and other technological advancements as well as newer componentry.
Like all fly rods these days, the Legend Elite series is backed by a long list of acronyms distilling the tech packed into the rods. The new models bring along St. Croix’s proprietary ART and FRS technologies from their 2008 counterparts — both technologies that allow the rodmaker to build stronger rods without an increase in blank diameter. This time around, however, St. Croix chose a different graphite matrices — ones that would result in rods with a new, refined action. Wrapping everything into a complete package is a set of new, high-end components such as Fuji silicon carbide stripping guides.
Though this newest manifestation of the Legend Elite series no longer occupies the flagship position in St. Croix fly rod lineup — that’s now the domain of the EVOS series — the new Legend Elite rods seem poised to offer anglers the same, or perhaps an even better, performance-to-value proposition. With all twelve models in the new series — bookended by 7’6” 3-weight and a 10’ 8-weight — priced at $595, the new Legend Elite rods offer a high-end package that fits squarely into today’s mid-range price tier.
The new St. Croix Legend Elite fly rods are available immediately from St. Croix authorized dealers.
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