No offshore action is more demanding on a fishing rod than the vertical jig. The speed at which anglers retrieve heavy iron causes the rod to hammer down fast when a fish strikes. You’ll need a rod that helps your reel apply the brakes to such powerful fish as yellowtail and amber jack. The St Croix Mojo Jig Rod offers arguably the best value and performance on the market.
St Croix Mojo Conventional & Spinning Jig Rods
Product: St Croix Mojo Conventional And Spinning Jig Rods.
Overall Rating: 94 out of 100.
Price: Higher Middle Range.
Owner: Gordon, Jeff, David, and Pam Schluter.
Website: StCroixRods.com.
Intro To The St Croix Mojo Jig Rod
The St Croix name touches the thoughts of just about every bass fisherman on the planet. Their rods are that good. St. Croix is no stranger to fulfilling the needs of saltwater anglers but there was never an offering of a heavy jig stick in their line up, until now. Brand new to the market as of November, 2016, the St Croix Mojo Jig Rod takes an immediate place as a top offshore model.
St Croix Mojo Jig Rod Models, Specs, & Features
St Croix Mojo Jig Conventional Rod Models
Mojo conventional jig rods offer the best offshore matches for reels like the Shimano Trinidad, Daiwa Sealine, and Penn Fathom. It helps to know the model numbers to match the rod you want when shopping. You’ll find the 4 conventional models below.
• MJJC66MMF • MJJC66MHMF • MJJC58HMF
• MJJC58XHMF
St Croix Mojo Jig Spinning Rod Models
Spinning reels aren’t typical for heavy offshore fishing but newer reels like the Shimano Stella break that mold. The Penn Slammer is another popular spinning reel that can handle the heavy abuse of saltwater action. There’s no point combining these reels with a sub par rod and St Croix offers the best for the best. Here’s their 4 Mojo Jig spinning models.
• MJJS66MMF • MJJS66MHMF • MJJS58HMF
• MJJS66XHMF
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St Croix Mojo Jig Rod Specifications
You can see the basic specs in
the rod models when you know how to read them. They contain abbreviations for the type of rod, length, power, and action. All models start with the letters MJJ for Mojo Jig. Following that you’ll find either an S for spinning or a C for casting. Next in line are numbers that represent the rod length. 66 converts to a 6’6″ rod while the 58 equals a 5’8″ rod.
Mojo jig rods only come in these two sizes but they do offer a few choices in power. You can see these distinctions at the end of the model numbers. For instance, the MMF at the end stands for medium power with medium fast action. All Mojo jig rods have medium fast action. Here’s the key for these abbreviations:
- MMF – Medium power with medium fast action.
- MHMF – Medium heavy power with medium fast action.
- HMF – Heavy power with medium fast action.
- XHMF – Extra heavy power with medium fast action.
Additional specifications of St Croix Mojo Jig rods include rod weights which range from 7 to 10 ounces. Lure ratings go from 60 to 400 grams depending on the rod. All rods are 1 piece and give line ratings for braid between 30 and 200 pounds. Again depending on which length and power
rod you choose.
St Croix Mojo Jig Rod Features
The specs tell you how a rod behaves but features have just as much to do with performance. Companies that put hours of focus into features like St Croix build more durable and better performing rods. Check out the features that go into the blanks, guides, reel seats, and butts of St Croix Mojo Jig Rods.
IPC Tooling Technology
This technology eliminates transition points from the tip of the rod blank to the butt. These transition points are visible on a cheaper rod blank as you can see on the comparison in the image. Integrated Poly Curve technology also maintains the same wall thickness all the way through the rod blank. IPC tooling results in stronger rods with better action and more sensitivity.
ART Reinforcement
Advanced Reinforcing Technology provides extra rod by adding layers of special carbon fiber. The fiber is thin and lightweight resulting in almost no addition to thickness or weight of the rod blank. ART strengthens a rod not double or triple, but 10x the normal stress capacity. It prevents the rod’s tendency to warp under extreme pressure.
SCii Graphite With FRS Technology
St Croix patented SCii material is a mid-modulus graphite fiber. It’s put to use in several of St Croix rod lines but the Mojo Jig Rods add FRS technology. The Fortified Resin System is a heating and curing method that results in stronger blanks. It helps prevent micro breaks in the blank fiber and produces rods up to 33% stronger, not to mention more durable.
Sea Guide Line Guides
St Croix claims that Mojo jig rods use Sea Guide line guides with SS304 frames and aluminum oxide rings but this can’t be correct. Searching up and down the Sea Guide website shows the SS304 to be a reel seat. It couldn’t be a typo because SF stands for single foot. You can see right in the pictures that these rods use double foot guide frames. I have an email pending with St Croix for further explanation and will update here.
Fuji PSS-SD Reel Seats
You can’t go wrong with top of the line Fuji reel seats. Mojo Jig casting rods use the PSS or Palm Support Seat. These reel seats have a black aluminum hood on top and a built in lock on the bottom. You’ll know them by the finger grip the extends out from the reel seat.
Fuji DPS Reel Seats
These are standard high quality Fuji plastic reel seats. The fixed aluminum hood is up top and the bottom screws up to lock the reel in place. The bottom lock has the aluminum hood as well and lacks the finger rest of Mojo Jig casting rods. Only the spinning models use the Fuji DPS reel seats.
Fuji Gimbals
The gimbal is a rod butt with locking grooves that enable the rod to fix firmly into holders. Most rod holders have a metal rod across the bottom which gimbals lock into. The plus shape of the gimbal allows rods to be locked in 4 different 90 degree angles. St Croix offers Fuji gimbals on heavy and extra heavy power Mojo Jig rods. The lesser power models have a slick butt.
High Quality EVA Handles
EVA is a synthetic foamy like rubber material that is common to fishing rod handles. St Croix uses a premium EVA material on Mojo Jig rods which feature split handles. They have a shorter handle up top separated by the reel seat and then a long handle below.
Other Features
There are a few other features of St Croix Mojo Jig rods worth mentioning like a Kigan hook keeper above the top handle. All line guides have under wraps to protect the rod blank and St Croix applies their standard double flex coat. This finishes the rod and protects it from the outside in.
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Pros & Cons Of The St Croix Mojo Jig Rod
Pros
It takes a high speed reel to get good results from many vertical jigging situations but you also need a strong rod to match. St Croix provides that in their Mojo Jig line but their action is just as important. Mojo Jig rods have the perfect action to give your vertical jig that extra spunk on its way up.
The price is about two thirds of what other premium makers ask for rods of equal value and performance. St Croix Mojo Jig rods use only the best components and are affordable, durable, extremely strong, and they perform.
Cons
If you want a rod that will drastically change the action of your jig, you may have to look elsewhere. The limited selection of rod lengths in the Mojo Jig line is acceptable for vertical jig fishing. It would be nice to have more options in action. Fast action isn’t always the answer for every vertical fishing situation. Anglers might also agree that getting rid of the finger grip on casting rods would improve their use. These aren’t necessary on offshore vertical jigging rods and tend to get in the way.
Which Anglers Would Benefit From St Croix Mojo Jig Rods?
If you enjoy yo yo style fishing for yellowtail, amber jack, or big jack trevally, the St Croix Mojo Jig rod is for you. These rods also work wonders for flat fall iron fishing to pick up tuna. Anglers adept with conventional reels have the casting models and spinning models exist for those who prefer the the upright spool.
St Croix Customer Support
As a company, St Croix has gone to great lengths to satisfy their customers. This starts with a 5 year warranty on all rods but extends to service due to accidents or improper use. If the craftsmanship is bad, St Croix will replace the rod for free. They also have their own preferred shipping method to keep the cost down for customers.
Putting The Gaff In The Mojo Jig Rod Review
Overall Ranking: 94 out of 100 owners approve of Mojo Jig Rods.
If your love for vertical jigging brought you to this post, treat yourself to a St. Croix Mojo Jig rod. Start your search for the matching reel right here on the Penn Torque review. Check out Phenix Axis Rods if you’re more in the market for some surface iron action. Questions and feedback are always welcome and appreciated. Just use the comment box below.
Hi,
Would the St. Croix 5’8″ XH (MJJS58XHMF) be a good rod for doing double-duty, not only as a jig rod but also as a bottom fishing rod for grouper and snapper (live and cut bait)?
I like to jig fish sometimes but don’t want to buy two different rods – hoping to kill two birds/one stone.
Thanks in advance!
Good question Joe and thanks for asking. Most rods are able to do double or even triple duty (I like how you put that). My concern when trying to apply this philosophy is two-fold.
First, I’m concerned about being outmatched. Since the St. Croix rod you mention rates between 80-200 pound braid, I might be more worried that it’s too much for bottom fishing. Unless you’re going for some big grouper and such.
That brings up my second concern. If my gear overmatches my target species, it can make it tougher to get them to take.
Hope that helps. I do try to use my rods for double duty as well. At some point though, a larger (or smaller) setup is needed. Geoff.
Hi Geoff,
You did answer my question – Thanks.
Would like to hear your thoughts on the Phenix Megalodon jig rod.
Great site – glad I found it!
Thanks again,
Joe
Thanks Joe. Glad you found the site and found it useful too. I appreciate every comment as it only helps to educate future fishermen that might happen by.
I was examining the Phenix Megalodon Jig models and they look more than capable. Personally, I really prefer the deckhand style (just cork grip with no reel seat). If you’re going to be battling the larger models, however, it’s probably not a bad idea to have a rod that can secure your reel.
Looking through the models, I’d avoid the ones with the split-grip open rod. I prefer to have that grip cover the full handle. With large fish and a rocking boat, you do need to switch grip unexpectedly at times. Geoff.
Do you think the mojo jig Medium action Moderate fast, can be used to fluke fish? Would it be possible to pair that pole with a penn Battle 2500 and fish for fluke around 20-30 inches ?
The action is a bit fast for trolling but that fast action helps feel those bites on the anchor or from shore. I’d say it depends on how you intend to use it. For trolling, I’d suggest a slower action rod that doesn’t build power so fast that it pulls the hook.