St. Croix Mojo Inshore Spinning Rod Review

The re-engineered Mojo Inshore spinning rod is an advanced fishing rod that employs a combination of technology to make advanced blanks with plenty of backbone high-end components for superior performance.

From the blank’s high-end construction to the well-designed long handle and the almost excellent guides, the Mojo Inshore screams premium quality.

However, tooling technology and nigh-excellent guides alone don’t necessarily justify such a costly fishing gear investment.

That’s why this St. Croix Mojo Inshore spinning rod review breaks down the lineup, examining the minute details like its contoured cork handle and moderate-fast action options to help you figure out if it’s the right option for you.

Contents

Pros

  • Integrated Poly Curve tooling technology
  • Is fairly durable
  • Numerous spec configurations

Cons

  • A more expensive price
  • Merely adequate guides
  • No two-piece models

Review

Construction (craftsmanship, make quality)

The Mojo Inshore spinning rod provides a carbon blank using Integrated Poly Curve (IPC) mandrel technology that makes a strong blank on par with a composite blank.

The Mojo Inshore rod blanks also apply two coats of Flex-Coat slow cure finish to further reinforce what is already an excellent blank construction.

One thing to keep in mind is that the Mojo Inshore rod series only comes in a one-piece construction, though the one-piece performance doesn’t suffer– even if it can sometimes be trickier to transport.

That said, it still would’ve been nice to see other St. Croix exclusive technologies like their Taper Enhancement Technology and any other tooling technology– especially at this price range.

stainless gun smoke frames

Moving along, the Mojo Inshore pairs 304 stainless-steel frames with slim, strong aluminum-oxide rings in a somewhat unexpected turn.

While the aluminum oxide is a bit surprising, especially at this price range, the stainless gun smoke frames are a good start for excellent guides, able to handle the rigors of combining saltwater and braided fishing line.

The Mojo Inshore’s handle design also bucks some of the more common trends of a saltwater rod with both a continuous cork handle and a combo handle that sneaks in some EVA foam.

And while there are no split handles, the Mojo Inshore spin casting models still provide a contoured handle with plenty of grip space for all-day fishing comfort.

As an added cherry on top, this inshore pole lineup also comes with a built-in Kigan hook keeper, so you don’t have to worry about your tackle tangling.

Material

The Mojo Inshore is made of premium-quality SCIII graphite carbon fiber produces not only a strong blank but a sensitive blank as well, giving you the touch necessary to respond to light strikes.

The SCIII graphite modulus sits in the high range but also offers high strain resistance.

Excellent blank

Though many other inshore saltwater rods feature a composite construction, the Mojo Inshore’s carbon fiber blank provides a combination of spinning rod power and durability capable of handling pretty much any inshore saltwater fishing conditions.

It also doesn’t hurt that the tooling technology enhances the graphite modulus on this excellent blank.

While not setting any trends, the Mojo Inshore uses Batson Forecast hard aluminum-oxide guides with 316 stainless-steel frames.

As a guide material, the slim aluminum oxide rings are extremely smooth and help with heat dissipation.

While generally considered excellent guides, there are better options out there, like ones with titanium frames.

Providing one of the least common design choices on the market, this series of inshore poles offers both cork and hybrid cork handles.

As far as cork is concerned, you probably have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

However, fully more than half of the different models pair the cork with EVA foam for increased comfort at strategic points.

Finally, the premium Fuji reel seat with gun-metal hoods features a graphite carbon fiber build to further increase this pole’s already exceptional sensitivity even further.

While the graphite material is durable and can handle plenty of angler abuse on its own, these reel seats also come with a plastic cushion to provide an even more secure grip with your spinning reel.

Action

The Mojo Inshore spinning rod further bucks industry trends with an action range that spans moderate, moderate-fast, and fast action settings.

However, it’s arguably the tooling technology, Integrated Poly Curve (IPC) mandrel technology, that steals the show, allowing all of the actions, whether the moderate-fast action or otherwise, an exceptionally smooth action.

However, a moderate or moderate-fast action also has the benefit of boosting casting distance– though it comes at the cost of some casting accuracy.

Because of this, only the most experienced anglers should venture beyond the moderate-fast action when using the Mojo Inshore saltwater spinning rod series.

Power

The Mojo Inshore spinning rods feature a rod power rating range that runs the spectrum from a light model all the way to extra-heavy powers.

However, this saltwater rod series favors a one-piece, medium-heavy power, medium power rod, and heavy power rods to provide plenty of backbone to muscle larger fish away from rocks in shallow water.

Granted, this means that an extreme rod power rating can only be found on select models, but the blank construction ensures that you won’t have to worry about the strain.

Even better, the one-piece construction ensures that longer Mojo Inshore saltwater rod models don’t have to worry about potential stress points throughout the blank.

Taper

As a side note, the Mojo Inshore spinning rod employs tooling technology to create blanks with an Integrated Poly Curve.

This approach helps provide the blank’s one-piece construction with a smoother action and better transfer of power without leaving any transitional points in the blank to fail.

Rod Guides

The Mojo Inshore saltwater series spinning rods feature Batson Forecast hard aluminum-oxide guides with 304 stainless-steel frames.

The slim, strong aluminum-oxide rings help increase casting distance with a smooth surface to prevent the line from slapping the blank and also reduce tangles and line breaks, so you don’t have to spend more time fiddling than is absolutely necessary.

That said, at this price point, many avid anglers would expect exceptional guides made of a more expensive material– like titanium frames.

Granted, even an accomplished tournament angler would generally consider these excellent guides. But there is little debate that the most excellent guides these days often use premium materials to create the highest-performing components.

Handle (material, shape, etc)

The Mojo Inshore comes with a contoured cork handle with EVA foam elements and an Alps non-marring rubber gimbal on select models.

Keep in mind that the Alps non-marring rubber gimble is the perfect kind of butt to stick in a fishing belt to provide even more leverage when fighting with large fish putting up a tough fight.

However, some people feel that this lineup has a bulky handle which means it will likely feel better in bigger hands and might feel a bit too large in smaller hands.

While this has little impact on the quality of the handle itself, it does potentially present some issues in keeping a firm grip when fighting the largest and strongest saltwater species.

Uses (Who is this good for)

The Mojo Inshore is an excellent choice for anglers casting to reds as well as a whole litany of other inshore saltwater fishing conditions.

Whether fishing off of a pier or even extending into light offshore fishing, this spinning pole has more than enough strength and durability with the necessary touch and control to handle the worst and best conditions.

Inshore anglers will love how the spin casting pole’s Integrated Poly Curve mandrel technology allows a one-piece, medium-heavy power rod to pull on the strongest fighting species of fish without losing power or durability.

However, this spinning pole’s build can also handle the rough rides and the abuse anglers put their saltwater inshore fishing rods through as opposed to freshwater fishing options.

On the other hand, this is not necessarily the best choice for beginning fishermen, though the determination has little to do with the overall quality of the rod.

To be blunt, the St. Croix Mojo is just too expensive to justify using for an angler that may or may not be out next season– though the pole does retain excellent value for resale.

Reel and Real Seat Compatibility

The Mojo Inshore spin casting rods feature a premium Fuji DPS Deluxe durable graphite reel seat with gun metal hoods and a full backstop lock nut on select models.

It’s worth noting that the hoods use stainless steel which, while heavier than many of the other materials used for the premium component, is better at withstanding the corrosive qualities of saltwater.

Conclusion (Wrap Up)

With a professional-grade performance blank from butt, the St. Croix Mojo Inshore spinning rod ensures premium quality with an excellent blank that employs tooling technology for superior performance.

On top of that, the St. Croix Mojo Inshore Spinning Rod offers a combination of power and touch to produce a strong blank that also manages to be an extremely sensitive blank to improve angler response.

While not everyone will consider them excellent guides, the Sea Guide Hero Hi-Grade guides provide a balance of power and smoothness for exceptional casting ability.

While the Mojo Inshore spinning rod lacks some of St. Croix’s other exclusive technologies like their Taper Enhancement Technology.

Other places to consider:

MOJO INSHORE SPINNING RODS