Length: £10ft 10in (3.3m)
Sections: Two
Guides: Nine Fox Slik Ceramic
Lure keeper ring: Yes
Reel seat: Shaped screw-up, 56cm from butt
Casting weight: 4oz
Rod bag: Yes
You will find this three-metre rod – there’s also a shorter 2.7m model – in the Fox boat range. Designed as an uptider for bassing with lures or bait, it sits perfectly in the world of beach fishing, says Alan Yates.
Lots of anglers like to fish with chunky plugs from the rocks, and this demands a more powerful rod than the normal spinning wand. It requires something that can beef a 12in one-piece plug or a bait into the wind and, importantly, a rod that can tug the lure free if it snags.
It is difficult to get a balance of casting punch and fishing feel into rods designed for bass spinning – most fall short on power because they are based on the lighter coarse spinning rod.
A brilliant touch is that the rod is ringed for fixed-spool or multiplier because more and more bass lure anglers, especially in the rest of Europe, are opting for a mini multiplier and braid line for boat lure or livebait fishing for bass. From the shore it is equally balanced by a small fixed-spool with braid or mono line.
Constructed in high-modulus carbon, this two-section rod has tough matt black finish with a whisker pattern butt section and shaped EVA foregrip. The reel seat is a slimline Fox model with grip and anti-jam thread. An EVA butt and rubber butt cap complete the lower section. The tip section has a metal-banded spigot and is ringed with nine Slik Ceramic guides which are suitable for braid line.
Final thought
A boat rod on the beach! Yes, really, this one is great for heavy plugs or bait.
