Fox Sea FX Twin-Tip Uptide Rod - 08/07/2009

Roger Mortimore puts the FX Twin-Tip uptide through its paces to see just how versatile this latest rod from Fox really is…

The FX Twin-Tip uptide has been designed with the help of Fox’s experienced team of UK and European International anglers. It’s a 9ft 6in two-piece rod in two-equal sections and two tips – one tip is for casting 6oz to 8oz and a lighter tip for casting 2oz to 6oz leads. This means the rod can cope with many situations and species. It’s constructed from high-modulus carbon with fibreglass blended into the tips to give excellent bite indication – and they’re colour coded so that you can easily select the one you prefer. The versatility of this rod eliminates the need to carry several rods, and the three sections are supplied in a padded rod bag.

The butt is fitted with a Fuji screw-up reel seat, comfortable EVA grips and a neat Twist-and-Fix extendable butt extension to aid casting. Slide it out and twist to lock it in position when you cast, then just twist and slide it back inside the butt to fish and wind in. The butt and both tips are fitted with nine tough, low-friction guides secured with black thread. For testing, I clamped on a small multiplier loaded with 30lb braid topped with a 50lb-mono shockleader. I selected the heavier 6oz to 8oz tip because we would be fishing a flood tide in 45 feet of water with a fair current running past the boat. The rig was a simple running leger with a 6oz Gemini grip lead that was blasted up and across the tide. Once the lead had settled, I paid out the necessary bow of line and put the rod on the gunnel. The force of the current pulled the rod tip round, ready for a bite and the flexibility of the tip absorbed the rock of the boat so that the lead was not pulled out of position. After 10 minutes, a couple of nods indicated that a fish had found the bait. I picked the rod up to feel a couple more tugs then I wound in the slack and lifted into the fish. I could feel the weight of it and a couple of feeble headshakes but, as it neared the surface, my fears were confirmed: a dogfish! This was the pattern for the next hour or so until the current died down. I then swapped to the lighter tip and changed down to a 5oz lead.

The lighter tip was great for showing bites, and for simply having fun when fishing, but it could still chuck a lead a long way from the boat when needed. After the disappointment of several doggies, I managed a couple of scrapping black bream. Fox’s development team have done a good job with the design and action of this rod. It does exactly what it’s supposed to and, as I mentioned earlier, instead of carrying several rods, the Fox Twin-Tip will cover most situations – so check it out!

INFORMATION