Fox duo lite FX barbel.rods....

[Adrian Williams]

ade

just out of interest , which fox rod do you refer to as the harrison copy ?

i few rods , from a torrix down in price terms

a duo lite 11ft 1.5 though is one of my favourites , lovely through action , nice and light and you can give the fish the 'butt' whithout fear imho . superb little tool for small rivers , i would also think it would make a nice tench feeder rod when using alarms and bolt rigs

this isnt the first time though that ive heard the latter models rubbished

In the late 80s Fox brought out a 12' 1.5lb tc twin tip (Avon and spliced in quiver) with a green blank, I can't remember the exact name but it was something like Barbel Specialist.
I bought one and loved it, it had that progressive action typical of Avon rods of the time and would bend through to the corks.

Around the same time a good friend passed on and I inherited his Harrison Barbel rod which I think was called a Barbel Specialist (I've still got it but all the labels are worn off) also in 1.5tc. When I fished the two side by side they were virtually identical and would take on exactly the same set in the rest.

I use a couple of mismatched Chimeras for chucking feeders about now so rather than leave it in the rack I sold the Fox rod on eBay last year and got a silly price for it, more in fact than I paid for it, apparently it has acquired a bit of a cult following.

 

[Mike Hodgkiss]

I have 3 Fox rods and they're all excellent. The 11' XS Duo is a superb rod for small rivers and has a bit more poke than the Harrison's I've used. This is probabaly a personal preference thing though, as some people like the, 'it bends right through to the butt section' type of action on their rods, where I like the power to come in earlier.

Just trying to add a bit of balance. Bob Gill's rods are indeed things of beauty (I have one) but the blanks they are built upon are not the be-all and end-all of rod design IMO.

Dave

Don't know if this helps but I have owned a FOX XS Barbel Duo ,12 ft 1.75 tc, for a number of years . I only use it with the Avon top[ it has a quiver top with 4 tips as well] , it compares very favourably with Harrison rods that I use . I would call it an excellent all round barbel rod , if you can find one I would go for it . The only problem I have ever had with it was when fairly new the carbon fibre look alike reel seat mounting cracked and untimately failed . I fitted another [ none fox one ] and it has been fine ever since I don't know if the reel seat was damaged from new or I had knocked it at some point but it looked tougher than it was .

 

[Pete Webb]

Flood rod for River Wye

Hi All,

Just wondered what your opinions were on Flood rods. I found myself on the Wye last week with the river well up and pushing through. I reckon I was using about 4oz to just about hold bottom but my 1.75lb rod was struggling a bit.
I'm not in the market for a top end rod as to be honest it wont get much use, so an anyone recommend a good, mid priced flood rod anything from say £75 - £150.

Thanks

Pete

 

[David Craine]

Can anybody tell me the difference between the Fox Floodwater Duo and the Duo Lite FX rods ?

I have only handled the Floodwater Duo, I have a pair and they are just about the best rods in their bracket I have come across, I was given one as a present when they first came out, and sourced another from the classifieds on here when I realised how well they functioned.

The only comment on them that I would make is that when you get a good fish on, the cork in the handles "creak" a bit, it happens with both the rods, so it is not a one off.

Makes me smile though .

Dave.

 

[Pete Webb]

the one I've seen advertised is the Fox Duo Lite FX Specimen 12ft 2.75lb but haven't seen any reviews. I've seen that for about £80. The only other one that just about scrapes into my budget is the Drennan Martin Bowler 12 Big Fish rod but its twice the price.

 

[Paul Cahill]

In the late 80s Fox brought out a 12' 1.5lb tc twin tip (Avon and spliced in quiver) with a green blank, I can't remember the exact name but it was something like Barbel Specialist.
I bought one and loved it, it had that progressive action typical of Avon rods of the time and would bend through to the corks.

Around the same time a good friend passed on and I inherited his Harrison Barbel rod which I think was called a Barbel Specialist (I've still got it but all the labels are worn off) also in 1.5tc. When I fished the two side by side they were virtually identical and would take on exactly the same set in the rest.

I use a couple of mismatched Chimeras for chucking feeders about now so rather than leave it in the rack I sold the Fox rod on eBay last year and got a silly price for it, more in fact than I paid for it, apparently it has acquired a bit of a cult following.

I've still got the Fox rod you refer too. I broke the Avon tip but still have the quiver one. It's a Fox Barbel Special 1.5lb and is one of the nicest rods I've ever used. It's a bit undergunned for the vast majority of my barbel fishing now, but back then I was mainly single-rod fishing using a bomb on The Dane, and it was a joy to use. I used it for tench fishing and some close range and floater carp fishing too. Soft, light and responsive.

I didn't get it late 80s, though. More like late 90s. I didn't know it had a cult following but I can see why.

 

[Fraser Glover]

Pete, I've a Korum Neoteric twin tip, 1.75 and 2.2lb tips, the heavier one works fine in the floods I fish (which can include the Wye), can't comment personally on the Fox 2.75lb, but the Korum hasn't let me down (other than the reel seat on which the duplon handle split from the threaded fastening).