Rods

Who says rods need to be 12 or even 13 feet long? Believe it or not, there is a definite market for shorter wands and a significant advantage to using them.

I fish a small club water that suffers from quite a bit of foliage around and above the swims. Casting the short distance to the far margin can be extremely difficult in one or two areas. It’s not unknown for me to have one foot in the water and the other knee on the floor to get down low enough to avoid the branches above.

However, these 10ft rods have been a revelation. Not only is there a 2ft shortfall in the blank but my drop to the lead is also subsequently shorter, so there’s a considerable saving in the overall height that the lead reaches at the top of the cast.

I’m not casting any real range so the reduced length makes no difference there and playing fish is an absolute dream. The 10ft Horizon is only available in 3lb, which is fine. In fact, 2.75lb would more than cope with the fishing that I do, but I imagine the extra stiffness is for the anglers on the Continent who fish from boats for very big carp.

The build quality is excellent – the same as the 12ft Horizons – and they look and feel great. I had cork handles fitted to mine but this is not something that you can have done by Fox.

Marc’s Vedict
Performance: 9/10
Value: 8/10
Brilliant short rods – perfect for small waters

RRP: £184.99

Website: www.foxint.com