Drennan E-SOX Spinflex Lure Rod | |
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I MUST ADMIT that when I walked into one of my local tackle shops clutching my £ 50 of vouchers that I still hadn’t spent from Christmas I had no intention of buying a rod, let alone a new lure rod. I had every intention of replenishing terminal tackle stocks that had taken a battering over the autumn months and with the remainder buy maybe a spare catty or a bag of ready-mades to chuck in the bottom of the rucksack. However, on walking into the shop I gave the rods a customary once over and my attention was drawn to a lure rod with a very fetching reel seat. Now, I had been thinking how nice it would be to have a new heavy spinning rod to replace my ageing and battered rod that had seen better days but I was planning on waiting until the summer and spending about the £ 100 mark. However, a quick waggle in the shop and one rush of blood later and I left the shop with 50p change from my vouchers, no terminal tackle and one new shiny E- SOX 9ft Spinflex. For once this particular rush of blood was in fact a great decision made in haste. The 9 ft Spinflex is rated ideally for 10-15lb breaking strain mono or heavier breaking strains of braid. It casts 12g – 50 g lures making it ideal for fishing medium to large spoons, spinner baits, buzz baits and plugs.
Teamed with a 4000 size fixed spool reel it balances perfectly and makes a days continuous casting all that much easier. The rather fetching reel seat not only looks good but also is very comfortable and the neat little ‘Keeper’ ring keeps lures and hooks nicely out of harms way whilst walking from swim to swim. The graphics are functional, professional and not garish in any way, giving the rod the appearance of a tool to be used, rather than a ‘posing stick’. The finish is excellent with no flaws or varnish drips. In use the rod is stiff enough with a nice ‘flicky’ tip to enable you to send artificial baits to extreme range, but also delicate underarm or side flicks for reaching those hard to reach fish holding areas. Again the rod is stiff enough to work the most demanding of lures as erratically as you think necessary, and has the power to set the hooks home at range even when using mono.
When playing fish it bends through to the butt gracefully, accepting every lung, shake of the head and tail-walk like a submissive sparring partner, limiting the chances of a fish throwing the hooks, but leaving something in reserve should you need to bully a fish away from the sanctuary of a snag. I have only used the rod teamed up with 30lb Berkley Whiplash Pro thus far, but small jacks through to low double figure fish have been a pleasure to play and the rod has put at least an extra 15% casting distance on my old model, making long casts with baits such as spinner baits (with the aerodynamic properties of a brick) all that much easier. Its action lends the rod perfectly to the use of sink and draw tactics, with small to medium sized deadbaits withstanding repeated casts using a gentle overhead flick. Again the rods action means you can work them well. I have also used this rod for deadbaiting on the local canal where the short casts and shallow water leave you at no disadvantage with just a 9ft rod. The rod is rated at a 2 1/2 lb TC. making it ideal for summer stalking for carp, giving it a use throughout the summer months as well as the traditional predator season.
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