Fox duolite twin tip rods ??

[strathy]

Hi first post from a long time lurker.
I,m looking for a heavier rated rod than my Drennan 11ft twin top Avons, for use mainly on the Roche and Irwell, but also for, infrequent trips to the day ticket stretches of the Ribble. They will also be used for heavy method work/ light carping at Stafford Moor, when I go down to visit the family in Devon.
I like the look of the 11ft duolite twin top rods with their choice of 1.75 and 2.25lb tops, but I,ve not found any reports or reviews on them, and I,ve not had a reply to Emails to fox.
What I would like to know is what is their max casting weight, and what are they like in use.
If they,re pants then what other 11ft rods are worth looking at.
Thanks
Mike

 

[greenie62]

Hi Mike,
Welcome to the FM madhouse!
Sorry I can't help with the Duolite - not even seen one! Sounds like you are getting excited over prospects of Barbel from the Irwell after a few recent captures!

The only thing I would comment on is that the Irwell isn't a typical Trent, Thames, Wye type of Barbel river. They all have a lot more size, depth and flow of water than the Irwell - even when it's in spate - and consequently the power rod-ratings for these Barbel rods is likely to be overgunning it for the Irwell. So far the few that have been caught have been whilst Chub fishing with corresponding rods - or so I understand from other SFAS members.

May see ya on the Irwell in the season - or while I'm fluff-chucking for the brownies when the weather settles a bit!
Tight Lines :thumbs:

 

[onemorelastcast]

Hi first post from a long time lurker.
I,m looking for a heavier rated rod than my Drennan 11ft twin top Avons, for use mainly on the Roche and Irwell, but also for, infrequent trips to the day ticket stretches of the Ribble. They will also be used for heavy method work/ light carping at Stafford Moor, when I go down to visit the family in Devon.
I like the look of the 11ft duolite twin top rods with their choice of 1.75 and 2.25lb tops, but I,ve not found any reports or reviews on them, and I,ve not had a reply to Emails to fox.
What I would like to know is what is their max casting weight, and what are they like in use.
If they,re pants then what other 11ft rods are worth looking at.
Thanks
Mike

I have a few of small river rods, including a 11' Harrison Torrix, a Dave Mason rod and a few others, but I love my Fox Barbel Plus, quite a rare rod now, but beautiful through action that I have had Barbel a shade under 14lb on and never felt under gunned. It's a thin blank too, but it is 12', but that does serve you better if you do hook a bigger fish. It's a twin tip rod so would do the method feeding job well.

Other than that I would certainly have a look at the Torrix 1.75 at 11' not cheap I know, but you can get them second hand, great small river/summer rod.

 

[jon atkinson]

Hi first post from a long time lurker.
I,m looking for a heavier rated rod than my Drennan 11ft twin top Avons, for use mainly on the Roche and Irwell, but also for, infrequent trips to the day ticket stretches of the Ribble. They will also be used for heavy method work/ light carping at Stafford Moor, when I go down to visit the family in Devon.
I like the look of the 11ft duolite twin top rods with their choice of 1.75 and 2.25lb tops, but I,ve not found any reports or reviews on them, and I,ve not had a reply to Emails to fox.
What I would like to know is what is their max casting weight, and what are they like in use.
If they,re pants then what other 11ft rods are worth looking at.
Thanks
Mike

I have the 12' Duolite which I think is an excellent (if sadly underused in my case) bit of kit. I've only ever used the 2.25 top either feeder fishing for barbel on the Ribble or the occasional spot of dead baiting on the canal. I hope to do more river fishing this year & will hopefully get to put the 1.75 top through its paces on some different stretches, & suspect that this would suit the Irwell better.

In terms of casting weights, the heaviest I've used would be a 5oz feeder (on the 2.25) which was no problem at all to chuck across the Ribble at Ribchester.

 

[tinca49]

I have a pair of the 12' Duolite twin tips and have used both the 1.75 and 2.25 tips on the Severn throwing feeders which are 6/7ozs when loaded, no problem for either tip. I bought these to replace a pair of 1.75 Greys Prodigys which I always felt were too soft, especially with extra water on.
I used the 1.75 tips for tenching as well last year and found them excellent for that too as I'm fishing a water with heavy soft weed growth.

 

[strathy]

Hiya greenie, thanks for the welcome, you,re not from Greenmount area are you ?
I usually fish the Bury Anglers and Rammy Anglers stretches and yes I know just how punchy the Barbel, Chub and trout are getting now in the Irwell.
I,ve been dragged the length of the Wier pool on Burys section and lost what my son in law says was a very big Barbel in a fallen tree. My Drennan 1and1/2 lb rod was bent double and the 8lb sensor line was twanging, so I reckon I was giving it everything. The thing just kept going upstream like a train.
I,ve also had trouble holding bottom with 2oz grip leads in some of the bigger pools when theres been a lot of rain, hopping ledger anyone.
Jon and Tinca , thankyou for your musings, my poor credit card will hate you. The Fox it is then, the Torrix look lovely but are a little too much.

 

[greenie62]

Hiya greenie, thanks for the welcome, you,re not from Greenmount area are you ?
I usually fish the Bury Anglers and Rammy Anglers stretches and yes I know just how punchy the Barbel, Chub and trout are getting now in the Irwell....

No Mike, I'm on the Wigan/Bolton border halfway between where the Douglas and the Croal go their separate ways.
The Barbel haven't got into the Croal yet - we need a bit of targetted heavy duty vandalism on a few weirs to accomplish that - as part of the Irwell Valley Restoration Plan! That might stop some of the excessive flows we've had this week - with very little rain - it's been up and down a metre this week with plenty of branches floating down it - which now get deposited wherever they're at as the flow drops - and that's why you need the more powerful rod! mg:
Good news/Bad news though - you won't need the more powerful tip if we can shift some of these weirs - but you'll have the less powerful duo-tip to fall back on!
I'll drop you a PM sometime to have an Irwell-related natter.
Tight Lines :thumbs:

 

[strathy]

Ha Greenie you,re lucky, living in the soft low rainfall lands of Wigan.
Over here in Rochdale, over the last few days, we,ve had rainstorms, that have caused the Roche to go up and down like a streetwalkers knickers and they,ve had some major ones up Rossendale and Bacup, top end of the Irwell, where you could barely drive down the valley as the water was so deep on the road.
Theres many a time I,ve fished the Irwell in shorts and Tshirt in fantastic clear skys weather and suddenly had the Irwell go up a foot in half an hour, cos Bacups getting its daily hosing down.
I always keep an eye north when fishing the Irwell cos Rawtenstall and Bacup seem to be rain magnets.

 

[greenie62]

Ha Greenie you,re lucky, living in the soft low rainfall lands of Wigan....

Ha - never considered myself lucky to be living in Wigan - always seen it as being a bit of a penance - if I wasn't so close to the Bolton border (200m) I might have complained! mg: