Fox Rage Warrior 2 rod review

Catching predators on big reservoirs can be a daunting task, especially if you don’t have the right gear for the job – but with Fox Rage’s latest Warrior2 rods you’re in safe hands from the off.

Get your hands on all the latest rods, poles, reels and accessories at this year’s Big One Show

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Anyone who fishes big waters like Rutland or Grafham will know that a fast-actioned rod is needed to stay in touch with your lure, especially in depths down to 90ft or more. 

So when I was tasked with testing Rage’s newly-released Warrior2 Vertical 185 and Spin 240 rods, I was eager to get down to Rutland Water to see if they were up to the mark.

Having vertically-jigged Rutland for zander with the wrong rod in the past, I was a tad apprehensive when I made my first drop with the Vertical 185, but was swiftly reassured when my 25g jighead and lure hit the reservoir floor in 65ft of water with very little bend evident in the rod-tip.

At just 6ft (185cm) long, it was stiff enough for great bite indication but not so stiff that it took the sting out of the fight. 

My lure remained in direct contact with the bottom at all times, which is essential if you want to spot bites when fishing from a drifting boat.

The Vertical 185 is labelled to handle weights of 14g to 28g, so when drifting over deeper water I thought I’d test a 30g jighead – and I’m pleased to say this heavier weight had little effect on the playing action of the rod.

When the zander finally revealed themselves on the fish finder at mid-depth it was time to switch to the Spin 240 and really cover some water.

This rod is a big-fish cruncher, rated to cast weights from 10g-30g, so I was happy to see that my 35g jighead wasn’t a step too far – the braided mainline slipped through the sleek guides effortlessly with no creaks of protest from the blank. 

For me, the real quality of the rod revealed itself while retrieving the lure – I could feel every twist of its paddled tail vibrating down the blank. As with the Vertical 185 there was an element of stiffness in this rod, but as soon as you hooked a zander it was forgiving, and could cope with the most powerful lunges without sacrificing the thrills of the fight.

The verdict: These are perfect rods for deep-water reservoir fishing that give unfailingly excellent bite indication and playing quality. The sleek grey high-modulus carbon blanks and cork handles add a touch of class, and considering you don’t need to break the bank to buy them you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck. The Spin 240 is as much at home on any river, canal or lake as it is on a reservoir.

Price: Fox Rage Warrior2
   Vertical 185  £39.99

Fox Rage Warrior2 Spin 240
    £44.99

Daiwa Tournament 11ft Feeder Rod

PAY AROUND

£385

Unlike most other participant sports, match fishing gives you the opportunity to compete against world champions if you so wish. You can also use exactly the same equipment that they do.

The accusation ‘all the gear and no idea’ is often levelled at those who invest lots of their hard earned in the best kit that money can buy. However, there’s lots to be said for fishing with tackle chosen by world-class anglers, and 99 per cent of the time, if it’s good enough for them it will certainly be good enough for you.

I have heard the naysayers proclaim that top matchmen ‘obviously’ only ever use their backers’ products, even when they don’t really believe in them. Well, I can’t speak for everyone, but when it comes to the current World Feeder Champion Steven Ringer nothing could be further from the truth. 

Here is an angler who knows exactly what kit he needs, how it should perform, and where, when, and how to use it. Compromise is not an option for Mr Ringer – so when he won the World Feeder Champs using the new Daiwa Tournament Pro11Q feeder rod teamed with the largest of the famous TDR reels, the 3012, it wasn’t because someone at Daiwa had forced them on him – they were quite simply the champion’s choice.

Interestingly, though, most matchmen – myself included – would have considered the 11ft Tournament Pro and TDR reel more of a flatbed Method feeder combo for medium-sized commercials, rather than a pairing that could cope with the soft-mouthed skimmers, hybrids, and roach of Ireland’s massive Inniscarra Reservoir.

As I had already live tested this rod and reel, and fished regularly with them since their introduction last year, I was eager to learn what the mighty Ringer had seen in them – perhaps something I might have previously overlooked? So when the opportunity arose I headed down to my local Grimsby Reservoir in Banbury for a taste of what it was like to use a world-beating combination on a venue very different to what I would normally associate with this kit.

The rod, like all Daiwa Tournament Pro models, has a build pedigree second to none. The blanks, made in Scotland, are at the cutting edge of carbon technology, delivering flex and action without compromising accuracy or casting power. There is, though, a pain barrier to go through, and it’s located in the wallet. This rod will set you back around £35 per foot, but if you think of the cost in this way it’s not too bad after all.

The jet black blank with its red-edged whippings simply oozes class. It comes with two of Daiwa’s unique Megatop carbon quivertips, so flexible that unless you actually slam them in a car door you’ll never break one.

But back to the fishing. Set up with an 8lb mainline matched with a 30g open-end feeder to cut through the niggling side wind, the pencil-thin blank seemed close to its maximum casting weight and in my hands it maintained accuracy to a distance of around 40m. That might well be increased in Mr Ringer’s hands, but I sensed the blank was at full stretch. That said, an 11ft rod is never going to break distance casting records, even if it is of the flagship Daiwa Tournament marque.

The real magic happens every time you hook into a fish – the blank’s outstanding forgiveness is a wonder to behold, yet it can shift up several more gears if necessary. Mr Ringer has undoubted sussed out that as long as your hook is big enough, this rod isn’t ever going to wrench it from a fish’s mouth. Yes, it will be every bit as good with natural-water bream, skimmers, tench and roach, as it is with commercial F1s and carp.

Did I miss anything out first time around? I think not. Back then I thought the 11ft Tournament Pro Feeder was the best rod Daiwa had ever produced, and the fact that it went on to become a world beater in the hands of the best feeder angler in the entire world came as no shock.