Harrison Torrix 12’ 2lb Specialist rod.

I’ve been lucky enough to review a few rods over the last two years, but I doubt anything has come close to the quality that is on show within this particular product. This rod, with a 2lb testcurve is part of the 2006 Torrix range, and is designed by Steve Harrison for smaller lakes where casting to the horizon is not required.  Sold in single units with an rrp of around £230; each rod comes supplied in cloth rod bag.

So what is so good about it?? Some rods allow the angler to ‘feel’ much more than others, and the supple blank has plenty of ‘grunt’ when it comes to taming bigger fish whilst retaining enough action to respond to smaller quarry without ‘bumping’ fish off. The blank is of Hi-tec, low resin construction with carbon scrim and Harrisons specialist 1k woven fabric which adds strength and ensures a top quality finish. The rod is furnished with Fuji Sic rings, and a Fuji reel seat set within a full cork butt section; bottomed with a machined butt cap.  The ubiquitous Harrison decals and Union flag complete the rod with a nice ‘UK’ touch. The Torrix can also be fitted up with size 50 ringing sets if required.

Technical data out of the way, what does it feel like to fish with? Firstly, as expected, the rod is very light and balances nicely with any reel in the 5000-8000 size range; I twinned it with a Shimano 5000 fixed spool reel loaded with 8lb line to fish a variety of tactics to thoroughly assess the blank. Float fishing with a heavy waggler, I was able to cast between 45-65 yards with very little effort and with remarkable accuracy despite a cross wind with threatened to upset my aim. When pushed forcefully with lighter tackle, the rod did the work admirably, and casting was only affected by things such as friction caused by line diameter, spool lip clearance and weight of float or shotting pattern. When striking at bites, the blank is certainly ‘tippy’ enough to give good line pick up, even at range, and put me in instant contact with the fish. I was a little concerned that a 2lb testcurve rod may give issues with smaller quarry under the rod tip when bringing fish to the net, but the Torrix is forgiving enough to cope with any last minute lunge without fear of dropping fish.

I also took the rod to the river to long trot for barbel and found that at ranges approaching 80-100 yards, providing that good line management was maintained, then the blank picked up the line off the river with ease to put me back in contact with my float. Heavy swimfeeders didn’t cause any problems either; full of ground bait, some of the cage feeders I use must weight 4-5 ozs, and with care, it was no problem to lob them out to the far side of the venue!

Floater fishing is a tactic I enjoy, so I was keen to see if this rod was able to take the strain of an immediate lunge when a hungry carp takes a bait from the surface; I used a small Fox controller float attached to a 4’ hook length with a Pallatrax 14mm pop up boilie as hook bait. Although it’s a fairly lightweight set up, the water I targeted has carp to 28lbs so I wanted to prove the rod, not the rig, was doing the work should I hook something! Again, I used a 5000 series Shimano loaded with 8lb line to present the rig in open, snag free water at 40 yards. Luckily, I hit a good fish almost straight away which powered away from me into deep water. I would describe the Torrix as a mid action rod in that although the power of the rod comes from the butt section, the playing action seemed to originate roughly around the middle of the blank and the forgiving tip makes playing good fish an absolute joy. I played a stocky mid double for around 10 minutes at a reasonable range before guiding the fish over a weed bed and into the net without difficulty; lovely!

I even tried the Torrix with a method feeder too; as one of the most demanding ways to exercise a rod, I thought if there were any weaknesses, then this technique would highlight them. Wrong! Once again, the rod dealt admirably with a range of big feeders which were punched out with gusto in various conditions.

Even at full compression, under trying conditions, the rod never ‘bottomed out’ and had plenty in reserve to give further casting distance or fish playing power; I don’t think I’ve had such confidence in a rod before I tried this one, playing fish at any distance was a pleasure and I could feel every kick and lunge as it controlled the fight beautifully. Balanced superbly, holding the rod for long periods was no problem, and with all the weight in the right place, it is a fantastic casting weapon. It looks great too, and has the quality, design and build to remain a favourite for years to come! Definitely recommended! (In fact, can I have another one please?!)

For more information on the Harrison Torrix or any other rods in the product range, please visit the company website by clicking the image below.