I always considered 3lb TC carp rods to be too heavy duty for 'normal' carp fishing situations. Sure they could bang out a large method feeder 90 odd yards but surely the feeling would be lost when playing the fish?
I originally stumbled across a pair of the Fox Extreme rods whilst looking for a pair of rods for an up and coming trip to France. I went to a local dealer to ask for something heavy duty that wasn't a fortune. The intention was to use these rods purely for my trips abroad and nothing else.
I was showed the Extremes and was instantly amazed at how slim and light they were. They also felt very well balanced. In addition they were a nice matt grey finish and looked quite stylish - I thought how good they would look on my pod.
The dealer offered me the pair for £150 since he had vast numbers that were not shifting. Getting two rods with an RRP of £140 each for £150 was a deal that I could not refuse. If I didn't like them I could just chuck them on Ebay and get my money back.
Upon arrival at the lake in France I eagerly set up. Obviously the first thing to do is to put a single bait on each rod, chuck them out and then take time puttting up the bivvy, sorting out the bed chair etc etc. I set up the rods with a sing boilie and blasted a 3.5 ounze lead to the horizon.
The rods had enough back bone to really load up and fire the heavy lead in to the distance. Excellent - just what I wanted them for.
It was whilst reeling in to re-bait the hook that supprised me. I thought I would try and 'test' the lake bed to see what the bottom was like. Whilst slowly reeling in I got the 'tapping' sensation of gravel followed by the 'stickiness' of clay. Obviously it was not as sensitive and pronounced as a marker rod, but I could definitely identify when the lead was being dragged over different things.
The second cast out resulted in my first run. Upon hearing the alarms screaming I jumped up and grabbed the rod to set the hook - The tip action was very forgiving and there was no snatching meaning that hook pulls weren't going to be a problem.
Once hooked the fish took off like a steam train. The rod doubled over and I was in. There was loads and loads of feeling and the rod was really forgiving.
With heavy duty rods I was warned to be careful at close range to avoid hook pulls. As the fish came closer I remembered the warning and took it easy. There really is no need with the Extreme. The tip action is very light and forgiving.
When I saw the fish I was amazed at how small it was - not the 50lber I was dreaming of on the journey to the lake. The fish was a mirror that turned out to weigh just over 7lbs. The way the rod was bent over and the feeling I was getting I thought the fish was going to be a high double.
The week continued to be very productive. The feeling the rods gave were brilliant with every fish I caught, regardless of whether they were 5lb (my smallest) or 38.5lbs (my biggest) or any size in between.
Upon my arrival back in the Uk I thought that as the rods had coped so well with fish of all sizes, it could be of use on domestic watrers.
My first trip to a UK lake was very successful. The Extremes are ideal for both short range casting/placing as well as blasting heavy leads and large method feeders to the horizon.
The only issue arises in small swims where 13ft rods are a bit large and you end up hitting branches and bushes etc. This would be an issue if the rods were 1lb tc or 5lb tc.
After the first trip I sold my 2.25lb tc rods and now use my 3lb tc Extremes for almost all of my carp fishing needs.
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Price
£150
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