Grauvell - Vertix Eclipse Shore Rod And Fixed-Spool Reel

Matt Crowe gives some Continental shore gear a good going over.

- Matt Crowe

The Spanish tackle company Grauvell has been about for a while now and you may have seen some of its products for sale. These have been big on the Continent for a long time and now they are pushing their way into the UK market in a big way.

The surfcasting range within Grauvell is called Vertix and contains plenty of great products, from rods to tapered shock leaders. This range is aimed at fixed spool rods and reels, perfect for the current boom in the so-called Continental style of fishing from our shores. I have been lucky enough to get my grubby little mitts on some of the Vertix tackle during the past few months and my aim has been to put some items to the test to see how they cope.

The two main items I was looking forward to testing were the Vertix Eclipse rod and the reel of the same name. Now the two of them have had a pretty rigorous couple of months in my hands, being put to the test all over the country, and these are my thoughts on the pair of them.

The Vertix Eclipse rod is the flagship top-of-the range beastie, and boy was I looking forward to getting my hands on this rod after having a quick glimpse of it previously. First impressions are that it is a thing of beauty. The white pearlescent paint glistens in the light and certainly looks the part, and with Fuji Torzite rings on the blank itself this rod oozes pure class on looks alone.

On the butt this rod has a screw-fit Fuji reel seat in a fixed position, which I found fine for me when casting both overhead and off the ground.