Fox Horizon X3 Carp Fishing Rod Review.

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Fox Horizon X3, Product Overview

After a successful summer of 2022 catching many fish, including some big Carp, I thought maybe it’s time to treat myself to a set of new Carp rods ready for 2023. I have chosen the Fox Horizon X3 rods as they were perfect in price and come with that well-known Fox quality.

These may not be the cheapest out there, but they sure caught my eye when I saw them in person, this is due to the carbon wrap texture that the rod has all along it from top to bottom. The one I have is the 12ft – 3lb Test Curve version, I originally ordered the 3.5lb test curve rods, but reevaluated my decision as I decided that the 3lb test curve would be more than sufficient for myself and the locations I would be fishing.

Now let’s take a look at the rod itself.

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Table of Contents

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Aesthetics

As for the look of this rod, it definitely has that WOW factor, with a beautiful finish hopefully caught in the picture above, they look brilliant bank side on a sunny day.

This particular model has the 50mm butt rings instead of the 40mm, now this does make the rod look more aesthetically pleasing but that’s about it. A lot of anglers say 50mm is just a fashion statement more than anything, it may help with a couple of yards distance for the top-notch caster but not a lot more than that, nevertheless they do look great.

You can choose from an array of handle options I also chose the model with the Abbreviated handle. The reason I picked this particular version is because I think that it looks a lot sleeker than having the cork handle, this is my personal preference of course. Though the look of the rod will not catch you more fish, I suppose it’s always good to have something looking nice when you have paid a fair price for it.

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Worth the Money?

There were more expensive rods to choose from, and some nice cheaper ones for that matter, but for me the Fox Horizon X3 caught my eye and I had to have it so I bought two to make a pair. These rods also matched nicely with some (Fox EOS 10000) reels, which I received as a birthday gift so I thought why not make a set out of them.

Now, I know that the £100+ mark for some people may not seem like a budget price as some companies make out, but I feel I have bought two professional rods for a decent price, initially, I looked into getting rods for around £60 a piece but they were very basic models without the subtle touches that the Horizon X3 has so I bit the bullet seen as though I will have these for many years, I thought why not.

So the question is, “Are they worth it”? I would say Yes, Only if you have the money to spend, if not I would opt for a more affordable option which you can find more about later on in the article.

Specifications.

• Lightweight carbon blank construction.
• multi directional carbon construction.
• 50mm Butt ring. (on particular models only, 40mm otherwise)
• Great performance (according to many Anglers).
• reasonable price for top quality.
• 12ft /3lbs (available in other sizes and test curves)

Pros

Well-made, professional rods for a good price.

Cons

Will not catch you more fish as some of the cheaper options.

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Fishing with the Rod

Now that we have gone over the Price, Aesthetics and features of the rod you might be asking how does the rod perform and feel when fishing with it? Let’s get into it!

Rod feel

Now, I have had quite a few sessions with these rods up to now and the first thing I will say is the quality is definitely there as they just feel quality in your hands. Meaning, once you set up the rod and hold it, ready for casting, you can’t help noticing how solid it feels, it does not feel anything like a low-budget rod.

If you are looking for rods for all sizes of venue, then the Fox Horizon X3 should have you covered, the 3lbs test curve allows for all methods of fishing and does a great job of handling those double-figure fish. Overall, the rod feels great and handles, battles and conditions very well.

FYI:

One thing I would like to mention is, a rod with a lower Test Curve would make playing the fish more exciting as you need to have caught a Carp well above 12lb at least before it will start to give you a fight on the 3lb TC versions.

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Casting

If you are planning on fishing for large Carp using fishing methods such as PVA Solid bags, or heavy lead setups, then these rods at 3lb TC are perfect for casting long distances with a decent amount of weight attached to the line.

You will have no issue throwing out heavy leads with great accuracy, the rod seems to give me more confidence in my aim when casting, probably due to the robust feel and precise action you get from it.

Pros

3lbs TC version is good for a middle-ground approach in terms of Casting, and fish playing finnesse

Cons

3lbs TC can take some of the fun out of playing a fish, if the fish is not at least double figures.

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Fox Horizon X3 Rod options

You can get this particular rod in a 10ft,12ft or 13ft with test curve availability ranging from 2.75lb to 3.5lbs, if you would like to learn more on how to choose the right rod for you then (click here) because on this page we go into more detail regarding this subject.

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Conclusion – Fox Horizon Review

The Fox Horizon X3 3lb rods are great looking, great quality for the money and perfect for serious Carp Anglers. Those who choose relatively heavy Carp fishing as a go-to will not be disapointed.

As I have alluded to earlier, If you plan on fishing small venues, then I would seriously consider choosing a rod or rods which are shorter in length, preferably 8ft or 9ft as you will have so much more fun with a rod of those sizes, especially if you are less experienced.

Please take the advice above as you wish. Again, it’s my own opinion, I prefer the shorter rods for multitude of reasons, so if you are interested in finding out why, I will link my Sonik Xtractor review below, along with the Fox Eos 10,000 Reel Review.

Now that we are at the end of this review please let me know if there is anything I have missed that you would like to be informed about by using the comments section below.

Be sure to check out the linked pages within this post if you are in need of any help regarding some of the terminology used here for example Test Curve and how to go about choosing the right rod for you. Thank you for reading, we hope this has been helpful, see you again.

martin@lakeamenity.com

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