Tackle Tuesday... Harrison Torrix Carp Rods

This entry was posted on 5th November, 2013

Harrison Rods

Harrison is a name that will be familiar amongst many anglers, renowned for producing high quality rods for the Carp and Specimen angler; they have been producing some of the finest rod blanks on the market for over 20 years.

The company was founded in 1989 by Steve Harrison, with one aim…

‘I started Harrison Advanced Rods in 1989 to make the best possible fishing rods for the UK angler. Today we export all around the world. Our most popular products today are our Torrix Carp rods, but we also make blanks for fly, barbel, float and spinning. With a cold room full of the best carbon fibre a team of highly experienced technicians and my own extensive experience as a rod designer, we are uniquley placed to make the very best rods. And all of them made here in the UK’ Steve Harrison

Some names from the Harrison stable that will be familiar amongst anglers include the best selling Torrix, Chimera and Cerbera range, these products have been leading the way for many years and for today’s tackle Tuesday we’ll take a little look at them in more detail, starting with there flagship rod, the Torrix.

 

Harrison Torrix Carp Rods

It is a well known fact that the Torrix range of rods had been both the hardest and the most rewarding rods that Harrison had ever designed. Not believing in brining out new models unless they were clearly different or better than what had gone before, the Torrix really tested Harrisons build process.



Steve Harrison writes…

‘I spend every day thinking about and designing carp rods, and I have and do work with many of the top names in carp fishing, but coming up with something really new is hard. Not for us the product each year with a new name on an old rod with a new colour or trim. I will not launch a new rod until it clearly has something more to offer. Chimera and Ballista may have been out a few years but improving on them has been very difficult.

All around the world I meet anglers who are reluctant to change their ten year old Ballistas, but in early 2005 I developed a new way of rolling blanks that has helped me to launch a new range of world beating products. The Torrix development took a long time. It took me more than half a year to perfect Torrix working every day on the project. It would take the average rod company sourcing from China many times longer.

What sets what we do here at Harrisons apart from most other carp rod brands, is that I can actually design and make a rod here on the premises. I can tape on rings and test cast it a few hours after designing it, and if it is good, get a batch of samples for test fishing produced in less than a week. This means that I can get more rod development and testing done in a month than most of our competitors can do in a year, and in six months I think we achieved an unbeatable result in Torrix that many others may well never be able to match. Several thousand Torrix rods on, I now have the feedback to know that the 12' 3 1/4 Torrix is the benchmark for the modern carp rod. As well as performance and looks it is also proving ultra reliable with the lowest breakage rate of any carp rod we have ever made. Compare that to other big name brands who buy in their rods from the far east and charge as much or more as this top UK made rod.



There are other benefits to Harrison. We can offer spares for almost every rod we ever made, and because we do not change models each year and discount last years, your investment in new rods will be worth more for longer.’

Pick up a Torrix and the first thing you appreciate is the 1k woven fabric finish of the butt, 1k carbon is an expensive material, but it adds toughness without adding too much weight, which is one reason Harrison like to use it a lot.

The tip section has a little 1k at the joint, but the tip has a tough ribcage of carbon scrim on the inside and does not need the 1k all the way on the outside. In development they tried a 1k layer all the way to the tip because it looked so good, but in comparison with the tip without the weave, they could feel a little better balance and greater sensitivity in the latter, so they chose to go "naked" without weave on the tip. The 3 1/4lb test curve Torrix is the best selling rod. It is slim, light, and when you swing a lead you immediately feel more in touch than with other rods.



The rod is rung with standard Fuji Sic double leg rings, but is also available with 50mm Kigan rings. Fuji rings were chosen for the standard rod as they are viewed as the top quality product worldwide, the Centres are hard wearing and more importantly light in weight. Genuine Fuji sic is lighter than comparable centres from other makes.

In tests on grass the Torrix got close to 200yds with top casters, so you can expect to be able to fish at distance easily. However Harrison knows that every caster is unique so they don’t mislead anglers with any numbers, they are simply confident that you should be able to fish at greater range with Torrix than with any comparable slim, light carp rod.

The Torrix is optimized for 3 1/2 ounces, your choice of lead will be dependent on how you can power up a rod, but Torrix, though a great caster has some action through the butt that makes it less critical of casting technique. The blank and action is fast by the Ballista’s standards but does not have the premature lock up of some modern carp rods from other competitors.



Lock up is something worth talking about and Steve writes…

‘ Different carbon fibres are described by their modulus. High modulus fibres generally have less strength and less stretch than the high strength fibres. There is a place for high modulus, and it is used a lot in the Torrix, but with some high strength material in Harrisons famous compression tension balance. That word "balance" is important. You can go too far with high modulus carbon, and many do. It is my opinion that the tendency for some makers to go to very high modulus is a mistake. Some of the current more expensive rods from the far-east are slim and light, but have premature lock up and low reliability. Not what you want in a carp rod. That is because Korean and Chinese designers are not always familiar with the size of the fish you catch and the leads you throw, and the UK angling consultants are not familiar with the limitation of the materials. Together the UK consultant and the Far East designer can end up developing a rod that is a camel when they really wanted a horse.’



 

In simple terms the Torrix offers the following…

- Its designed by Steve Harrison himself, who is without doubt one of the greatest, if not the greatest rod builder in the Uk.

- It’s features a hi-tec, low resin blank with an ultra lightweight carbon scrim and 1k fabric.

- It’s 100% manufactured in the Uk.

- The rod only features the best fittings and fixtures, including high quality and genuine Fuji SiC rings, Fuji reel seat and stainless steel collars.

- As it’s made by hand in the UK it offers a superior build quality.

The Torrix is available in four models all of which can be seen on our website by clicking the link below…

View The Harrison Torrix Rods Online

 

One final thought from Steve…

‘My view, is that Torrix has the best balance of high, intermediate and low modulus materials for the current state of the technology . Now I would say that wouldnt I? But you know, because I have a cold room full of carbon materials to choose from, and total control of the in-house production process, combined with more expertise in this game than most, there is no reason for me to settle for any less than the best design and production.’

Below is a special video on just how the Torrix is made, pretty interesting stuff!