Fox Rage Terminator X 2.4m 10-35g Multi Jigger Spinning Rod

How well is it built?

IM9 40-ton carbon is a high grade of material for a lure rod.

Carbon like this is stiff for its weight, so the blank can be slim and light while still having the backbone to drive a hook home at range, and for jigging that stiffness carries every tap from the jig head straight back to your hand.

The fittings match the blank, with Fuji Alconite guides in a gunsmoke finish, an ultralight carbon reel seat and a 15g counterweight built into the butt end. Alconite rings are light and smooth, and they're a sound choice for the braid most anglers jig with.

A spare lure keeper and a high-end rod bag come with it too, which is a nice touch at this level.

To be fair, there's very little I'd change on paper. Every part of it is chosen to keep the weight down and the sensitivity up, and there's nothing on the spec sheet that looks like a corner cut. For me, that's a clear 9.0 build.

How well does it cast and feel?

At 2.4m it's a touch longer than a lot of jig rods, and that length helps when you're putting a heavier head across a wide river or a big reservoir and then picking up slack line on the strike.

The 10-35g rating covers small heads for still water through to 30g or more when there's real flow to deal with.

The fast action is the key to the feel. A fast tip passes on the moment a jig touches down and the little knock of a zander picking it up, which is pretty much the whole game when you're hopping a shad along the bottom.

Paired with braid, the IM9 blank should make each touch-down and bite easy to read.

The counterweight is the clever bit, as a 15g weight in the butt brings the balance point back towards the reel seat, so the tip shouldn't feel heavy when you're holding the rod out and twitching a jig for hours. Isn't that exactly what you want on a long day's jigging?

I think it's superb for casting and working jigs.

How does it perform when playing fish?

A crisp, fast action is built for instant hook-sets, and that's a big plus with zander, which have hard, bony mouths and often take a soft lure very gently.

The stiff blank should set the hook even at range on braid, so fewer fish should come adrift on the drop or right under the boat.

Where it gives a little ground is in the fight itself, because a fast rod has less give through the middle than a more forgiving blank like the Savage Gear SG4 Medium Game, so you'll want a well-set clutch when a big perch or zander lunges near the net.

There's plenty of power for a big zander, though, and if pike are about you'll need a wire trace, as a jack will happily grab a zander shad.

So, I think the 8.5 is fair, because this is a rod built for feel and hooking rather than for soaking up a fight, and that's the right trade-off for jigging.

Is it good value for money?

Is it worth the money? It costs a good deal more than the Savage Gear SG4 Medium Game, which is already a quality lure rod. That's a lot to spend on one rod, and it's why value is its lowest score.

What you get for the extra is a 40-ton blank, Fuji guides, a carbon reel seat and a built-in counterweight, all on a rod set up for a single job.

If you jig for zander most weekends, that focus is worth paying for, and it's the sort of rod that should last for years rather than being upgraded after a season.

If you want one rod for spinners, cranks and soft lures as well, the SG4 Medium Game is the more versatile all-rounder for less.

I'd recommend the Terminator X to keen zander and big perch anglers who jig a lot, especially on big rivers and reservoirs where heavier heads and longer casts are the norm.