Described in the literature as 'Saltwater tough', the Rovex Duren is a really well engineered reel that has been built to withstand the rigours of the demanding environment in which sea anglers fish.
When reeling in, it is very smooth with no backplay whatsoever when the anti-reverse is engaged. It is also just as smooth when it it comes to casting, helping to achieve long distances effortlessly. All in all, it is a pleasure to use.
Graphite body and rotor
3 stainless steel
ball bearings
Metal folding handle
Ported aluminium
spool
Anti reverse,
Stainless steel main shaft
Brass pinion gear
Thick bail wire
Capacity is 240 yards of 15 pounds breaking strain line
Gear Ratio 5.2:1
(Rated out of 10)
Performance 9
Balance 9
Value 9
Reliability 9
Total Score 36
I liked the look of the Rovex Duren 5000 as soon as I saw it. It is a rugged piece of kit which is both stylish and well engineered, being beautifully smooth upon both the cast and retrieve. It performed equally well over grass, when I was teaching some of Baywater's eager new recruits to cast, and in the sea, legering for wrasse with live prawn.
Now those of you who enjoy a spot of wrasse-fishing know that the moment a wrasse feels the hook it will dive for the nearest cover, resulting in a tug of war between the angler and the fish. Any reel that you use has got to be capable of standing up to such pressure and the Duren, when subjected to load, handled it beautifully.
It was also well up to the task of long distance casting with lighter lines and four ounce weights. Later on, as the light faded, I put on mackerel strip and a 40 lb leader, casting the bait well out to see what was around. Just a few dogfish, as it happened, but the reel coped well with their intransigent resistance, making short work of reeling them in.
