Discovering the Century X80: A Sea Angler's Dream Rod
- Ryan Thompson
- Dec 17, 2025
- 9 min read
Updated: Jan 2
First Impressions of the X80
Well, with the weather forecast looking grim over the bank holiday and the new series of rods from Century just hitting the shelves, I thought it was the perfect time to put the X80 from the Eliminator range to the test. I was lucky enough to try this rod during its prototype stage over Christmas, thanks to my teammate Adam Nicholls. Cast after cast, I was gaining yardage every time, and I knew this rod would become something special. Fast forward five months, and here it was, alongside its big brothers, the X90 and X100, ready for action!
The bank holiday was upon us, so a trip west in search of decent fish in horrendous weather was in order.
The X80 comes with a stylish padded rod bag, perfect for storage or packing in your Century hold-all for those long walks to your fishing spot. The first thing that caught my eye was the gorgeous carbon wrap on the butt, which I’m thrilled they kept! This wrap extends to the bottom of the tip, giving the rod a stunning look and plenty of character. With a lush turquoise underwrap and silver inlays on the first two rod eyes, I was buzzing to get a lead on and swing it into action.
What’s New with the X80?
The most noticeable feature of these rods is the reverse spigot. Now, the male end is on the butt, while the female end is on the tip. This felt a bit foreign to me since I’m used to putting the tip into the butt. It’s been a long time since I’ve used a rod this way round! When I put the two sections together, I could instantly feel how light and thin the rod was. It makes total sense! The reverse spigot helps maintain the slimness of the butt at an impressive 19.5mm in diameter—how epic is that?
Upon closer inspection, the X80 is an ungrounded rod, which I much prefer. It’s teamed up with American Tackle Titanium K Guides and Japanese shrink rubber. At 13ft 6, this rod was already proving to be a winner for me. As many of you know, I prefer shorter rods over longer ones. When the Fireblade series came out, I gravitated towards the 13ft carbon and GT versions first because I knew they suited my fishing style. But hey, everyone is different!
How Would the X80 Perform?
A lot of my fishing—whether it’s on beaches, lochs, fjords, piers, or tidal rivers—typically involves rods like the Fireblade 13ft GT or my all-time favourite, the Eliminator T800. These rods always suit my fishing style and the grounds I fish. The glass tip is crucial for me and has improved my techniques, so how would the X80 perform alongside these rods?
My first chosen venue was a beach near Morecambe. I fished for a full four hours under heavy rain and a small surf, with big tides expected. I knew we’d be fishing into the tide. My first cast was just a gentle lob, which I always do with any new rod. Within five minutes, I had my first customer, along with some weed on the line. The tip showed unbelievable bite detection, and I could see the bites even through the weed. When I retrieved it, I was welcomed with a small 3lb hound—result!
I continued fishing that night, catching the same size fish, with every bite registering. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to fully test the rod as the rain intensified, and the bait wasn’t in the water long enough to see how the tip performed in the tide. The next day would be the real test, especially since wind was in the forecast.
A Wild Windy Day
I woke up in my campervan to a wild westerly storm shaking my van. The forecast said 20mph, but it felt more like 30 to 40mph! Today was going to be a tough day to send a lead out far enough to reach the fish. Once I set up on the beach, I knew I was there too early for any fish to show up, so I decided to play around with just a 6oz lead.
I love off-the-ground (OTG) casting, but honestly, I couldn’t help but do a half pendulum or a full one each time, as it was easier to punch a lead into the wind. With little effort compared to what I’d normally do with my T800, I began to understand more about what this rod is capable of. I usually use a mono leader for most of my fishing, but I think if I switched to a braid leader, it might load the rod even more! You could feel the energy of the cast throughout the rod, and once the cast was made, the recovery was insane.
Now, here comes the second factor of the reverse spigot, in my opinion. The reverse spigot helps create a lovely slim rod, which many modern anglers love. Gone are the days of using thick butts! The X80 felt like it kept that through action on the rod, making every cast feel nice and pleasurable. Even if you weren’t a confident caster, this rod wouldn’t break your back if you fluffed a cast. I had a few casts that didn’t go as planned—every modest angler gets those—but the rod felt forgiving and didn’t punish me at all.
With me so impressed by how the weight seemed to fly out through that painful wind, an hour had passed, and it was time to get my short pulley armed with crab out into the trenches. The rod sent the bait out effortlessly, and I felt privileged using it. All I needed now was a decent fish. The rod was slightly arched in the tide, and the rig was presented well.
The first bite came with the tip responding to a tiny twitch, then a small pull down. Before I knew it, I was pulling in a small hound of around 4lb. I was so impressed with the bite detection; the rod tip in the wind didn’t seem to move but detected everything happening on my hook. As the tide reached low water, I caught several hounds weighing about 5-6lb, but I knew I needed something more substantial to really feel how the rod handled retrieving a decent fish.
From past experience, all my big fish from this venue were always at distance. Although fish can come in close, the double-figure fish are, nine times out of ten, always at the far end of the long trench. With tiny crab bait loaded up, I prepared for an OTG cast, which loaded the rod up effortlessly, sending the bait right out. I just knew I had a good chance. I sat patiently waiting for that one decent bite. The tide was flooding hard, and I watched my friend Darren hook into his umpteenth fish. Suddenly, my drag went off line, pouring out, and the rod tip bounced forward. Yes! A decent fish at last!
Slowly retrieving the fish, the rod had a lovely curve on the tip while the fish fought hard. Eventually, I got it to the surf and dragged it onto the beach. I knew this was easily a double!
The fish was weighed at 10lb 2oz—my first double starry smoothhound of the year! The rod performed perfectly and was so much fun to use, being so light and slim. Later on, I even plucked a nice bass, which gave an erratic bite. But it was getting late, so I thought I’d call it a day. I had ticked off all the boxes for clean ground, but how would the X80 handle mixed ground?
Mixed Ground Fishing for Big Specimen Fish
With my goal completed on the Lancashire coastline, I thought I’d chance travelling further afield and go ‘on the fly’ in search of a smash-and-grab tope. Normally, you’d have to fish for a few tides to even get a sniff of a run around our marks, so I knew this was going to be a mega challenge. However, a trip wouldn’t be the same without meeting up with my good friend and work partner, Stuart Harding. After a few messages, I was back on the road to meet up. We’ve had some unbelievable trips these past couple of years filled with memorable moments.
Once we all met up, we headed to the mark. We were greeted with a strong, fierce wind in our faces, so we knew it was going to be hard work getting a joey bait out into the mixed ground. The X80 was loaded with a 7oz lead and a tidy joey, and it was launch time! A nice, easy swing, and the rod did most of the work, flying the bait out through that horrid wind. Today’s tide was huge, and the rod held perfectly in the tide, unaffected by the wind. However, the tiny, subtle bites from a dogfish were noticeable.
A few hours went by, but nothing to show for it—that’s tope fishing for you! It can go for days on end without any reward. As high water approached, all hell broke loose, and we were all into tope! Dean was first with his Zziplex M4GT, managing to land his first of the year. Then my rod went! Small takes at first, but once I felt the slim blank in my hand, the line peeled off my reel—‘TOPE ON’! I slowly pumped and wound the fish to shore.
The fish made several lunges, but I gained line on my side of the fight. The tip absorbed these lunges with ease, playing the fish easily over the broken ground of weed and boulders. The fish broke the surface, and it was a feisty male. Dean and Stu were on hand to safely land this fish from the swell battering us.
My first tope of the year was on the X80—what a belter! It handled the fight like a dream. After a few photos, we released the fish safely, and it shot off like a grey bullet. Mission accomplished!
What Can the X80 Handle & Where Does It Sit in the Range?
I would definitely be comfortable using this rod over clean to mixed ground with ease. I’ve never been a fan of overly stiff rods, although I do like the Kompressor SS for mixed to rough ground. But these days, I wouldn’t say that’s a very stiff rod compared to what others are using for the rough cabbage along the Northumberland coastline up here in the Northeast.
Now, where does the rod sit in the Eliminator range? For me, the tip on the X80 is slightly more powerful than the T800. However, in comparison to the butt and mid-section, I’d say the T800 is slightly stiffer. This is why I think the X80 works so well. With a softer butt, it’s more user-friendly while still producing a nice action throughout the rod and tip during casting and retrieving fish. I’d definitely place this above the T800 but not above the T900. I feel the T800 has more glass in the tip than its brother (X80), making the tip softer. The X80 is the slimmest of the whole range at an incredible 19.5mm diameter. Below, I’ve written the specifications for both rods for comparison:
T800
13ft 6 length
3.5 - 6oz casting ratio
22.3mm butt diameter
Ungrounded butt with a grounded tip finish
Sgt tip (primarily)
X80
13ft 6 length
4 - 7oz casting ratio
19.5mm butt diameter
Ungrounded finish throughout the whole rod
Mixed carbon and glass tip (more carbon)
Overall View and Thoughts
Everyone loves a new rod on the market, but sometimes people buy rods for the wrong reasons. Many anglers follow the crowd and buy rods just because everyone else does. That’s totally wrong! Buying a rod should be a well-thought-out process, considering various factors to pinpoint the correct tool for your type of fishing.
A great example is skate fishing. Many anglers think they need a scaffold pole and follow misleading information. In hindsight, that’s not the case. I’ve got many videos on YouTube to prove it, but everyone is different 🤷♂️.
So, where does this leave the X80? For me, this rod is definitely going to be part of my arsenal. It benefits me in several ways: I love a short rod, the bite detection is outstanding, it sits nicely in my rod rest in bad weather, it casts beautifully, and it’s user-friendly. While the T800 is similar in certain aspects, the X80 has benefits that the T800 doesn’t, and vice versa. As a competent angler, I like to have options for different circumstances and occasions—much like having different clubs in golf.
I’d target most species with this rod, from scratching for dabs and whiting in match fishing to fishing beaches and lochs for smoothounds, bass, tope, spur dogs, and more. I feel like this is a genuine fishing rod, not just a tournament casting rod. It’s aimed at general fishing, although casting with it is a dream. However, don’t think it would beat its oldest brother, the X100—though in the right hands, who knows? 🎣
Thanks for Reading!
If you’d like to explore the ELIMINATOR ROD range, why not check out this link below?
Or, to purchase a rod, why not visit Gerry's of Morecambe at this link below?
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