For a long time I was obsessed with the one lure rod to do it all for me, but I require a bit more these days (yep, this weather isn’t helping!)

If there is a perfect combination of shite conditions coming together to confound literally any plan I might have to get out fishing with at least a slim chance of catching a bass on a lure then we are living it at the moment! It may well be the end of January in Cornwall, but bloody hell weather, could you please just give us a chance? I am increasingly confident with fishing way more coloured estuary water than I was a few years ago for example, but there’s coloured and then there’s so coloured I think it’s essentially flushing the system out coloured…………

So I got to thinking, and it’s partly because at some point in the near future I am due to receive some new lure rod samples so that I can provide feedback and thoughts on what I might change or not. These sample rods will be part of a concise range, and whilst I will naturally gravitate towards certain rod lengths and casting weights, I need to be thinking in terms of a range and not perhaps the one specific rod which might or might not float my boat. I can’t help but gravitate towards a lure rod which I am almost conditioned to think might do the most varied amount of work for me - hence my previous obsessing about the one lure rod to do it all - but in fact I don’t think that rod exists for me anymore. Not because rods aren’t better, but because my needs are different to what they were a while back.

Of course a percentage of anglers who chase bass on lures can do what they need to do with the one fishing rod. It’s only me suggesting that as bass fishing keeps moving forwards I would suggest that some of the techniques and lures you might be fishing over a wider range of locations might benefit from say a lighter rod. Or a more powerful rod if you are travelling to somewhere like SW Portugal where you are most likely going to be confronted with seas and winds the likes of which we ain’t generally facing here in the UK.

When I was out blanking the other day (when the weather actually behaved for a day or two) in some stunning surf conditions, I would more usually turn to a 9’6’’ or 10’ long lure rod rated to at least 40g. I am not choosing a rod like this because I am expecting considerably larger bass than somewhere else I might fish. I tend to go for a rod like this because I believe it’s an efficient way to cope with surf conditions and the sort of lures I would use. But I did just fine with a good 9’ 35g rod. I do prefer a bit more length and power in heavier surf especially for various reasons, but I would always urge an angler to fish with whatever they feel most comfortable with - and then adapt or modify if you feel like you’re struggling to fish effectively.

And a 9’ 35g lure rod in reality can do the bulk of my bass fishing. So could a shorter rod though, and so could a longer rod. If a specific rod length works well for you then don’t be in a rush to change. What has changed for me though is the casting weight of the rods that I look at for as regards what has become a big part of my bass fishing - the lighter side of things. For sure that same 9’ 35g lure rod could also do all my lighter estuary fishing, but I believe that by going a bit lighter and perhaps shorter that I am gaining a few advantages. Not over other anglers I might add, I don’t work like that. Nope, I just feel that dropping down to something like an 18g or 25g lure rod around that 8’ or 8’+ length is giving me a bit more touch and feel when it comes to the lighter stuff.

I know that none of this stuff can be measured in any meaningful way, but I do know that when I used to obsess about that one lure rod which could do it all for me, I wasn’t also obsessing about sneaking about way up some estuary with a bunch of lures I’d have laughed at years ago. I might well be a somewhat older git these days, but who says you can’t teach the old dogs a few new tricks? I really enjoy fishing different types of locations and conditions, and I also enjoy how these differences then force me to adapt my gear and my thinking……………