The new Savage Gear SGS5 and SGS8 lure fishing rods are finally here in the UK (he jumps for joy!)
I don’t know exactly why the seven new lure rods that I have spent so much time working on have only just started appearing here in the UK, so I’m going to blame a mix of Brexit, the pandemic, that Suez Canal stuff from a while back, and also a few other things which won’t be of much interest to you. I have been fishing with these seven rods for a long time now, to the point in fact that I am now starting to work on and test some different lure rods which we are thinking about for the future…………….
So this has been a new project for me - helping make THE lure rods I want to fish with. Many moons ago I got to do a bit of work on some beachcasters with Conoflex, then Air Namibia kindly smashed four lovely samples that I was taking out to Namibia to use for beach fishing for sharks and kob and so on. I can vividly remember picking up my “unbreakable” Bazuka Pro rod tube off the carousel in Windhoek airport and wondering why on earth I could hear a lot of rattling sounds from inside the tube! To this day I am convinced that some friendly baggage handler deliberately drove over my rod tube in one of those little truck things they drive around in. Aside from a few other bits and pieces of rod related work over the years with a few different companies, these brand new Savage Gear SGS5 and SGS8 lure rods are the first time I have been able to articulate exactly what I was after from day one of the project.
As I am always saying on here - fishing rods are very personal things. One of the first chats that Mads Grosell and I had about a potential lure rod range was Mads urging me to articulate to him the lure rods I wanted to fish with and then trust that our collective knowledge and experience with lure fishing rods would translate into rods that other anglers also like fishing with. For sure we have done a lot of work to get to the rods which are now appearing on the shelves here in the UK, but from the off we have made this project about THE lure rods I want to fish with when I go out fishing myself.
I know what I like and I know what I want, and my hope is obviously that these rods work really well for enough lure anglers to make the project worthwhile. For sure the bass lure rod market is a lot more crowded these days than it ever was here in the UK, and there’s some seriously good stuff about. I hope though that our combination of blanks and actions and fixtures and fittings at prices which I have pushed hard for enable us to find our own space in the marketplace. If you are interested in these new Savage Gear rods then please hit the button above to be taken to the relevant page on this website which details the seven different rods in the £150 SGS5 and £300 SGS8 ranges, but if you would rather read it on here then I have copied and pasted the info on each rod below. You all have a good weekend, and thank you as ever for reading and interacting with me…………..
SAVAGE GEAR SGS5 RODS (around £150):
40T and 30T Toray carbon blanks
SeaGuide CCS guides
Savage Gear Competition reel seats
EVA handles
EVA carry bag with double zipper
SAVAGE GEAR SGS5 9’ 9-35G (148G ROD WEIGHT): We were absolutely insistent from day one that our entry range had to be seriously proper lure rods that are in no way a compromise. I like to think we have succeeded. I genuinely believe that with this incredible SGS5 9’ 9-35g lure rod we have got something very special, indeed aside from the differences in fixtures and fittings (and I happen to love the lightweight SeaGuide CCS guides we are using on the SGS5 range), it’s quite something how close we have got to the performance of the more expensive SGS8 range. I am as happy fishing the lightest 2500/3000 size Shimano spinning reel on this SGS8 9’ 9-35g as I am a heavier Penn Slammer III 3500. Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these): Veals Mail Order, Lurefishingforbass.co.uk
SAVAGE GEAR SGS5 9’6’’ 9-35G (155G ROD WEIGHT): You know how much of a tackle tart I am, but I can genuinely pick this SGS5 9’6’’ 9-35g rod up, close my eyes, and feel that I am fishing with so nearly all the performance of the more expensive SGS8 9’6’’ 9-35g. Everything I asked of the Savage Gear people they were able to deliver with this rod and I absolutely love it. I tend to fish a 2500/C3000 or 4000/C5000 size Shimano spinning reel on this rod, but it also feels good with the heavier Penn Slammer III 3500. Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these): Veals Mail Order, Lurefishingforbass.co.uk
SAVAGE GEAR SGS5 9’6’’ 12-46G (160G ROD WEIGHT): This SGS5 12-46g lure rod is a machine, indeed as close as it is in performance to the more expensive SGS8 12-46g, there is a smidgen more grunt/less subtlety in the tip with this SGS5 version (I like this for surf fishing especially). As much touch and feel as we could get into this rod, but then you clip on say the 40g Surf Seeker and wade out in some hectic surf conditions and it’s almost ridiculous how well this rod puts lures like this out there. You might well have gathered that I am rather proud of what we have achieved with our entry level “next step up/more powerful” bass lure rod. Feels as good with a 4000/C5000 size Shimano spinning reel as it does the Penn Slammer III 3500 or 4500. Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these): Veals Mail Order, Lurefishingforbass.co.uk
SAVAGE GEAR SGS8 RODS (around £300):
T1100G Toray carbon, with 40T Toray lining and 4Cross wrapping
Fuji Torzite K-guides
Fuji Custom VSSD16+TVSK16 reel seats
EVA handles
EVA carry bag with double zipper
SAVAGE GEAR SGS8 9’ 9-35G (130G ROD WEIGHT): This SGS8 9’ 9-35g is exactly what I want a 9’ lure rod to be - sharp and precise, very light, nice and fast but not overpowering, and as good with my soft plastics as it is with surface lures and shallow-diving minnows etc. I particularly like a lovely, light 2500/3000 size Shimano spinning reel on this SGS8 9’ 9-35g, but interestingly I also think it feels rather good in the hand with a heavier Penn Slammer III 3500 strapped to it. Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these): Veals Mail Order, Lurefishingforbass.co.uk
SAVAGE GEAR SGS8 9’6’’ 9-35G (135G ROD WEIGHT): A lot of anglers like fishing with 9’6’’ lure rods for their bass fishing, and I wanted to make absolutely sure our “regular casting weight” SGS8 9’6’’ 9-35g rod was as sharp and precise and as easy to fish with as the 9’ version - but with those extra 6’’ of rod length if you want it or need it. I tend to fish a 2500/C3000 or 4000/C5000 size Shimano spinning reel on this rod, but it also feels good with the heavier Penn Slammer III 3500. Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these): Veals Mail Order, Lurefishingforbass.co.uk
SAVAGE GEAR SGS8 9’6’’ 12-46G (145G ROD WEIGHT): We worked so hard on this SGS8 9’6’’ 12-46g! From the off I knew we needed a more powerful lure rod for when the going out there gets a bit tougher (surf, wind, rough seas, deeper water, bigger lures etc.), but I was adamant that this rod also had to able to fish soft plastics like the Gravity Sticks really well if needs be. Loads of power, lightning fast, very light, I was genuinely shocked when I started testing the first prototype by how much I could do with this rod. I am beyond proud of all these lure rods here, but with how awesome this 9’6’’ 12-46g is I am perhaps most proud of this one - easily the best to fish with “next step up” lure rod I have ever used, and I don’t say that lightly. Feels as good with a 4000/C5000 size Shimano spinning reel as it does the Penn Slammer III 3500 or 4500. Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these): Veals Mail Order, Lurefishingforbass.co.uk
SAVAGE GEAR SGS8 9’2’’ 9-42G (134G ROD WEIGHT): A rather special rod in my humble opinion. This SGS8 9’2’’ 9-42g is exactly where I wanted to get to with a lure rod that can cover so much of my bass fishing. So subtle and fast and light but also subtly different to the other SGS8 rods it sits in between. A bit more power than the two 9-35g rods, and a butt section to help enable this, but also so much responsiveness and feel for soft plastics and smaller surface lures. If you want the one bass lure rod and you fish a lot of different ground and conditions and lures, you need to see this thing. If you have read any of my lure rod reviews then you will know how much I love the Shimano Exsence Genos S90MH/R 9' 8-48g, but I will genuinely take this SGS8 9’2’’ 9-42g rod over the Genos now. It floats my boat that much. You know the sort of spinning reels I fish with and I genuinely haven’t tried a reel yet which I think doesn’t feel good on this amazingly versatile lure rod. Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these): Veals Mail Order, Lurefishingforbass.co.uk
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