I'VE GOT X TO SPEND ON A ROD OR REEL, WHAT COULD I GET?
I receive plenty of emails and messages asking me for advice on what lure rods and spinning reels to buy to suit various budgets, so below are my suggestions. As ever these ideas below are merely my opinions based on the fishing tackle I enjoy using, and the rods and reels I happen to like may not suit you. Most of the rods and reels below are available to buy in the UK.
I need a really good, versatile lure rod for under £100
Savage Gear SGS2 8’3’’ 20-60g. Ignore the ratings and treat this peach of a lure rod as 10-40g for shore fishing. I reckon a lot of lure anglers could use a rod like this from the shore and indeed the boat for the bulk of if not all of their lure fishing for bass. A lot of rod for the money, fishes far more subtly than the 20-60g rating would suggest. Review here.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
I’ve got around £150 to spend on a 9’ lure rod
Savage Gear SGS5 9’ 9-35g. Yep, I was involved with this SGS5 9’ 9-35g rod from day one, but I genuinely have not fished with a better 9’ lure rod for the money.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
Veals Mail Order or Lurefishingforbass.co.uk or Fishing Megastore.com
I’ve got around £150 to spend on a 9’6’’ lure rod
Savage Gear SGS5 9’6’’ 9-35g. So close in performance to the more expensive SGS8 version, this SGS5 9’6’’ 9-35g lure rod is a peach. Fast, light, responsive, and for the money it’s almost a joke how much rod this is. Review here.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
Veals Mail Order or Lurefishingforbass.co.uk or Fishing Megastore.com
I’ve got around £150 to spend on a more powerful 9’6’’ lure rod
Savage Gear SGS5 9’6’’ 12-46g. Just an awesome lure fishing rod that works as well in the surf as it does when you simply want to push heavier lures out there yet still retain plenty of feel and ease of use.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
Veals Mail Order or Lurefishingforbass.co.uk or Fishing Megastore.com
I’ve got around £200 to spend on a lighter lure rod for THE MORE SUBTLE SIDE OF BASS FISHING
Savage Gear SGS6 8’3’’ 7-25g. This rod basically found me (Savage Gear somewhat randomly sent it to me to have a look at), and I am so glad it did! When I need to use lighter surface lures and soft plastics in estuaries especially, I now turn to this extremely lightweight and sensitive lure rod. A complete delight to fish with.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
I’ve got around £200 to spend on a 9’ regular casting weight lure rod
Savage Gear SGS6 9’ 7-35g. The fact that this Savage Gear SGS6 9’ 7-35g lure rod is around £200 is a bit of a joke - because it should cost far more. It’s sublime. The tip is sensational and the overall feel from this rod is something else. Wow, wow, wow! I seriously love fishing with this rod. Very different to the SGS5 9’ 9-35g, this SGS6 is tippier, and damn it works well. Review here.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
I’ve got around £300 to spend on a 9’ regular casting weight lure rod
Penn Conflict Elite 9’ 7-38g. This amazing Penn Conflict Elite 9’ 7-38g lure rod has gone and crept up on me to the point that I reckon it could just be the best 9’ lure rod I have ever fished with. That includes some very high end rods over the years, but this Penn is that good. The perfect “tension” to a 9’ lure rod when I am fishing with any lures within the casting range, I genuinely cannot think how to make a rod like this any better. Review here.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
I’ve got up to £300 to spend on a 9’6’’ lure rod
Savage Gear SGS8 9’6’’ 9-35g. We worked so hard to make sure this SGS8 9’6’’ 9-35g lure rod fished as “tightly” as the shorter 9’ version, but with those extra 6’’ for the anglers who like a slightly longer lure rod. Fuji Torzite guides etc.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
Veals Mail Order or Lurefishingforbass.co.uk or Fishing Megastore.com
I’ve got up to £300 to spend on a more powerful 9’6’’ lure rod
Savage Gear SGS8 9’6’’ 12-46g. Easily the best “next step up” 9’6’’ lure fishing rod I have used for my bass fishing, this lightweight SGS8 9’6’’ 12-46g is a perfect mix of power and responsiveness and I can’t get enough of it. Fuji Torzite guides etc.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
Veals Mail Order or Lurefishingforbass.co.uk or Fishing Megastore.com
The one lure rod to do it all, no.1
Savage Gear SGS8 9’2’’ 9-42g. Essentially my perfect and most adaptable lure rod for so much of my bass fishing, this SGS8 9’2’’ 9-42g covers so many lures in so many conditions and it retains all the ability to fish soft plastics through to larger metals etc. Fuji Torzite guides etc.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
Veals Mail Order or Lurefishingforbass.co.uk or Fishing Megastore.com
The one lure rod to do it all, no.2
Savage Gear SGS6 8’3’’ 12-42g. Wow. A lure rod I literally stumbled upon by accident (I had nothing to do with its development), but it has now become a go-to rod for me. Far more versatile than the casting weight might suggest, and at 8’3’’ long it honestly feels like a wand in the hand. What a fishing rod, and it’s a complete steal at the price. Review here, compared to the much more expensive Shimano Exsence Genos 9’ 8-48g rod here.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
The one lure rod to do it all, whatever it costs, no.3
HTO N70 Labrax Special N7094ML 9’4’’ 7-42g. The handle design might be a bit of a Marmite thing, but this incredible HTO N70 Labrax Special N7094ML 9’4’’ 7-42g lure rod almost defies logic with slim and precise and sharp the tip is, yet it genuinely deals with a 12g lure as well as it can blast a 40g metal out there at full power. A unique lure rod that is unlike any other lure rod I have fished with, and I absolutely love it. Review here.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
Veals Mail Order or Fishing Megastore.com
4-piece travel version of this rod (review here): Veals Mail Order
I need a travel-style lure rod for bass, wrasse and pollack fishing
HTO Nebula M 2.7m (9’) 7-35g Travel 4-piece. Finally, a truly “proper” lure rod that you can break down into four sections and fly with it if needs be. The HTO Nebula M 2.7m (9’) 7-35g Travel 4-piece is here and I think it’s pretty much perfect. Easily as good as the 2-piece. Review here.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
I need one spinning reel to handle everything
Penn Slammer IV 2500. Take one of the best and toughest spinning reels out there, make it a bit smaller to suit a lot of our lure rods and fishing styles, and keep all that Slammer goodness. Welcome to the brand new Penn Slammer IV 2500, essentially my ultimate spinning reel for the majority of my UK and Irish lure fishing. Perfection? Pretty damn close.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
All Penn Slammer IV spinning reels:
What spinning reel for around £100+?
Penn Spinfisher VI range, and specifically the 2500, 3500, and 4500 sizes. I am really starting to like these tough as hell spinning reels. Further info in a couple of blog posts here and here, review here. The 3500 feels like the sweet spot to me.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
The new Penn Spinfisher VII version: Veals Mail Order or FishingMegastore.com
I need a spinning reel that can take some proper saltwater grief
Penn Slammer IV 3500 or 4500. When the going gets tough and I’m expecting to ship plenty of reel-destroying saltwater, then this awesome Penn Slammer IV 3500 or 4500 comes out to play (same size reels, spool is larger on the 4500). It’s a machine, I love fishing with it, and they keep on getting smoother the more I fish with them. Review of the previous generation Slammer III 3500 here.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
All Penn Slammer IV spinning reels:
What spinning reel for around £150?
Shimano Stradic 2500HG-FL or same size but slightly larger capacity C3000HG-FL version. This is a stunning spinning reel to fish with. Review here.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
2500 version: Fishing Megastore.com
3000 version (same size as the 2500): Fishing Megastore.com
The new 2023 Shimano Stradic: Veals Mail Order
What spinning reel for around £200?
Shimano Vanford C5000XG. Confusingly the same size as the Vanford 4000XG, this almost stupidly lightweight Shimano Vanford C5000XG has become my favourite reel so far in the new Vanford lineup. I absolutely love the handle design, it’s as insanely smooth as you’d expect, the line lay is almost beyond perfect and you basically can’t get wind-knots (kiss of death?!), and because it’s so light in the hand I am more than happy using this Shimano Vanford C5000XG reel when I’d turn to the smaller 2500/3000 size Shimano reels on the shorter and/or lighter rods. Amazing reel. Initial impressions review here, full review here.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):