LURE FISHING RODS - SAVAGE GEAR
This is the first time I have been 100% involved with bass lure rods from initial ideas through to the finished products I am now fishing with. I am completely open and honest about the paid work I am doing with Savage Gear and I am so proud to be working with them. These new SGS8 and SGS5 (Savage Gear Salt) bass lure rods are the result of a lot of thinking and designing and sampling and testing and catching fish. No tackle company could pay me enough to fish with gear that I don’t enjoy fishing with, so you need to know that all the rods below are basically my perfect lure rods for the price. I have achieved what we set out to do with these rods. I have recently started fishing with some of the SGS6 lure rods which I am nothing to do with but within the extensive range I have found some incredible fishing rods.
SAVAGE GEAR SGS5 RODS (around £150):
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 IV 2500.
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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 IV 2500 or 3500. Rod review here.
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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 IV 2500, 3500 or 4500.
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SAVAGE GEAR SGS6 RODS (around £200):
Savage Gear SGS6 8’3’’ 12-42g
I stumbled across this rod purely by chance. I was nothing to do with its development but I asked to see it - and wow am I glad I did! This roughly £200 Savage Gear SGS6 8’3’’ 12-42g has turned out to be just the most amazing fishing rod - sharp and precise and wand-like, it’s so my kind of rod. Far more versatile than the 12-42g rating might suggest, there is very little I can’t do with this rod when it comes to lure fishing for bass and wrasse. My spinning reel of choice for this rod is the Penn Slammer IV 2500, indeed this rod seems born to this amazing reel. Rod review here.
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Savage Gear SGS6 8’3’’ 7-25g
As with the rod above, I stumbled across this rod almost by chance, and now I turn to it whenever my bass lure fishing requires a lighter approach in estuaries especially. This Savage Gear SGS6 8’3’’ 7-25g lure rod has got a slightly softer tip than I would usually go for, but the way the whole rod works so seamlessly together has made it my-go to when I am fishing with smaller surface lures and soft plastics especially. So much feel and sensitivity, and it’s completely effortless at putting your lures out there.
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Savage Gear SGS6 9’ 7-35g
Wow. A rod I left alone to sit in a corner for far too long, but when I got round to it this stunning Savage Gear SGS6 9’ 7-35g lure rod blew me away. A perfect blend of forgiving tip and stacks of power lower down, this is easily up there as one of the best all round 9’ lure rods I have fished with. Review here.
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SAVAGE GEAR SGS8 RODS (around £300):
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 very good in the hand with the heavier Penn Slammer IV 2500 strapped to it.
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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 IV 2500 or 3500.
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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 IV 2500, 3500 or 4500.
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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. My spinning reel of choice on this rod is the Penn Slammer IV 2500.
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