THE FISHING GEAR I AM CURRENTLY USING
The lure fishing gear I am currently using for my own fishing. I am often testing various items of fishing tackle which might not be reflected here, but for the most part I am fishing with this gear when I am out and about. I will do my best to keep this list up to date.
SAVAGE GEAR DEFIANCE SG8 9’ 9-44G lure rod
My go-to for so much of my open coast bass fishing
I do have a bit of a thing for a slightly more powerful all-round lure rod when you take into account the wide variety of open coast locations and conditions I so often find myself fishing. This awesome Savage Gear Defiance SG8 9’ 9-44g is that rod for me. Light and fast and effortless to fish with, I am as happy putting a slightly heavier Penn Slammer IV 2500 spinning reel on this thing as I am an ultra-lightweight Shimano Vanquish etc.
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Alternative rods:
Favorite Black Swan 852H 8’5’’ 16-56g (review here, available from Veals Mail Order).
Savage Gear Defiance SG8 10’ 10-45g lure rod
My go-to rod for surf/rougher conditions
It was going to take one hell of a rod to pull me away from the (now discontinued) Savage Gear SGS5 9’6’’ 12-46g rod for my surf fishing especially, but this Savage Gear Defiance SG8 10’ 10-45g has gone and done it. When I need the ability to put various lures out a long way and/or need extra control in wind and waves, this thing is sublime. Powerful but so subtle, it doesn’t feel at all unwieldy and I can easily fish with this rod for hours on end. A Penn Slammer IV 2500 or 3500 or Penn Authority 2500 or 3500 spinning reel feels very much at home on this rod, but by all means go down the lighter Shimano 4000 and C5000 route because those reels feel incredible on this rod.
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Alternative rods:
Savage Gear Defiance SG4 9’6’’ or 10’ 12-46g (available from Glasgow Angling Centre).
Major Craft Tidrift 9’6’’ 962M 10-45g (review here, available from Veals Mail Order)
APIA Foojin’RS Desire 95MH 9’5’’ 12-50g (review here, available from Veals Mail Order)
APIA Foojin’RS Sky High 99M 9’9’’ 8-42g (review here, available from Veals Mail Order)
favorite black swan 852mh 8’5’’ 10-36g lure rod
Not sure a lure rod around 35g can get much better than this
Very light, nice and fast, very responsive, this is about as good as a rod around the 35g mark gets for me. This Favorite Black Swan 852MH 8'5'' 10-36g lure rod is a stunner and if I don’t need to go over 36g I can turn to this thing for so much of my bass fishing. Review here.
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Alternative rods:
APIA Foojin'RS Art Magic 90ML+ (UK Custom) 9' 5-36g (review here, available from Veals Mail Order)
Savage Gear SGS6 9’ 7-35g (review here, available from Veals Mail Order).
favorite black swan 852m 8’5’’ 6-24g lure rod
The lightest lure rod I have used for bass fishing
The lightest lure rod I have fished with, this Favorite Black Swan 852M 8'5'' 6-24g can bang the regular Xorus Patchinko 140 surface lure yet still retain the most incredible sensitivity for your lighter lure work. I love this rod for my lighter estuary bass fishing especially. Review here.
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Alternative rods:
Major Craft Tidrift 8’6’’ 862L/ML 5-30g (review here, available from Veals Mail Order)
HTO Nebula IKA Hunter 8’7’’, treat it as a 30g lure rod (review here, available from FishingMegastore.com)
penn slammer iv spinning reel
Modern work horse
I fish with the 2500 size Penn Slammer IV more than I do the 3500, but I really like both these spinning reels and the 3500 tends to go on my surf rod whereas the smaller 2500 can work on a lot of different lure rods. For sure they are heavier than the equivalent Shimano, but the Penn Slammer takes so much saltwater abuse and they give me so much confidence. Review of the Penn Slammer IV 2500 here.
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All Penn Slammer IV spinning reels: Veals Mail Order or FishingMegastore.com
Alternative reel:
Penn Spinfisher VII 3500 (available from Veals Mail Order or FishingMegastore.com).
shimano vanquish c5000xg spinning reel
The ultimate luxury spinning reel?
Wow. I finally gave in and bought one of these ultra-light Shimano Vanquish C5000XG spinning reels. Perfectly at home on any of those three Favorite lure rods I am using above, this spinning reel is exactly what you would expect - smooth, light, dreamy! It’s so lightweight I see no real need to use the smaller Shimano reels so much these days.
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Alternative reels:
Shimano Stradic family (available from Veals Mail Order)
Shimano Vanford family (available from Veals Mail Order).
penn authority spinning reel
Top of the range Penn spinning reels
Not cheap at all, but I do love fishing with these reels. They are not twice as good as the Slammer IV as the price might suggest, but these are awesome reels. Money no object and I’m fishing with the Penn Authority 2500 on a bunch of different rods. I tend to turn to the incredibly smooth and powerful 3500 version when the surf is pounding. Review here.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
All Penn Authority spinning reels: Veals Mail Order or FishingMegstore.com
Alternative reels:
Penn Slammer IV 2500 and 3500 (review here, available from Veals Mail Order and FishingMegastore.com)
Penn Spinfisher VII 3500 (available from Veals Mail Order and FishingMegastore.com)
berkley sick x8 braid
Seriously loving this mainline
I love this stuff in the white and red colours especially. The figures on the Berkley Sick X8 spools don’t make a lot of sense, so for my lighter work I go with the 24lb version, and on the open coast when things get a bit more hectic I usually turn to the 36lb. Casts great, knots well, I feel very confident fishing with this braid. Review here.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
Veals Mail Order or Glasgow Angling Centre
Alternative braid:
Sufix 832 (review here, available from Veals Mail Order or FishingMegastore.com)
Samson '36 Strong braid (initial impressions here, available from Veals Mail Order)
samson ‘36 strong braid
This is a serious braid!
The lad behind Samson Fishing tackle does some serious fishing around the world, so when he comes out with a braid which he uses from the shore especially then I am all ears. Casts great, knots well, it’s very strong, I’m really liking this Samson ‘36 Strong braid so far. Initial impressions blog post about it here.
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sufix 131 braid
The best braid I know of
The best braid I have ever fished with. If money were no object I would buy the world stocks of Sufix 131 because it’s so good. Lasts forever, casts so well in the wind, cuts through waves and current as you’d expect, I tend to fish with 20lb for most situations but I also like the 30lb for more hectic ground and conditions. Sufix 131 has never, ever let me down. Review here.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these):
Veals Mail Order or FishingMegastore.com
Alternative braids:
Gosen Answer Casting PE X16 (review here, available from the Art of Fishing)
Westin W10 13 (available from Veals Mail Order)
Sufix 91 (review here, available from Veals Mail Order).
hpa chest pack (side-carrying lure bag)
The best way I have found to carry my lures
I always carry my lures in a lure bag which sits out of the way on my left side, and the HPA Chest Pack lure bag is the only one I have found which does everything I need. I can fit two of the Savage Gear Washable lure boxes into the bag and it’s so easy to access and change lures. More info here.
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patagonia forra wading boots
So far, so good, easy wading boots to wear
Very lightweight and comfortable to fish in, these Patagonia Forra wading boots are rather interesting. They are not cheap, but a couple of very good anglers I know have been getting good life out of these boots so I wanted to give them a go. I am ridiculously hard on shoes and boots so we shall see how these wading boots last for me. Review to come.
best-grip wading boot studs
Can’t imagine life without these things!
I cannot tell you how many different studs for the soles of wading boots that I have used over the years, and these Best-Grip 1605 wading boot studs are by miles the best. They last and last, indeed I routinely take them out of a trashed pair of boots and put them into a new pair. The main thing though is the grip these studs provide, and it’s excellent. More details here. You can buy them here in the UK.
overboard classic explorer waterproof rucksack
Works so well for me and the gear I carry
I can’t do without a waterproof rucksack for my fishing, partly because I am always carrying camera gear together with the various bits and pieces we tend to carry. This Overboard Classic Explorer Waterproof Backpack in the 45 litre size is just about the most perfect fishing rucksack I have come across. Review to come.
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savage gear pro finezze landing net
When I carry a landing net, this is the one I use
Very lightweight and simple to use, this Savage Gear Pro Finezze Rubber Mesh Net Floating in the medium size has become my go-to landing net whenever I feel that I need one for my lure fishing. I always carry a net when I am wading in estuaries for starters, it’s just so much easier to land fish like this. I use the Savage Gear Bottle and Net Clip to secure this landing net to my lure bag and unlike other methods I have tried, it annoys me the least to carry a net in this way. Check here for how I do this.
Affiliate links (my sincere thanks if you choose to buy via these): FishingMegastore.com
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