Find the best lure rod for you
Your Results Are In!
It sounds like a dedicated lure fishing rod capable of handling 45g casting jigs or bigger plugs up to 60g might suit you well. These are ideal for rugged coastlines and windy conditions, offering a bit more power for taming larger bass or pike.
This rod from Sakura casts 14-60g and is 9ft long, meaning it’s at the upper-end of bass rods in terms of casting weight and a popular length. For those wanting to have the freedom to fish with larger jigs / spinners and cast them long distances, it’s an excellent choice.
It has the power for steering fish around rocks in sketchy conditions, or for taming monster pike. The action is fast, and suited to those than use mostly hard lures but with some larger soft plastics.
Price: About £150
Tailwalk is a Japanese brand that has an attention to detail you could argue you don’t find elsewhere.
At 9ft & 15-50g, this rod matches your casting weight needs perfectly. You can fish with larger bass plugs and heavier jigs and whack them for miles. You have all the strength you need for bass or larger pike.
Price: About £340
Major Craft were an upstart company in Japan not too long ago, but are now considered world class for their exceptional rod blanks for finesse fishing.
At 10-50g this rod is slightly heavier than most lightweight lure outfits and can handle any bass lure you want to throw with it from the shore, while still benefiting from the lightweight blanks Major Craft is famous for. At a bit over 10ft, it’s a rod that suits anglers that value casting distance. E.g. you’re fishing rugged coasts in the surf or surf beaches.
Price: About £310
Your Results Are In!
It sounds like a dedicated lure fishing rod capable of handling 45g casting jigs or bigger plugs up to 60g might suit you well. These are ideal for rugged coastlines and windy conditions, offering a bit more power for taming larger bass or pike.
The Daiwa Ninja is a lovely all-round lure rod in the 15-50g version at 8ft. This rod pairs with the Daiwa Ninja reel – even nicer – in the 3000 size.
We consider this to be one of the best sensibly priced all-round lure rod & reel combos out there.
Price: About £70
The IMAX DAM SALT-X SPIN is 8′ 2” and we recommend the 20-60GM for you.
Again, we’ve tested this rod at a lower casting weight (which is why it’s so light in the hand) and rate it highly for exceptional value.
Price: About £70
We enjoyed using the Penn Squadron (14-42g, 8ft) with clients on our rock fishing trips in summer 2023, particularly kids if we were worried they would drop rods.
That’s because the blank is a bit thicker than some other rods at the same casting weight (still nice and light, though). It’s a fantastic, reasonably priced rod and is highly popular with readers.
Price: About £75
The travel version of the Penn Squadron (20-50g, 9ft) is not a rod we’ve had the pleasure of fishing with, but it’s worth a mention.
These rods were recommended to FISHMAG by Belgian lure angler @thetravellingangler, who has travelled the world using Penn travel rods and rates them.
Price: About £90
The Penn Conflict, in the 40g version at 7ft 2″ is two piece, but with the rod blank in one piece. This makes it more awkward to travel with but may have advantages in terms of rod action.
Not a rod we’ve used – but worth consideration particularly if you fish a lot with surface lures. The length & casting rating is pretty spot on for surface lures in summer. It also seems like a great wrassing rod for fishing close to the water in calm seas.
Price: Under £100
Your Results Are In!
Let’s dive into the top picks for you.
The Penn Pursuit combo is great for sea anglers that want an ‘all-round’ combo they can use for a variety of purposes, that can cast all kinds of lures.
If what you’re after is a rod you can beat up a bit more, take your kids fishing with or just a secondary rod for kayak fishing etc – this could be it. It lacks the lightness we’d look for in a pure, dedicated bass rod, but if you’re looking for a great price and something reliable this is a great choice.
Abu Garcia Devil Spin – If you are after a more traditional light spinning rod, you may like this rod. It’s a budget rod, and against other rods of its price stands up well.
We’ve tested this rod and it’s a good option in the 30g version for those looking to fish mostly with lures close to the rods maximum casting weight. E.g. 25g spinners
Sakura rods have consistently delivered excellent performance in our experience.
This particular model isn’t one we’ve fished with yet, but we can’t try them all and it meets your criteria perfectly, so it’s included here for you.
Your Results Are In!
Let’s dive into the top picks for you.
HTO excels in offering Japanese quality fishing gear in the UK at accessible prices. It’s very hard to make a good travel rod, because there are huge hurdles to get over in terms of strength and rod action – this rod achieves it.
The Nebular travel rod is our most recommended travel lure rod. It punches above its price class. It easily fits in the car. It’s a dream to fish with for its price, which is about £130
These new rods from Westin (a Scandinavian tackle company that’s growing in the UK) look absolutely stunning.
All three rods have specs that are spot on for a versatile and light lure fishing outfit casting up to around 40g. About £130.
Westin W3 2nd Powershad 9 MH
Westin W3 Seabass 2nd 8’4″ MH 12-42gm
The Penn Conflict Elite perfectly matches your specs. It’s a very fast action rod, ideal as a versatile plugging rod in particular because of that quick recovery. We have not tested this personally so cannot comment further.
The Penn Conflict, while exceeding your casting weight preference, stands out for its build quality and use of Fuji components. Although we haven’t personally tested this rod, its features and brand reputation suggest it’s a solid choice for those work with heavier lures that want extra power in a lure rod.
About £120
A rod from Favourite
- Length 9′ (2.74m)
- Rating 15 – 45gm
The rod has been developed for saltwater use and the 9′ version is perfect for us with heavier jigs and large plugs and surface lures.
About £120
Sakura rods have consistently delivered excellent performance in our experience. This particular model, while untested by us, meets your criteria perfectly and offers a great balance for both soft and hard lures.
Price: Around £100ish
Tailwalk, a Japanese brand, is known for its meticulous attention to detail. We have extensively tested this particular model and highly recommend it for those seeking a versatile Japanese lure rod capable of handling a range of lures pushing up to 40g.
Price: £300+
While the Shimano STC 270 travel rod seems to meet your requirements well, our experience suggests that the Nebular from HTO offers unbeatable value for the almost the same price range (the nebular is listed above).
We include this rod more as a comparison for you because it meets your ideal specs, but it’s not a top choice for us.
Price: £130
Savage gear SG5
Our experience with Savage Gear rods has been mixed with, with some of the lower end models seeming overpriced given the overall build quality (we’ve tested three models).
However, this specific rod fits your criteria and the higher end models have great feedback from a lot of anglers, so it’s included for your consideration.
Price: About £125
Your Results Are In!
Let’s dive into the top picks for you. Due to how specialised sub-25g rods are, we have pooled together rods of both under £100 and over £100 to give you a broader range of options. In terms of the rods we’ve used at FISHMAG in this weight class – the brands have been really random. Nories, Sakura, some French brands I can’t remember – the point is, most of the rods we’ve used aren’t actually available online anymore. For this reason, most of the rods below we haven’t been able to test, but I hope you’ll still find it useful to see a few options that meet your desired specs.
After our experiences testing heavier blackrock rods, we have huge confidence in these lighter models.
This rod is also available to 28g instead.
Price: £50ish
These rods from Sakura meet your specs and are absolutely beautiful rods. Thoroughly recommended for those looking for a truly ultra light experience. We’ve used these rods from inshore boats for bass and wrasse and had a fantastic experience with them.
Price: £70
These new rods from Westin (a Scandinavian tackle company that’s growing in the UK) look absolutely stunning.
This rod meets your specs perfectly – they would make for perfect perch or trout rods, particularly in larger reservoirs. Also great for jigging for mackerel in summer. Price? Around £130.
What can you get from Shimano for £250+?
If you’re looking for a high end rod for fishing sp’s, casting jigs and smaller plugs, the Lunamis or Dialuna could be worth checking out.
Sakura rods have consistently delivered excellent performance in our experience. This particular model meets your criteria perfectly and offers a great balance for both soft and hard lures.
Price: Around £100ish
Savage gear £200+
Our experience with Savage Gear rods has been mixed with, with some of the lower end models seeming overpriced given the overall build quality (we’ve tested three models).
However, this specific rod fits your criteria and the higher end models have had great feedback from a lot of anglers, so it’s included for your consideration.
Your Results Are In!
Since you’re looking to go lure fishing but also want a rod you can use for other fishing styles too, you’ll be needing a heavier rod. A maximum casting weight of about 2-3oz (60-100g) will allow you to cast all kinds of rigs when sea fishing, including a huge range of lures.
If you’re looking for a complete kit
You’re looking for an all rounder rod that you can use for lure fishing – and this rod in the 2.4m 20-40g model is a great choice. Compared to other ‘complete kits’ online that appear cheaper, you’re getting a rod here that can last years and is fully functional. The Penn Pursuit reel often retails for over £60 on its own. The reason we mention this rod to you is because although it’s a fairly light rod (40g is not that heavy, you won’t be casting more than 1oz with it), the rod is thicker and stronger than similarly weighted rods. This means if you’re a beginner, you can rest assured it’ll be challenging to snap this one!
FISHMAG is an amazon affiliate and earns from qualifying sales. We recommend Veals for free delivery over £85 and truly excellent customer service.
We have fished with the Penn Pursuit reel in Cornwall, New Zealand and Mexico and written a review of it here. Penn is a leading tackle company and is trusted by a huge fan-base of die hard anglers. Their equipment tends to be more rugged and tough and a bit less delicate and refined than competitors.
Light enough for fishing with single lures, but strong enough for using sea fishing floats and fishing on the bottom with 1oz weights. The reel has a large enough spool that it’s great when using regular 10lb monofilament line.
HTO Lure Game – budget alternative
HTO is a UK based brand that makes great value fishing kit. This is a budget option, and one we’d recommend if you’re looking for a complete set up for under £120. With a casting weight of 30-80g, it’s ideal for those using traditional spinners or modern slow jigs and casting jigs from the shore. If you want to change things up, simply whack on a float fishing rig or a 2oz lead on the bottom and you’re fishing for a whole different set of species.
Penn Squadron
A fantastic lure rod that we’ve used when taking out clients with kids because it’s a bit more resilient than many other lure rods. In the casting range up to 50g, you will need to look at how much your lures weigh to avoid breakages – but most lures for shore fishing come in at under 50g so you aren’t very limited at all. We would choose this over the Savage Gear SG4 which costs more than double the price.
Looking for something heavier and cheaper?
The rods above are about as cheap as we can recommend for lure fishing rods. However, you can get a general sea fishing rod for mackerel feathering and fishing on the bottom for much less. This is because a much stronger, heavier rod is a lot cheaper to make.
Your Results Are In!
This is a great type of rod for a sea angler that likes to own just one rod and use it for everything. You’ll be fishing with larger spinners for species like bass, and you can also use some larger soft plastics and plugs too.
Since you’re looking to go lure fishing but also want a rod you can use for other fishing styles too, you’ll be needing a heavier rod. A maximum casting weight of about 2-3oz (60-100g) will allow you to cast all kinds of rigs when sea fishing without having to worry about the exact weight of lures you use.
When it comes to bait fishing, if the rod is over 9ft you’ll also be able to fish with light ledgering rigs wherever a long cast is not essential. For instance, fishing from most harbour walls or many smaller estuaries.
Here are some excellent options for you.
Abu Garcia’s High-end All-Rounder (Around £100)
We haven’t tested this rod, but it meets your criteria perfectly and looks lovely. The one in mind for you is the one at 2.36m (7.7ft). The others are either too short or too heavy. This rod casts up to 90g (3oz) and was designed for monster pike. This is a versatile rod indeed for a generalist angler.
If you’re new to fishing and you are planning on fishing with light weight bass and perch lures exclusively, we don’t recommend this rod, because it’s much stronger than it needs to be and won’t cast smaller lures well. But if you want a rod you can use mackerel feathers with and cast slightly heavier spinners like big dexter wedges , you’re good to go. Of course, uou can still fish with smaller lures, such as by using the drop shot rig with heavier weights (50g). This way you can present smaller lures while still being able to cast well. This would be a handy rod to have for inshore boat fishing, too.
Shimano – About £200
A couple of advanced (and expensive) options from Shimano. We haven’t used these so can’t comment I’m afraid – but the casting weight is perfect for those looking to use a huge range of rigs and lures. The travel rod suits the travelling/opportunistic angler!
Samson rods – about £200
Advanced rods, designed by an angler that is known for targeting monster bass on Portugal’s rugged and surfy coast. In these conditions, longer rods are needed to reach over rocks and allow the lifting of fish from water that it isn’t safe to access.
Tailwalk – about £300
Most suitable for an international angler looking for a rod capable of handling larger predators overseas. This is an unlikely choice for a beginner due to the price, but if money were no object it would be ideal, due to the broad casting range.
Tenryu Injection – £700
An ideal all-round rod, if money is no object.