Have we ever had it so good when it comes to way more affordable lure rods which also give us serious performance?

I got to thinking about this because a couple of lighter tackle lure rods have arrived for me to have a play with, and my initial impressions are that they are absolutely bloody incredible - but when they are in stock in the UK I believe they will retail for around £130 (soon I hope). A couple of lure rods rated up to 16g and 20g which I think might well be two of the fastest, sharpest, lightest and most responsive lighter lure rods I have personally come across. But their prices are going to be what we might term “budget” when it comes to lure fishing rods here in the UK. I reckon I could put these specific two rods in your hand and tell you they were north of £300 and you wouldn’t quibble for a second………..

I have got a 9’6’’ 36g rod and an 8’4’’ 36g rod here which if they come into the UK I think will also be around the £130 mark. Both are very good, but the 9’6’’ is something else. It’s an absolute peach to fish with. Light and responsive, it’s definitely more on the finesse side of a 9’6’’ 36g lure rod, and it feels way, way better than its modest price might suggest. A genuine delight to fish with, one of those lure rods which doesn’t feel 9’6’’ at all when you fish with it, but it’s so easy and effortless at putting all manner of lures out there. I have also got a couple of the newish Sakura Dark Player rods here for a thrashing and I have to keep checking that they do really cost around the £150 or less mark. The Sakura Dark Player Long Range 8102 M+ 8'10'' 7-25g especially feels unreal.

I reviewed a few lure rods around the £100 mark and under last year - check out those reviews here, scroll down the page - and if you bought any one of those rods you’ll be fishing with a serious bit of kit that will give you a “proper” experience. I think it’s quite remarkable what less money can get you these days when it comes to lure rods - IF you know what to look for and also what sort of rod will best suit the sort of lure fishing you are doing or intend to do. The two £85 Savage Gear Tactical Medium Game lure rods which I stumbled across at this year’s Big One Show continue to blow me away.

Thanks to Dave from Labrax Mafia for the use of this photo of me

A 9’ long lure rod rated around the 35g might well suit a lot of UK and Irish bass anglers for example, but what about if you want to really go for it in heavier surf conditions, or really get into the whole lighter lure fishing thing in estuaries and quieter waterways? A lot less money gets you a whole lot more good stuff these days, and I reckon it’s only going to get better as more tackle companies realise what we actually want.

Step up to around the £150 mark where those Sakura Dark Player rods sit and you’ve got what I genuinely think is the most impressive range of lure rods at this price that are available in the UK and which I have personally fished with, the Savage Gear Defiance SG4 rods. You also have the Favorite Totem range which quite frankly are almost silly how good they are for the money. I have no doubt that there are numerous other “serious” lure rods for this kind of money, but I can’t talk about them if I haven’t fished with them. I could go on and on with this topic, but there is one range of lure rods which has forever changed what I think is possible for a specific price range. The Favorite Black Swan range of lure rods is not remotely a “budget” sort of thing, but I personally believe these rods are so good it has seriously skewed what I think these days when I pick up lure rods which sometimes cost way more. And it’s technology like the Favorite Black Swan range which in a roundabout way trickles down and helps us anglers get access to much better lure rods for way better prices these days. Yep, I need help!

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