These must sit alongside enough power to bully a fish if required, without the rod feeling unwieldy or cumbersome. To achieve this, look for a designated lure rod with attributes such as crispness, feel, precision, lightness in your hand and manoeuvrability. The concept of lure fishing is to imitate a swimming, crawling, dying, struggling or overwhelmed creature or prey item by making a piece of wood or plastic look like the real thing so that a predator will try to eat it. Many occasional anglers catch their first bass on a metal ‘spinner’ lobbed out and simply retrieved, but to catch decent-sized bass on a recurring basis, the ability to work the lure in the manner that it was designed for is crucial. The second aspect is fundamental to your chances of achieving consistent success.

But, if you envisage chasing bass at remote coves and inlets, over expanses of reef covered by shallow water (less than 15ft) or within the confines of tidal lagoons and estuaries, then consider a rod shorter than 9ft.

If the topography of your coastline involves using potentially heavy metal lures (25-35g+) from shallow sandy beaches or larger, denser surface and sub-surface lures, either from rocky outcrops or steeply shelving beaches into primarily deep water, then a longer (certainly 9ft+) and more powerful rod is required. There are two schools of thought when choosing – firstly the type of ground and secondly the attributes of a particular bass lure rod. If you’re new to this type of fishing or looking to upgrade, where you should you start? It’s a divisive subject, hence why I won’t be listing specific rods. As a result, I have used the shortest, longest, flimsiest, cheapest, nastiest and probably least suitable choices, including those awkward and nearly obsolete ‘spinning rods’, through to the most expensive, exclusive and seemingly best bass lure rods out there. From design to casting weight, South Devon bass guide Marc Cowling gives his top tips on selecting the best lure rod for bass fishingĪs a full-time, professional bass guide, I am fortunate to be in a position where I can borrow one of my client’s rods for a play during or after most sessions.

Best bass lure for fishing planet