I am asking for your help, which is the best bass spinning rod currently on the market. There are lots of great rods for sale here - Bass Spinning Rods
This is an un-usal post as the meat on the bone is in the replies to this post, click here to read the comments below and add your own!
I am asked this question a lot and only having owned 3 in my time I would like your opinion as too which spinning rod you consider most suited to Bass fishing and why.
Looking at the hits this website gets there are a lot of other people looking for an answer to this question.
I look forward to reading the results of this, scroll down to read the comments below, some great stuff down there!
The Anatomy of a Spinning Rod
A rod is made up of sections and components:
- Butt - the bottom of the rod
- Sections - the main parts of the rod eg an 8 foot rod will break into 2 x 4 ft sections
- Handle - the area you grip the rod, cork or foam on most rods
- Reel Seat - the clamp that hold the reel to the rod
- Spigot - the area the sections join
- Rings - guides the line along the rod
Fishing Rods are accurately described by there action: fast, medium and slow, the explains how quickly the rod will flex from curved back to straight, the memory of the rod.
The action is a function of the taper of the rod. A slow taper spinning rod will be a similar thickness throughout it’s length, hence the rod gradually curves lower and lower along it’s length towards the butt. This makes a rod for a beginner a little more forgiving and absorbs a lot of the energy and it allows you more margin of error. A fast taper will have a very fine tip compared to the butt section (the bottom end past the reel seat). This means the rod will be very responsive for indicating bites or working lures, but it will be less forgiving in the untrained hand.
The blank describes the rod before and of the components are added. On paper you could get a very high quality blank and put low quality rings, reel seat on it to keep costs down. Generally in the real world the better the blank, the better quality the component parts. The value of the blank comes from the quality of the materials and the method in which it is made, seams in the carbon and coatings all add weight and effect how the rod behaves. The better the blank, generally the lighter it weighs. This reduces anglers fatigue. The Daiwa Morethan Branzino weighs in at just 127g, but will cost you as much as a cheap run around with tax and MOT!
Spinning Rod Casting Weights
The weight a rod can cast reflects the strength and quality of construction. When you cast you accelerate the rod tip, the weight of the lure tries to prevent the rod tip from moving so energy becomes stored within the material of the rod “Potential Energry”. The rod compresses and then starts to move the lure until you release all this energy, the lure uses the speed you have imparted it, while the rod de-compresses adding more energy to the whole equation - this casts the lure.
If you try and cast a lure to heavy for the rod the material simply cannot cope and it will stress, then fail. Hopefully it will just crack, but it might catastrophically break. You must stay within the casting weight suggested by the manufacturer if you are going to work the rod hard.
Common casting weights are:
- 2 - 20g Very light - ideal for small soft plastics and light hard lures
- 5 - 30g Light - Mid range
- 10 - 50g Light to Heavy - Light hard plastics upwards
Image thanks to Dan4th
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April 11, 2025 at 16:07
which is the best spinners and lures for pollock and coal fish spining from the shore. mr gerard andrews
January 20, 2025 at 04:52
Of several spinning rods my favourite 2 are both Wychwoods.
1. An 8ft 20 - 50g 5 piece travel rod “Grand Tourer Lure” which also doubles as a float fishing rod or a light bait rod. I have caught a 17lb sting ray from the shore (In Australia) and many bass up to over 9lb in the UK from shore and boat. At present it is fitted with a Leeda Carp Match fixed spool reel RD 40.
2. A 12ft 2 piece Barbel “Rouge” fitted with an Abu Garcia fixed spool reel. This rod will also cast light baits for bass (2oz weight with whole squid on a pennel rig) very productively. Good from shore and boat (a little ungainly in cramped conditions on board ie with a fellow angler). Even a single mackerel will put a respectable bend in the rod! This rod has caught many bass up to over 8lb
I genarally use slightly weighted shad lures but also Dexter Wedges (I always remove the supplied treble hooks and replace with top quality and slightly larger ones). I find after dark very productive using very dark lures.
This last Autumn I caught many good bass from within 20 yards of the shore up until 21st December.
Am hoping to experiment using a fly rod next year; any suggestions, please?
April 1, 2025 at 23:03
Been out to day to test some theorys i was not correct with cone spool reel very fast taper 13 foot rod not your mass produced rod 15 lbs braid and 25 lbs shock leader its possible to put an ounce lure a hundred yards .Ten foot rod custom built normal reel 15 lbs braid no shock leader ounce lure 75 yard cast.Last eight and halve foot not best line lay reel in world but bomb proof 30lbs braid no shock leader 50 yard cast. I correct myself but one interesting fact with a hundred yard cast weight of line in water 75 yard cast you cannot work the lure till its forty yards away so not make much differance . Take care fish hard think long but most of all enjoy every second
March 31, 2025 at 20:45
It depends on the weight of lures you want to cast a rod that casts 5 grams to 20 grams is not going to cast 40 to55 grams it may lob it conversely the other way round 5 to 20 grams is not going to load the rod if its rated 40 to 55 grams. Also most blanks are rated with no rings or reel fittings on every gram you add on to the blank softens it slows it down .Custom built rods are miles apart from mass produced rods and can be built to suit your needs .Often at lower cost than mass produced rods. another thing to bare in mind is the weight of your reel the lighter your reel the livlier your rod will be so spinning with your bait runner will cut your casting distance down . Hope this helps if only food for thought
March 31, 2025 at 11:19
the laws of physics dictates that you can move a short rod much faster through a arc than a long one .You can cast further with a shorter rod with a lure than a long rod i am quite willing to put to test against any body. As regards test curves on rods 98 percent of rods mass produced are no were near stated test curve .As stated by the great Richard Walker anglers will spend hours discussing tackle and not spend five minutes testing it.A final thought a rod that costs a hundred pounds in shops comes in the country at ten pounds and money is still being made on that regards debassman
April 26, 2025 at 14:30
aaaammmmmm no. The basic laws of physics do exactly the opposite. During a cast the tip of the rod will move faster than your hands. The longer the rod the greater the speed built up during a cast. Its the basic principle of a wheel. The bigger the wheel the faster you go. Longer rods have the ability to cast farther-fact. However a big long rod may not always be the answer as it can be awkyard!!
June 10, 2025 at 18:06
i do not know that rod, can you tell us more about it please!!!!!!
June 10, 2025 at 15:52
I have a jackson heavy cast it is a great rod 4 al purpose spinning,lures.and it aint to heavy great rod !!
September 24, 2025 at 16:15
James
Thanks for your comment. Thats a very neat idea with the line system you use, I will have to try that.
Thank you
September 23, 2025 at 19:04
I just can’t beat my old shakespeare spin XL 9′. I can outcast anyone on the beach (anyone spinning!) with that and a 30g toby/dexter, i’m not sure if it’s because i’m just so used to it or because the rod is a good design. All i know is i’ve tried a few other rods and they just don’t seem to load up and flick as i want them to.
Also, top tip that aparently is all the rage in europe and works for me - use a 16lb shock leader of about 20′ to avoid losing lures to fatigued knots and let you get fish in through the surf/rocks, then attach to a 6-8lb good quality line of about 150′, then 15lb cheap backing line. The lower weight of the main line adds 20 feet to your cast and providing you’re careful to play the fish slow you’ll be fine. Anything up to 20lb can be landed with ease and I’ve never lost a fish to this method over 3 years of using it constantly for bass. That extra distance really helps!
August 31, 2025 at 08:49
Bushwacker - They look lovely rods. Mike ladle has alot of experience in shpre fishing and his new rods look first class.
Blakdog - I wish I was a “tackle tart”. That selection of rods you have outlined matches what I would normally go for! Carp rods seem so versatile and well suited for Bass fishing. I use mine for Flounder as well - Great sport. The extra length helps when you are fishing rough ground and rock marks.
August 28, 2025 at 23:08
I have 3 as I’m a bit of a tackle tart. The lightest is a Drennan Spinflex 2.5 lb tc - a lovely little rod, well built and as light as a feather but a little too short at 9ft if you have any snags close in. For general work I use a Wytchwood 12 ft 3 lb tc Carp Rod. It’s a little heavier than most spinning rods but these rod are really durable and amazingly cheap for the quality…..the model I have (the Riot) also has a lifetime warranty which shows they are confident that they will last. For heavy work and feathering I have a 4 lb tc Wytchwood Spod Rod, another Carp rod, which will stick a string of feathers and a 2 oz lead about 80 to 100 yards out on a good day…..its really just for the heavier lures but it also doubles up as a good close range Bass rod as it’s got a soft enough action to take the lunges of a good fish. I’d recommend any of these rods.
August 3, 2025 at 10:19
The rods designed by Mike Ladle have a great rep. personally i’m using the cheapest of the shimano STC range, i bought the exage 330 and it’s been everywhere and is just great. I also have the 210 for lighter lures.
tight lines
SBW