Savage Gear Salt CCS Lure Rod – Review (RRP £79.99)

Savage Gear Salt CCS Lure Rod – Review

Before I start, I must point out that I act (informally) as a consultant for Svendsen Sport UK – the company that owns Savage Gear. These lure rods appeared on my radar when I was sent one to ‘test’ about 6 months ago. However, since then I have purchased another two for my clients to use – another 8′ 6″ 7 – 28g rod, and also the 8′ 6″ 15 – 42g version.

Moreover, if you’re in any way thinking ‘well, he would say they’re good if he acts as a consultant’ then all I can say to you is that neither Svendsen Sport UK or Savage Gear have ever asked me to review any of their gear – I actually asked them if they would allow me to write about these rods.

There are 7 rods in the range – see below:

Rod Length	Casting Weight	Rod Weight
7’ 6”	>25g	122g
7’ 6”	20-60g	145g
8’ 6”	7-28g	130g
8’ 6”	15-42g	134g
8’ 6”	30-70g	143g
9’ 2”	15-42g	143g
9’ 6”	>60g	171g

Specification – What Savage Gear say

Super minimalistic fast action lure rods, Toray carbon blanks fitted with the Savage Gear CCS Saltwater proof guides in the non corroding black plating. Great casting distance and lure control, perfect sensitivity with built-in muscle and power – great rods for many species such as bass, pollack and wrasse.

• Ready to fish deluxe rod bag supplied.
• ‘ALIEN’ new concept reel seat.

Price – RRP £79.99 – however, shop around as I’ve seen them for as little as £63.99.

My Review

First impressions out of the rather nice looking rod bag  was that they look a little different to what I would usually take out onto the shoreline. With a silver blank, 10 black guides, no duplon or cork handle, a plastic reel seat and a camouflage design butt grip/handle they certainly go against the grain visually – not necessarily a bad thing.

Excitedly joining the two sections together, I was astonished at how light the rod felt. I don’t always believe manufacturers claims on rod and reel weights, but I can definitely confirm that the weights are accurate on the versions I regularly use – the 7- 28g (130g)and 15-42g (134g) respectively.

The next thing that I really liked was the finish on these rods – they are far more handsome in the flesh then in a glossy magazine, and a photograph doesn’t really do them justice either. The two fish images on the butt section are also a nice touch.

Balance and Feel

Next up, the obligatory ‘waggle’… I was expecting a floppy spinning rod for the price but was pleasantly surprised to discover a ‘tight’ and very ‘crisp’ feeling blank that felt very sensitive, yet very powerful – I was looking forward blasting out some lures by this point!

In my opinion, the handle and reel seat are positioned superbly in relation to the length of the blanks – I know some people might prefer a shorter or longer handle but for an 8′ 6″ rod I think it’s just right but I appreciate this is very much personal choice. Ultimately, the rod feels extremely ‘balanced’ with a 180 – 250g reel attached meaning it doesn’t feel tip heavy or butt heavy at all – excellent so far…

Out on the shore – Wow!

All of these rods are quoted as having a ‘Fast’ action – which to me (and I could be wrong here) spells a very quick recovery (the rod straightening) when casting a lure. Whether you’re casting a 12g subtle surface lure, a 19g minnow with a weight shifting system incorporated into the lure, or a large paddletail weighing upwards of 25g the rod simply excels.

These rods will effortlessly whack a lure out there and every one of my clients who has used one has been really taken aback at how well they can cast the lures. And I’m not just talking about distance either, but pin-point accuracy – which I think is very, very important when you’re asking clients to cast expensive pieces of plastic with trebles attached into narrow gullies, and in and around weed-beds; quite often into headwinds.

Having the ability to hit a very specific area in difficult conditions can make the difference out on the open coast and these rods greatly assist in putting the lure exactly where you want it.

Savage Gear’s claim that the collection offers lure control, perfect sensitivity and built in muscle and power is right on the money. When retrieving a lure you have a fantastically direct feel for exactly where the lure is and what it is doing. The actual blank is exceptional and to me, compares very favourably with a certain Major Craft rod that costs more than double the price of the Salt CCS…

Additionally, whether you’re walking the dog with a surface lure, bouncing a jighead on the bottom or twitching a weedless soft plastic through a snag ridden reef, the tip is very sensitive and responsive to the slightest of movements. Indeed, when casting and fishing a weightless 6″ senko or shad you can hardly believe you’re holding the same rod that 10 minutes ago positively launched a 28g lure out into a tide race! It is very much an all-round lure rod.

Comfort

This ‘ALIEN New Concept Reel Seat’ had me intrigued. It isn’t the standard Fuji set up that many of us are used to, but it certainly ‘locks in’ the reel with a double screw mechanism perfectly. It is, as Savage Gear say, very minimalistic and I did wonder how comfortable it would be to actually fish with, and whether I’d miss a more traditional handle…

The answer is – it is a total joy to use. This is just such an easy and a very, very comfortable lure rod to fish with because you’re practically holding the actual blank and every slight manoeuvre of the rod is transmitting directly from your hand to the lure – which can only be a good thing.

My clients have been ‘blown away’ with how good these rods are. Within a couple of retrieves you are completely ‘at one’ with the lightness, crispness and confirmation that you’re holding something that will really assist in not only your own fishing enjoyment, but will arguably help you to catch more bass. A bold claim yes, but if your confident in what you’re doing it will most definitely transfer to more catches as you’re simply far more in ‘the zone’ so to speak – ultimately, if you’re able to maintain concentration you will increase your odds.

Catches

Below are some of the catches that my clients have made with the Savage Gear Salt CCS lure rods – the largest bass caught was the 70cm (near 8lb) specimen which it handled extremely well.

Summary

I have fished with quite a few lure rods over the past year  – some inexpensive and some very expensive therefore, I can honestly say that you will not buy a better ‘all-round’ modern lure rod for the money Savage Gear are asking – around £70 – £80.

Indeed, you would need to spend a lot more to find anything with a blank as sweet as this – it is that good in my opinion. I believe it is the perfect rod to buy if your starting out on your lure fishing journey – whether that’s bass, wrasse or pollack.

You can buy the Savage Gear Salt CCS 7-28g and 15-42g here

Thanks for reading and I, of course, welcome any feedback.

Marc Cowling