Reach for the sky
This 9ft 6in lure rod ticks all the right boxes for the mobile angler
Henry Gilbey checks out a 9ft 6in lure rod.
MAJOR CRAFT SKYROAD SURF 9FT 6IN, 5-28G LURE ROD RRP £180
It is amazing how much rod you can get for the money these days if you shop around, and this Major Craft Skyroad Surf 9ft 6in, 5-28g lure version, selling for roughly £180, is one of the most efficient, easy to use and awesome tools I have had the pleasure of using.
Lure rods have long ceased to be merely some cheap add-on fishing rod for me. I see no reason why the prices of lure rods should not be comparable with beachcasters. While £180 is not at the budget end of the scale when compared to what you could spend if you went looking, this rod is incredible value for money.
This 9ft 6in Skyroad Surf is light, well built, and I defy you to give this a waggle and not to want to take it out bass fishing. Over the last couple of years I have come around to the concept of using the longer 9ft 6in rods, mainly because I started to stumble across rods like this. Yes, it is a little longer than what I used before, but so wand-like and efficient that I can’t see how I could be losing out over, say, an 8ft 6in or 9ft rod.
Of course, I like how the bit of extra length can help me get lures out even further if required – and this rod gets them out there.
ABSOLUTE DELIGHT For me, lure rods designed for bass fishing should do all that I want from one rod. I don’t want to carry two rods, especially when so much of my lure fishing involves long walks, tricky terrain and the need to stay mobile.
I reckon this Skyroad Surf ticks all the boxes, except for those rare times when I might need to step up to much larger or heavier lures.
As comfortable with surface lures as it is with cranking shallow-divers, and an absolute delight for bumping weighted soft plastics down a run of current, this rod also performs impeccably with fishing the likes of senkos rigged weedless and weightless at night. Put it this way – try as I might, I can’t trip up this Skyroad Surf with the sort of bass lure fishing I do.
I have used this rod with 4000-size Shimano and 3000-size Daiwa spinning reels, and like how the outfit seems to balance well.
I’m a big fan of the considerably more expensive Major Craft Truzer 9ft 6in, 10-30g (costing £350+), but I have fished these two rods side by side and, to be honest, I am struggling to find any meaningful difference between them.
My initial feeling remains, the Major Craft Skyroad Surf 9ft 6in 5-28g is one of the best lure rods I have ever used, whatever the price.