New Lure Rod. Good or Bad to have a fast action?

[nifisher]

Can anyone advise if this would be a good rod for lure fishing or advise an alternative? In and around the £80 bracket.

What size of fish would this be able to handle?

SHIMANO SPEEDMASTER 270 MEDIUM/LIGHT ACTION 5-20g

The highest level of Master technology, this is a very special spinning rod built without compromise. The blank has a fast action, but the use of Biofibre gives it an amazing elasticity for extra playing action when needed. The butt is also very special, featuring innovative two-piece grips for comfort in use. Original Fuji Alconite Y-type guides add to the overall feel of a rod - so light you can hardly believe that it’s almost unbreakable.

Features include the following:

XT100 carbon and Tcurve blank composition.
Super slim blanks.
Micro locking system reel seat.
Fuji SiC line guides.
Braided mainline compatible.
2.7m
2 sections
5-20g casting weight

[teacher]

The type of rod you use will very much depend on the type of lure fishing that you want to do and the lures that you want to use.

Many modern, technical lures require the angler to impart the action into the lure. This is particularly the case with surface lures (poppers and pencils). Fishing these lures efficiently and effectively requires a fast action rod. A lot of these lures will fall in the 5-20g range of this rod.

Also, I'm assuming you're in NI and might want to fish for sea trout. There are some really nice sea trout lures in the 3-10g range appearing on the Irish market and this rod will be perfect for them. Check out the "Smith Panish" lures. One of the most realistic lures I've ever fished with.

As for size of fish, I'm not familiar with this specific rod but I can't see you having any difficulty with even very large bass (15lb+). And with the lighter rod you'll get more fun out of your fishing.

The only thing I would say is that if you have already invested a lot in heavier lures (e.g. 20g+) then you might want a slightly heavier casting range. But then you'd be sacrificing the ability to fish some nice light s/t lures.

[nifisher]

Teacher,

I was wanting to use it for softies like Rapalajoe has been showing in the Soft Plastic post.

I will use it mainly for Pollock and maybe a few Wrasse but I am now interested in what you had to say about Sea trout hadnt even thought about that never fished for them before. I will be check out the lures you suggested !!

Cheers

[teacher]

Going to give those soft baits a try myself!! From what Joe was saying, it sounds like you don't need to go above 20g with the plastics so I guess you should be fine.

If you're looking at a light-weight setup, you also need to think about how you'll be landing big fish. For example, if you're fishing for pollock and it's awkward to get right down to water level, then it's worth having a decent landing net. There are some rubberised ones on the market which are supposed to be good. Kinder to the fish (don't remove as much slime) and easier to remove hooks from.

I'm thinking of getting one of the Daiwa "Rubba" ones.

[nifisher]

Teacher,

I guess your right about the landing net hadnt really thought about that too much. Was thinking I could just handline the fish in but a net would make life alot easier in places.

Cheers