Spod and Spomb rods under £100

Our team of testers, from left to right, John Rennie, Adam Spindley and Wayne Bateman

One of these rods in the right hands can have a dramatic effect on catch results; not only enabling the sometimes long-range dispatch of bait, but also maintaining a steady flow of bait to the ‘feeding-zone’ to hold fish for longer periods. To tolerate such heavy loads, strength within the rod is obviously a key factor, but is just one of many. A lightweight feel to the rod is also important, as you’ll often be casting the rod repeatedly for lengthy spells. So a good balance between elements such as strength, weight, feel or grip, plus rod recovery and action are vitally important where the ultimate accuracy of the cast is concerned.

We have 21 rods to trial, varying in prices from as little as £59.99 going up to a wallet-denting £299.99! Scroll to the bottom of the page for links to see how the rods on test under £150 and over £150 fared. As always, we began the test by taking a look at the rod features, things such as the ringing and guides, as well as other specifications like the test curve. Any names or graphics were then taped over to reduce ‘brand-association’ before we handed the rods over to our test team; three anglers who spent the day putting these rods through their paces, aiming at marker floats at distances of 50, 75 and 100yds. The guys then reported back their thoughts and findings.

To ensure there was no ‘brand association’ to influence the team, we taped up all the graphics on the rods

Under £100

Sonik SKS Black Spod

Cosmetically speaking, the look of this rod couldn’t be any more in-vogue singing a duet with Madonna. With a cool black finish to the slim multi-modulus carbon fibre blank and with a 4.5lb test curve able to take on your bait dispatch work. And black collars sit beside the DPS reel seat, so yes, this rod looks the nuts.

The Statistics
Test curve: 4.5lb
Length of rod: 12ft
Butt ring size: 50mm
Suggested use: All-round spod rod
RRP £69.99; soniksports.com

Key Tester Comments
“I really liked this rod,” states Wayne. “The cosmetics were good with a 50mm butt ring and I also found the accuracy to be good over all three ranges – this was a well balanced rod.” “I’d agree with Wayne,” remarks Adam, “The rod was nice to look at and had a good balance with a big reel. A little ‘tippy’ perhaps, but still had plenty of backbone and my accuracy was still good at 100yds.” “The only thing I’d add,” states John “is that I found the rod worked best with medium-size spods and Spomb, but yeah, it was a good rod.”

JRC Powerplay Spod

The first thing that strikes you as you look at the rod is the slim ‘soft-touch’ handle that nicely follows the profile of the blank to reduce the butt grip becoming overly chunky. The 20mm reel seat will accommodate any big pit style reel and a 50mm butt ring is also present with the SIC guides that line the rod.

The Statistics
Test curve: 4.5lb
Length of rod: 12ft
Butt ring size: 50mm
Suggested use: All-round spod rod
RRP £54.99; jrc-fishing.co.uk

Key Tester Comments
Adam seems to have a split opinion of this rod, beginning his remarks by saying, “The rod was a little too chunky for my liking, so I wasn’t keen on how it looked,” but then chuckled and said, “But this rod surprised me, as it cast very well, I happily cast out a lot of bait with this rod, and at range.” John backs up Adam by saying, “I wasn’t overly keen on the looks, but it did the job when it came to casting, so yes, I’d happily have one. Wayne agrees and the team moves on to testing the next rod.”

Greys Spod Plus

Greys have designed the Spod Plus to have a progressive action that needs little effort to compress and therefore cast accurately. The butt section of the rod is fitted with a Fuji NPS 20mm reel seat, a tapered EVA grip and laser etched butt cap. The robust carbon blank is then finished with G-Lite Ultralite guides.

The Statistics
Test curve: Not stated
Length of rod: 12ft
Butt ring size: 40mm
Suggested use: All-round spod rod
RRP £99.99; greysfishing.com

Key Tester Comments
“This rod was quite a soft rod,” begins Adam, “but it did manage all three distances okay… just a bit spongy on the hundred-yard-mark, which I think would be the limit for this rod. John adds: “This rod wasn’t too bad actually, I quite like the traditional look of the blank and it was accurate using the medium Spombs. Yeah, this rod did the job.” “I didn’t like the look and finish of this rod,” says Wayne, “although it did perform fairly well and the accuracy was okay. I would just prefer a ground blank without the ribs in it.”

Prologic Spod Rod

Built on a slim and lightweight blank, the Prologic Spod Rod features SIC guides and a DPS reel seat. Just below said reel seat, a short section of shrink-wrap adds comfort and feel, similarly with the butt grip. The blank also features a 4.5lb test curve designed to cope with the rigours of repetitive spodding.

The Statistics
Test curve: 4.5lb
Length of rod: 12ft
Butt ring size: 50mm
Suggested use: All-round spod rod
RRP £49.99; prologicfishing.com

Key Tester Comments
“This was a lighter rod that worked better at the shorter of the three ranges with the small to medium spod and Spombs,” remarks Adam. “Yeah, I’d totally agree with Adam”, says John, “the rod was better at the closer distances, but with more compression needed for the hundred-yard-mark I began to lose accuracy.” Wayne continued, “The lads are spot-on with this one, I found Rod 4 a light rod that felt okay, but the tip was soft and it was a struggle to get out to the last marker float with any accuracy – a good rod for medium-range or smaller waters.”

Sonik SK3 XTR Spod

The XTR Spod is designed to match the SK3 range of carp rods from SONIK in appearance and feel, with a multi-modulus black finished with black tyings and grey tippings. A full Japanese shrink-wrap handle is another key feature of the rod, along with the 50mm butt ring; SIC guides and laser etched butt cap.

The Statistics
Test curve: 4.5lb
Length of rod: 12ft
Butt ring size: 50mm
Suggested use: All-round spod rod
RRP £99.99; soniksports.com

Key Tester Comments
Wayne opens the tester comments by saying, “Yes, this was a nice looking rod, and a 50mm butt ring is fitted which helps with range. The balance and feel was also good. The rod compressed early and felt comfortable as I pulled it through, so I could cast tight to the marker floats at all three ranges.” “I’d agree with Wayne in that this rod looks really nice,” remarks Adam, “although I’d have liked a little more backbone for hitting the 100yd marker.” John finishes by saying, “Yes, a nice looking rod, and I’d agree with Adam in that I’d have liked a little more power.”

Fox Warrior S Spod

For a budget priced rod, the Fox Warrior S Spod boasts an impressive 5.5lb test curve, aimed at sending heavy spods well over the hundred-yard mark. The rod doesn’t hold back on features either, sporting a DPS-style reel seat and Fox’s own Slik guides, all finished on a matt black blank with low-key graphics.

The Statistics
Test curve: 5.5lb
Length of rod: 12ft
Butt ring size: 40mm
Suggested use: All-round spod rod
RRP £69.99; foxint.com

Key Tester Comments
John kicks things off: “I was impressed with this rod – I could hit every spot accurately, controlling the Spomb, feathering it and stopping it right where I wanted to – it could easily hit the 100yd marker. I happily put out a big bucket of bait with this rod.” Adam continues by saying, “Yes, this rod did the job, although I’d say it was better with the medium Spomb and not the heavier one.” “I’d agree with Adam there,” remarks Wayne, “a nice looking rod that was well balanced and cast well, but with the medium Spomb and spods, not the heavier ones.”

Wychwood Dispatch S1 Spod

The S1 Spod features a 20% stiffer, stepped-up butt section that also sports a full-length Japanese shrink-wrap handle. Sitting above this comfortable handle is a carbon Fuji reel seat to accommodate any size of reel which is lined-up with SG, braid-friendly guides spaced out down the multi-layer carbon blank.

The Statistics
Test curve: Not stated
Length of rod: 12ft
Butt ring size: 50mm
Suggested use: All-round spod rod
RRP £99.99; wychwood-tackle.co.uk

Key Tester Comments
“The full shrink handle took a little getting used to,” begins Adam, “I wasn’t used to that, but this rod surprised me – it was a very nice rod and handled all the ranges comfortably – both with the Spombs and spods. I wasn’t really expecting it after the rod initially felt a bit weird with the handle, but I’d happily use this rod to bait-up.” “I’d agree with Adam,” states Wayne, “I’d prefer an abbreviated handle, but overall, the rod had a good feel and hit all the distances with ease.” John adds: “Unlike the other guys, I like the handle – a nice accurate rod, simple.”

Nash H-Gun Spod/Marker

Designed to cover the extreme casting of both marker and spod set-ups, this rod, like many of those on test, provides a good impression as it comes out of the bag. Despite the low price you are faced with a slim-line ground carbon blank loaded with features such as the red tipping, EVA grips and new 50mm butt ring.

The Statistics
Test curve: 4lb
Length of rod: 12ft
Butt ring size: 50mm
Suggested use: Dual-purpose spod/marker rod
RRP £59.99; nashtackle.co.uk

Free Spirit SPM Spomb/Marker

Part of the newly released CTX range, the SPM rod has been designed by Free Spirit to act as a dual-purpose rod – suitable for both marker and Spomb work. Integrating 40T and 30T carbons, this superb looking blank is finished with a Fuji DNPS reel seat and ‘S’-Lite rings and still comes in under a £100.

The Statistics
Test curve: Not stated
Length of rod: 12ft
Butt ring size: 50mm
Suggested use: Dual-purpose spod/marker rod
RRP £99.99; freespiritfishing.com

Overall thoughts from the test team

Adam: “I was impressed with this price bracket – I think you’re getting a lot of rod for your money. I liked the Wychwood S1, but for me, the two standout rods were the Nash H-Gun and Free Spirit SPM. I’d go for either of these two rods but with the Free Spirit SPM just edging it for me as my preference.”

John: “There was some really good rods here: the Nash H-Gun was pretty impressive, but there were also some little gems to pick-up. Rods like the JRC Powerplay were really good. The rod that stood out overall for me was the Free Spirit SPM, this rod ticked all the boxes: nice to look at and did all the jobs.”

Wayne: “My favourite was the Free Spirit SPM; I like the look of the blank and cosmetically it was very nice with good fittings. It felt very nice as well, so I’d be happy to use the rod over long periods of time, and Spombing out a lot of bait. I really like the Sonik SKS Black too, but the Free Spirit SPM was the one that stood out.”