Penn Regiment IV Bass Spin Rod

How well is it built?

The first thing you notice when you pick the Regiment IV up is how slim and light the blank feels for a 10ft 3in rod. Penn build it from 30-ton carbon using their SLS3 construction, which gives a thin diameter blank that still has plenty of strength in reserve.

It never feels flimsy, even when you are leaning into a fish.

The guides are saltwater-proof SeaGuide rings, and that matters far more than people give it credit for. A sea rod spends its life in spray, sand and salt, and cheap rings are always the first thing to pit and start fraying your braid. These stay smooth.

Penn have thought about the handle too. The rear grip is an anti-slip shrink tube that holds on when your hands are wet and cold, the foregrip is high-density EVA, and there is a rubber butt cap on the end so you are not grinding the rod into the rocks when you rest it.

How well does it cast and feel?

This is where the Regiment really earns its keep.

The tip is sensitive enough to flick out smaller lures without any fuss, and you can feel every tick of a soft plastic bumping over the bottom, which is half the battle when bass are nipping at the tail rather than hitting it hard.

When you need distance, the power built into the mid and butt sections takes over. Loading it up with a 40 to 60g metal, the rod compresses smoothly and fires it out without that jarring, pokerish feel you get from some heavier sea spinners.

At 10ft 3in it gives you the reach to clear the breakers from the beach, yet it is still short enough to handle comfortably when you are hopping between rocks.

How does it perform when playing fish?

That same backbone is what you feel the moment a bass takes. There is enough power low down to drive the hook home at range and to stop a decent fish from diving into the kelp, which is where most good bass are lost.

Close in, the softer tip cushions those last-minute head shakes and lunges at your feet, so hook holds stay put even on lighter braid. It is genuinely good fun to play fish on, and it gives you the confidence to fish closer to the rough ground where the bigger bass tend to sit.

Is it good value for money?

At just over a hundred pounds, the Regiment IV sits right in the middle of the sea spinning market, and for me it punches well above that price.

You are getting a proper saltwater blank, guides that will stand up to years of salt and sand, and a handle designed by people who clearly fish in the wet.

It is a rod I'd happily recommend to anyone from a newcomer buying their first proper lure rod to a seasoned bass angler wanting a dependable all-rounder.