Savage Gear Perch Academy Twitch Bait Rod 2.25m 7-25g 2pc

How well is it built?

Let's start with the blank. The 24+30T carbon is very light and sensitive, and that matters on a rod you'll be twitching for hours, because every retrieve is a run of short jerks and a heavy rod soon tires your wrist.

There's nothing between your fingers and the carbon at the reel seat, as it sits directly on the blank, so you should feel more of what the lure is doing.

It's a two-piece rod with a split handle, black grips and orange trim, and the Competition Ready-To-Fish bag lets you carry it made up with the reel on, which saves a few minutes whenever you move to a new spot.

To be fair, the materials don't reach the level of the Toray 30T blank in the Savage Gear SG4 Medium Game, or the IM9 40-ton carbon in the Fox Rage Terminator X. For a specialist rod at a lower-mid price, though, I think the build is well thought out and 8.0 is a fair score.

How well does it cast and feel?

Why does a twitchbait need its own rod? Working these lures is all about the tip, because you snap the rod down in short twitches so the lure darts from side to side, then pause and let it hang.

A fast tip should put a crisp, lively action into the lure with very little effort, while the progressive power lower down should still bend properly into the cast.

At 2.25m, it's long enough to reach across a canal or to the far margin of a small river, yet short enough to keep the tip low to the water, which is how most anglers like to work a twitchbait.

The 7-25g rating covers small suspending minnows at the light end and bigger, heavier twitchbaits at the top.

The direct reel seat and sensitive blank should pass on every pluck and knock, and that's a big help when a perch nips at a paused lure. Overall, I think 8.5 is well earned for a rod this focused on one style.

How does it perform when playing fish?

Once a good perch is on, the progressive action should come into its own. Twitchbaits usually carry two or three small trebles, and a rod that bends steadily through its length helps cushion the head shakes so those hooks are less likely to pull out.

The power in the middle and butt should still let you steer a fish away from snags and weed.

Perch are the main target, but it should also handle zander and chub on the same lures. Is it up to pike?

A jack that grabs a twitchbait shouldn't trouble it, as long as you're using a wire trace, but it's too light for big pike or heavy jerkbaits, and the Fox Rage Warrior Shad & Spin 20-60g is built for that heavier work.

So, it should be very good on the fish it's made for, and the 8.0 simply reflects its limit with bigger predators.

Is it good value for money?

Is it worth the money? It costs a little more than the Savage Gear Revenge SG2 Medium Game and a good deal less than the SG4 Medium Game, which is a sensible price for a specialist rod. The rod bag comes in the deal too, so there's no need to buy one separately.

The real question is how you fish. If twitchbaits are a big part of your perch fishing, a rod built for them makes a lot of sense, but if you want one rod for soft shads, spinners and cranks as well, the Revenge SG2 Medium Game is the more versatile choice for less money.

And if you want one rod for a wider range of lures, the Savage Gear SG4 Medium Game covers more.

Overall, I'd recommend the Perch Academy Twitch Bait rod to perch anglers who love fishing twitchbaits on canals, rivers and small stillwaters and want a light, sensitive rod made for the job.