Savage Gear SG4 Medium Game Rod 7ft 3in 12-35G

How well is it built?

The heart of the SG4 is its Japanese Toray 30T carbon blank. Toray is one of the big names in rod carbon, and a 30T blank gives you a light, crisp rod that still has enough backbone for a decent fish.

It's balanced for feel too, so it shouldn't feel tip-heavy when you're working lures for a few hours.

The guides are Seaguide CCS stainless steel with SiN rings, which are a step up from the basic guides on most budget lure rods and are well suited to braid. It's a two-piece rod with a split handle, an exposed section of blank between the grips and an understated olive finish.

To be fair, it isn't a top-end rod in the way the Fox Rage Terminator X is, with its IM9 40-ton carbon. For a rod at this price, though, I think the build is excellent.

How well does it cast and feel?

So, how does it cast? A 7ft 3in length is a really useful middle ground, as it's long enough to put a lure a fair way across a lake or river but short enough to handle on an overgrown bank or from a boat.

The 12-35g casting weight covers small spinners at the bottom end through to bigger soft shads and spinnerbaits at the top.

The fast yet forgiving action is the key to the high score here.

A fast tip gives you the feedback to feel a lure working and a bite registering, while the more forgiving middle should load up well on the cast and helps when you're twitching lures or bumping a Carolina rig along the bottom.

For me, that blend of feel and versatility is exactly what you want from a do-it-all lure rod. Overall, I think it's superb for casting and working medium lures.

How does it perform when playing fish?

A forgiving action pays off once a fish is on, especially on light braid and small trebles. It should cushion the lunges of a zander or a hard-fighting perch right under the rod tip, which helps cut down on hook pulls.

There's enough power in the Toray blank to steer a jack pike or a decent bass away from snags, but this isn't a heavy pike rod for big jerkbaits and double-figure fish.

If that's the plan, a heavier rod rated to 60g or more is the better choice, and you'll want a wire trace for any pike.

Overall, it's a rod that handles most of the fish you'll meet on a lure in fresh water with plenty in reserve, and I think the 8.5 is fair.

Is it good value for money?

Is it worth the money? It costs roughly twice as much as the Savage Gear Revenge SG2 Medium Game, which is a very good rod in its own right.

What you get for the extra is the Toray 30T blank, a more refined feel and a rod that should stay a favourite for years rather than being upgraded after a season.

Next to the Fox Rage Terminator X, it's a good deal cheaper, and while the Terminator X is the more specialised jig rod, the SG4 is the more versatile all-rounder.

Overall, I'd recommend the SG4 Medium Game to anyone who wants one quality lure rod to cover perch, zander, chub, jack pike and bass with medium lures. If you're just starting out, the Revenge SG2 Medium Game does the basics for far less.