Best Bass Fishing Rods: Cover the Essential Bases (Novice to Pro)

Choosing the best bass fishing rods to help you avoid getting skunked is about having an efficient line-up that supports a good range of techniques. This guide covers everything from your first "hit the ground running" single rod through to building a strong team one role at a time.

The more adaptable you can be on the water, the lower the chances that bass will be hitting something you just can't offer them. With the wrong rod for the job you may be unable to cast a particular bait. Alternatively, you could lose most fish during play due to poor hook-set performance or a rod action which can't keep certain baits pinned well. Either way, there's nothing more frustrating than seeing other anglers hauling fish during a bite you just can't join in on.

Here I put strong consideration into value for money with each selection (particularly being mindful of how often there is a difference between cost and value). The more budget-friendly rods in this guide punch well above their weight while the premium pick actually makes multiple other rod purchases redundant.

Click the Contents Table Links below to be taken to the info you need:

Note: To help support the blog and also help to ensure reliable delivery of rods I use Amazon Associates links in this article. Qualifying sales resulting from using those associates links do not alter the cost of that item to you - while at the same time earning a typical commission of around 4% for Fishing Discoveries - with my thanks!

Let's dig in by seeing how to quickly build a team of rods in a budget-friendly way.

Best Bass Fishing Rods for Tooling Up Like a Tournament Pro

Enigma HPT Casting

A frequently-reported comment for the Enigma range of rods goes something like "these are better than my way more expensive rods - where do I get one from?". This becomes less surprising when you realise they have been designed, tested and fished by a team that includes the 2019 MLF champion (and three-time Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year) Aaron Martens,  BP Tour Pro John Murray and Bassmaster Elite Angler Jesse Tacoronte.

Rather than being a "cheap" product, Enigma have been able to lower their prices by pulling products from high mark-up retail stores and distributors - and by selling direct to the customer. 

Portuguese cork handles, Japanese Toray Carbon blanks and blank-through reel seats (which increase sensitivity and feedback from the blank by exposing it to your touch - while avoiding thick/insulating additional arbor tapes and filling between the reel seat and the blank) are obvious signs of commitment to quality.

Here's a 2-minute video introduction to the HPT range:

Three options that complement the other picks in this article would include:

Best Bass Fishing Rods for Anglers Needing a “Do Everything” Start-out Rod

SHIMANO SLX Spinning Rod (7ft Medium)

The first of two Matt Allen picks (of Tactical Bassin fame) – so you know you’re in great hands. Between Matt and Tim at Tactical Bassin there can’t be many anglers who spend as much time both actively researching and then sharing their results of the highest-level tactics.

Another reassuring point is their appreciation of a wide range of rod brands – and their willingness to talk about exactly what each model can and (importantly) cannot do. When they explain what the best bass fishing rods are for each different tactic, they are absolutely not tied to a single brand or sponsorship deal.

Here the aim is to pick up a good rod, without breaking the bank, and head out to catch some bass using solid, fundamental tactics. Throwing some spinner baits, crank baits (tied directly to fluorocarbon) – perhaps with some shaky-head worm fishing and/or a Texas-rigged creature is where we’re aiming with this.

Opting for the spinning reel rather than baitcaster removes some of the potential distraction of backlashes and the medium-action and the 7-foot length is both versatile and easy to handle.

Premium "Universal" Bass Rod

G. Loomis GLX 843C MBR Mag Bass Casting Rod

Loomis created the Mag Bass Rod (MBR) action with jig fishing and Texas rigging in mind. They have a lot of backbone further into the blank and a “fast but not radically-fast” action. Consequently, this flex profile ended up performing crazily well for a wide range of applications.
Moving baits such as swim-jigs, chatter baits, spinner baits and crank baits are all very capably handled by this rod. Like to throw topwater? It’ll do that too.

One of the reasons it’s so adaptable is that, when you pull hard, you get straight into the real power and backbone of the rod and it will beat fish fast; while more gentle tension changes things so the fish is fighting and kept pinned against the softer curve of the tip. As Matt says, a fish under moderate tension might as well be playing itself out against a soft crank bait rod.

Both open/single hook baits and treble-hook baits are handled really well by this rod.

Basically – it just lets you do everything “in the middle” with ease. OK, so for finesse at one end and for heavyweight jerk baits or pitching/punching brutally heavy cover at the other; you’re going to need different rods. However, that still leaves so much between those extremes that the Loomis GLX 843C MBR does really well and it's that adaptability that makes the guys at Tactical Bassin such fans of this rod.

It’s almost like having several rods in one (or at least saves you from buying other rods to fill some of those niches); which might factor into your value-for-money decisions.

Note: For help filling the full-on "finesse" role in your bass rods line-up check out my guide to choosing a BFS Casting Rod.

Heavy Flipping & Punching (Plus Bigger Jerkbaits)

Dobyns Champion XP DC766FLIP

OK let's cut straight to the chase, this baitasting rod opens up some bigger jerk-bait fishing (up to around 2.5oz) or - it's true intended purpose of punching, pitching and flipping cover roles we mentioned in the previous section. It's a no-nonsense tool for a no-nonsense job.

A strong Backbone is needed for straight up “hit and hauling” of bass out of heavy cover (or hard hook sets on big jerk-bait trebles). The Kevlar wrapping over graphite blank helps to add the required durability.

The fast action is required so that the full force of the hook set isn’t absorbed and dulled by a more full-flex blank and then the heavy power gives you confidence to win the pulling battle between you and heavy cover like fallen timber, boat docks/old pilings and the like.

As one user put it, perhaps the biggest problem with getting a Dobyns Champion 766 is that you'll want to keep buying more.

Closing Thoughts on Choosing the Best Bass Fishing Rods

As with all guidance, choosing the best bass fishing rods will always come down to personal preferences. What I've tried to outline here is exactly what the intended purpose or effect that each rod is going for. That way you can match up the raw specifications with how well you feel it will meet the way you fish those methods. With both the Shimano and the Loomis rods, you get to cover a surprising number of bases through modern rod-blank technology. That way you can often start with one rod and then, by understanding where the limits of that model are, it becomes easier to add other models to meet each required role as you encounter them. 

Of course, if you already have a clear idea about which role you want to expand into (or maybe you need to replace a lost, retired or damaged rod with a more current model) then it's easy to go ahead and make the picks you want right away.

I hope this guide helps you to have even more great experiences out on the water (and writing it has made me want to visit my brother in California so I can get some more bass fishing in!).

Paul