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Complete setup · ~€271

The bass lure and distance setup

Around €271 for rock, pier and clean-ground lure work — summer bass, mackerel and pollack rather than a bait rod on a beach tripod. It costs about the same as the all-rounder, so the choice is not budget. It is whether you fish bait on sand or lures off structure.

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The right kit for August
Rod · the pick

PENN Squadron IV Travel Spin, 3.0m

A saltwater lure and predator rod, long enough for distance work off rock and pier, with the backbone for bigger summer bass and mackerel. 24T carbon, fast action. Choose the 3.0 m, 20 to 80 g size at checkout.

~€122104 to 140 depending on sizeBuy on Amazon
ReelUgly Stik Ugly Tuff Spinning ReelSize 40 fixed spool~€69Amazon
LuresSavage Gear Sandeel V2Soft sandeel~€9Amazon
LuresSidewinder Skerries Pro SandeelsSandeel shad~€15Amazon
LuresDr.Fish PopperSurface popper~€13Amazon
LeaderSeaguar Blue Label FluorocarbonSpool size and strain vary~€17Amazon
TerminalSinker Float Stops300 pack~€10Amazon
FeathersMackerel Feathers 7 Hook5 pack~€16Amazon

Where the money goes

The other two

Not the kit you need?

What most people should buy

All-rounder

~€265

Ten items, around €265, and nothing left to buy except bait. This is the kit for open east-coast beaches — Kilcoole, the Murrough, Brittas — where you need to put 5 or 6 oz out past the first bank and hold bottom in a run. It is not a tournament outfit and it is not a lure kit.

See the All-rounder kit →

Cheapest way to find out if you like it

Get started

~€115

Six items, around €115, and the cheapest honest way to find out whether you actually like standing on a pier in November. Piers, harbours and close surf only — the combo is not a beachcaster, so keep to about 2 oz. Everything but the rod carries forward when you upgrade.

See the Get started kit →

Prices checked 31 days ago against Amazon.ieBait does not ship. Rods, rigs and leads arrive from Amazon. Fresh ragworm, lug and peeler crab do not, so plan a same-day bait run before open beaches or remote marks.All gear guides · How we pick gear