O.S.P Rudra 130 SP

The full-flat body rocks side to side on a wide, high-pitched roll rather than a tight wobble, throwing flash that carries well beyond the immediate strike zone. Twin fixed belly weights and a set of small ball bearings keep the centre of gravity low, so the Rudra darts hard on a sharp jerk and then settles level and motionless on the pause rather than rising or rolling over.

Best suited to cooler water and post-frontal conditions when bass or predatory species are keying on large, slow-moving baitfish rather than chasing fast presentations. It shines in autumn and early spring when big fish are actively feeding but not necessarily aggressive, and works equally well over deeper flats or paused near cover for a reaction bite from a following fish.

Work it with sharp twitch-and-jerk strokes followed by a deliberate pause; the long suspend is where most bites come, so resist the urge to rush the next twitch. It also produces on a straight, steady retrieve when fish want a subtler presentation, and can be walked or darted along the surface film in the top metre of the water column.

A 7ft-class medium-heavy jerkbait rod with some tip give suits the treble-hook hookset, paired with a baitcaster in the 6.3:1-7.1:1 range and 12-16lb fluorocarbon; the added stretch and sink rate of fluoro helps keep the bait tracking true and suspending correctly on the pause.