Is the ugly stick the best pole?

Question

my friend tells me that a ugly stick is 1 of the best poles to get but not the real that comes with it so buying the stick alone will be good?

Answer 1

No, I love my Daiwa Light and Tough 6'6" Heavy rod the most, but it was over $100, and my Kistlers too! :)

If you are on a Wal-Mart budget, check out the Abu Garcia Black Max combo they have for $60. I picked one up and the reel is solid, with good brakes, tension control k**b, casts like a rocket, and the rod is an IM6 graphite, 6'6" MH 1 piece rod, has metal guides, and killer sensitivity. Great action in the tip!

I have already caught plenty of bass and fiesty sunfish! I use it for flippin' Sweet Beavers, and Texas Rigging 4-6" worms. A sweet combo for $60!!!

Ugly Sticks are nice, but I prefer Daiwa L&T and Kistlers.

Answer 2

they are extremely good, i have two i used growing up fishing. they are a good rod to learn with because the are sensitive yet durable

Answer 3

For a guy like me,who fishes mostly ponds where most bass are around 1-4 pounds and the carp don't get much higher than 10 my Ugly Stik is just what I need.I go fishing about 1-2 times a  week.With the fish I go for (bass and carp) there's no need for spending $100 on a rod.Not that I have that kind of money anyway.If you're gonna do some serious fishing for large fish go for an expensive rod.If you're more like me an Ugly Stik should be right up your alley.

I'd about #$%^ my pants if I broke a $100+ rod lol.

Funny thing is my 9 year old son catches bass and does pretty well for a kid on a $12 spincast rod from Walmart.In my mind he's all the proof that people with my fishing habits don't need expensive rods.

Answer 4

It is very amazing if I must say. I have 4 and counting (got one in the mail yet). They are one of the cheapest yet most sensitive rods out there. You can buy some at walmart for less than $20! It's great for beginners and pros alike. I recommend that rod for anyone that fishes!

Answer 5

KBhilts brings up many valid FACTS about Uglys.

(Thumbs UP to KB for a thoughtful, intelligent answer!)

Ironically, the other posters are correct as well....Ugly Stik is a fine rod IN IT'S PRICE RANGE!

The only other decent rods that come close to the Uglys price tag of $29-$39 is:

Berkley Lightning Rod- $34

Shimano Convergence- $29-$49

St. Croix Triumph- $50-$70

Shimano Clarus- $49-$59

Fenwick Eagle- $54-$59

Other than Bass Pro Shop brand or Cabelas brand that is IT for brand name, "decent", inexpensive, fishing rods.

(In my opinion), I would NEVER purchase an original Ugly Stik, (they are heavy, have very little sensitivity, Etc.) for ANY type of fishing OTHER than offshore trolling, (or big lake trolling), OR offshore saltwater big-game (& freshwater big Cat) bottom fishing.

When you are fishing for "big game" fish that have an obvious "strike" Ugly Stiks EXCEL over many graphite rods twice to 3 times as expensive!

The ONLY Ugly Stik worth purchasing for ANY other type of fishing, (be it inshore saltwater for Reds/Spec.Trout to Bass/Walleye/Crappie in freshwater) would be the Ugly Stik "Lite" Series. They have "ok" sensitivity and some of the durability of the original Uglys.

So it really depends on WHAT you are fishing FOR.

In other words, if you plan to fish 5 times a year for smallish lake/river fish UNDER 20LB's and need a "do everything" pole an Ugly Stik Lite would probably work fine for you.

However, if you are planning to fish every other day, catching mainly Bass, Walleye, Northerns, Redfish, Spec Trout, freshwater Trout,  Etc. ,using mainly lures, you would probably want to purchase a more sensitive rod. A Shimano Convergence would be a "better bet" for you if your in this category.

Hope this helps ya somehow? Good luck!

Answer 6

i think its the best pole for anything because its hard for the pole to break or snap also u can use them for anything u mostley want to yea the reel sucks on it 1 ball bearing but i would just buy the pole instead

Answer 7

The thing is that ugly stiks ARE great rods, for the PRICE, there are many way better rods out there, BUT if you are limited to a budget of say $30- about the price of some ugly stiks then that's OK, get one it will be great to get you started, after a few years you will see the better rods, like Loomis and so on. As for the reels get a different reel, it is important as its between you and the fish, then load it with a quality co-polymer line, some people will disagree with me on this but if you're on a budget, try one of cabelas spinning reels, Ive recently tried one and well they weren't bad for the price.

Other good brands of reel to look at are Shimano and Diawa, Abu Garcia also makes some good reels

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templa...

Answer 8

yes!!!! the ugly stick is the worlds most durable yet most sensitive rod! i have 5 of them myself! if i ever buy a fishing combo i put the pole that came with it and buy another ugly stick!

Answer 9

I know I’m going to get a lot of detractors to these comments, because the Ugly Stik has been around so long and the great advertising by Shakespeare has become so ingrained in the ill-advised neophite fishermen that the legend defies all reason. It’s almost heresy to criticize the “holy” Ugly Stik!! The Ugly Stik has been around for many years, and untold tens of thousands of them have been sold. The biggest selling factor is its advertised indestructibility. I will grant it that. It takes a lot to break one. They are extremely durable!!

Seeing that Ugly Stik bent in half with tip to butt is a very convincing picture!! But, what the average angler/buyer misses in this whole hoopla is that the factors that make the Ugly Stik so durable are the very factors that detract from its fishability. It is 75% glass and 25% graphite. They are physically heavy rods in comparison to the high-modulus graphite rods on the market today. They flex and give in to pressure, making them mostly very whippy, and with very little backbone to actually help fight the fish, and little to no sensitivity to detect activity at the end of your line. Think about it….. Any rod that can be bent in half, tip to butt, is offering no help in fighting a fish. It’s giving against the strain, and putting all the pressure on your line, instead of on the rod, where it belongs. And, they're still priced in the $30-$40 price range (where they've been for decades), which is high-priced for a basically fiberglass freshwater fishing rod.  

Now, comes the truth!! For the same money (or less), you can readily buy a high quality IM6 or IM7 (even IM8) graphite rod which will weigh 1/3 to 1/2 as much as a comparable model Shakespeare Ugly Stik, will give you the backbone needed to tire your fish, and offer much greater sensitivity and responsiveness. Here’s a fishing rod that’s going to help you fight that fish!! Will these rods break?? Yes, occasionally. But they sure make the fishing experience a lot more fun!! All-in-all, this would be your better choice in a fishing rod. Do you want to buy indestructability, or would you like to enjoy your fishing a lot more with a good quality graphite rod that allows you to intimately feel what’s going on at the other end of your line??

Answer 10

your friend is absolutely correct