Shakespeare Ugly Stik?

smcclown05

smcclown05

Joined
Oct 17, 2008
Messages
1,686
I haven't been fishing in years and the nice weather today got me itching to go. Theres a medium sized creek behind my apartment complex and I thought I might run out either tonight or tomorrow to the nearby Bass Pro Shop and pic up a rod. The Shakespeare Ugly Stik rod/real combo got good reviews and at ~$40 seems like it could be a good deal for a re-beginner like myself.

Thought I'd pick up some grubs and jigheads to try for some panfish. I seem to remember the pumkinseed ones working well before.

Any comments on the Ugly Stik? Bait recommendations? I live in central VA.
 
The Ugly Stick will work fine and last forever.I have two and used them a bunch.I now prefer a lighter more sensitive 100 percent graphite rod .

Sometimes Bass Pro have their IM6 graphites on sale for 20 dollars.
 
Ugly sticks are tough rods, but I prefer the graphite rods, too. The action is a bit livelier... but they will break if you give em a dirty look. So, like everything else it is a trade-off.
 
I picked up an ugly stick years back and i'm not afraid to loan it out.
Price was right, action is good enough for the farm ponds I fish in, and it's durable.
as to bait - I mostly go after sunfish and catfish, so worms, corn, and chicken hearts are me preferred bait. (even though hybrid green sunfish are dumb enough you don't always need bait)
 
thanks for the input guys. I went over to BPS tonight and ended up picking up a BPS 5'6" Micro Lite graphite 3 piece spinning rod. Came with a nice sock and is really light weight. Paired it with a Shimano Sienna 1000RD reel and picked up a few jigs, grubs, hooks, swivels, bobbers and split shot and some 6lb test line. All said and done it came to about $127. I haven't been fishing in forever but I hope this will cover me for now. Gotta try to figure how to get the line on the new reel. Gonna try to get up early and check out this creek tomorrow :)
 
I love to see another fisherman coming back into the fold. :)

When you put the line on, make sure it winds on the reel the same direction it comes off the spool, otherwise it will twist badly.
 
although i use the hi-dollar graphites when bass fishing , i still have & loan out my ugly stik i bought in 1982. for durability & all around utility the stik is great.--dennis
 
It'll be fine. I have a bunch of fishing rods, but I still use a 5' an Ugly Stik for trout fishing in small streams, and when I was TDY to Arkansas, I bought another Ugly Stik combo to catch trout from the White River. There are more sensitive rods, but few more bombproof.

Wes
 
Ugly Stick is my go to rod. Priced right, very durable. Good qc. The complaint that serious guys seem to have is a lack of sensitivity.
 
I've used a bunch of them. Tough durable rod. My only issue with them is the weight, when you're fishing lures and casting the rod all day. It's not that big of a deal, but at the end of the day, your forearms can tell the difference.;)

I also use a lot of lighter graphite rods, but as I've made the transition to braided lines, the flex of the Ugly Stik is more appealing to me.

With the no stretch properties of braid, you don't need a stiff rod for sensitivity or good hook sets, like you do with monofilament lines.

I'm going to buy a couple of 7' Ugly Stik Classic spinning rods and get them re-wrapped with better quality guides for all purpose outfits. Match them with a couple of Daiwa 3500 series spinning reels, some 30-40lb braid, and I'll be ready for just about any kind of fishing, bait or lure.

I fished last season with one of the 7' classics, 20lb Berkley Fireline, on a Mitchell Avocet 2000 spinning reel, as a trial. It was mostly light duty catfishing, but it was a hell of combo.
 
I've got a few old ones in a closet- at least 26 years old. My fishing buddy would always make a point of mentioning- it was nice they named a fishing rod after me.
 
ugly sticks: best price vs. performance vs. value...all of my salt rods are ugly sticks...i can afford the expensive name brands and have used them, but i really don't fish any better with them; but that's on salt water only...

freshwater, i like berkley rods primarily because they have a wider variety than shakespears...
 
I give my vote for Ugly Stik rods any day. I have a few that have survived and I love them.
 
Ugly Stiks are great and as many have mentioned...

Best rod for the price in my opinion! :) ... Speaking of fishing April is coming up fast!
 
Ugly Stiks are awesome for the price. The one thing I don't like about them is that the handle on the saltwater ones are too large in diameter and don't fit into some rod holders.
 
Love the ugly sticks, especially the small 5 foot ultra lights ones for brim and sacalait (crappie), also use em for bass, specks and reds. Good rods, I've got one that is at least 30 years old and still fishes great. Can't beat it for the money.
 
They seem to be very dureable rods. I don't have one but my buudie swears by them. He has used them for years.

As far as bait goes, I use alot of small plastics like 1 inch minnows and such. I also use and reccomend the Berkley Power Bait. It is in a small glass jar and needs no refridgeration. You should be able to find it wherever fishing supplies are sold.


mlrs
 
Last edited:
I am dying to go fishing. We have to wait til April 1st. opening Day. Cleaning my reel tonight. Ugly Stick is a great rod. I use some much nicer ones like St. Croix, but I also go all the time. Good luck. Switching from golf back to fishing was one of the best moves i've made in years.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top