What is really wrong with Ugly Sticks?

[iffwalleyes]

As mentioned there are several Graphite rods other than Loomis and St Croix. Berkley's lighting rod is a very good entry level rod. You can also get some nice Fenwicks for $50 which is a steal for what you get. I have both Loomis and St Croix and as well as Fenwick none of them are on the high end of there line of rods but they are really nice still. I persionally don't have and never have used a ugly stick but I don't care for Glass rods that much so I stick with the graphite rods.

[gspman]

I was in Gander Mtn in Lakeville last night and they are just getting ready to move their soft water fishing inventory to the shelves. They had their brand name rods sitting in bunches here and there. I picked up their Tournament Series rod. Not sure what the price is. It was a 54 million modulus rod or thereabouts. It seemed like a very nice rod. Very light and sensitive. If it's not priced too high that'd be a great rod for the budget minded.

gspman

[HutchBucks]

UGLY STICK-"Anything Else Is Just A Rod"

The ad says it all!

[CaptAdam]

The only thing your missing is you don't have a lot of credit card debt! I started with 16 fenwicks at $100 each after a few years when I was down to 8 functioning rods, I added 8 St Croix at $200 a piece, a couple years later I was down to 9 various rods that still functioned so I sold them for $10 a piece! I decided to the try 7' medium action, 1 piece Ugly Stick rods. I went down to cabellas in owatonna and checked them out, pretty nice rods for only $59.00 each. I did not buy right then. on my way home I stoped by a place called excel pawn in the twin cities and in the back room they had hundreds of brand new fishing rods! I started looking through them and managed to find 16 of the very same ones cabellas had, still in the original wrapper! I carried them up to the counter and asked the clerk how much? He said, "how about 5 bucks a piece?" I bit my tounge, and said how about 4 bucks? He said, OK! Anway long story short, 4 years and 500 charters later, I still have 16 functioning $4 Ugly sticks on board!

[Scoot]

There seems to be a lot of talk in this thread about Ugly Sticks: Good or Bad? The answer very obviously is that it depends. There is no such thing as a "one size fits all" fishing rod. If you fish in situations and for fish that require a lot of sensitivity, then I firmly believe you're missing the boat by using an Ugly Stick or any similar glass rod. If you fish for fish that don't require a great deal of sensitivity in your rod (much muskie and pike fishing, for example), then an Ugly Stick or a similar rod might be a great rod for you. If you do a lot of jigging for walleyes, I think you're making a big mistake using a glass rod that lacks sensitivity (e.g. Ugly Stick). So rather than try to conclude if a particular rod type is universally good or bad, try think of what you want the rod to be able to do. If you are fishing in a way that will mandate a great deal of sensitivity and feel, get a decent graphite rod (and as mentioned above, there are lots of reasonably price options). If not, go with a cheaper rod and don't sweat it. Also, people often have a knee-jerk reaction to sensitivity- "of course I want a sensitive rod!" However, with many types of fishing sensitivity isn't important or even relevant- virtually all fishing involving a rod holder, a lot of muskie and pike fishing, some bass fishing, a lot of crankbait fishing in general being a few examples.

So think about what you'd like to use the rod for and determine if you need to be able to feel the lightest little nibble or not. If you want to be able to feel anything and everything, get a decent graphite rod. If not, save your money and get an Ugly Stick or similar rod.

[Slyster]

I'm certainly no pro... and I'm wrong I'm sure... but when I think about it.. wouldn't you 'feel' a tug better with a stiffer rod? And a super flexible rod would absorb the tug? Therefore a stiffer rod such as an ugly stick would be more sensitive? I'm sure this isn't the case.. but it makes sense to my mind.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Post deleted by Ralph Wiggum

[Scoot]

Slyster, you're kind of on the right track. What you're referring to is the speed of the the blank- from very fast to very slow. Slow action rods begin to flex closer to the butt of the rod. Fast action rods flex closer to the tip. However, very flexible and graphite can and definitley do (at times) go together. Both graphite and glass rods can range from very slow to very fast and you can therefore have any type of rods, from noodle to pool cue in either a graphite or glass. Faster rods are inherently more sensitive than slower rods. However, more important than fast vs. slow is the weight of the rod. All other things being equal, a rod of lighter weight is more sensitive than a heavier rod. This is why rods that are high modulus (the expensive SC V's or Loomis Legend Elite, for example) are the most sensitive- they weight less. (The price that is paid for weighing less is that they are more easily broken and less resistant to pressure from external force- stepping on them, for example). Graphite is lighter and lighter is more sensitive. If you want a good, really sensitive rod, get a graphite rod that is high modulus and with a fast or extra fast tip.

[JohnMickish]

To put it another way, sensitive and stiff do not always mean the same thing.

[Long Gray Line]

2 Ugly Stick ultralight spinning for pan fish (what a blast!), 2 medium spinning & casting to take to Canada and currently replacing an old fiberglass medium-heavy musky bucktail rod with an Ugly Stick. Yeah I have St. Croix's too for when you need to feel what's going on down there. Right rod for the job and more expensive doesn't necessarily mean better!!

[superhawk16]

think of a fishing pole like a gun. when you shoot a gun the heavier it is the less it kicks. when you shoot a really light gun you feel a huge kick. It is the same for a fishing pole. The heavier pole (the ugly stick) takes up a lot of the vibration before it even can get to your hand whereas with the lighter st. croix it doesn't have enough weight to dampen the vibrations.

[TSCTSC]

Quote:

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The only thing your missing is you don't have a lot of credit card debt! I started with 16 fenwicks at $100 each after a few years when I was down to 8 functioning rods, I added 8 St Croix at $200 a piece, a couple years later I was down to 9 various rods that still functioned so I sold them for $10 a piece! I decided to the try 7' medium action, 1 piece Ugly Stick rods. I went down to cabellas in owatonna and checked them out, pretty nice rods for only $59.00 each. I did not buy right then. on my way home I stoped by a place called excel pawn in the twin cities and in the back room they had hundreds of brand new fishing rods! I started looking through them and managed to find 16 of the very same ones cabellas had, still in the original wrapper! I carried them up to the counter and asked the clerk how much? He said, "how about 5 bucks a piece?" I bit my tounge, and said how about 4 bucks? He said, OK! Anway long story short, 4 years and 500 charters later, I still have 16 functioning $4 Ugly sticks on board!

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ROFL....

Thanks for your story. I like it very much.

You think I have any more chance at getting USD4 dollar ugly sticks still??

[Havin' Fun]

I finally have to speak up!

Fishing is about experience. IMO there are lots of fisherman out there with expensive equipment that will not catch anymore than the guy in his 14'er with his Ugly Sticks. Why? Because the person who knows how to fish(identify structure, patters, bait, location, ect.) will out produce. So is there anything wrong with Ugly Sticks? NO! I have 4 for trolling purposes and in fact they individually cost more than any other rod I have, except my muskie equipment. Why? Because the cost of the rod isn't important.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

I have had a couple Ugly Stick Lites in my boat for years.

I also use high mod. graphite rods.

I do mostly jigging and rigging for walleyes.

The one thing I do use on both types of rods is braided line,either Power Pro or Fire Line!

I think that an experienced fisherman can catch fish equally well with either type of rod with this type of line as it increases your feel greatly.

I like the Ugly sticks because they are more forgiving if my clients, (myself included at times), have a tendency to set the hook to hard. They walleyes also seem to hang on longer before you set the hook because the softer rods bend much more before the fish feel the extra pull.

I like the graphite rods because they are lighter to hold all day and they also have a much more sensative feel for light biting fish.

For the money you can't go wrong with Ugly Sticks!

Many of my clients prefer them over my graphite rods.

So it just comes down again to what works best for YOU!

Good Fishing!

Cliff

[BlackwaterStout]

I think a lot of good points have been made in this thread. I do a lot of catfishing and I use the 8' med/heavy white Ugly Stik Catfish Rods. I love them for that purpose. They are able to manhandle large flatheads with ease. You don't need a ton of sensativity when you are using a clicker.

But there is no doubt in my mind that graphite is much better for sensative applications like live bait jigging. I think the St. Croix and fenwick gear is nice, but there are a lot of good graphite rods that are "store Brand" that are fantastic. Cabelas has their series of IM6 and IM7 rods that you can pick up for about $35-$55 bucks each. Very nice rods for those of you on budgets.

[Havin' Fun]

Perhaps my frustration will show itself....however, fishing success is not, and should not, be related to the quality of equipment you buy. I get exremely frustrated with those who proclaim their fishing prowlesness based solely on their equipment. Zebco's straight up, I'll take my chances!