Let the Ugly Stik Wars begin?

Question

If someone asks, "Whats a CHEAP fishing rod to buy?" Whats your responce?

In the early 90's I sold more Ugly Stiks to novice anglers than ANY other rod. In 3 years we got a handful of Uglys back broken, whereas, we had literally BOXES of Penn, Shimano, Browning, Quantum, Zebco, to send back to the manufac. In the 3 years I was a manager in the fishing/hunting Dept at Sports Authority I never ONCE had a customer complain that he got "cheated" when he purchased an Ugly. In fact, most people came back to purchase more tackle/items because we "set them up with a good combo".

Do I believe that Ugly Stiks are the best rod you can purchase? NO

Are they sensitive? NO (except for the "Lite" series)

Would I try to sell an Ugly Stik to a pro fisherman? NO

BUT, if someone asks for a cheap rod and they "might" go fishing 10 times a year what rod do YOU suggest they buy?

Remember-Something under $40-$50.

Zebco? Walmart/Kmart Special? Berkley Lightning Rod?

Although I know we have to answer questions in YAnswers strictly on our own "experiences", sometimes what we "experience" is not the "common-truth".

I know people who SWEAR that Penn reels are terrible. I know people who would rather buy Zebco than Daiwa.
Etc. Etc. Etc.

The reason?
They had a bad "experience" with a company and think that EVERY product that particular company produces is crap.

Maybe you got a "bad" Ugly?
Or a "bad" Daiwa? Or a "bad" Shimano?
Etc. Etc. Etc.

My point- When advising people on gear try to go with what the majority agrees upon. YOU MAY have gotten that 1 defective product out of 10 and this changes your perspective but this doesn't change the facts.

Example-If I buy a defective BMW I probably won't buy another one. However, that doesn't make ALL BMW's bad cars!

Understand.

UPDATE:
I agree Peter_AZ. Perhaps we throw Ugly Stik around too much when someone asks for a rod, (and not a CHEAP rod).

But generally, if a "newbie" asks for a good rod to "start" fishing with, I would direct them to an Ugly Stik because I KNOW that is the best rod you can purchase for under $40-50. I would direct any new fisherman to an Ugly Stik (except for Flyfishing.)

When answering I usually will state, "You can get a better rod but not for under $40".

It just irritates me when I see that someone has advised an obvious "new" fisherman who MIGHT go fishing 5-10 times a year to purchase a G Loomis, Daiwa, Shimano, Penn, Etc Rod!
Most (if not all) of those rods START at $60-$79!

And a majority of these "newbie" fishermen we see Question from in YAnswers are under 18 years of age!

Not everyone can afford a $100 + Rod!
Esp not a minor!
I would never send a 14YR old to the store to make his parents buy him/her a G Loomis or Shimano rod!

Sorry for the "rant" guys! There are a handful of people on YAnswers that I think actually "read" the questions and actually TRY to help people.

I just get P.O.ed by some of the idiots who advise silly stuff to "newbie" anglers!

I shouldn't take it so seriously.
Sorry-

Answer 1

Hi, guess I should get into this, as it sounds very familiar to me. I don't know if one of my answers last week, and follow up response has anything to do with this, but I'm happy to see it come up again. I'd like to expand on what I stated before, now that I have had time to think about it and have cooled down. By the way to Stop_Makin_Cents, thanks for the rant, we need more of it.

Just to summarize where I'm coming from, last week I answered a question for someone who was going to fish off of a pier, and wanted an inexpensive rod. I and several others said that an Ugly Stick would be worth taking a look at, and given the stores he mentioned would be easy to find as well. Other brands were mentioned as well. One individual, instead of just giving an answer and supporting his view in a positive manner, proceeded to rant about his view of the poor quality of the Ugly Stick. Red flags went up and I responded. Looking back I would still react, and stand by what I said at the time. Many of you who answered here today have said the same things I said and was trying to say. You have just have expressed it much better than I did. I just need to learn to count to ten more often.

My background is very much the same as the questioners. I have been in the tackle business, both retail and wholesale. So when I see a question from a beginner, it is a question I have heard many times before. The difference is that here you can't ask a follow up and further qualify the person. You just have to go with what you have. I wish that people would give more information in their questions, but lot's of times they may not have the experience to ask a better question.

When I sold tackle I always tried to get the customer what they needed, and could afford, not what I wanted to sell. I would explain the options and let them decide. What you wanted to happen is that person has a positive experience and comes back and wants to expand and try new things and start to upgrade. Believe me, working in a tackle shop, there is nothing better than having a kid you helped get started, come in and want to put up a picture of their first fish on your wall. I would much rather undersell than oversell a customer. Selling an inexperienced angler a $200 Loomis rod is a disaster waiting to happen.

Getting to the specific issue of Ugly Stick vs. the world. I always had a good result selling them. I strongly agree that they are not for everyone and A_Z is right in saying that they are mentioned here as the answer to everything far too often. They are not, but for what they are intended for you can't beat them. I have had many experienced fishermen purchase them or replace some guides on an old one, so that they could give it to their kids as a first rod.

This all goes beyond just Ugly Sticks, but to all comparisons of rod vs. rod, reel vs. reel. It is a matter of what you like are comfortable with. There is no absolute right or wrong, but many who get into these discussions seem to take it that way. As to answering a question, I do think that is good to have fun doing so, but I do take it some what seriously, and try to give the best possible information available. Some one who takes the time to put up a question at least deserves that consideration. This has been enjoyable, thanks for reading.

As always I welcome Email from anyone who would like further clarification, and I will respond.

Answer 2

Well for me, I'm new to bass fishing, but been catfishing my whole life. I have several rods, some Ugly Stiks and I do own one Lightning Rod, and I can say I have never had one let me down like some other more expensive ones have. I have had the fortune of being around a lot of long time anglers who have given me tons of tackle (rods, reels, lures, bait, tacklebags and boxes,even a small fishfinder) and some the higher end rods have failed me. This is just my take on this, but I will probably never buy a Shimano, Daiwa, G Loomis, St. Croix, or All Star rod because I just don't want to spend that kind of money, when I work with rods that are cheaper and suit me just fine. If I were still a single guy and no kids maybe I would "splurge" a little. I do get annoyed when talking to guys who always try to get you to buy the same 200 dollar rod they have (are they kidding me?) it's not gonna happen. I would'nt turn one down if given to me, but for my money, Ugly Stiks are more than ok for me! They say you get what you pay for, and I guess that's true. I paid for a decent rod and since they're still going strong, I guess that's what I got!

Answer 3

Ugly Stik Fly Rod

Answer 4

Ugly Stiks are the best bang for the buck when it comes to fishing rods. Yet, it does have one major fault. The two-piece Ugly Stiks have been known to not connect well. When one puts the two-piece rod together, one needs to be careful the rod doesn't separate during casting. Shakespeare, nevertheless, is a good company when it comes to replacing a defective rod. If you send one half of the rod in, Shakespeare, based in South Carolina, will replace that half free of charge. One only has to pay the freight and transportation fee. As far as quality, Ugly Stik has a sturdy graphite. The 11-footer, however, is heavy. A lot heavier than the 10-footer. Yet, if one uses an Ugly Stick, one can't go wrong.

Answer 5

Let's not forget, the fish don't know what rod you're using. If it works, is durable enough to last a season, and you like it, there's nothing wrong with Ugly Stik. I'd go Daiwa as my second choice, but that's cause my dad was partial to them(My last "Shakespeare" rod broke on a snag with 4# line, but it wasn't an Ugly, don't know if this really matters). It was 15 years old though, so I can't complain too much. My Shakespeare reel is still doing okay, though.

It is sad that a company who introduced so many of us to fishing (zebco) has fallen so dramatically. I bet 90% of us anglers under 40 out there had a zebco as their first rod. Maybe I'm lucky, but I have four or five 30 to 40 year old inherited zebcos that I'll take anywhere and fish anything with. However, I threw my most recent zebco away in disgust and swore never to buy another.

I will never buy another hook but Gamakatsu, they just impressed me so much with their product after stumbling on them (only brand of 1/0's at the tackle store that day). That's the best way to develop brand loyalty: outstanding quality, not the process of elimination.

Answer 6

This is like asking someone what their favorite beer is !!

Here's my $ . 02

An off the wall Ugly-Stik of generic rating (say...7' 6-15lb test)
makes a great "river-rat" rod for tossing spinners, plugs, jigs and live-bait. You truly can't beat the price or the durability.
They will suffice as a trolling rod as well.

Being a rod-builder and primarily a fly-fisherman, I can honestly say I've never had a customer request one.
If you cast an Ugly-Stik fly rod, you'd know why (LOL)

So....as you said, for the novice looking for one "servicable"
rod to fish with a dozen times a year...why not ??

Don't get me started on Penn Reels !!!!

Answer 7

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Let the Ugly Stik Wars begin?
If someone asks, "Whats a CHEAP fishing rod to buy?" Whats your responce?

In the early 90's I sold more Ugly Stiks to novice anglers than ANY other rod. In 3 years we got a handful of Uglys back broken, whereas, we had literally BOXES of Penn, Shimano, Browning, Quantum, Zebco, to...

Answer 8

I only buy ugly sticks. They are strong and mid priced. My friend hasn't got the who spin casting setup down yet so he uses the cheap zebco reel. The other day he had a fish on and the whole backside of his reel fell into the water. He could still fish but he had to put his shirt sleeve over his hand to cast because without the whole back assembly the button was missing and hurt quite a bit casting by pressing on the metal shaft. I had 3 spin cast combos sitting right there. All ugly sticks of course. He refused. "I'm good." Well at least one of us didn't get a sore thumb. Zebco is alright but when it comes to spooling like its just garbage in my opinion. You remember when you were kids and you had a zebco reel. It would cast out like 20 feet and catch and stop or you'd get one good cast in but after while reeling it that a massive nest of line all tangled came out with it. Yeah I feel you. I was there too. Spin cast is def the way to go and nothing better to go with your spin caster than an ugly stick. Heck I even use an ugly stick for my trolling rod with the old style trolling reel. I forget the name. The big ones that look like oversized fly reels. But for my spin casters I primarily use Mitchell reels.

If I get something thats poor quality I will try again of course. Not saying ALL Zebcos are garbage. Just the 3 reels I owned and several others I've noticed bung up. But yeah as far as a BMW.......If I spent $60,000 dollars on a car and it was a lemon I highly doubt I would take the chance and spend another $60,000 seeing that I only make $35,000/year. haha. But even if I made $200,000/year I still wouldn't take a chance with that kind of money. I guess it all depends on how bad of an experience you have and how much it cost.

Answer 9

I have a 7' ugly stick, 1 piece, black, not sure of the model #. I fish in long island sound, mostly catch tuff bluefish and stripers. This pole has been bent in half fighting these fish, and i like the action and the strength. Its a great rod, i don't care how much it costs.
The truth is, any rod can break. And most of the time, its from doing something stupid - like slamming the rod in a car door (did that once!!).

Answer 10

I'll throw my 2 cents in also, if you buying first time the ugly stick is the way to go for durability
once you get past a couple of years of fishing you are going to want to get a rod that has more sensitivity esp. if you want to learn finesse/worm fishing.....you don't have to spend money on a st croix rod, but pick one up and note the action and the construction of the pole.....there are plenty of rods just as well built in the $30 to$40 range at any big box retailer..its just a matter of feel...