just how tough is an ugly stick??

k gang.....i'll speak from personal experience ,,,,,,,,,,,these things are tough.....i'm hard on fishing equipment...........I don't mind spending 40 bucks on one...........for those who've never bought one...........or never heard of one....

Only rod I will buy now.

30 yrs ago i had a native buddy who had one.....shorter model. He would bend it until it almost touched the shaft. Dont know about newer ones.

I’ve been a firm believer in ugly stiks my whole life. Best rod on the market for the price

I have been accused of being beat with one when I was a kid.....But it was my sister. Lol

All my rods are Ugly Stiks, bait casters and spin casters. Most are the newer GX2's

I've been using them for about forty years. When I find something that works, i "Stik" with it.

I have an idiot BIL that broke one by accidentally slamming his car door on it. He broke the replacement a week later when he slammed the trunk lid on the tip. He got a two-piece after that and lost the front half after making a hasty cast at a giant musky without fully seating the two halves.

I'm on my second one. First one broke and I'm not even sure why it broke. It was pretty old though.

They're ok for throwing around bass sized lures, but I have yet to buy one that I like for jigging Walleyes or Muskys. Just no backbone to them.

And yes, I have several and use them regular for what I said I think they're good for.

They are tough. I've had a few and looked at tons but never found one I liked.

My heavy action bait-casters are my go-to pike and musky rods.

I catch all my walleye with my medium action spin casters.







Of course I'm running crank-baits, spinner-baits and dragging rubber worms for them. I don't do any jigging. That might be a whole different ballgame rod-wise.

I own 6 or so of them. Great rods and not very expensive considering. I've battled hundreds if not thousands of fish on them.

Its the feel Lug. The ugly sticks are kinda like a wet noodle to me for jigging, trying to feel the bump. I never broke one like everyone else and have caught lots of fish on them but there are way better rods for different styles of fishing..imo.

I love the one I use for trout, I have a tendency to jerk too hard on a bite and the ugly stick is limp enough I don't rip the hook thru.

Interesting, never considered that. They've been about all I've used for decades. The only jigging I do is for summer bass in and around the thick weeds.

I have no doubt that there are better, more expensive rods for specific styles of fishing.

It is my slip bobber rod for walleyes. It's probably 20 years old.

Thats funny.

About the same time My brother bought one. At the time they were running advertisements showing a guy touching the tip to the butt which of course I convinced him to demonstrate. He got it within 4" from touching when it exploded lacerating him under the eye good enough for 4 stitches.

He did salvage enough to make an ice fishing stick.

WS

I buy nice reels, but I put cheap ugly sticks on all my catfish rods.

I have always been a fan of Ugly Stiks. Back in the 80's when I guided professionally I outfitted with Ugly Stiks as they always were rugged and dependable. I still use some of those rods today and I have purchased additional ones as well.

Chris

I like certain models for circle hooks on catfish. Specifically the ones with a soft tip that let the hook work but I can't stand a noodle rod without a backbone. Try turning a big flathead out of a log pile without any backbone in the rod.

I have fished them my dad had a Medium back in the 90s and my son had one as his first pole my brother bought it for him when he was about 4 or 5

they just don't feel the way I like a pole to feel and I am not a rod snob at least I don't think I am

I do stand in the store testing rod after rod to get the right feel but I don't have to spend big money on them , it is just about feel for me. I actually try not to look at the price tag till I have felt it which does lead to setting a lot of poles down that feel great and they want more than a hundred for

The Ugly Cat is my go to for big channels and the occasional flathead. I dont think ive used anything with less power than those and they are a medium heavy. I think you can have power/unbreakable OR sensitivity-not both. Ive broke the tip off of my fair share if “sensitive” poles. Nothing too high dollar for me.

I have a couple of Ugly Sticks, but they're not my favorite spinning rods. If I was going to yank on snags a lot, it would be my go-to spinning rod.

Jim

I must have misread the title of this thread.......

I thought it said " Just how tough is an Ugly Chick? "
Pretty tough , I've seen guys that had them. It was tough for them for sure.

Lugnut, put him back in the water and let him grow up. LOL.
nice fish.

Try the GX2 medium heavy. I fished with one tonight, plenty of backbone

The gx2 medium heavy 5 footer is my go too,,, I fish big reels and 50 pound test,,, I practically crawl thru invasive honeysuckle to get to a few of my favorite fishing spots,,, I don’t use lead weights either,, I use nuts that I buy in bulk from tractor supply company,,, it’s unorthodox,,, but it works for me

I own 6. Nothing else.

I like the 7' Med Action baitcasting rods for dragging crankbaits around. I prefer St. Croix or Loomis for jigging.

I have a LOT of rods...90 or more and have some Ugly Sticks amongst them. They work well for certain things and are pretty inexpensive...good value. I have never broken one but am pretty careful with my rods. I have, however, broken a few of my other rods over the years. I don't expect to ever break an Ugly stick since with all of the other rods in use, the Ugly Sticks don't see much action.

Me Also but 7

They must be pretty dang tough. Some of them antifa women look like they got hit with one a bunch lol

5'6" Ugly Stik with 5 eyelets so I can throw a 1/8 oz lure to rainbows. This was a 24" fresh. Released

I like them, but agree with a few of the others. They don't have much of a backbone.