Got me a new Ugly Stik

[Feral]

Well,

After trying out my new Wilson Live Fibre at Lenthalls, and realising it truly is a light duty rod, I figured I need a heavier rod to replace my retired Loomis for Barra work. If I had got a barra on the Wilson rod, I would have never stopped it.

So having heard good things about Ugly stiks both price and quality wise, I thought they might be the go. Particularly with Kmarts sale on, as I knew they sold them.

So onto Shakespeare's web site for a bit of research, and armed with their model list and recommended retail prices off I went.

Got to Kmart, nothing like the model list from the web site, but plenty of ugly sticks. I was originally looking for a medium rod, around the 6 to 8 kilo range. But the3 to 6 kilo was the last with a decent but on it, over that the buts were a lot thicker and the reel seat a lot further up the rod. I really like the 6 to 10 kilo overhead rod, and I like using overheads with spinning reels (upside down as it were), but the reel seat was huge, I was not sure it would wind up on my 3000 series reel.

The 3 to 6 kilo unit looked all right, at $75 before discount price was about $20 less than the rrp for similar rods from the Shakespeare web site.

So trotted down the hallway to see what Amart and Big W at the other end of the shopping centre had on the go. They to had nothing listed on the web site, so I am thinking they must not update it all that often.

Big W had the same rod for $10 less. Amart had it for $20 more. Amart also had a very poor range, only about 3 Ugly stiks in the store.

So back down to Kmart, got the rod for about $57 with the discount, (about $8 cheaper than Big W's standard price) A Little lighter than I was looking for, but being only a 6'6\" rod rather than a 7 footer it should handle any barra I catch easily enough.

[Brian D]

About time Feral - you are not a realy fisherman until you have owned at least one Ugly. \"the worlds strogest rod even bends right round on itself\". Well that's what the castle says \"put it straight into the pool room\"

If you use it in the salt - make sure you wash it - the guides are not what they used to be.

[Feral]

10 year warranty Brian, mind you probably does not cover actual \"use\"

[Gazza]

Uglies are a great rod good score bud you wont be dissapointed

[kriso]

mate i bought a little 6ft 2-4 kg for my light setup and its fantastic

[Brian D]

Feral wrote:

10 year warranty Brian, mind you probably does not cover actual \"use\"

You don't have to worry about breaking it - you never catch fish anyway! :evil: :laugh: :laugh:

Did I say that - look who's talking. :sick: :pinch:

[mojo]

Re Ugly stiks.

has anyone bought the ABU muscle tip rods? they sell at BIGW from $28 and look very good value.

very little difference from the ugly stik that I could see...I wonder if they use the same blank.

Brian D, your right, the Uglies certainly dont seem what they used to be, blanks might be the same but imo the guides and overall quality looks to have dropped considerably.

What happened to the nice diamond wraps?

I have 2 ugly stiks, one of the first ever made, I think they were called wonderod early on, 5'6 BC with screw down reel seat and rubber handle, still one of my favourites.. the guides are all double foot SS and still like new.

The other rod is an ugly stik lite pro, 7ft spin I bought from the states around 10 years ago, over the years those cheap US single foot guides have been upgraded and the handle is looking pretty sad but It is one of the best blanks I've ever owned..caught everything from whiting to metre long shovelnose and never looked like dying.

cheers

[STU]

Brian D wrote:

About time Feral - you are not a realy fisherman until you have owned at least one Ugly. \"the worlds strogest rod even bends right round on itself\". Well that's what the castle says \"put it straight into the pool room\"

If you use it in the salt - make sure you wash it - the guides are not what they used to be.

I bent an ugly stick that was given to me right around on it's self to test out that theory \"snap\" no more ugly stick for stu:huh:

[rayke1938]

The rod is not going to perform very well as you are using an eggbeater on a baitcaster rod. You will loose casting distance due to the first runner being too close to the rod and too small. Also you will not be using the backbone of the rod to fight the fish.

Ray

[Feral]

Brian D wrote:

Feral wrote:

10 year warranty Brian, mind you probably does not cover actual \"use\"

You don't have to worry about breaking it - you never catch fish anyway! :evil: :laugh: :laugh:

Did I say that - look who's talking. :sick: :pinch:

Never broken a rod on a fish Brian, just trees and kids have accounted for the breakages in my rod collection! (Remember the first time we met? Alex snapped the tip off my Berkley Dropshot trying to retrieve a soft plastic out of a tree at Newstead park!)

I went with the normal spin Rod Ray, but I was tempted!

Post edited by: Feral, at: 2007/07/02 19:46