FS Digest

Hello, I need help deciding on weather to get the 6’6 ugly stick rod or the 7’ feet. How does size affect the way it performs? Want to catch bass, catfish, and Makrille. Thank you

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by ahaudbsk

FS Digest

Get the 7'. The longer rod will help with casting distance.

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by R4G22

FS Digest

I'm just going to say ugly stik is probably not the best option at the price. It's fine for catfish but it can make things difficult for bass fishing as it is very heavy and has the sensitivity of a garden hose. Personally I think you'd be better off spending another $10-15 and getting a Daiwa Aird X. Just my 2 cents. If you do go with an ugly stik, I'd get the 7'. It'll help with casting distance

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by ericht12345

FS Digest

I never had an issue catching bass on mine, and I have 2, I like it but to each their own.

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by angurth

FS Digest

Absolutely. They'll without a doubt catch fish. I just think going to a lighter rod would make fishing a lot less tiring. But, like you said, to each his own

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by ericht12345

FS Digest

Get the 7. I got the 6'6 when I started and quickly got a longer pole after using a friends off of a dock and notedly saw the casting distance. The 6'6 is great if you are in an area with a lot of overhanging brush that could snag, or if portability is a major priority, otherwise go for the 7

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by angurth

FS Digest

Is the 7 a one piece or two?

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by ahaudbsk

FS Digest

Just retired my 7’ Ugly Stik Elite last night for a St Croix. The Ugly was a great rod for my return to fishing. I was told by a friend to treat myself to at least one high end rod to experience the difference in rod quality so I bought a Falcon. Broke the rod on the first hook set. Falcon is local so I got a new rod for free and love this one. I don’t know if you can break an Ugly other than a door or tailgate incident. Expensive rods need to be babied but they are so much more sensitive. You will soon notice a different feel when your lure touches rock grass mud or wood. Fewer gut hooks because you can tell quicker when a fish has the bait. Get the 7’ Ugly and start saving up for a quality rod you won’t regret it.

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by okmechanic

Oil scout Loc: Slidell, LA

Go with the 7' rod. I have fished with Ugly Stix since they first come on the market. Have from 5' to 7' rods. I have a 5' rod that I have caught Bull reds (red drum) here in south Louisiana up to 35# with no trouble. Just takes a while to get them to the boat, but I'm not in a hurry. Yesterday I was catching perch off my dock fishing with worms using the 5' rod. I do have 18# power pro on a good reel. The weight isn't noticed between the Ugly Stix and my expensive rods.
A good fisherman can catch fish with a stick with a string and hook. Presentation is the most important part of catching fish. All the sporting goods stores with their row after row of beautiful rods and reels will catch more fishermen than fish. So get the 7' rod and put a quality reel on and spool good line on, not the spool of 500 yards for $4.99. And go fishing and remember it's fishing not catching. Tight lines.

Salesrep Loc: Maryland

Got another choice....don’t waste your money on the Ugly Stik.
There are a lot better rods out there than the Ugly Stik for just a few dollars more.

captjim Loc: Antioch Ca

I see a lot of questions regarding Ugly Stick rods. On my charter boat I had two rods types heavy and light. Heavy worked great on Sturgeon, sharks or trolling weight releases for salmon. I used a Shimano near shore 7' graphite. I also have a 7 1/2 ft I use my self. These have the sensitive tip to see a sturgeon bite but enough back bone to throw a 2-2 1/2 lb. weight on a weight release. I have had customers bring the Ugly Stick Tiger series on board. Not impressed with that model. Too light of a tip with out a smooth progression to the lower rod. In other words tip of rod bends over at about 12" and rest of the rod is stiff as board. Hard to set a hook with that rod.
Light rods. Ugly Stick makes a 8 1/2 ft. rod they call a steelhead/salmon mooching rod. Black graphite body with the fiberglass tip. I swear by these rods, used them for over 20 years. They work great for anchored fishing for stripers, trolling for stripers, or drifting live bait. When I first started chartering I used a Fenwick HMG graphite 9' as my light rod. These retailed for $300.!!! They were not as versatile as the Ugly Stick, and had a habit of breaking at the 4th eye down. My cost on these were $90 but not worth even that with the failures. I could get the Ugly Stick through Bass Pro for around $70. Only had 1 Ugly Stick break in all that time.(customer screw-up not the rod) Rods on a charter boat get a beating and I did replace them about every 5 years.
My theory on high end vs. any other rod. Most people are not experienced enough to even be able to feel the difference. Buy quality durable equipment and it will never let you down. Hobby fisherman that are not fishing more than a few times a year should spend a little less on gear and have the bucks for a few more trips.
Remember it is your practice and experience that makes you a good fisherman not the gear.

Ben Bragg Loc: Dayton Ohio

I have been using longer rods for past 15 or so years.
Casting distance and leverage are best reasons I can give.
If you fish close quarters , creeks , trees , etc the shorter rod will do a better job for you.

Cleemartin Loc: Hampton, Virginia

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If you think that Ugly Stik rods are too heavy, you have not looked at them recently. They are very light these days.

saw1 Loc: nor cal Windsor

AND those are very sensitive also. I LOVE the PRO LITE series.

Ben Bragg Loc: Dayton Ohio

Captjim
What you are saying makes sense for more novice fishermen
However , what is your opinion of someone who is a very experienced fisherman. Some one who has spent many years mastering the techniques and as such elects to invest money in top end equipment to get the absolute best performance to apply this mastery ?
Seems like every time I mention st croix or god forbid loomis. A lot of guys go absolutely ape shit
They claim it’s a big waste of money and yada yada.
I’m not saying I’m better than anyone
I am saying I am much better than what an ugly stick can do for me.
I don’t just run out and buy a loomis because it’s a loomis. I carefully select the characteristics of each particular model to give me the best of what I’m looking for to support a particular technique.
I have and use 12 high end rods . Six of which can be considered ultra high end.
All of these are used primarily matched to a certain technique or small range of techniques.
Now I know some one is gonna bitch and scream that “ I catch just as many as you do with my best in the world ugly stick “
Let me just say No you do not . if you do, then you are one hell of a gifted angler.