Ive caught plenty of freshwater bass with an ugly stick when i started fishing. Just because its not the best doesnt mean its not a great rod. Obviously most of us take fishing very seriously so we have higher end gear to give us the best advantages. But for a sunday afternoon fisherman the ugly stick is a great rod. I suggest if you already have the proper gear setups, than save it for some who may not fish but youd like to take out on the water, or donate it to a kid to get them into fishing.