Ugly Stick Usage

[bmac31]

I have a 6'6 action MH 8-20 lb. Line ugly stick. just wondering what knda presentations you guys would use it for.

Thanks

Brian

[bmac31]

I dunno if it means anything but its got a long handle.

[Alpha Male]

I use my Medium uglystick for crankbaits.

[aquaholic]

casting or spinning?

[SirSnookalot]

I personally would not use an ugly stick in freshwater, in the price range I think there are way better options.  BUT....... that really isn't the case down here in the salt, more ugly sticks are used than about anything else I see, some very good fishermen I know use nothing but.  Bear in mind these rods are not light, the opposite of what many bass fishermen prefer.  Commonplace here is a 20 oz penn reel on a 30lb ugly stick, sounds heavy but for the kind of fishing that's done with them it really isn't, working a freshwater jig is more tiring than a long flowing saltwater cast.

[bmac31]

It was given to me and I thought it was a lol heavy. i was trying to find a good use for it. I don't do much SW fishing. Thanks for the help guys.

Brian

[jhoffman]

I have that rod, I hate it, but its limber tip makes for a decent drop shot rod.

[nascar2428]

That's my carping stick.

[I.rar]

I have a ul ugly stick lite on my rod rack. I use it for collecting dust.

[aquaholic]

It was given to me and I thought it was a lol heavy. i was trying to find a good use for it. I don't do much SW fishing. Thanks for the help guys.

Brian

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.

[Smallmouth Hunter]

Not gonna lie, the ugly stick makes a great topwater rod. The tip is extra whippy and you can really walk those spooks fast. Also, you can "pop" poppers very fast.

[Hyrule Bass]

an ugly stick is good for everything but jigs pretty much. its an excellent drop shot rod, good for soft plastics, and mid-sized cranks and topwaters

[FD.]

My last ugly stick is at the bottom of Lake Harris.  Up until the time it went overboard it made a great crank bait rod.  If you were buying there are better options, but since it was free, it will do most any thing you want it to.

[bmac31]

Thanks all looks like I might be cranking with it for now and eventually as my collection grows ill use it as a loner when I bring inexperienced friends out fishing.

Brian

[Sam]

Brian, nothing wrong with an Ugly Stick.

 

I use them for pond fishing and the work fine.

 

Great to give to friends and relatives who don't fish so they don't destroy your good rods.

 

As usual, check the Ugly Stick's line test and bait weight parameters and stay within them.

 

What most bass fishermen don't know is that the fish have no idea if you are using an Ugly Stick or a G. Loomis NXR rod so keep it to yourself.

[Fishes in trees]

You are pretty young.  You can get away with throwing cranks on that rod for a while.  Sooner or later your wrists and elbow will be mad at you if you're throwing cranks all day with that rod.  At my age, I know that fishing elbow (a cousin to tennis elbow) - HURTS - and it can change your attitude about a day of fishing.  Pain meds exist, but many of them will, over time, eat a hole in your stomach, so it is a case of pick your poison.  

 

Me, what I try to do is to use a longer, lighter graphite rod (I currently use a 7'4" medium action rod to throw square bills and deep diving cranks) and I eat a pain med before the first cast in the morning, generally with the first cup of coffee driving to the lake.

 

Another thing to consider is that the Ugly Stick is a great catfish rod and the limber tip is excellent for using circle hooks.  So, it is a good rod and has a place in your fishing arsenal, but for me, throwing cranks wouldn't be that place.

[Bruce424]

Crankbait rod or topwater. Anything with trebles. Ugly sticks are usually pretty limber.

[SirSnookalot]

I wouldn't use an ugly stick for bass fishing for a variety of reasons, but I do not think it's a bad rod at all.  I see more of them being used than anything down here, both as a bait rod as well as casting lures.  Not an isolated case but my closest fishing bud down here uses nothing but, he has about 6 or so all of them about 20 years old that came with him from Long Island.  His rods are used to cast many types of lures, distance is in incredible as they cast further than my modern rods and I'm using braid and he uses 20# mono.  Handling fish upwards of 30-40# doesn't seem to pose much of problem either.  Saddled atop of these rods are 20 year old Penns that are quite heavy and most of these reels are now bailess, he's my age and doesn't get tired.  But for bass fishing it would kill most people as the techniques are different.