Shakespeare

[FunkJishing]

I have a shakespere agility combo, it's a 6 foot medium spinning set up. the rods great and the reel is outstanding with 8bb's its so smooth and well put togeather. i was thinking about shakespere and wondered if there are any pro's that have shakespere as a sponsor?

[J Francho]

Not that I know of.  Most of the Pure Fishing guys would be using Flooger or Abu.

[Darren.]

From their FAQ: http://www.shakespeare-fishing.com/Frequently-Asked-Questions/frequently-asked-questions,default,pg.html

 

 

Does Shakespeare® provide sponsorship for individuals?

Thank you for your interest in sponsorship and desire to support the Shakespeare® brand. Our pro staff is fully booked and we are not adding any new sponsorships at this time. We wish you well with your fishing endeavors and appreciate your brand loyalty.

 

[FunkJishing]

Not that I know of.  Most of the Pure Fishing guys would be using Flooger or Abu.

 

wow thats strange, they make some good stuff. they've been around forever yet it seems not many like them.

[FunkJishing]

From their FAQ: http://www.shakespeare-fishing.com/Frequently-Asked-Questions/frequently-asked-questions,default,pg.html

maybe all their pro's are slatwater fishermen? because i sure dont see any freshwater pro's with a shakespere patch.

[Darren.]

maybe all their pro's are slatwater fishermen? because i sure dont see any freshwater pro's with a shakespere patch.

 

Quite possible. In my reading and talking with fishermen, 

I know there are a LOT of guides who use Ugly Stiks on 

charter boats - so a lot of those guides are probably on

the sponsor list. As well, any "pro" catfishermen, many

of whom use the Ugly Stik Tiger rods.

[FunkJishing]

oh wow haha their products are good, idk why they dont try to be more welcoming to the freshwater fishers as well. maybe saltwater fishermen/women are their target audiance. maybe saltwater fishing is more expensive? idk haha there's gotta be some reason for it.

[J Francho]

Because the gear is considered entry level and not the same caliber as what a pro bass angler would use.  That's what Abu is for.  Is there a baitcaster in the Shakespeare line equivalent to a Revo Premier?

 

When you turn pro, and someone asks you, "We'll pay you to fish a $30 reel and an Ugly Stik, or you can use an MGX and a Villian, so long as you promote them as the best."  What are you going to choose?

 

If they ever decide to offer top level gear under the Shakespeare name (this is highly doubtful) then I'm sure they'll hire some big name pros to pimp the products.

[Darren.]

And charter boats use them because they're strong 

and inexpensive. When you have a boat full of people, 

many of whom are first-timers, you don't want to hand

them an expensive rod/reel combo. At least I wouldn't.

 

JFrancho is spot-on, IMO, in his assessment as to why

they're not seen much in the bass pro field.

[FunkJishing]

And charter boats use them because they're strong 

and inexpensive. When you have a boat full of people, 

many of whom are first-timers, you don't want to hand

them an expensive rod/reel combo. At least I wouldn't.

 

JFrancho is spot-on, IMO, in his assessment as to why

they're not seen much in the bass pro field.

 

 

Because the gear is considered entry level and not the same caliber as what a pro bass angler would use.  That's what Abu is for.  Is there a baitcaster in the Shakespeare line equivalent to a Revo Premier?

 

When you turn pro, and someone asks you, "We'll pay you to fish a $30 reel and an Ugly Stik, or you can use an MGX and a Villian, so long as you promote them as the best."  What are you going to choose?

 

If they ever decide to offer top level gear under the Shakespeare name (this is highly doubtful) then I'm sure they'll hire some big name pros to pimp the products.

these both make sence haha and you're right J, they dont have any baitcasters that can go toe to toe with those but they do have good spin reels In my opinion. as far as rods go they are inexpensive, and probably not the best but I wouldn't say they're the worst either.

[FunkJishing]

and i heard that shakespere owns pfluger, and pfluger's best reel is the patriarch. i hear its a great reel, not sure how it stacks up to the revo though...

[J Francho]

Uh, no. Pure Fishing owns them.

 

http://purefishing.com/our-brands/

[FunkJishing]

Uh, no. Pure Fishing owns them.

 

http://purefishing.com/our-brands/

wow this link has changed my life. so if pure fishing owns all of these brands is it safe to say these brands are good?

i like abu, berkley, pfluger and many of the other brands listed here. and the fact that they own abu and pfluger totally explains why the black, silver, and pro max from abu and other pfluger reels of that price range feel so identical in quality.

[J Francho]

I trust products, not brand names.

[FunkJishing]

I trust products, not brand names.

well said. because some products from the same brand are better than others. thats probably why i like my shakespere agility spinning set up so much. it's just a good product.

[J Francho]

Now does the post above about Abu or Shakespeare make more sense?

[FunkJishing]

Now does the post above about Abu or Shakespeare make more sense?

indeed. lol

[Senko lover]

I actually have heard of a pro who uses Shakesperestuff, but I can't recall his name. He did a "day on the lake" with Bassmaster. Of course, he could have just been using their line or something, not their rods and reels. My personal opinion is that the only thing Shakespere did right was the Ugly Stik. Their other products suck. 

[pbizzle]

i was thinking about shakespere and wondered if there are any pro's that have shakespere as a sponsor?

O'niell Williams, the guy on the TV show O'Niell Outside, is actually sponsored by Shakespeare. Now I don't know if I agree with everything in this video (especially him saying that jigs don't work well in the summer months), but you will see him using some orange Shakespeare reel in it.

[SirSnookalot]

I bought a Shakespeare agilty 30 put in on a Daiwa med rod for my grandson, he never fished.  I use it once in a while for senkos, jigs and trailers, it doesn't get that much use.  I have caught quite a few beefy bass with it over the years, the reel is pretty darn smooth.  But it stops right there, the drag isn't too good and IMO with every day use the reel isn't built to take it over the long haul.  Don't think about using it in SW, the reel will see it's demise fairly quick.  Staying under the Pure Fishing banner, the Pflueger president is a much better purchase.

[Jaderose]

You really want your mind blown?  Pure Fishing is a Subsidiary of Darden.  Check out the brands THEY own.  http://www.jarden.com/brands

[Fishes in trees]

A long time ago, Shakespeare bought All Star.  After a few years under their ownership, they managed to reduct the quality of the rods, change the warranty from lifetime to just a year or so and just basically diminish the product in any way they could think of.  They were very persnickety about honoring the warranty of older All Star Rods.

 

They took an iconic brand and in a few short years turned it into an afterthought in the made in USA rod market.   If you got a quality product from Shakespeare, don't tell them, they will probably change it if you do.

[pbizzle]

A long time ago, Shakespeare bought All Star. After a few years under their ownership, they managed to reduct the quality of the rods, change the warranty from lifetime to just a year or so and just basically diminish the product in any way they could think of. They were very persnickety about honoring the warranty of older All Star Rods.

They took an iconic brand and in a few short years turned it into an afterthought in the made in USA rod market. If you got a quality product from Shakespeare, don't tell them, they will probably change it if you do.

While nothing will compete with the pre-pure fishing All Star's, to say that they're not a quality product is an overstatement in my opinion. They're still a very good rod for their price range.