Fishing Rods

[jrwerner310]

Is anyone a fan of Ugly Stik fan? i have one with braided main line and a fluorocarbon leader. works will withe the lighter baits.  i mostly us it for my weedless/ weightless and ned rig setups. what are your thoughts?

[nascar2428]

Fish on!! If it works for you that's all that matters. I believe the Ugly Stick has a soft tip, which is good for the baits you mentioned. 

[jrwerner310]

yea it does. that why i like it but its not that sensitive enough for me.  Im looking more into the St. Croix or the Lews rods now. Has anyone tired the favorite brand of rod? 

[roadwarrior]

G. Loomis and St. Croix

[dodgeguy]

Johnny Morris Patriot rods 

[CrankFate]

I can attest to St. Croix Rods for light freshwater spinning. But I can say the same for Daiwa and Shimano, except they get expensive fast if you want lighter stronger rods. Ugly stick is the original light do everything rod. They’re just heavy by today’s standards.

[Falkus]

Before we throw some ideas, what is your budget? Spinning/Casting? what application ? 

[Mobasser]

7 hours ago, jrwerner310 said:

yea it does. that why i like it but its not that sensitive enough for me.  Im looking more into the St. Croix or the Lews rods now. Has anyone tired the favorite brand of rod? 

You would probably do well with a Lews rod. They make some combos which are nice also

[jrwerner310]

11 hours ago, Burke said:

Before we throw some ideas, what is your budget? Spinning/Casting? what application ? 

Not  huge budget.  If I'm going to start buying these higher end rods, it might take me a bit to replace and add to the arsenal.  I have been looking into St. Croix and Lews rods. I want to replace a spinning rod for an all around rod, get a finesse spinning rod for drop-shot and other light weight applications and get a pair of casting rods for jigs, spinners and other heavier weighted baits. i dont do much with hard baits since i havent had much luck with them.  Mostly fish from the bank and sometimes fish from the kayak. I did break a tip of one rod a couple of years ago and glued it back on but its never been the same. I do feel that i have a nice understanding of fishing and feel that upgrading my gear might help a little bit with fine tuning what i do.

[NYWayfarer]

Back in the day I used nothing but Ugly Sticks. Now I just use them for saltwater. Nothing wrong with them other than the sensitivity.

 

Good rods in the Ugly Stick price range:

 

Lew's Carbon Fire

Kastking Perigee II

Fenwick Eagle

 

[MickD]

I believe the new Ugly Sticks are nothing like the old ones, but haven't tried one myself. I'm going from their descriptions.  The old Ugly Sticks were simply awful, IMHO.  Heavy, floppy, poor sensitivity.  After I started using graphite I could never go back.

[jrwerner310]

I do like my Ugly Stik. i have no complaints.  I just feel like the current equipment i have is not sensitive enough for how i fish. 

 

Here is my current setup:

 

Casting

Abu Garcia Silver Max 6'6" Medium with 12LB FC - Fish Spinning, some jigs and top waters

Shimano Zebra Medium 6'6" with 15LB Braid and 10LB FC Leader - Fish spinning, cranks and swimbaits

I want to upgrade and or add a flipping stick and another versatile rod.  

 

Spinning

Ugly Stik Medium 6'6" with 15LB Braid and 10lb FC leader - Fish weightless, ned, neko, texas and carolina

Cabelas (Forgot Name) Medium with 10BL FC - Fish weightless, ned, neko, texas and carolina

The cabela rod has a broken tip but repaired.  Looking to replace at least the rod and maybe the reel.

Looking to add a finesse Rod.

 

any advice on what i can improve, add or try would me much appreciated 

[ResoKP]

You may want to wait for and check out the new 2019 models of Megabass Levante rods. They should be available end of this month.

 

This is the application chart for the Orochi XX but they are being mirrored for the Levante rods:

 

 

The Whipsnake is a nice dropshot/finesse spinning rod and the Perfect Pitch is a fantastic frog, bigger texas/jig, pitching rod for heavier covers. Tour Versatile is a nice all around rod as well.

[jrwerner310]

1 hour ago, NYWayfarer said:

Back in the day I used nothing but Ugly Sticks. Now I just use them for saltwater. Nothing wrong with them other than the sensitivity.

 

Good rods in the Ugly Stick price range:

 

Lew's Carbon Fire

Kastking Perigee II

Fenwick Eagle

 

Are Lew's and Fenwick nice and sensitive rods? 

[NYWayfarer]

10 minutes ago, jrwerner310 said:

Are Lew's and Fenwick nice and sensitive rods? 

Compared to the Ugly Stick, yes. Compared to $100+ rods not so much.

[bwjay]

Are you only looking to fish for bass? I ended up with a St. Croix Eyecon 6'3" MXF for vertical jigging, but used it for walleye, smallmouth, and lake trout, without any issues keeping fish pinned. It is also super sensitive (at least compared to everything I've ever used). I felt every single rock on the bottom, every weed. I had a ton of false hook sets with my lipless cranks when I first started using it because bumping along rocks felt like bites until I got used to the feeling of rocks. I believe it was around $100 and there are likely many better options for what you want to do, but I thought I'd at least offer my experience with the one decent rod I have. I'm planning to get a St. Croix Premier 6' MHF for topwater, cranks, lipless, spinners, basically anything but soft plastics and vertical jigging, though I think both rods can do it all.

[jrwerner310]

1 minute ago, bwjay said:

Are you only looking to fish for bass? I ended up with a St. Croix Eyecon 6'3" MXF for vertical jigging, but used it for walleye, smallmouth, and lake trout, without any issues keeping fish pinned. It is also super sensitive (at least compared to everything I've ever used). I felt every single rock on the bottom, every weed. I had a ton of false hook sets with my lipless cranks when I first started using it because bumping along rocks felt like bites until I got used to the feeling of rocks. I believe it was around $100 and there are likely many better options for what you want to do, but I thought I'd at least offer my experience with the one decent rod I have. I'm planning to get a St. Croix Premier 6' MHF for topwater, cranks, lipless, spinners, basically anything but soft plastics and vertical jigging, though I think both rods can do it all.

i do mostly bass fish. havent caught any Smallmouth bass tho.  would like to get into trout and walleye. i do have some nice gear but i dont feel that they are that sensitive.  but maybe its just me and i dont know much or my setup is wrong. I just feel like im missing a lot of strikes. im going to keep using the same gear that i have and just add to it or replace it. I have heard nothing but good things about St. Croix and just have to hid the price tag from the wife lol.

[bwjay]

8 minutes ago, jrwerner310 said:

i do mostly bass fish. havent caught any Smallmouth bass tho.  would like to get into trout and walleye. i do have some nice gear but i dont feel that they are that sensitive.  but maybe its just me and i dont know much or my setup is wrong. I just feel like im missing a lot of strikes. im going to keep using the same gear that i have and just add to it or replace it. I have heard nothing but good things about St. Croix and just have to hid the price tag from the wife lol.

From what I understand there is a lot that goes into determining a successful hookset when talking about bass in particular, because of all the different baits people use and how the bite is different. I have read that for soft plastics that are either topwater or just barely subsurface (by using a swivel or something), you really want to count to 1,1000 before you set the hook, let them gulp it down. There is a guy known as "Quetico Mike" who swears by soft plastics that look just like the ZOOM flukes, and he says all of his fishing buddies have a low hookup ratio until they start waiting a full second AFTER the blowup/inhale before setting the hook. Setting it too early can rip it right out of the fish's mouth. That's how I understand it - haven't had a chance to fish those baits yet. I am usually a "set the hook immediately upon feeling a bite" kinda guy (typically vertical jigging for walleyes or burning a lipless), but there are times where patience helps, like in jigging, you can usually feel a few ticks on the line, so I usually wait for a second tick to be sure before I set the hook. I don't seem to miss many fish doing it this way but of course it varies on the person, the fish, the rod, etc...

[jrwerner310]

2 minutes ago, bwjay said:

From what I understand there is a lot that goes into determining a successful hookset when talking about bass in particular, because of all the different baits people use and how the bite is different. I have read that for soft plastics that are either topwater or just barely subsurface (by using a swivel or something), you really want to count to 1,1000 before you set the hook, let them gulp it down. There is a guy known as "Quetico Mike" who swears by soft plastics that look just like the ZOOM flukes, and he says all of his fishing buddies have a low hookup ratio until they start waiting a full second AFTER the blowup/inhale before setting the hook. Setting it too early can rip it right out of the fish's mouth. That's how I understand it - haven't had a chance to fish those baits yet. I am usually a "set the hook immediately upon feeling a bite" kinda guy (typically vertical jigging for walleyes or burning a lipless), but there are times where patience helps, like in jigging, you can usually feel a few ticks on the line, so I usually wait for a second tick to be sure before I set the hook.

Im just having troubles detecting those bits. I normally find out i have a fish when either i feel the weight on the line or when i go to pop the bait, the line goes crazy and there it is. maybe i need to pay attention to my line more before i buy a new rod? It could also be that im over thinking it and there is just no fish lol.

1 minute ago, jrwerner310 said:

Im just having troubles detecting those bits. I normally find out i have a fish when either i feel the weight on the line or when i go to pop the bait, the line goes crazy and there it is. maybe i need to pay attention to my line more before i buy a new rod? It could also be that im over thinking it and there is just no fish lol.

Plus all i really fish is the ned rig, spinners and weightless texas. I want to try more cranks, shaky, wacky, flipping, jigs and weighted texas. i just figure if im going to branch out on other techniques I should upgrade a little before I do.

[bwjay]

1 minute ago, jrwerner310 said:

Im just having troubles detecting those bits. I normally find out i have a fish when either i feel the weight on the line or when i go to pop the bait, the line goes crazy and there it is. maybe i need to pay attention to my line more before i buy a new rod? It could also be that im over thinking it and there is just no fish lol.

Could be the rod, could be the line you're using (I use 15lb PowerPro braid to 10lb fluoro leader), could be your retrieval technique, could be the way you're holding the rod... I certainly don't have enough knowledge or experience to speak to all of this, just trying to throw some variables out there. I would switch to braid if you have not already (knowing it can fray against rocks so a fluoro or mono leader is ideal). The sensitivity and responsiveness from braid alone might solve a lot of your problems. And I hate to say this because it sounds noobish, but if you're unsure of how to retrieve a particular bait, look it up on YouTube. I'm a relative newbie to fishing (hadn't touched a rod in 10 years until last year) so I've been watching tons of videos for all different types of baits, trying to understand how they work, how best to use them, when to use them, etc. I don't mean to insult by suggesting such a thing, but I learn by watching and then doing, and YouTube makes it so much easier because you can watch someone do it, as opposed to reading about it in text and trying to imagine it.

[jrwerner310]

3 minutes ago, bwjay said:

Could be the rod, could be the line you're using (I use 15lb PowerPro braid to 10lb fluoro leader), could be your retrieval technique, could be the way you're holding the rod... I certainly don't have enough knowledge or experience to speak to all of this, just trying to throw some variables out there. I would switch to braid if you have not already (knowing it can fray against rocks so a fluoro or mono leader is ideal). The sensitivity and responsiveness from braid alone might solve a lot of your problems. And I hate to say this because it sounds noobish, but if you're unsure of how to retrieve a particular bait, look it up on YouTube. I'm a relative newbie to fishing (hadn't touched a rod in 10 years until last year) so I've been watching tons of videos for all different types of baits, trying to understand how they work, how best to use them, when to use them, etc. I don't mean to insult by suggesting such a thing, but I learn by watching and then doing, and YouTube makes it so much easier because you can watch someone do it, as opposed to reading about it in text and trying to imagine it.

I have to say that I've been sitting here taking notes and looking up ideas through this whole conversation.  All of the advice had helped a lot, so thank you very much. I've only been fishing for a couple of years and don't get out much. Half of the rods I use wither have braid and a FC leader or just have FC on them. I should just start setting up the rods on one kind of style and fish it for a bit and if nothing happens, move on to the next one. Maybe I should make a log of what and how am fishing that day. I only fish one little lake since its so close to my house and i dont get much time to go. 

[bwjay]

9 minutes ago, jrwerner310 said:

I have to say that I've been sitting here taking notes and looking up ideas through this whole conversation.  All of the advice had helped a lot, so thank you very much. I've only been fishing for a couple of years and don't get out much. Half of the rods I use wither have braid and a FC leader or just have FC on them. I should just start setting up the rods on one kind of style and fish it for a bit and if nothing happens, move on to the next one. Maybe I should make a log of what and how am fishing that day. I only fish one little lake since its so close to my house and i dont get much time to go. 

That's a good idea, try a few different rigs and presentations. If you have a couple rods that you know aren't super insensitive broomsticks, that might be a decent option.

 

I am planning on getting a canoe/pack boat that weighs under 30lbs, that I can carry over my shoulder. I'll fit it with some rod holders and maybe eventually a spot for a depth finder, and it will have plenty of room for carrying cargo (plan to use it for week-long canoe trips). I live in an apartment around Minneapolis with no lakes within walking distance, at least not within 2 miles. But I suppose I could do a 2 mile hike with the boat because the ones I'm looking at are so light. The goal though is to let me fish little ponds and lakes, and I intend to drive the boat all over the Twin Cities to fish little spots like that as often as possible, even on weeknights right after work. Throw a quick dinner together in an insulated lunchbox, grab tackle, and go! Maybe an approach like this would work for you too. If you are interested in looking at some of those boats, shoot me a PM and I'd be happy to send you some links.

[jrwerner310]

2 minutes ago, bwjay said:

That's a good idea, try a few different rigs and presentations. If you have a couple rods that you know aren't super insensitive broomsticks, that might be a decent option.

 

I am planning on getting a canoe/pack boat that weighs under 30lbs, that I can carry over my shoulder. I'll fit it with some rod holders and maybe eventually a spot for a depth finder, and it will have plenty of room for carrying cargo (plan to use it for week-long canoe trips). I live in an apartment around Minneapolis with no lakes within walking distance, at least not within 2 miles. But I suppose I could do a 2 mile hike with the boat because the ones I'm looking at are so light. The goal though is to let me fish little ponds and lakes, and I intend to drive the boat all over the Twin Cities to fish little spots like that as often as possible, even on weeknights right after work. Throw a quick dinner together in an insulated lunchbox, grab tackle, and go! Maybe an approach like this would work for you too. If you are interested in looking at some of those boats, shoot me a PM and I'd be happy to send you some links.

I would. But married with a family has it challenges and nights are few and far between to come by lol. I have to plan a day or two ahead for the wife and have to not let my kid know cause she always wants to go. I love fishing with my kid no question but she will only fish for about 20-30 mins and even thats a stretch.  We did get a day of Bluegill fishing in for about 2 hrs but they were no stop hitting the worms and we had the occasional small rock bass hit. I want to concentrate on what Im doing so I can eventually show her how to fish for bass and maybe she will want to go more. I go get out on my kayak and have a short drive to my lake of choice and Im going to try a few others this coming spring and summer. 

[bwjay]

2 minutes ago, jrwerner310 said:

I would. But married with a family has it challenges and nights are few and far between to come by lol. I have to plan a day or two ahead for the wife and have to not let my kid know cause she always wants to go. I love fishing with my kid no question but she will only fish for about 20-30 mins and even thats a stretch.  We did get a day of Bluegill fishing in for about 2 hrs but they were no stop hitting the worms and we had the occasional small rock bass hit. I want to concentrate on what Im doing so I can eventually show her how to fish for bass and maybe she will want to go more. I go get out on my kayak and have a short drive to my lake of choice and Im going to try a few others this coming spring and summer. 

Totally understand. Kids do get bored easily sometimes so I don't blame you for wanting to focus on becoming a better fisherman so you can teach your daughter and maybe show her an even better time than catching bluegills. It is possible that a new rod would really re-invigorate your desire to fish! I know new gear always gets me fired up to use it, for whatever it is (audio, fishing, computers, etc). If you get a chance, try to hit up a Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops and talk to some of the salesmen there. I always take what salesmen say with a healthy dose of salt, but nothing beats being able to see and feel the rod in person, and I bet they'd string one up for you and let you test it in a pond so you can feel what a lure dragging on bottom feels like, etc, to see if the sensitivity is there for you. Heck you could probably bring in your own rods to compare, too.

[ike8120]

I went with Dobyns, Due to my budget I went with the Fury series. A lot of folks go with the Sierra or Champion series. Check out the website