Ugly stick casting? cabelas tourny trail? Help

[thrawn67]

Hey all.

Was thinking bout trying a casting rod out and been looking through em on cabelas. I see the ugly stick casting rod and was wondering if any of you have used em? I already got 3 spinning ugly sticks that have been great and love em. Toss up between the ugly and cabelas tourny trail with the buy one get one free sale really torn since both get great reviews. Need you guys opinions!

Thanks again for the crazy amount of help this forum been getting me ready for spring.

[Grey Wolf]

Buy the cabelas rods.

[thrawn67]

Any particular reason?

[Bassin for Walleye]

I got the tourney trail for spinning and I think it is a great rod. I don't have any ugly sticks but I really like all cabela's rods I've ever gotten.

[Blade-Runner]

I had a Tourney Trail IM7 6' M rod that I used for years and caught hundreds of bass on. Great entry-mid level rod.

I think Ugly Stiks are great, too, but I only use them for carp fishing and live bait anymore. I have a good friend who swears by the Ugly for a cranking rod...

[islandbass]

Another vote for Cabelas. The reason I recommend this is because you already have ugly sticks.  It's time to explore and try rods from other makers. You'll be on the dark side soon enough. 

[thrawn67]

yea ima try the cabelas, any one know how long that deal lasts?

[ChrisAW]

I use one casting Ugly Stick as a crank bait rod. Mainly because its a nice soft rod that allows the cranks to do their thing. The rest are a little higher up on the scale.

I haven't been to a Cabela's in years, so I can't say what their rods are like. But I do like the one Ugly Stick I have. If theres any application that needs just medium/moderate action rod, I'd say theres nothing better in its price range.

But anything other than that, I'd look elsewhere. Just depends on what you're going to be using this rod for the most. Some rods aren't available in certain actions, so let the fine people here know what you're going to be doing and they'll point you in the right direction.

[Radical Conservative]

No way should you buy a Cabela's rod over an Ugly Stik. I have 3 Ugly Stik Lites and they are my FAVORITE rods hands down. They are the most indestructable rod to ever be manufactured and for the price, there's no way an equally priced rod will ever even come close.

[bwell]

I have an Ugly Stik lite and like it a lot, I have caught well over 100 bass on that one rod. 

[thrawn67]

I got two lite spinning ones to and are great as stated but wasnt sure on a ugly stick as a casting rod.

[bassnleo]

IMHO you are comparing apples to oranges.

Your rod selection should depend on what techniques you plan to use the rod for.

For some techniques, the Ugly Stick may suffice where the Cabelas rod would not, same is true the other way around.

Decide what techniques you will use the rod for, examine both lines of rods, choose the right model to fit your needs. If they both have models to fit your needs then look at other things such as warranty, craftsmanship, etc. to help you lean one way or another.

[bassin is addicting]

i've got 3 ugly stiks (spinning) and they do extremely well....for the price..in the $40-$50 range....you can't beat them 

imho...

[kikstand454]

if youre going to get an ugly stick.... get the cork handled "lite" series.

they are great rods at a good price and light years better in every way than the eva foam grip economy series.

[NorcalBassin]

The Tourney Trail rods are sure a lot prettier than the UGS! I really like(d) my TT's but had the tip bust off about 1/3rd of the way down when I gently lifted it over a tackle box (near verticle lift). Done that hundreds of times and never had a rod break before, so I'm not sure if it was just a defect or not. Other than that bummer, I'd still pick up a TT over an UGS for bass fishing.

[Darren.]

For me, it would be an Ugly Stik Lite (as another said, the one with the cork handles).

Why? For one, USLs have a soft enough tip to work extremely well with crankbaits. Another reason is extreme durability.

USLs get a bad rap from many. A lot of folks move on from them to more expensive/sensitive rods, but I've actually moved back to them from the pricier rods. My rationale is due to strength and durability. I stared in disbelief when a brand new rod I bought was stepped on (accidentally) by a kid fishing near me on a dock. A careless, but expensive mistake for me. I'm normally careful with my equipment, but didn't want to have that happen again. I was in the grip of the bait monkey, looking at more and more expensive rods. That event helped me refocus on needs over wants.

So the Cabelas rod may not be expensive, but I'd wager it can't hold a candle in durability to the USL.

Oh, and the Shimano Voltaeus (their answer to the Ugly Stik) is also nice. They are a *tad* lighter than USLs by my subjective measurement in my local Bass Pro Shop. I compared a 5' UL Shimano V. to a 5' UL USL, both one-piece, both $39.

The Shimano was a good deal floppier (noodly) than the USL. It was a tad lighter; however - the Shimano's handle was about 1" shorter - that was a deal breaker for me. Most of the Voltaeus (fresh water) line have too-short handles.

Sorry to be so wordy. Just wanted to give my opinion. Buy what you need and can afford and keep the bait monkey at bay! Fish don't care what brand rod you have. :

Oh, one more thing - if you're looking at say, a 7 footer, get your hands on one of the new Ugly Stik Inshore Select rods. VERY light and nice looking. I almost grabbed one, but can't use a longer rod so much for transport reasons.

[kyron4]

All my rods are Ugly Stik and Ugly Stik Lite. The toughest rod  made and a great deal. I've seen more than once someone break the tip off a $100 rod setting the hook to hard or trying to pull out a snag.