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Ugly Stik Catfish Rods

11K views 76 replies 21 participants last post by  TexasInfidel 
#1 ·
Is anybody using the new rods? Do you like them as much as the old ones? Any improvements? Anything you would change? I know that gimbal end is a big complaint, but that is all I hear about. How about the eyelets? Is the backbone stiffer or weaker? Does the reel seat fit most reels? Ugly Stik is all the old timers I grew up around used. They argued about best reels, but agreed on the same rod.
 
#3 ·
I have 2 of them spinning and casting, both 7 footers. I've had the older ugly stiks in the past. Mine just plain wore out. The new ones feel a bit different. Lighter, stainless steel eyelets, no inserts to put back in. Real seats about the same size so it accommodates most reels. Faster tip but does flex all along the rod, but a bit stiffer. I like em. I have only used them a couple of times but so far so good. The gimbals make putting it in a bank support difficult. You need a bigger opening or you need to cut the gimbal down or off. I have not decided what to do with mine yet. Fishing gear is a personal feel thing. I am used to Ugly Stiks, and Falcon rods for my needs. I have a few others around but hardly use them.

If your going to get one, take the reel you plan to use along with you to make sure you like the balance. That way if you don't like it you can check out the other cat rods too.
 
#19 ·
Figured I might as well post a picture of the TWC gimbals I turned down. Now I am not sure all rods are built the same but it worked well on these. Just use a sandpaper that is not to abrasive, use light pressure and keep the rod turning all the time. Have something to gauge when you will have it where you want it.

Material property Beige


You can see where the molded pattern is gone but I was very satisfied with the outcome.
 
#5 ·
Just a comment on large gimbals. The gimbals on the TWC Extreme was a little larger than I liked. I use 1-1/2 inch PVC tube to make rod racks for storing them at home and on occasion, when a big fish was bearing down on the rod, I have had trouble getting the rod out of the holder because of that large knob. I took my belt sander and turned it upside down and put it in my table vise. Then I locked it in the on position. With the rod by itself, I could role the gimbal on the sander and gradually make it a more acceptable size. It worked out very well and comes out round and smooth just like it was made that way. If a picture of the results would help, let me know.
 
#30 ·
Tons of guides use them, because they are damn near unbreakable so clients who have never fished before don’t break the equipment. It’s that way with all parts of the industry, you see guides using $20 rods with $300 reels on them if you follow bass guides.

I’ve seen trout/ salmon guided trips where they used $13 diawa wilderness rods and he had $500 daiwa tanacom reels on them.

Its not because the rods are good, but because they are cheap and are able to be abused by clients.
 
#7 ·
When I got serious into catfishing in 2009, I bought 10 MH White 1 piece 7'6" Ugly Sticks with Abu 6600s. I could really sling a 2oz weight a country mile with those rigs and never had a problem with them. I still use them sometimes. In 2012 I bought 12 TWC and custom Bone Island rods with Abu 7000 Pro Rockets, and that's what I still use today. I changed over because I had heard of guys hooking into monsters and getting spooled; so I went with the larger line capacity of the bigger 7000 Abu's. The 7000's don't cast as far; but I don't worry about getting spooled if and when I hook up with a monster 100 pound fish. I don't have experience with other rod brands, but I feel the Ugly Sticks are pretty much unbreakable and good rods. I would like to try a 10' rod to try to get more distance casting but the Meat Hunters no longer ship the 10' 1 piece rods now, so not sure of how to get them.
 
#8 ·
I used the older Uglystik Catfish rods, but I have never used the newer Uglystik Catfish rods.

A few years ago a good number of us Catfish1 guys emailed, called, and sent letters too Uglystik requesting that they produce a serious line up of catfish rods specific to catfishing in multiple scenarios. They blew every single one of us off and chose to continue producing what amounts to the same old basic catfish rod that they have been producing since forever.

If you want a good catfish rod, there are many other companies that actually care about you as a catfish angler that would gladly sell you an excellent rod with top notch components for roughly the same price or for just a little more money then anything you can get from Uglystik.

I will always say and recommend that you and everyone else show loyalty to the companies that produce catfish specific rods (TWC, Meathunter, Rippin Lips, Okuma, St. Croix, Etc...) before you give your money over to a multi-billion dollar conglomerate that could give a crap less whether they listen to their catfishing customers.
 
#27 ·
So your dead set against anything Shakespeare makes, cause a bunch a guy's did not get there way, but a few small companies wanting to sell rods did. OK, that's fair, but that's like trying to tell Walmart you want to see a customer dress code in Florida. LOL

The problem with the industry is it's fixation on the friggin Bass. Cat men are the second most popular fisherman in the US but we get ignored most of the time by everyone. Hell up her in northern Illinois it's hard to find Catfishing stuff at any stores. You cannot find a store with any hooks over 6/0 in stock. Sonny's dip bait is not sold anywhere except at a Farm and Fleet miles away.

Seriously, what changes did you want to see in the rod. The only thing I did not like about the older rod was the inserts popping out ever so often. The rest of the rod was great. I think the new rod is pretty darn good except for the Gimbal at the end, especially if your putting them in a tube type holder that's smaller then the Gimbal. To me, that's an acceptable trade off for the older pop off guide inserts that are now stainless steel.

Yes, there are other rods to be had for the same price and lower. I just don't like the feel of most of them myself. To me the balance is a bit off, but that's just my opinion. Nobody makes a bad cat rod. It's all personal perspective, from a $25 Berkley to a $200 St. Croix. It's what you like and what the pocket can afford. Rant over, I'm back to my old self. Maybe.
 
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#9 ·
To anyone who trys to say that the Uglystik Tigers are a good catfish rod, remember this...

Uglystik bumped the price of their Uglystik Tigers, they now cost as much as an TWC, Ripping Lips, Catfight rod, Battle Cat, etc...

And, they did nothing to improve the specs of those rods.

I will say it again, show your loyalty to a company that cares enough to produce catfish specific rods before you drop your money on a company that doesn't care.
 
#12 ·
It would be awesome for more guys to realize that there are way more options out there rather then Uglystik.

As cat anglers, we are no longer limited in the kinds of rods and rod brands we can purchase for what we do.

Uglystiks, like Tigers and Big Waters, were always popular with us cat anglers because they were cheap/affordable and there wasn't much of a selection beyond them.

But, Uglystiks are no longer what I would call cheap and there are rods produced now specifically for us.

We do not need to settle for Uglystiks any longer.
 
#18 ·
Ok.....idk....maybe it's for those rod holders that have a bolt going across the bottom and the gimbal is supposed to rest in there so the rod doesn't spin? Heck idk...
 
#21 ·
Tom, actual gimbals are special butt caps with slots designed for interlocking with a fighting belt.

Some gimbals are rubber and some gimbals are metal.

Your TWC, and the majority of other rods, have just a big and fat butt cap.

I actually had to shave the butt caps down on my Tics Dolphin surf rods as they would get stuck in my PVC rod holders.
 
#22 ·
I do know it is not an actual gimbal. I have used them with the cross slot on the butt so it will lock into a holder or belt. But, I knew that is not what the question was about so I just tried to answer the question on what to do.
 
#42 ·
I won't bad mouth ugly stik but when I first started big cat fishing everyone was on the ugly stik tiger movement here in va. Bought 4 myself and was totally happy with them. Then I bought an extreme, I said to myself: I think this is what the tiger should've always been. Never bought another tiger and sold mine to buy more extremes lol I do own a few gx2s and love them. They are great for channels and multi species fishing, but they ain't casting 12oz or even 6oz and bait.
 
#46 ·
Nothing wrong with the rods themselves.

My biggest beef is that Uglystik as a company has shown a complete lack of respect for the loyal catfish anglers that are the primary buyers of Uglystiks.

A good number of us wanted to see Uglystik come out with an expanded Tiger line up with a focus on cat anglers by providing rods with longer lengths, different specs, etc... Uglystik instead just gave us the same stuff with higher price tags.
 
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