Time for a rod upgrade
So, my last 2 $30-$50 rods from Canadian Tire have snapped, you know, the tip with the last eyelet on has snapped off. Not because I've caught a fish, because I was changing a hook or adding bait.
So now I think it's time for an upgrade. My wife and I are going to Bass Pro on Saturday and it's new rod time. Anybody have any recommendations for reasonably priced rod/reel combos? Do you think I should keep the Canadian Tire reel and just spend all my money on a rod? Why am I told to touch elbows instead of shaking hands, then also told to sneeze and cough into my elbow? Are there any fish in Glenmore resevoir? Thanks for reading My name is Max |
Go ugly stix..
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The more you pay for a rod the easier it seems to break.
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Ugly stick it is! Bonus that you can buy one at Canadian Tire.
See you all at Glenmore tonight. I'll be the one with a brand new ugly stick and no fish Have a good weekend |
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I needed a new rod this season - got Fenwick HMX 9 from Cabellas and could not be happier. Handled hundreds of pike in Meadow Lake provincial park and 29 inch walleye with ease. Would recommend!
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Pflueger combos have held up great for my family. $100 roughly.
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never ever ever buy a combo..... they're almost always junk. Also, I'd recommend not going to Bass Pro. Their rod selection is ****ty. Go to Cabelas if you can. Much better selection.....or Fishin' Hole. Also decent.
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A ugly stick or a fence post will work ..... but wouldn't recommend either of those.
Fenwick, St.Croix or higher end Shimano (over $75). You get what you pay for. Sure a fence post will catch dozens of fish ....but a decent rod would have allowed you to land hundreds. A fence post seems like an effective tool if you can't feel a bite or pickup ..... if you never know it ....... on the other hand a fence post sure is durable. ..........you decide what makes sense for you. |
$50.00 graphite rods break just as easily as $500.00 graphite rods. And sensitivity while not equal would be very hard to determine for the individual. I have G Loomis walleye rods that cost over $450.00 and other high end rods and also graphite rods that cost $40.00 to $60.00 that would be hard to tell by sensitivity alone. Weight would be easier to tell the difference and plays a roll in sensitivity.
That said I would have no issues using many the many graphite rods today even lower end rods. Have competed in tournaments with lesser quality rods then the high end G Loomis, and St Croix and done quite well even in off bite situations. Guys that have trouble with breaking graphite rods are better off with an ugly stick. And yes they will catch fish. And depending on your fishing methods you may catch more or as EZM says less:) Also have some fenwick eagles in 7.0' ml that i use for dead sticking jigs but are very capable of finess jigging too:);) (Ooops that was for another post/thread):sign0161: Edit: Actually EZMs 75.00 is pretty close. My last rod purchases were when the Dollar was closer to par. Which would have been around $50 or so back then. |
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Guiding in the far north and with the stories the American fishermen read about the monsters up there, I wish I’d taken pictures over the years of some of the super sized gear people show up with. Amazing. Osky |
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There will be a very clear difference in sensitivity between a $40-60 dollar rod and a $400 rod. It’s night and day. There’s really no comparison in my experience. If you move up into the $120-160 range, there’s a big jump in sensitivity and quality compared to the $40-60 rods. This is kind of the sweet spot in terms of bang for the buck in my opinion. The jump from the $120-160 range into the $300+ range is often a smaller difference in sensitivity, it’s definitely there, but it’s weight, guides, reel seats, cork quality, etc... that adds up in the price difference. Fishing with a G Loomis GLX or NRX is a pretty amazing experience. It spoils you. |
If you read the reviews lately you will see the Ugly Stik is having troubles with the top three at least ,SS guides grooving out. I had two do that inside of one to two months using clean new 6 lb and 10lb XL mono with twice a week use. Tip top on one was showing signs of grooving inside two weeks.
Until Shakespeare does something about SS guides i wouldnt touch GX2 Ugly Stik. Thats why i was looking for a old fiberglass or Ugly Stik rod pre SS guides someone would part with in Classifieds. Anyway no replies. so bought a cheap new Shimano Aeroglass rod, so ill see how it holds up for what i want. |
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The better analogy would be using a 303 brit at 1000 meters, with iron sights versus a modern precision cartridge and top notch optics. People don't want hear that the ugly stick is a POS ..... I get it ......... but it's stlll a cheap POS compared to more modern materials in more modern rod manufacturing .......... there is no comparison. There isn't. We all need to admit it's not the pants that make your butt look big ...... it's the butt. This may not matter if you are chucking spoons for Pike, but may be critical when finesse fishing for whites, walleye or trout. Just the same as you are bush hunting at 100 yards for a deer - the 303 will do the job just as well. Depends on what you need your rod to do. :) |
The other thing, and this is a different discussion, is what materials and manufacturing methods allow the rod black to exhibit variable flex, memory, return, etc.. characteristics in different parts of the rod to get the optimized or desired performance.
The ugly sticks, often don't have this compound or variable construction - like a parabolic heel and a stiff fast action tip as one example. There is a difference in rods and what you get for your money. It does get closer as the price tag goes up - but at $50 rod versus a $150 rod is a BIG difference. |
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One of the guys I fish with bought one on someone else's recommendation and after trying one of my spare rods (Rapala X-Rap) he immediately passed the Ugly Stick down the line to his little brother and got into a little higher quality rod. By quality I mean sensitivity. Each to their own I guess. Enjoy the new rod! :happy0180: |
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Good luck! |
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Real Life Example - a "casual" fisherman friend of mine (gets out a dozen times a year or so) said he has caught hundreds of walleye on his ugly stick over the years. We were fishing, having the same exact discussion as we are now in this thread, and I'm killing em' pulling up and eye every 5 minutes and he getting a missed bite here and a missed bite there .... We were both using the same minnows and the same color jig head. The issue was the eyes were gentle and sucking in the bait and I could "feel" the take - his sloppy, soft fencepost couldn't. I handed him another one of my rods, and he started hammering them too. The next day he went out and bought a walleye rod just like mine. I have repeated this pattern twice, using the same argument, and the same results over the years. Although casting a spoon to a pike will not distinguish a fence post from a highly sensitive rod, there are times, like trout, walleye or white fishing where the results are clear, concise and without question. Sure he would have caught a dozen fish that day - but instead he caught several dozen. Food for thought. Buy one and try it. It will change your life. I used to share your opinion, but then I found out the truth and became enlightened - it saved me !!!!!!! Although I joke - it truly is a game changer. |
my son has a 5 foot ugly stick rod ultra light , he has landed a 22 lb pike and 10 lb walleye on a jig out of lake newell . these rods can take a beating and still stay in one piece . yes not the most sensitives but with braided line they are not to bad.
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I built a high end rod for an older friend, all he ever used was an ugly Stix. Every bite he gets he chuckles and says man I love this rod. He never knew what he was missing. For most applications a good rod makes a world of difference.
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Time for a rod upgrade
I have a couple ugly stick elites from my early days. Hung onto them for times when my son has a couple buddies that never fish but want to try it. I can hand them these spares and they go have a good time. I really don’t care what they do with them and I don’t end up stressing like I would with my high end stuff. They will still catch a few fish and have a good time.
OP, if you are breaking rods that often you need to have a look at how you are using them. I can’t remember the last rod I broke and I fish quite a bit. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
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