They perform with mono or braid and will suit reels from 2000 to 4500 reel size. They’re ideal for the beginner but will impress the most discerning spin angler. These are incredibly robust casting one piece shakespeare fishing reel rods for this price range. The line guides look as if they’d handle steel winch cable and a vice without flinching. The reels are just as diverse with Shakespeare providing baitcast, spinning and fly reels.
This is the most inexpensive quality rod option there is and the performance is far better than simply adequate. I strongly recommend these Ugly Stick casting rods for anglers who are harsh and careless with their fishing rods. Unless you drop it in the drink, it’ll last you a lifetime of countless trophy fish.
Using a small jeweler’s lathe, Shakespeare carved precise, curving grooves along the lengths of two round brass rods and created a device that wound back fishing line evenly on the reel spool. He named it the “level-wind,” and took his creation on his next fishing trip. The level-wind worked well, drawing the line in evenly without the aid of a thumb. Those fishing alongside Shakespeare gawked at his homespun reel and asked to use it.
You could easily spend $2,000 on a fishing rod if you’d like something ultralightweight or designed for a specific species you’re targeting, but our pick will get the job done almost as well (if not just as well) most of the time. Similarly, you could go cheaper, but then you’d give up reliability. During the 1990s, the success of Shakespeare businesses helped Anthony Industries and its successor, K2 Inc., more than double annual sales from less than $300 million to the $638 million generated in 1997. Without Shakespeare, K2 Inc. would lose a considerable percentage of its financial might and much of what made it a diversified company. For these reasons, Shakespeare’s role as a K2 Inc. subsidiary appeared secure as Shakespeare celebrated its 100th anniversary and looked toward its second century of business, having traveled a long way from the banks of the Kalamazoo River. This is the misers budget option, and the quality compares to far more expensive fishing rods.
Although much of the company’s strategic focus was aimed at K2, Shakespeare benefited directly from some of the acquisitions completed by Anthony Industries. In 1990, Britain-based Nymofil, Ltd. was acquired and merged into Shakespeare Monofilament and in 1991 the decorative light pole business belonging to Stanhope Inc. was acquired to strengthen Shakespeare Electronic & Fiberglass’s business. Don’t hesitate to share this review with your friends if they’re looking for their next best fishing Shakespeare rod. If nothing else, the Shakespeare fishing rods mentioned above represent great value and good performance. In hindsight, I now understand that Ugly Stik rods were substantially more expensive than other Shakespeare fishing rods. I didn’t actually own an Ugly Stik until my early 20’s when I bought a blue water spin model that I still have and use to this day.
Most anglers are very familiar with the Shakespeare fishing brand. The only issue I have with the Triumph (as with almost all other rods that aren’t Ugly Stiks) concerns the guides. While generally sturdy, they still don’t come anywhere close to Ugly Stik’s Ugly Tuff guides. The ball bearings in the BG, for one thing, are the very same Minebea bearings that are loaded into Shimano’s Stella SW series of reels, which typically run for $800 to $1,200. The anti-reverse clutch (which keeps the reel from spinning backward) consists of individual metal springs, as opposed to the cheap plastic clips usually featured in $120 reels. From handmade pieces to vintage treasures ready to be loved again, Etsy is the global marketplace for unique and creative goods.