With practice or experience, you can cast a reasonable distance with this Ugly Stik rod, but that’s not what it’s all about. I really like this option for anybody on a strict budget who wants to fish the ocean rocks and surf. Despite it being pretty light (an advantage), this has power to burn with plenty of casting length. They cast well, they handle battles well, and these rods are easy to put together and break down. Some of them are so good that they rival the performance of standard rod configurations, with the hefty price tag to match.
Sensitivity is enhanced using braid, but I’d happily spool a 3000 spinning reel with mono and expect good feedback. The 9 footer copes well with decent stripies and drum from the surf, while not being overkill for 2 and 3-pound largemouth bass or smallmouth bass, casting cranks from the bank. A general-purpose fishing stick is deployed for a variety of applications. It needs to be both sensitive and strong, as well as hold reasonable casting manners. I’ll cover boat to bank and river to sea while excluding more specialized applications such as big game fishing and fly fishing. For over 100 years, Shakespeare has been one of the most recognizable brands in fishing.
I’d put a 2500 spinning reel on the medium-light, a 3000 reel on the medium and a 4000 reel on the medium heavy. I’d use them for focussed hunting trips casting small hard bodies at bass. I’ll fish baits and lures, live baits and dead baits, hard bodies, soft plastics and spinnerbaits.
The added stiffness makes the Elite ideal for manipulating lures and giving them “action” (a fishing term for making lures dance or hobble like wounded prey). Another problem with the Ugly Stik shakespeare reels GX2 is that the guides are not always perfectly placed. This is something you’re likely to find in any mass-produced base-level spinning-rod model; it’s not something children will notice.
Provide your account email address to receive an email to reset your password.We have changed website platforms. It’s not a coincidence that Shakespeare shares stables with some of the most trusted angling brands on the planet. I remember when I was a kid I couldn’t wait to get my hands on an Ugly Stik.
This spinning-rod-and-reel setup is approachable enough for a novice to learn on, yet it performs well enough for a seasoned veteran to depend on. An additional 35% more graphite in the rod is the main factor making the newer Ugly Stik Elite series our pick for lure fishing; the extra stiffness should help you manipulate your lure more realistically. The Elite comes in the same range of sizes as the GX2—we’d recommend a 7-foot-long medium to medium-heavy rod—and costs about $10 much more. That (slightly) higher price also gets you a grip that’s cork, instead of EVA foam. In 1959, the company widened the scope of its operations by acquiring Waverly, Ohio-based Parallel Products Company, a maker of archery equipment that was organized into Shakespeare’s Columbia Products subsidiary.
Shakespeare has made significant contributions in moving both freshwater fishing reels and saltwater baitcasting reels technology forward. Significant achievements include shakespeare reels the invention of the backlash brake. Obviously, this was a critical progression for casting reels, and the technology proved a boon for Shakespeare and its market share.