Had an interesting discussion the other night at a party. A big ol' boy, having been told the we built custom rods, wanted to know if we did catfish rods. I said we did. He wanted to know prices and I gave him a starting range. He didn't blink. I knew right then I was in trouble.

Then he said "is it as good as an Ugly Stick? - I mean, can you bend it so the tip will touch the butt and won't break?". I asked him how he normally fought his fish and he said his average 40-pounder would "get under the boat but I can could just put that ol' Ugly Stick down there and it'll bend right around the bottom of the boat". He spools those 6000-size reels with as much 100lb as he can get on them 'cause "those cats really run and no rod will stop them"

I told him to go buy an Ugly Stick and be happy.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

Some custom builders may give different advice - forty pounds is a whimp!

[www.rodbuilding.org]

i wonder if anyone knows of an ugly-stick that actually failed ? I use an old ugly-stick flippin rod to speed troll huge crank baits for musky for over 20 yrs..It is stiff enough not to double over from the drag of the bait at 5 or 6 mph.I have had high speed hang ups or snags that would snap lesser cheap rods(drag setting is critical when using this method).been there done that. BUT it is like a utility pole with guides.in fact,my fishing buddy calls it ''the phone pole".I know i have lost fish because of its lack of shock absorption and inability to keep a tight line during the fight.If anyone knows of an alternative blank that would better suit this style of fishing,im all ears or i guess in this case all eyes?

They're very tough, but at the price of weight and a very slow reaction and recovery rate. But, in some cases, they fill the bill.

...........

I've seen three broken Ugly sticks come in the shop here, one was a super heavy Ugly Stick Tiger series, (the mustard color ones), it had broke clean off about 4 inches above the fore grip. The guy said he had a Penn 9500SS on it spooled with 100lb Power Pro, the fish took a dive at the boat bringing the rod against the aluminum gunwale and it snapped right off.
Another was a medium weight spin rod about 7' long which lost its tip right about where it turns clear, and another that broke about midway and sort of just splintered but didn't completely break. They replaced all three with not even a question about how old they were. All were badly abused in my opinion, but pretty much the only rod I'd sell to that type of customer.
From what I see, the worst abusers are bridge fishermen, I've seen some nasty breaks mostly from lifting huge fish 20 feet in the air or fighying a fish that's gone under the bridge.

There are some types of fishing and certain types of fishermen that simply are better off with an Ugly Stick, Daiwa Beefstick, or one of those Cabelas Whipping Sticks they used to sell. The Pinnacle Power Tip rods are also good abuser rods. I've yet to have one of those break either.
I have one guy that has me order 50-80lb class Daiwa Beefstick rods and 4/0 reels for black drum and tog fishing. He'll buy a dozen or more a year. They never come back, he just keeps buying more. I saw one of them once, the rod had been worn almost completely through about a foot above the handle. He said that was from the concrete bridge wall. He fishes them till they "Look weak" and then gets out a new one. He said he's pulled in 25lb fish right up onto the bridge with the rod worn halfway through.

Several have asked about custom rods but I've always told them that they're better off with the el cheapo solid rods or Ugly Sticks for that type of fishing.
I have had a few guys that just had me custom wrap new guides on old solid glass blanks, just to personalize their rods.
There's no rod made that can take dragging up and down the corner of a concrete barrier or slamming down against the side of a boat, at least not for long.

I can't count how many broken high end rods I've seen in here, let alone how many really nice custom or OEM sticks that come in looking like they were run over or dragged down the road a few times.

Catfishing is something that's just gaining popularity here, with larger fish being found just lately in the rivers,

Russ..

I would have told him the same thing. Guys have asked me to build them trolling rods here in AK with the same comparison as that guy did to you. And ya know, you could have talked that guy till he was blue in the face trying to convince him. And by the time you were done, his opinion would still be the same. I've seen it time in and time out!

Take care,

Paul

I have a few old friends and family members that won't fish with anything else but an Ugly-Stik.
I have been fortunate enough to find a few U/S blanks and have custom built 4 of them just
for my "special" people. I'm always looking for those older Ugly-Stik & Fenwick blanks as they
make for some very happy people when they open my presents.

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

this is a funny thread... ugly sticks are just what the name implies... ugly.. i have broken 3 myself and i rate them as garbage rods.. no blank is unbreakable but some people just don't get it i suppose...

Bill, you're right - because I've done 60lbs a number of times and 100lbs once or twice. Not that unusual depending on where you are. But I didn't want to rain on his parade.

Joe, I've got a BASS guy who broke the tips of four Pinnacle sticks this summer and fall, all from high-sticking.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods