Ugly Stik for small/medium sharks from surf?

[keeslynch]

Hi,

Next summer I want to try to catch some small sharks (4-6 feet) from the beach in Block Island. I was watching some videos on YouTube and the guy said that he uses an Ugly Stik Bigwater 9 foot for sharks from the beach. Do you all think this would work? The rod doesn't need to have good action or be very light or any niche things like that. I just need to be able to cast bait and a sinker out into the ocean. Ugly Stiks do have a reputation for being indestructible, and they're not too expensive. Side note - is it even possible to catch sharks from Block Island? It has to be... I just never hear or see anything about it.

Thanks

Edited October 14, 2018 by keeslynch

[HighEndHooker]

Im sure it’s possible, I know there’s a guy I’ve heard talk at Striper day (AckSharks on instagram, I don’t remember his real name) that fishes Nantucket from the sand and really lays the hammer down on big sharks. I’m pretty sure he uses Barrett rods, which are specially designed for sharks from the surf. As far as Ugly Stik, it’s one of the worst possible rods on the market, due in part to its reputation among people that don’t know any better as being a “good rod”, so people never actually fish a good rod, and don’t know better. Look at Tsunami Airwave or even Tica rods, they have models that are around the same price, but much more rod for your buck. 

[Ravens52988]

9 hours ago, HighEndHooker said:

Im sure it’s possible, I know there’s a guy I’ve heard talk at Striper day (AckSharks on instagram, I don’t remember his real name) that fishes Nantucket from the sand and really lays the hammer down on big sharks. I’m pretty sure he uses Barrett rods, which are specially designed for sharks from the surf. As far as Ugly Stik, it’s one of the worst possible rods on the market, due in part to its reputation among people that don’t know any better as being a “good rod”, so people never actually fish a good rod, and don’t know better. Look at Tsunami Airwave or even Tica rods, they have models that are around the same price, but much more rod for your buck. 

Worst possible rods on the market? Are you talking surf,boat,both?

[Sweetwater]

Ugly stiks are great for that purpose. They cast a wide range of weights and can handle some remarkably large fish. 

 

There's also no problem flipping the rod over and using it as a casting rod- worth considering- but if you go spinning, do spend the money on a good reel. 

[Mauru]

(Florida opinion here).....but....for smaller sharks (spinners, blacktips & medium bulls down here)...if you're looking to really get yer bait out there....(and if waves are an issue)...bump up the length to 10' with faster action.

 

itll easily handle the size your targeting--and, more importantly, the fight will be fun & comfortable.

 

not to mention keeping your line above the white water.

 

ugly sticks are great--but you're not gonna need a power house rod to do what you're talking about.

 

at the 4'-6' range, you can still (I say this loosely) "finesse" it.

 

(and I'll have to agree with Sweetwater....your reel choice is FAR more important)

Edited October 15, 2018 by Mauru

[hydraman]

11 hours ago, HighEndHooker said:

Im sure it’s possible, I know there’s a guy I’ve heard talk at Striper day (AckSharks on instagram, I don’t remember his real name) that fishes Nantucket from the sand and really lays the hammer down on big sharks. I’m pretty sure he uses Barrett rods, which are specially designed for sharks from the surf. As far as Ugly Stik, it’s one of the worst possible rods on the market, due in part to its reputation among people that don’t know any better as being a “good rod”, so people never actually fish a good rod, and don’t know better. Look at Tsunami Airwave or even Tica rods, they have models that are around the same price, but much more rod for your buck. 

Some ugly sticks will do a better job than some high end rod at a fraction of the price. Now weight and a few other factors are something to think about. But a lot of crap rods out. Ugly stick will do the job. Now I don’t use ugly sticks anymore but when I was young my father let me try to kill one and I could not. I like to use heavy gear for sharks even small ones but with the right ugly stick you will be able to do the job. Get the right reel and your ready to go.  

[c7272]

I've used the newer red/black 10' and 12' spinning Ugly Stiks for shark fishing down in Florida, neither are great for horsing them in (too noodly) and it is definitely more of a lob cast to get out the bait with a sinker (again, noodly).  I haven't tried the 9' model, but I found the 10' to be the better rod as it gave the fish less leverage and I could cast it better than the 12'.  I've since switched to the 12' Team Daiwa spinning rod and couldn't be happier, it's more expensive than the Ugly Stiks but it's a stiffer rod that lets me consistently get a big bait+sinker out ~60 yds.

[HighEndHooker]

30 mins ago, hydraman said:

when I was young my father let me try to kill one and I could not.

I read a quote from Gary Loomis  once that made a lot of sense, he said “I can build a rod that’s impossible to break, but I wouldn’t want to fish with it”. Super slow action, fiberglass blank, and garbage Chinese Walmart guides make for the worst rod for casting from the beach.

 

2 hours ago, Ravens52988 said:

Worst possible rods on the market? Are you talking surf,boat,both?

Surf. They can be good boat rods I guess if you change the guides

[Fishjerk]

Older ugly stick surf rods at least had ceramic guides. The newer ones have cheap metal guides that aren’t even that smooth. The only thing I would use the current models for would be garden stakes and even then a stick is better. 

[Ravens52988]

8 hours ago, HighEndHooker said:

I read a quote from Gary Loomis  once that made a lot of sense, he said “I can build a rod that’s impossible to break, but I wouldn’t want to fish with it”. Super slow action, fiberglass blank, and garbage Chinese Walmart guides make for the worst rod for casting from the beach.

 

Surf. They can be good boat rods I guess if you change the guides

Gotcha. Yeah as for surf rods, anything larger than decent striper, theyre a no go, but as for boat roads,they are the best bang for your buck rods. The older ugly sticks were/still are tanks. As sweetwater says, its more about the reel than the rod.

[Ravens52988]

10 hours ago, Mauru said:

(Florida opinion here).....but....for smaller sharks (spinners, blacktips & medium bulls down here)...if you're looking to really get yer bait out there....(and if waves are an issue)...bump up the length to 10' with faster action.

 

itll easily handle the size your targeting--and, more importantly, the fight will be fun & comfortable.

 

not to mention keeping your line above the white water.

 

ugly sticks are great--but you're not gonna need a power house rod to do what you're talking about.

 

at the 4'-6' range, you can still (I say this loosely) "finesse" it.

 

(and I'll have to agree with Sweetwater....your reel choice is FAR more important)

Couldnt agree with ya more. For your application the 9ft is gonna be too small for what you want to use it for, if you want to stick with a 9footer then get  an actual shark rod and go shorter to say 7ft(barrett is a very good company, i have a barrett and avet set up thats my baby) but you cant cast with those things and will havta yak the baits out which means you gotta go longer to be able to cast and keep the line outta the waves. The Ugly sticks have a more moderate action overall. I use the 11ft hm for little sharks for the nephews and itll handle 4 footers no problem, albeit the rod is halfway bent over like a mofo but that shark will come right in(doesnt hurt havin a ssv8500 on it with 65lb sufix) my reg 12ft spinning rods(non ugly stick) are hf and xhf so they can stay out of the waves,cast large baits and handle decent sized sharks

Edited October 15, 2018 by Ravens52988

[fishhappy]

12 hours ago, Ravens52988 said:

Couldnt agree with ya more. For your application the 9ft is gonna be too small for what you want to use it for, if you want to stick with a 9footer then get  an actual shark rod and go shorter to say 7ft(barrett is a very good company, i have a barrett and avet set up thats my baby) but you cant cast with those things and will havta yak the baits out which means you gotta go longer to be able to cast and keep the line outta the waves. The Ugly sticks have a more moderate action overall. I use the 11ft hm for little sharks for the nephews and itll handle 4 footers no problem, albeit the rod is halfway bent over like a mofo but that shark will come right in(doesnt hurt havin a ssv8500 on it with 65lb sufix) my reg 12ft spinning rods(non ugly stick) are hf and xhf so they can stay out of the waves,cast large baits and handle decent sized sharks

That is the problem well stated. Even without a kayak, there are still very good reasons for fighting a shark with a shorter rod, especially if you don't need to cast any more than a 50' yards at high tide. My preference would be a shorter rod.

 

My experience with the extra heavy casting Ugly Stik is overall, it is not an exceptional rod, and for anything but shark fishing, since that is just about the only bite it will detect, there may not be too many uses, besides winching fish onto a bridge. 

The ergonomics of the rod are awful and the foam feels cheap, like packing foam. On top of that, its' a very heavy rod.  Honestly, it reminds me of the old bamboo rods we had as kids. 

 

So why buy one? The answer is you want to catch a shark but don't want to spend a lot of money. Back in 2016 (I think, it could have been 2015) Ugly Stik had a 50% off Memorial Day sale and free shipping, so the overall cost was about $25.00.  My opinion, is that the rod is worth it.  If I had to spend $60, I might consider another $60-$100 on a better rod, like the ocean master from Bass pro. But then, it depends how much you are going to be using it.

 

Will the 9' ugly stik work, sure. Would a 10 or 12' cast further, yes. Realistically, given the action of these rods, I don't know if overall in that range you would see much difference in distance.   I think whatever one you chose, you will do ok. 

[SPQR70AD]

On ‎10‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 0:06 AM, HighEndHooker said:

I read a quote from Gary Loomis  once that made a lot of sense, he said “I can build a rod that’s impossible to break, but I wouldn’t want to fish with it”. Super slow action, fiberglass blank, and garbage Chinese Walmart guides make for the worst rod for casting from the beach.

 

Surf. They can be good boat rods I guess if you change the guides

using your logic one can say unless you have a daiwa tournament caster @ $1500 and a stella reel @ $1200 your setup is junk. see how it works?

[HighEndHooker]

51 mins ago, SPQR70AD said:

using your logic one can say unless you have a daiwa tournament caster @ $1500 and a stella reel @ $1200 your setup is junk. see how it works?

I’m not sure I follow...

[fishhappy]

11 hours ago, SPQR70AD said:

using your logic one can say unless you have a daiwa tournament caster @ $1500 and a stella reel @ $1200 your setup is junk. see how it works?

Nope, plenty of good rods and reels to be had for way less. If someone can spend that much, they are fortunate. I couldn’t tell you what the difference is, because I only fish in the ocean 1 to 5 weeks a year, and could not justify the expenditure.

however, I have used the cheap stuff, and I have used the mid range to lower high end gear, and, as the poster you quoted noted, there is a dramatic difference. I would go so far as to say, that if one can spend some more money, one may be pleased with the product.

the 10 foot ugly stik isn’t going to be a distance heaver because it is so rigid, but, for sharks off the beach, it’s fine. If it was me, and my budget allowed, and I would be fishing more often, I would spend an additional 60 to 100 and get a better rod. Having used the 10’ ugly stik for the very same purpose, I would say it’s fine, but I don’t enjoy fishing with it as much as another rod I spent about 110 for on sale.