It was an Ugly day at Walmart... 2025

The Rooster reply :

Today I went to Walmart for some paint to redo my basement laundry room and hallway leading to it. Ended up leaving there with 2 Ugly Stik Lite Pro casting rods too. ;D These are not the original Ugly Stiks with EVA grips. These are the light weight versions with cork handles, but they're a Walmart exclusive as far as I know. Have blue wraps and aluminum oxide guides instead of the chromium ones.

I got a 6'6" medium for throwing 1/4 oz. shallow and medium diving crankbaits. I'm going to put one of my BPS Extremes on it, a 6.4:1 ratio with mono line. That way I could use it for topwaters too being that it's a fairly soft feeling rod. Not the dog walking baits, just large poppers and jitterbugs and the like. Things with trebles that I don't want to rip out on a strike but I will still want a stiffer rod for walking the dog lures.

Then I also got a 7' medium for throwing deeper diving crankbaits. It actually has more of a parabolic bend to it than the 6'6" does, it bends much deeper into the butt section when flexed, but it's also stiffer feeling at the same time, takes more pressure to bend it, it seems. I thought it would be good for the heavier baits based on this. There are some Bandit 7/8 oz. cranks I'd like to get. I'm going to put a BPS Extreme on it too, a 5.4:1 ratio. That should crank them down fairly well. The 7' rod handle is longer than the 6'6" by a good bit and there's maybe 2 more inches of blank at the tip than the shorter rod has, so holding it in my hand palming the reel it feels a lot like the 6'6" rod which I like. It's not so loooong feeling that way. Also having that longer handle makes it feel like I could use my forearm to help leverage the rod when fighting a fish, or even deep cranking some big Norman DD22's.

I already have the two reels here, and I want to get some use out of them so I figured why not. Also I cannot afford to get more Shimano Compres for them just yet, especially since that will just make me want a Curado E5 for the deep diving one anyway so I thought this would be an affordable alternative to get a couple of different cranking rods. I know for the price of both rods I could have paid about $30 more and got at least one Compre. But I will eventually get there and I will have 2 rods to use this year instead of just one, and I'll have a use for these for other types of fishing later, like catfish.

Also, they have the Shimano Sonora spinning reels on clearance there for $35. It's identical to a Sedona internally, just the bail wire is shaped differently on the outside and that's the only mechanical difference at all. I didn't get one though. That orange color is FUGLY, but it would make a good reel to have as a backup, or for the trunk of a car rod, or whatever.

Again......it was an Ugly day at Walmart!!! ;D

BASSclary reply :

My wal-mart is junk for fishing stuff. I wish I had one of those wal-marts where they have better reels like the Revo S.

The best reel in my wally world is a Shakespear Axiom (Or however you spell it)

B-Dozer reply :

BC, what are you like 10 min. from BPS? I was there over Christmas(1st time ever at BPS) that place is packed with everything. You shouldn't complain.

BASSclary reply :

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BC, what are you like 10 min. from BPS? I was there over Christmas(1st time ever at BPS) that place is packed with everything. You shouldn't complain.

45 min on a good day, but usually dad says I cant go :-/

B-Dozer reply :

Yeah, you probably have more stuff than anybody else here. You are way past Walmart quality.

BASSclary reply :

Hahahahaha. I've got a nice assortment of tackle, and probably more than a lot of members (Newbies mainly, not the hardcore guys.) but where i'm lacking is my rod arsenal.

I only have 2 combos as of now;

A Crucial/Carbonlite and a Lightning Rod/Abu Cardinal.

B-Dozer reply :

There are some great deals on rods in the flea market right now. Never was a fan of Ugly Sticks. But I love that commercial with the guy's wife trying to destroy the rod.

Senkoman12 reply :

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My wal-mart is junk for fishing stuff. I wish I had one of those wal-marts where they have better reels like the Revo S.
The best reel in my wally world is a Shakespear Axiom (Or however you spell it)

i had one of those once and to be honest for $30 you could not beat it, for a $30 reel i was impressed

B-Dozer reply :

I keep my stuff for a long time (forever!) maintain it well, so it's worth it to me to choose quality stuff.

The Rooster reply :

I like the Ugly Stiks, every single model they make. Not for bottom sensitive bass fishing lures, but for general fishing of cranks and some other lures the Lite and Lite Pro rods from the Ugly Stik lines are good, durable rods that are comparible to a lot of "average" bass rods for weight. None will compare to the likes of Loomis or Powell, or other higher end rods, but for what use I'll put them to, I don't think it's bad at all.

For catfishing, stripers, even muskies, I think you could do a lot worse than an Ugly Stik.

BASSclary reply :

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There are some great deals on rods in the flea market right now. Never was a fan of Ugly Sticks. But I love that commercial with the guy's wife trying to destroy the rod.

Man, trust me. If I had the income, or just an income, I'd be all over the Flea Market. No Cash-esch for me.

B-Dozer reply :

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I like the Ugly Stiks. Not for bottom sensitive bass fishing lures, but the Lite and Lite Pro rods from the Ugly Stik lines are good, durable rods that are comparible to a lot of "average" bass rods for weight. None will compare to the likes of Loomis or Powell, or other higher end rods, but for what use I'll put them to, I don't think it's bad at all.
For catfishing, stripers, even muskies, I think you could do a lot worse than an Ugly Stik.

Like what bamboo?

geoffs reply :

That's a great rod, I picked one up last month on a Wal-Mart trip. My wife gave it to me for Christmas, but she doesn't know it..

bilgerat reply :

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Hahahahaha. I've got a nice assortment of tackle, and probably more than a lot of members (Newbies mainly, not the hardcore guys.) but where i'm lacking is my rod arsenal.
I only have 2 combos as of now;

A Crucial/Carbonlite and a Lightning Rod/Abu Cardinal.

I have 5 freshwater combos and I've been fishing for over 30 years. My wife thinks I have a lot yeah, ok whatever you say dear. That's 5 that I rotate through, not counting what gets retired.

My boss swears by Ugly Stiks. He uses them for saltwater where sensitivity really doesn't matter. They gotta be doing something right as long as they've been around.

B-Dozer reply :

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Hahahahaha. I've got a nice assortment of tackle, and probably more than a lot of members (Newbies mainly, not the hardcore guys.) but where i'm lacking is my rod arsenal.
I only have 2 combos as of now;

A Crucial/Carbonlite and a Lightning Rod/Abu Cardinal.

I have 5 freshwater combos and I've been fishing for over 30 years. My wife thinks I have a lot yeah, ok whatever you say dear. That's 5 that I rotate through, not counting what gets retired.

My boss swears by Ugly Stiks. He uses them for saltwater where sensitivity really doesn't matter. They gotta be doing something right as long as they've been around.

Don't let him fool you, BC has a TON of fishing stuff. He's just worried his father might log on and find out

BASSclary reply :

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Hahahahaha. I've got a nice assortment of tackle, and probably more than a lot of members (Newbies mainly, not the hardcore guys.) but where i'm lacking is my rod arsenal.
I only have 2 combos as of now;

A Crucial/Carbonlite and a Lightning Rod/Abu Cardinal.

I have 5 freshwater combos and I've been fishing for over 30 years. My wife thinks I have a lot yeah, ok whatever you say dear. That's 5 that I rotate through, not counting what gets retired.

My boss swears by Ugly Stiks. He uses them for saltwater where sensitivity really doesn't matter. They gotta be doing something right as long as they've been around.

5 would be a good number for me, considering I use a plethora of techniques.

And I love Ugly sticks for saltwater. I have a freshwater 6' Med ugly stick paired with some shakespear reel, (a decent one for like, 60ish dollars) and 65 lb braid. Its a whole lot of fun to fight a 6 ft shark on that! Its true, the rods really never break unless you take a saw too 'em. And even if they do, your only out 30 bucks. Im actually re-doing a 7' MH saltwater model right now for rod making practice (see Project Pretty Stick).

BASSclary reply :

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Quote

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Hahahahaha. I've got a nice assortment of tackle, and probably more than a lot of members (Newbies mainly, not the hardcore guys.) but where i'm lacking is my rod arsenal.
I only have 2 combos as of now;

A Crucial/Carbonlite and a Lightning Rod/Abu Cardinal.

I have 5 freshwater combos and I've been fishing for over 30 years. My wife thinks I have a lot yeah, ok whatever you say dear. That's 5 that I rotate through, not counting what gets retired.

My boss swears by Ugly Stiks. He uses them for saltwater where sensitivity really doesn't matter. They gotta be doing something right as long as they've been around.

Don't let him fool you, BC has a TON of fishing stuff. He's just worried his father might log on and find out

Lure wise, more than my fare share. But then again, my dad has right around 3/4 of the same stuff I do. Actually alot of my stuff is from Bassn Blvd and Road Warrior. Thanks again for donating!

The Rooster reply :

You are redoing one?? I gotta check that out. Was thinking of redoing the guides on a spinning model I have. They just need rewrapped is all, the epoxy is chipping off after nearly 13 years of use.

BASSclary reply :

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You are redoing one?? I gotta check that out. Was thinking of redoing the guides on a spinning model I have. They just need rewrapped is all, the epoxy is chipping off after nearly 13 years of use.

If you want I can do them for you for cost of shipping. I can put them on the spine and everything. Hell, I can re-do the whole rod for cost if you want. Thats what I plan on doing with mine. My thread is in the Tackle Making section.

If you want it professionally done thats cool too, just throwing my name out there 8-)

J Francho reply :

Shipping and insurance will be more than a new rod. 13 years of service is a good life. Retire it, and get a new one.

The Rooster reply :

Well, for this rod it's not worth putting a lot of money in it. I hardly use it anymore. I think I'd like to try it myself actually, but probably down the road sometime. Got too much going on right now.

BASSclary reply :

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Well, for this rod it's not worth putting a lot of money in it. I hardly use it anymore. I think I'd like to try it myself actually, but probably down the road sometime. Got too much going on right now.

Its quite addicting.

BASSclary reply :

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Shipping and insurance will be more than a new rod. 13 years of service is a good life. Retire it, and get a new one.

How much is shipping and insurance of say, a 7' rod?

I've never shipped a rod, so Im just curious on the price.

J Francho reply :

Last time I sent a rod out, it cost me $26.

OHIO reply :

I have one of these rods. Got it last year and used it for treble hook baits.

Worked fine for those, but I don't use it anymore. I hit the top guide on my ceiling and the thing broke. Unbreakable? Don't think so.

The Rooster reply :

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I have one of these rods. Got it last year and used it for treble hook baits.
Worked fine for those, but I don't use it anymore. I hit the top guide on my ceiling and the thing broke. Unbreakable? Don't think so.

I'd be inclined to think that the top section of that rod had taken a hit prior to that ceiling contact.

OHIO reply :

Maybe, but I can't be sure. It wasn't actually the rod that broke, it was the just the guide.

They are probably still the strongest rods out there.

Sam reply :

Each Wal-Mart fishing department is stocked by their sporting goods department manager so every Wal-Mart fishing stock differs from store to store.

If you want something you need to speak to the sporting goods department manager about stocking the product.

Some managers will be helpful while others are jerks.

Just thought everyone would like to know.

Bluebasser86 reply :

I have 2 identical ugly stick lites from Wal-Mart. 7' medium spinning rods I use for channel cats in the summer and freeling live shad for wipers in the winter time. I've used them for bass in emergencys a couple times but I wouldn't want one for an everyday use bass rod. They are strong for sure, I've caught some big fish on mine and they take a beating but have yet to break one.

SirSnookalot reply :

Ugly sticks are probably the most popular rod I see for saltwater, with Penn spinning reels, used from shore, piers and offshore, they work great as I'm a constant witness.

One of my neighbors ( snowbird) is a charter captain from New Jersey, tuna & stripers. One day he sees me catching bass in our pond, he had no idea of what a largemouth was, so he goes to Walmart and buys a cheap spinning combo. Buys a few cheap lures, bag of worms, and whatever and within minutes he's killing them. Is it the equipment or the man behind it?

Nothing wrong with an Ugly Stick.

The Rooster reply :

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Each Wal-Mart fishing department is stocked by their sporting goods department manager so every Wal-Mart fishing stock differs from store to store.
If you want something you need to speak to the sporting goods department manager about stocking the product.

Some managers will be helpful while others are jerks.

Just thought everyone would like to know.

On this I used to work at a Walmart in the sporting goods department, for about 6 years, and 1 year of that was spent as it's manager. Back then I had "some" choice of what to stock from the vendors that came in and pitched their products. It was usually generic type stuff other than the good lures they offered. Most of it was South Bend branded items, cheap combos and reels. For the regular everyday merchandise the home office lays down a carved in stone diagram of what the counters will hold, what items will be on it, and how much. The only real differences I ever saw to it was depending on what area of the country you lived in. I live in Ashland, Kentucky, right on the Ohio river. The river seems to be the cutoff point from one region to another according to the company. So stores in Ohio have dramatically different stuff sometimes compared to Kentucky. Also West Virginia has some different stuff sometimes too. I live in the tri-state area, right where all 3 states meet. That gives me "some" options at the different stores. But mostly, there's a lot of the same too.

The Rooster reply :

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Maybe, but I can't be sure. It wasn't actually the rod that broke, it was the just the guide.
They are probably still the strongest rods out there.

Ah....I see. I thought you were talking about the blank. For that tiptop I'd just replace it and keep on using the rod. That makes me worry what you said cause I have 7' ceilings in the basement where I keep my rods and I just bought a 7' rod. I've scrubbed the ceiling with it already but then again I do that with about all of my 6'6" rods too. So far, no damage to any though. I inspect them everytime I do that. Drives me nuts. I gotta get a better storage solution for them all.

Bigbarge50 reply :

Anyone think that by going with the tough, durable, marketing approach that Ugly Stick has done their product a bit of a disservice? People seem to have a down opinion on them, that they can not be "that good" because they simply are tough.... which is what they sell themselves as.

I have seen God knows how many Bass caught on Ugly sticks by some very good anglers. While mostly on cranks, have seen a lot of guys have success fishing worms with em too.

Anyone think they are a better rod then their reputation?

bassin is addicting reply :

i own 2 of the ugly stix lite pro...have had them for 4 years 2 piece spinning rods.

i keep them in my trunk for after work on the way home stops.

have had no problem. they definitely fit the purpose. and you can't beat the price.

tjmaniac reply :

I love my Lady Stik, it's pink and pretty and catches fish too!

Quillback reply :

I have an 8 1/2 foot Ugly Stick that I used for years when I lived in the PAC NW that I used for downrigging for salmon. I fished a lot, that rod has caught hundreds of salmon and it's still kicking, nowadays I rarely use it, when I go over to Grand Lake in Oklahoma for blue cats a couple of times a year is about it.

Incheon Basser reply :

give me a few days and i'll show you guys some pics of KDM Shakespeare stuff and it will blow your socks off

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It was an Ugly day at Walmart... 2025

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