Would like to hear everyones opinions on Shakespeare products 2024

airborne_angler reply :

Everyone knows that Shakespeare products are pretty much entry level items.

Anyone swear by their rods and reels? Ive used their stuff before and cant really find too much fault with the stuff. If your a budget minded fisherman,the stuff will get you by.

Anyone care to share their thoughts experiences or opinions on this product line?

grimlin reply :

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Everyone knows that Shakespeare products are pretty much entry level items.
Anyone swear by their rods and reels? Ive used their stuff before and cant really find too much fault with the stuff. If your a budget minded fisherman,the stuff will get you by.

Anyone care to share their thoughts experiences or opinions on this product line?

It will get you by if you are just a light weekend warrior.If you are an hardcore angler like a lot of us are here,you are better off spending the money on something that will last.

I have yet to by a Shakespeare product of cheap quality to last.

I have one combo which serves as my bluegill/panfish....gets used maybe 4-5 times out of the year...had for 3 years now....the reel is going out on it soon.

Goose52 reply :

I was a Shakespeare fan starting in the 1960s when I first bought a Shakespeare Wonderod fly rod, through the mid-1980s, when I bought a battery of Shakespeare Sigma 2200 spinning reels. During this time, Shakespeare was a mainstream, mid-range brand with some good products. Since then, they've gone "down-market" and I haven't bought a Shakespeare product (new) in 25 years. I think there's better options out there nowadays.

I still use my Sigma 2200 spinning reels as my primary spinning reels and they give good service, and I still have my Wonderod, but I am not a fan of the current product line.

FWIW - a nice 3 pounder that I caught just a few hours ago - on a Shakespeare Sigma 2200ck size 035 !

Grey Wolf reply :

Good for kids and adults who don't fish much.

Jake. reply :

Unless you are 5 years old or only fish 2-3 times per year, avoid Shakespeare rods and reels.

skunked_again reply :

its good for buying on vacation, beating the hell out of, and leaving there.

The Rooster reply :

Say what you will but there is a use for the Ugly Stik line of rods. Not finesse bass fishing by any means, but for catfishing, carp, panfish, and even some bass fishing (whitebass and stripers for me, or for a cheap crankbait rod), they are good, and do not feel at all like they would not last. I have an Ugly Stik Lite Pro that I have had for more than 10 years, used heavily, and it's still in good fishable condition. Guide wrappings are starting to show signs of needing new epoxy due to cracking the old stuff off slightly but otherwise it's in very good shape and none of the guides are actually loose.

But if not for the Ugly Stik line of rods I would have no use at all for Shakespeare stuff.

trevor reply :

no.

iceintheveins reply :

Generally cheap and low quality, with the exception of the Ugly Stick line. The ugly stick lites make decent crank and topwater rods, and the heavier ugly sticks are good for large, hard hitting fish like pike or catfish. The reels are utter junk though.

Grey Wolf reply :

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no.

There's one in every crowd and you're it.

bwell reply :

I probably have 7 Ugly stik rods, I have these for my family to use because I know they are very hard to break. I have yet to have one snap in half, hell I have even had one have a car door shut on one with nothing happening to the rod.

I also have one for my cranking rod which works great, and one for my catfishing setup which is an awesome rod for big fish.

All in all the Ugly Stik isn't a bad rod for certain situations but I would stay away from the reels.

KYntucky Warmouth reply :

If I was ever in a pinch and needed a rod for cheap, an ugly stick lite would be a good way to go. They have their place in the market and for live bait fishing, an ugly stick is at the top of my list. FWIW my dad has a Shakespeare Dimension reel that he uses for crappie, it's basically a Pflueger President, even has the rosewood handle and makes use of the one way clutch.

DRhodes reply :

They have there place. I keep a few for other people to use, or if I'm fishing a small creek up the river and put my canoe in. I would not want to take one of my St. Croix rods to get beat up, so I throw in the ugly stick. If thats all you can afford or are just a couple outings a month fisherman by all means, I would suggest the Ugly Stick Lite.

bassin is addicting reply :

i think for the money they are fine. i know there are many hi-end guys here that look down on them, but i am not one. meaning....i'm not a a hi-end ($300 and up) rod guy.

i own 2 ugly stick lite..7' med and they work just fine.

are they as good as the hi-end stuff?? guessin' not. but do you catch less fish with them?? maybe in certain applications. i fish 3-5 times a week and like them just fine. would i like to be able to get a hi-end rod...sure. but i'd like a corvette too. you don't NEED hi-end stuff to catch fish. i just finished a tourney with the KVD of our club, he had plenty of hi-end stuff but he didn't laugh at my 2 ugly sticks and 2 daiwa tierra's....

so, if thats what you can afford...they work well.

imho

Fishes in trees reply :

I've had issues with the Shakespeare customer service department. I've found them snotty and difficult to work with. I'd need a real good reason to deal with them again and I don't know what that would be.

I.rar reply :

eh.

i like their 'free' tackle bag offer with their rods. holds all my gear just fine.

GRiver reply :

got no complaints...keep an ultra light in my truck to stop and fish those places you stumble on and as spares for friends and family when they come by.

KU_Bassmaster. reply :

"Temporary"

bass or bass ? reply :

Among my rod and reel collection I have 2 Shakespere Ugly Sticks, one baitcast and one spinning, and like them. I think their reels are cheap junk though. I have 1 Shakespere spinning reel / rod combo that is for the grandkids . It rarely leaves the house.

bweave09 reply :

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I've had issues with the Shakespeare customer service department. I've found them snotty and difficult to work with. I'd need a real good reason to deal with them again and I don't know what that would be.

They are here in Columbia, SC. I'll go talk to them for ya ;D

chevy2junk reply :

I have 2 Shakespere Dimension spinning reels ,no nothing hi dollar but they have caught many stout river smallmouth and are still smooth as new.I take care of them [cleaning and lubeing]and they serve me well.

SirSnookalot reply :

Ugly stick.............depends on the quarry.

Just pulling a statistic out of thin air I would say at least 1/3 of rods here in saltwater are uglies, with a 4 or 5000 spinning reel on them. The guys I fish with for cudas just about all use them. Cast far, ton of backbone and last almost forever.

mark nowak reply :

Ugly Stiks aren't bad for the cost, I tossed a shimano sodona on a couple of them. My girlfriend seems pretty happy with them but then again she spends most of her time tanning on the back of the boat though.

Redhed reply :

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Say what you will but there is a use for the Ugly Stik line of rods. Not finesse bass fishing by any means, but for catfishing, carp, panfish, and even some bass fishing (whitebass and stripers for me, or for a cheap crankbait rod), they are good, and do not feel at all like they would not last. I have an Ugly Stik Lite Pro that I have had for more than 10 years, used heavily, and it's still in good fishable condition. Guide wrappings are starting to show signs of needing new epoxy due to cracking the old stuff off slightly but otherwise it's in very good shape and none of the guides are actually loose.
But if not for the Ugly Stik line of rods I would have no use at all for Shakespeare stuff.

thats the only shakespeare product i know that has quality.. i have several of those rods for ultra lights, catfish and some saltwater fishing.. for the $$ they are rock solid tough. makes for great catfishing rods

shootermcbob reply :

I have a shakespeare Dimension spinning reel in the 30 size that I like for throwing lighter baits. I bought it in combination with a cabelas tourney trail rod. I have caught many fish with it and have had nary a problem. I also owned at one time two dimension plus baitcasting reels that had mag braking system and 10 or 11 ball bearings. I liked them both, very smooth, price was right, and I learned to fish baitcasters with them. I have since moved on and sold them to buy others, but there was nothing wrong with them for the two summers I used them.

I sold them to a fellow on another forum, and has emailed two times since, commenting on how nice they were. Much better than his pflueger echelon, according to him.

Like most others here, I have moved up in my gear selection, but I can not say one bad word about either of my shakespeare products.

Jigfishn10 reply :

If you're on a budget, then I don't think you can go wrong with an Ugly Stik. I know a lot of people using them and really like them. I personally like the 3 St. Croix rods I built and wouldn't trade them for anything.

Back in 2000 I was on a retail development which had Home Depot and WalMart as anchor stores. A contractor asked me to go fishing and I went to WalMart and bought a Shakespeare SBC2804 round baitcaster for $40. I still have and use that baitcaster to this day.

In 2005 I had the levelwind pawl lock up on the worm shaft and damaged both parts as well as the levelwind gear. I called Shakespeare Customer Service to order parts and they couldn't have been easier to deal with. I think the replacement parts cost around $5.00 and I got 2 of each part. They were on my door step 2 days after ordering.

IMHO I think that their higher end reels (Pfluegar) are not bad reels. I can't really comment on any other Pfluegar products as I have not used those products.

BASSclary reply :

i personaly think the ugly stick line is pretty good for the weekend angler, but i would prefer a SpongeBob Squarepants reel over the Shakespeares.

I.rar reply :

in my hands , my 5' UL ugly stick lite weighs more than my 6'6" MH/F fenwick eagle GT casting rod and a crap ton heavier than my 6' M/F compre.

KYntucky Warmouth reply :

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i personaly think the ugly stick line is pretty good for the weekend angler, but i would prefer a SpongeBob Squarepants reel over the Shakespeares.

A Shakespeare Barbie pole caught the lake record walleye out of one of my home lakes

Dave P reply :

They're OK, just don't expect the world for the price. I've got a reel that I've used for a while with no issues, but I don't use it all day every day.

Senkoman12 reply :

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i personaly think the ugly stick line is pretty good for the weekend angler, but i would prefer a SpongeBob Squarepants reel over the Shakespeares.

chances are that spongebob reel is porbably made by shakespeare

BASSclary reply :

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Quote
i personaly think the ugly stick line is pretty good for the weekend angler, but i would prefer a SpongeBob Squarepants reel over the Shakespeares.

chances are that spongebob reel is porbably made by shakespeare

nahh, Zebco my friend haha

Syppy reply :

I've had a lot of Shakespeare equipment over the years, and I gotta say I can't complain about them. The spinning reels and little push-button things I've had have caught a decent number and quality of fish (my profile pic included), and the Ugly Sticks have stood up to even my childrens' abuse. Granted I have to replace them out every 2 years or so, but it's cheap to do so. Why throw money in the trash while teaching the kids to take care of things before buying them the big money stuff?

Sippi

Grey Wolf reply :

Do you have any good equipment that you personally use ?

Syppy reply :

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Do you have any good equipment that you personally use ?

No, just got my first bit of "good" gear this last week. Up until this point it's mostly been off Shakespeare and Zebco cheapo's. The only thing I would say comes close is my little ugly stick which has worked great.

Sippi

Nebraska Bassin reply :

I heard that Pflueger and All-Star were purchased by Shakespeare, and both of those brands are usually of pretty good quality, but I'm guessing that the Pflueger and All-Star products aren't coming off the same assembly line the Shakespeare reels and rods are being made on.

As far as experience with Shakespeare branded stuff: I haven't used their products for years. I had an Ugly Stick about 10 years ago or so, I ended up giving it to my mother. She still uses it when she goes fishing, but that's only once or twice a year. A friend of mine bought a Shakespeare baitcaster not too long ago, and predictably, it's a piece of junk.

Jigfishn10 reply :

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I heard that Pflueger and All-Star were purchased by Shakespeare, and both of those brands are usually of pretty good quality, but I'm guessing that the Pflueger and All-Star products aren't coming off the same assembly line the Shakespeare reels and rods are being made on.
quote]

Shakepeare aquired Pfleuger quite some time ago and I beleive they were manufacturing both products out of the same facility. So they went for both a high and low end lines kind of like ZEBCO with their Quantum line.

I've since found out that Pure Fishing Inc. (www.purefishing.com) aquired Shakepeare back in 2007 adding to a fairly impressive line of products including All Star Rods, Berkely, Abu Garcia, Fenwick, Penn to name a few.

Check out the site.

Red Bear reply :

my 'lucky' pole is a shakespeare tiger spincast combo i bought about like 4 years ago at walmart. i absolutely love it though, its my go to pole. i had it spooled with 20lb mono and could cast lightweight stuff like rooster tails and crickhoppers a mile on it, changed the line this year to 15lb and it still works great. and its a really fun fight with bigger fish with the weaker drag. the rod is a 6'6 MH and its great, its not an ugly stick. the reel has held up well too. the only problem i had was with the lower guide on it came apart, but i easily put it back together and it was my fault in the first place. i also have a spinning tiger combo 7'0 M that has served me very well.

but this was an older model of the tiger shakespeare line, the newer ones have absolute crap for reels. i bought one mainly for the rod, and the reel broke in less than a month. other than that though shakespeare products have been pretty good to me. but now i have a reason to buy a new reel which wont be a s'peare to pair up with that rod, which was the plan when i bought my first lucky one 4 years ago but the thing aint broke yet. and i catch my biggest fish on it from bass to catfish to stripers, so i almost always take it with me fishing.

South FLA reply :

Like their Pflueger reels.....

SirSnookalot reply :

I have several Pflueger reels and can't say there is a bad one in the bunch. I have 2 supremes I use for fresh and supreme and medalist I use in the salt.

As far as ugly sticks go, I see more ugly sticks used for pier surf and even offshore than any other brand. great spine and long casting distance, I have friends using them and see them in action all the time.

SoFlaBassAddict reply :

I've got a big fat ugly stick fly rod that I use offshore for Pelagics like dolphin, sailfish, and tuna. Good fun rod to use. Goofy amounts of backbone on it. I'm not really worried about it ever breaking. I used to use some of the larger ugly stick rods for deep dropping for large grouper and snapper. For the price and power of the rod you couldn't beat them. I personally wouldn't use one for something that required a lot of feel though. They aren't the most sensitive rods in the world.

Shakespear makes a decent antenna though

catchnm reply :

Well I guess I just as well jump in on this one......I currently own a few Shakespeare spincast reels. The Synergy Titanium (Ti) series is pretty awesome, comparable to a good Zebco spincast, even better since they are less expensive. The older Synergy Steel line is a good product as well. I use both for panfish of all varieties including some smaller catfish. Drags work great and they are tough reels. Check out the Shakespeare Synergy 'Ultimate' series of spincasters, compare them to some of the "high end" spincasters on the market and they'll surprise ya. I own a Zebco Omega Z02 and hardly ever use it anymore.

I came so close to buying one or two of the Dimension spinning reels previously mentioned that I actually had to walk out of the store more than once. Pretty impressive specs and they are ultra smooth when you spin them in their packaging, time will tell if they are long lasting. Still may get at least one, but I'm not that big of fan of spinning gear anymore since arthritis in my wrists has limited my abilities to handle the heavier spinning gear.

Lately, their baitcast line has started to look pretty appealing for an inexpensive starter or for back-up or bank fishing pond reels. The Agility baitcaster has gotten some pretty decent reviews.

No doubt the Ugly Sticks are awesome, who hasn't owned or at least fished with one in their lifetime? Here's a surprise though.....the Excursion rods that can be purchased for less than $20 are sensitive and tough and come in a bunch of models for both spinning and casting. Make good back-up rods or like mine are, panfish and "pond" rods.

Is the Shakespeare line for the tournament angler? I say an emphatic NO. But their products are great for the weekend/occasional recreational fisherman, and the rods are good back-up rods that are inexpensive and will certainly get the job done.

BTW, I fish for crappie with a gentleman about 75 years old who still fishes with his '80's Shakepeare tackle exclusively. He uses it for everything, not just crappie but also striper, bass, and catfish.

florida strain reply :

I have one of those excursion rods..not bad for 20$..I also got axiom caster reel for it ..not bad for 20$.. had it 2 years now and caught several L.M. w/ it. But the combo doesn't compare to my higher dollar combos, However I don't expect it to. Shakespeare is decent for their price, and helps get people involved in the sport.

trevor reply :

Quote

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no.

There's one in every crowd and you're it.

8-) 8-) 8-)

not sure what you mean.

basser223 reply :

only thing thats good is the ugly stick line

2771

Would like to hear everyones opinions on Shakespeare products 2024

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