September 2008 issue of Field & Stream, page 33, "Merwin's Minute" titled, "Trendy Gear".
"Shimano topped the list of fishing reel brands sold in the United States during 2007, according to a new report, while Shakespere's Ugly Stik took top honors among rods. That's the word from Southwick Associates, a consulting firm that surveyed 16,258 American anglers on their buying habits last year."
theres several things bad about owning ugly sticks. one is they never break so you dont have a reason to keep buying once you get what you need. unfortuantly a ugly stick owner NEVER gets all he needs. . i have a standing offer on my boat. if anyone breaks one my uglies bringing a fish in, ill buy him a case of his favorite amber. ive never heard one of em snap and would gladly forfeit a case of delicious amber to anyone who gives me that thrill. some these fellers put some awesome bends in them rods, knowing they gonna get a free case of their favorite amber if they break one of my rods. i say my rods cause i dont want anyone hittin one of their uglies with a hacksaw and claiming the prize. the second is over on the sc board we got some non beleivers when it comes to uglies. i been trying to convert em, but its a tough process. . one is a young feller, still wet behind the ears with a lot to learn and the other is an old codger who is set in his ways, but im trying to bring em around. the struggle continues....
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If it aint UGLY, it aint worth the price..
They will break, though it may not be while fighting a fish. Remember when the Ugly Stick first came out and the commercials showed the guy tweaking the rod in his hand?
I had a friend that had bought a brand new US, was showing it off to me, tweaked it like the commercial, broke in his hands. I laughed so hard. He hadn't even stuck a reel on it yet.
I have a 9' ugly stick crappie rod that i put thru torture on oxbows and ponds and never have been able to break it, can't say the same for any of the other crappie poles i've had. Maybe not a sensitive as some, but hard to beat for dippin cypress knees and such.
I have a good number of different rod brands and have not broke one in a very long time, except for that GLoomis heavy action bass rod I broke. However they did replace it for $50 shipping cost and it is a $345 rod and it broke when I was having trouble with my boat rails and climbing into my boat I sat on it and don't think any rod would have handled that, LOL! They had no questions about how it broke or anything. This is a casting rod though and don't even need to talk about the other casting rods I have all very good IMHO.
It was the only rod I could find made by anyone that had the specs I wanted in a 7' rod. It's not a crappie rod by any means though.
Have two WM rods, one 10' and one 12', two B&M 10' and a Pro Angler 10'. Treat them not that easy and lift fish and none broke yet. All of these are the least expensive rods I own.
Also have a 7' St. Croix I absolutely love for crappie. Bought it for wacky worm for bass, but it's pretty light action and just converted it to crappie when I did the same. Put it through a tough time all the time and it just keeps on keeping on.
Have a couple of Falcon Rods that are a good bit less costly than most of my rods and they are great for them money.
Don't have a single Ugly Stick and I guess I just like more sensitive rods.
I'm with you Rango. I have probably 40 or more rods and more than half are Ugly sticks the rest are assorted different rods and I put them Ugly sticks thru a lot and now when I by new rods weather they are casting,cat fish, or crappie rods the only one to buy is Ugly. The 10 foot crappie rods have small eyes on the end which makes the bobber stops hang up at times but when pulling a slab out of the brush and trees I don't have to worry about horsing them in. Good Luck an Good Fishing
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MT.DEW AND JP8 IN THE MORNING GETS THE BLOOD FLOWING.
I use a 4ft 6 rods for crappie but some times we catch catfish kept breaking rod 3 in one year.so i bought 3 ugly sticks same size and havent broke one yet in 2 years..finaly landed that 10.5 pound catfish with 6 pound test line
you cant beat a ugly stick thats all i buy now. hard lesson to learn but i finaly learned
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Men and fish are alike. They both get into trouble when they open their mouths.
called fishing DB4D. Can't break a rod behind your keyboard. I use 8' and 9' crappie rods by ugly and without a doubt, best rod in the crappie market for that length. Longer than that I go to a WM (12' and 14'). I broke an ugly crappie rod once, snapped about a foot down on a BIG KAT. If I wern't using braided line, mono would have broken before the pole.
Field & Stream validates Rango
. i have a standing offer on my boat. if anyone breaks one my uglies bringing a fish in, ill buy him a case of his favorite amber. ive never heard one of em snap and would gladly forfeit a case of delicious amber to anyone who gives me that thrill. some these fellers put some awesome bends in them rods, knowing they gonna get a free case of their favorite amber if they break one of my rods. i say my rods cause i dont want anyone hittin one of their uglies with a hacksaw and claiming the prize. 
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