Ugly Stiks have built quite the repuation for durability over the years, but words like “sensitive” or “stiff” have never really been at home when used to describe the Stiks of old.
But the introduction of the Elite line-up is changing minds.
Is the Ugly Stik Elite really an improvement on earlier rod designs?
How does it perform on the water?
And is it worth the money you’ll pay?
Let’s find out!
The Ugly Stik Elite (USESP662M )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1gxA2U2YyA
Specifications
Material: fiberglass/gfraphite composite
Length: 6′ 6″
Power/action: medium/fast
Lure rating: 1/4 – 5/8 oz.
Line rating: 6 – 14 lbs.
Guides: Ugly Tuff stainless steel
Handle: premium cork
Blank
The first thing I’d like to discuss is the blank, typically the most important part of any rod.
Ugly Stik’s fiberglass has earned its reputation for toughness, and after crushing the tips of several rods in my truck window (don’t ask!), the only rod to survive was my Stik. I’ve banged my two Ugly Stiks on everything from trees and branches to car doors and gunwales, no harm done.
But sensitive? That wasn’t one of the olf Stik’s strong suits. Stiffness? Not by a mile: fiberglass is famous for its desire to bend in loose parabolic arcs, offering lots of cushion and strength but not much in the way of a fast action.
That’s a thing of the past with the Elite.
By adding a graphite core to the fiberglass fans have come to love, Ugly Stik has created a real winner – at least as far as I’m concerned.
This 6′ 6″ rod is a medium power, fast action, and there’s no question that any load starts to bend this rod in the last third or quarter out toward the tip. That tip itself is far more sensitive than you might think, and while I probably wouldn’t use this rod for finesse bass techniques, I’m not at all sure that you couldn’t.
In my hands, I found the Elite to be a great rod, combining the drop-dead toughness and cushioned hookset of fiberglass with far more stiffness and sensitivity than even the best fiberglass rods.
As a result, this Stik is an excellent all-arounder, offering performance that makes it just as much at home on your favorite lake throwing crankbaits, jerkbaits, or topwater as it is fightinhg specks and reds inshore.
Casting is great – both in temrs of distance and accuracy – and when you do tie into a big fish, you’ll find legendary power as your rod is forced to bend closer to the handle.
I’ve fought fish that shouldn’t be worked hard on a medium rod, and this thin blank really impressed me with its “never say die” attitude.
Guides
Ugly Stik isn’t known for high-end Fuji components, and the Ugly Tuff guides trhe Elite wears are certainly not in that league.
They’re simple polished stainless-steel affairs that work suprsingly well to pamper your line.
To test this, I took 6-pound Stren and sawed at the stripper guide: the line didn’t get hot or break, and you can count me as impressed.
These guides are going to handle mono and fluorocarbon withouyt a hitch, but braid may notch them over time, so keep that in mind.
Build quality isn’t something Stiks are known for, and it’s not uncommon to find a brand new stick with its guides anything but lined up properly. Honestly, that’s no big deal. Yes, it will increase casting friction a tad, but not enough that you’ll notice.
But keep in mind trhat the guides aren’t nmearly as bomb-proof as the blank: a sharp slap against a piling can bend or break them, so watch out!
Handle
I was totally suprised by the handle quality on the Elite.
The cork is really pretty nice, and the handle is well-designed and executed.
You’ll find plenty of real estate for snap casts as well as har fights, and the cork takes a beating as well as you’d expect from a Stik.
Reel seat
The real seat on the Elite is nothing to write home about, but it holds my reels securely with no wiggle.
Casting
This rod loads beautifully under appropriately-sized lures, casting competitively with other, more expensive rods.
I found that the long handle and stiff blank worked into tandem to really launch my lures, and I was very happy with both the distance and accuracy this rod provided.
Fighting
If there’s a strong point to bring up about this rod, it’s that it’s fight ready, no worries!
When you tie into a eight-pound bass, hook a 30-inch red, or have a fat speck hammer your topwater lure, you’ll know your in good shape right away.
Medium power isn’t a beat tamer in most rods, but for the Stik, “medium” means you’ll see your rod bend but never break. If your line, knots, and reel can take it, this rod will lead the way, and from turning heads to hard hooksets, you can count me as impressed.
Final Thoughts
For a sub $100 rod, the Ugly Stik Elite really shines.
Don’t expect the fit and finish you’d get from G. Loomis or St. Croix, but also recognize that you won’t need to baby this rod to keep it in pristine shape.
And for the money, it’ll out cast, out fight, and out muscle anything else in medium power, making it a fantastic bargain for nearly any angler.
Source: usangler.com