My new favorite fishing pole...
Written: Apr 05 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Strength and Flexibility is unmatched by any other rod I've used.
Cons: none so far.
The Bottom Line: Anyone looking for a strong yet sensitive fishing rod will not be disappointed with the Ugly Stik 1100.
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| jfreeman2400's Full Review: Shakespeare Ugly Stik Freshwater Spinning Rods SPL... |
For most of my life I've lived near Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River. So naturally, fishing is one of my favorite past-times. When I was younger, the equipment I used really didn't matter too much to me - I was just happy to be fishing. However, as my interest in the sport grew, so did my knowledge of the gear. Asking anyone who has been around the fishing scene for awhile and they'll tell you that Shakespeare products are some of the best products available today. Although I've always been aware of this, I've never own a Shakespeare rod, until two weeks ago.
Although the pole is available by itself, my Ugly Stik SPL 1100 5'10" one piece medium action spinning rod came in a combo pack with UglySpin 35 size reel. The combo model number is Ugly SP510.
When I got my Ugly Stik SPL 1100 spinning rod, I could not wait to try it out. It was freezing outside that day but I had to try it anyway. Behind my home there is a decent size stream. In the late spring, summer and fall, I'll go back there and fish when I don't have the time to go to better location. When I fish in this particular stream, I usually use an ultralight action rod - due to the size of the fish. However, as I said, I couldn't wait to use my new pole and at least see how it casts. After standing in the freezing rain for about 1/2 hour, I finally got a bite. It was a small mouth bass - only about 8 inches in length. What really surprised me about this rod when I caught this fish, was amount of 'feeling' in it. Half the fun of fishing for me has always been the fight the fish put up. With this medium action pole and that small size of the bass, I didn't expect to 'feel' the fish on the line as much as I did. The SPL 1100 is amazingly sensitive.
The nice thing about this pole is the fact that Shakespeare didn't compromise strength for the increased sensitivity. Since that first day, I've caught several larger fish with my SPL 1100 - include pike and large-mouth bass. When pike fishing the rod handled perfectly- combined with 12lb. line with a 25lb steel leader. Most people who fish for the bigger game fish (i.e. Pike and Walleye) have probably experienced the feeling that their pole was about to snap when a large fish was on the other end. The SPL 1100, although its only medium action, did not give me that feeling when pike fishing. I am both pleased by the rod's sensitivity and flexibility as well as confident in it's strength.
Like I said in my title, this is my new favorite rod and I anticipate that it will remain so for many years to come.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
jfreeman2400
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Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members
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