Spinning reels

[tphoyt]

I love my Ugly sticks.
Oddly enough the best rod I ever had was a cheap Berkeley Cherrywood. That was when I lived in Fl. The action on that rod was so sweet.
It was useless when I moved to the North East and tried to battle 15# blues and 25# bass.

 

[dingbat]

Ugly Stik rods and Penn reels are good quality. Penn reels has a nationwide chain of places to get parts, if you break something.

Penn’s quality went by the way side in 2003 when the company was sold and moved production moved to Asia.

I have never broken an Ugly Stik rod, unlike some Garcia's, Daiwa's and others. Newer Ugly Stiks have SS guides, which are nice here in salt water.

All guides are stainless steel or titanium. The money is in the quality of the ceramic rings.

 

[DeepCMark58A]

As we get into hardwater fishing spinning reels are for amateurs. With light line and small ice jigs a spinning reel will cause the jig to get dizzy, fish do not like spinning jigs.

 

[Mc Tool]

Ugly Stik rods and Penn reels are good quality. Penn reels has a nationwide chain of places to get parts, if you break something.

I have never broken an Ugly Stik rod, unlike some Garcia's, Daiwa's and others. Newer Ugly Stiks have SS guides, which are nice here in salt water.

Some years ago I was fishing the fall run of Bluefish. The fist were 12#+, and as everyone knows are a nasty, tough fish. After some hours of fighting 'em, the screws in the reel started backing out, and falling on the deck, lost. The Penn spinning reel kept working, but I had to borrow some screws from a Penn baitcasting reel to keep it together.

probly just as well Penn have the nation wide parts system if they fall to bits on the job . I have 3 Penn reels now and have had several over the years ( I still have my 1st Penn , a sea boy from about 1977 ) and while they are deff good reels they are not really any better than anything else in comparable price range .
The availability of parts is a bonus .

 

[Mc Tool]

As we get into hardwater fishing spinning reels are for amateurs. With light line and small ice jigs a spinning reel will cause the jig to get dizzy, fish do not like spinning jigs.

Here in New Zealand we have Dada da daaa da ( trumpet fanfare ) Swivels . These are cunning little devices that stop the line twisting . I thoroughly recommend them.

 

[aspeck]

I like Ugly Stiks, but have broken 2 of them on stripers. I have also stripped the gears out of a couple of Diawa Spinning reels ... but I wrote to Diawa and they sent me new gears free of charge.

 

[redneck joe]

Here in New Zealand we have Dada da daaa da ( trumpet fanfare ) Swivels . These are cunning little devices that stop the line twisting . I thoroughly recommend them.

Yeah i grew up with swivels wasn't until the 90s I learned people didn't know about them.

 

[Chris1956]

Gee, only my newest Ugly Stik has SS guides. I suppose all the other OEMs could have converted in the last 5 years or so, but my suite of fishing rods is older, and definitely do not have SS guides.

 

[DeepCMark58A]

Here in New Zealand we have Dada da daaa da ( trumpet fanfare ) Swivels . These are cunning little devices that stop the line twisting . I thoroughly recommend them.

Tiny panfish jigs do not weigh enough and you need the feel of nothing between the reel and the jig.

 

[dingbat]

Gee, only my newest Ugly Stik has SS guides. I suppose all the other OEMs could have converted in the last 5 years or so, but my suite of fishing rods is older, and definitely do not have SS guides.

I build and repair rods and reels as a side job for the past 12 years. Build and repair 75-100 rods a year.

Have restored a number of rods from the 40’s and 50’s. Even the old wire guides were hard chrome plated stainless.

Can’t count the number of guides I’ve replaced on ugly sticks over the years. They upped their game with the carbon and elite series rod, but sure off the top of my head whose guides they are using on those rods.

Bear in mind that “stainless” can and does corrode under certain conditions. Most guides are fabricated with 304 which will corrode when subjected to saltwater and or depleted of oxygen, ie under the guide wraps. Unless you go with high end 316SS or titanium guides, you’ll get corrosion sooner or later

 

[tphoyt]

I remember my grandfather had a rod made of steel. I don’t know what ever happened to it but if I remember correctly it was an octagon shape.
Have you ever seen one of those? If so I’m just curious what vintage it may have been.

 

[Mc Tool]

Tiny panfish jigs do not weigh enough and you need the feel of nothing between the reel and the jig.

Each to their own I guess . I use 3 gram lures ( various types ) with either a soft bait clip or a small snap swivel on my ultralite set up.

 

[redneck joe]

Each to their own I guess . I use 3 gram lures ( various types ) with either a soft bait clip or a small snap swivel on my ultralite set up.

Do you ice fish? I think that is what he was talking about?

 

[tphoyt]

I think I posted this before but it reminded me of this incredible moment for this guy.

 

[DeepCMark58A]

Each to their own I guess . I use 3 gram lures ( various types ) with either a soft bait clip or a small snap swivel on my ultralite set up.

I am talking vertical jigging thru the ice in ultra clear water. Visibility is 13' during the summer winter it is gin clear, you don't even use spit shot on your line.

 

[Mc Tool]

I am talking vertical jigging thru the ice in ultra clear water. Visibility is 13' during the summer winter it is gin clear, you don't even use spit shot on your line.

Ooooh , what sort of gin ?
Ice fishing , clear as the afore mentioned gin now , but it does raise an interesting point . Im assuming that the reference to minimal terminal tackle and the clear as gin water is because the cunning little fishies will spot the irregularity and shy off , and I know only to well some species sure will. What I dont get is that if fish can spot this how is it that they will ignore the hook ? Why do lure makers go to the trouble to make lures ( Im talking Rapala type lures ) so life like with such detail ....and then hang a couple of treble hooks and a bib off it ....seems kinda pointless ( sez he who has about 30 of them )
I guess I got a lot to learn about ice fishing , but Im pretty sure I would use an overhead reel rather than a spinning reel .

 

[redneck joe]

Gin make me sin.

 

[DeepCMark58A]

Ooooh , what sort of gin ?
Ice fishing , clear as the afore mentioned gin now , but it does raise an interesting point . Im assuming that the reference to minimal terminal tackle and the clear as gin water is because the cunning little fishies will spot the irregularity and shy off , and I know only to well some species sure will. What I dont get is that if fish can spot this how is it that they will ignore the hook ? Why do lure makers go to the trouble to make lures ( Im talking Rapala type lures ) so life like with such detail ....and then hang a couple of treble hooks and a bib off it ....seems kinda pointless ( sez he who has about 30 of them )
I guess I got a lot to learn about ice fishing , but Im pretty sure I would use an overhead reel rather than a spinning reel .

I use an inline reel looks Kinda like a fly reel. Fish are pressured in the winter on the lake I live on so have to be subtle.

 

[dingbat]

I remember my grandfather had a rod made of steel. I don’t know what ever happened to it but if I remember correctly it was an octagon shape.
Have you ever seen one of those? If so I’m just curious what vintage it may have been.

They were popular until the mid- 50’s or so when fiberglas rods showed up on the scene.

Did a restoration of a wooden (bamboo?) trolling rod from the 40’s for a guy. Leather inserts in a wooden grip. Used aluminum foil under the wraps as accents.

 

[Mc Tool]

I use an inline reel looks Kinda like a fly reel. Fish are pressured in the winter on the lake I live on so have to be subtle.

I think I have one of them ... somewhere , an Alvey , never used it , dont even know how I got it .