Ohio Game Fishing banner

Ugly stik gx2 rod, any body use one?

4.2K views 10 replies 9 participants last post by  Topher  
#1 ·
So once agian this year I find myself in need of replacing my go to rod..unfortunately no cool massive water monster intense fighting drag pulling stories to go with the heartbreak of a broken rod. Both (yes this is my second pole to break this year.. :-/...) actually I guess you can say accidental carelessness let to the untimely demise of my beloved rods....last one meeting its end with a fall from its propped position agianst my car. Luckily I have back ups rods to keep me fishing yet they leave me unsatisfied with the make shift combo.. But nonetheless im looking to make a purchase after vacation on a new rod. Last one was a cabelas tourney series 7' medium action spinning..looking to go with something similar. But with funds being tight after vacation id prefer cheaper.. I need to restock my tube and jig selection so less money on a rod then more money for those, which is always a bonus. Ive seen adverts for the gx2 from ugly stick and previously messed with one as I decided what to get when I got my last rod.. looks wise its sharp. Flex was good but seemed to soft.. Its going to be my bassing set up. Typically target smallies in the river. Usually throwing cranks or a tube. Ill be pairing it with a okuma trios 40 spinning reel. ..question is.. anyone out there use this rod? If so whats ur opinion on the rod?.or even any suggestions on a rod. As I said coming of vacation id prefer not to spend a arm and a leg. Any input would be much appreciated! Thanks!

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#3 · (Edited)
I got one last fall it is a great looking rod. I bought the 7" UL for casting lightweights jigs for crappie. Thought it would sail a lightweight jig a long ways. The tip seems too light of a spine for the length and does not cast well for my purpose. My description is when casting the tip is far behind the rod and slow to recover and does not help getting the lure out there. It is slow to return the energy to the cast almost as if it is moving a weight that is too heavy. I have several UL rods that perform better even with the shorter lengths. I think the rod would be OK for bobber fishing crappie with the slow tip but that was not what I wanted.
I can't speak about the other weight ugly stick rods if those have a better response or have the same soft action tip. I'm using a President reel with 6 lb mono with 1/8 jigs or weightless small plastic. I'm not over working the tip IMO.
 
#4 ·
For the money they are not bad but you get what you pay for (They are tuff and dependable)
But you lose on the feeling compared to some of the higher end rod's !! That being said I have 2 and like them I mostly use them in the winter months going after eye's
 
#5 ·
I love my 6' medium action casting rod. It is absolutely perfect for 99% of the fishing I do. Have landed up to 35 inch Pike on it with no issue. It is a blast actually. It also makes little crappie seem like a real fighter as well.

All in all I really love the rod. If I had one thing to say it would be that it is a little weak for repeated casting of large musky baits. I usually just cast one time and troll with the huge baits. If I ever hook into one larger than 35 inches I will let you know how it goes. I am confident it will be ok though.
 
#7 ·
The GX2s are nice. They're somewhat thinner than the old, regular Ugly Stiks. Seems like they are just using the Ugly Stik Lite blanks with a better finish. I have one 7' Med that I use for catfish and it's an over all good rod.

If you're going to stop at a Cabela's... check out their Whuppin' Sticks. They're the Cabela's version of an Ugly Stik. I've used a few of them for years now. Good rods, $10 cheaper than an Ugly Stik, and cork handles. Nice color scheme and wraps as well.
 
#8 ·
The GX2s are nice. They're somewhat thinner than the old, regular Ugly Stiks. Seems like they are just using the Ugly Stik Lite blanks with a better finish. I have one 7' Med that I use for catfish and it's an over all good rod.

If you're going to stop at a Cabela's... check out their Whuppin' Sticks. They're the Cabela's version of an Ugly Stik. I've used a few of them for years now. Good rods, $10 cheaper than an Ugly Stik, and cork handles. Nice color scheme and wraps as well.
I have one whuppin stick already it isnt to bad a pole at all actually what I got bassing with now since my normal broke. However biggest complaints with it is where the cork handle is nice the area where I find my hand placed in comfort isnt on the cork I tend to find myself gripping near the rod seat ie holding a bunch of threaded plastic on it..that get uncomfortable after a hour of constant casting lol

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#9 ·
I have a GX2 paired with a Lews spinning reel and it's not a bad rod at all. It's not as sensitive as some of the higher end rods out there obviously. Only gripe is the rod tip. I had to replace it due to grooves being worn into the eyelet. Not sure why that happened because I mainly use mono line? The rod was bought this past spring so I wasn't happy having to replace the tip that quickly.
 
#10 ·
Reference the Cabela's Whuppin' Stick: NO WAY! I broke two in a week, the original and the replacement. One on a 14" smallie as I lifted it out of the water. To be fair, right before that I had snagged a carp and it put up a good 10 second fight before it freed itself of the hook. The other broke when I was wading. I "popped" the rod high above my head to try to get a snagged spinner off a rock. Oh it popped alright....right in half about a foot above the reel. They may look like and Ugly Stik, but they are not an Ugly Stik!

Sorry.... never been so peeved about a fishing purchase. I have 4 Ugly Stiks including one GX2 and I love them. I do a lot of walking to get to some of my fishing holes and they hold up well to the abuse.