Though this assessment focuses on the Ugly Stik GX2 three-piece 5’ mild fishing rod, I feel it’s price saying how I ended up on this rod within the first place. Too usually, individuals dismiss gear out-of-hand as a result of it doesn’t meet their utilization necessities, not realizing that different customers can put up with its damaging factors as a result of it provides different advantages they need.
For years, I’ve been utilizing bikes and ATVs to get to distant fishing spots—a few of them within the forests in my dwelling county, a few of them hundreds of kilometers away within the Canadian North. Clearly, a one-piece rod is just too lengthy for this form of work. Most two-piece rods are fairly inconvenient while you’re banging down an ATV path. A collapsible rod would possibly do the trick, however the one collapsibles I can discover bought within the North American market are fragile and janky. That leaves multi-piece takedown rods like Ugly Stik’s GX2 collection.
I’ve seen 4 completely different rods on this collection: 4-piece medium-strength rods in 7’, 6.5’ and 6’ sizes, and this three-piece 5’ light-weight rod. I’ve owned the four-piece rod since 2019; once I noticed the scale of the landlocked salmon leaping on the Churchill Falls reservoir, I noticed my puny collapsible was not going to be robust sufficient to deal with them.
The difficulty with the four-piece rod is that it lacks sensitivity for smaller stream-and-river fishing. Though it’s one of the helpful rods I’ve owned, particularly for trolling, I’ve been searching for one thing with a lighter motion however comparable compact dimension and toughness to be used on brook trout and smallmouth bass. Enter the 5’ three-piece rod, which I used to be despatched for a take a look at this summer time.
Construct High quality & Elements
The Ugly Stik GX2 is a highly regarded fishing rod for customers who need gear that can final a very long time whereas not costing them an excessive amount of cash. Like the opposite rods within the GX2 collection, this three-piece is fabricated from a fiberglass core with graphite layered over to offer a rod that’s sturdy whereas nonetheless retaining sensitivity and decreasing weight. On the finish, you might have Ugly Stik’s Clear Tip, fabricated from pure fiberglass so it’s powerful however versatile. The three-piece building goes collectively simply (Ugly Stik offered alignment marks, in case you’re not sensible sufficient to determine how you can align it).
That emphasis on sturdiness carries on to the guides. Ugly Stik used their new Ugly Tuff guides on this rod. These have one-piece building in order that they don’t disintegrate; to assist cease your line from fraying, they’ve an anti-friction coating.
The reel seat is plastic; it feels beefy, though I suppose you might break it by driving your truck over it or doing one thing equally silly. It ought to definitely maintain as much as years of real-world use. Your reel clamps on to the uncovered clean, with the concept that it’s going to enhance your really feel and sensitivity.
The grip has an EVA foam deal with, comfy and comparatively sturdy—and reasonably priced. On the rear of the deal with, a shrink-wrap applique provides your mitts additional traction, particularly in moist situations.
Ranking:
7 / 10
Motion & Sensitivity
How a lot you want this rod will rely in your utilization case, and your expectations.
In my case, I needed a rod that was powerful and packable whereas nonetheless comparatively delicate for small freshwater fish, and that’s what I obtained. I used to be not searching for one thing to precision-cast tiny Mepps spinners into pockets underneath overhanging tree branches, as a result of the locations I fish don’t require that accuracy, and albeit, I’m not a super-expert caster anyway.
One of many criticisms of multi-piece rods is that they lack sensitivity. On this three-piece, that impact is compounded, however the tip nonetheless has loads of really feel; you may detect backside bumps and lightweight bites and inform the distinction between every, and the sunshine motion makes for lots of enjoyable while you get a scrappy fighter on the opposite finish.
Due to the three-piece design, the GX2 clean and the Clear Tip, I’d classify this rod as a average motion.
Ranking:
7 / 10
Casting Distance & Accuracy
With a three-piece, light-weight rod that’s 5 ft lengthy, you’re going to surrender casting functionality. The three-piece GX2 handles a wide range of lure weights moderately properly, however it’s not made for the large Laker Taker spoons that I like utilizing once I need to fish deep, and lighter stream-fishing classics just like the Tremendous Duper or small Hildebrandt spinners don’t get as a lot distance as I’d like. If you would like distance, one thing like an 0- or 00-sized Len Thompson spoon or a medium-sized Vibrax Blue Fox must be your go-to.
With this rod, you may’t solid as far or as precisely as even a light-weight two-piece; don’t purchase it if you wish to get schwifty with overhead casting, or sidearm swings or something like that. Follow the fundamentals and also you’ll get the job finished, however this isn’t a rod for the precision angler who views their rod as a sniper rifle delivering spinners as an alternative of FMJs.
Ranking:
5 / 10
Energy & Hook Setting
I’d belief the three-piece Ugly Stik GX2 to deal with a beefier fish than my different light-weight rods, be they one-piece or two-piece. I used this setup for what was most likely my greatest fishing day this season (on freshwater, no less than), once I was trolling up native brookies at HH Outfitters at Island Lake, New Brunswick. I feel the average motion helped right here; the slower the motion, usually the higher set-up for trolling. When the trout retreated to deeper water, spurning the flies that each one my fishing companions had been dragging on the floor, I tied on a gold Panther Martin as an alternative. One thing about that setup drove the fish loopy, and each time my father-in-law looped the boat across the cove we had been fishing, one other 12-incher would seize that spinner.
These aren’t big fish, however it’s greater than most native trout get in New Brunswick, they usually had sufficient struggle to bend that little rod proper over, however there was no fear in regards to the rod really failing. That’s what’s I like most about this three-piece GX2; it’s mild sufficient that you could really struggle a smaller fish and have some enjoyable with it, however it’s constructed to a a lot beefier customary than a collapsible in the identical worth vary.
Ranking:
7 / 10
Versatility & Approach Suitability
This rod isn’t constructed for bass tournaments or chasing chain pickerel. It’s a light-weight rod that’s made for panfish, brook trout and different smaller fare that you simply’ll discover in streams and rivers. When you would possibly latch onto one thing greater—domestically, I would hook a landlocked salmon or a giant smallmouth bass—you might have one thing that may deal with the battle, but when I used to be going to noticeably goal something bigger than brook trout, I’d purchase one thing extra beefy. Get one thing greater if you wish to often go lake fishing from a ship—this rod was constructed for the touring angler who desires a rugged setup for smaller fish, and that’s what it does greatest.
Ranking:
6 / 10
Worth & Comparability
U.S. pricing for the three-piece Ugly Stik GX2 combo appears to be across the sixty-five greenback vary; it may be a bit onerous to search out, however in the event you seek for SKU “USGXSP503L” you’ll have the ability to Google it up. In my view, the rod is well-worth the asking worth and if I misplaced mine, I’d be shopping for one other. There aren’t many multi-piece rods within the light-weight class, particularly on the 5-foot mark, and I don’t know any others that may be this rugged. Purchase this rod, care for it, and it ought to final you for a really very long time.
Ranking:
9 / 10
General Ranking
This rod is for somebody who prioritizes portability and ruggedness over finesse; I feel it’s the greatest light-weight journey rod I’ve used, definitely the perfect in its worth bracket. In my travels this summer time, it was straightforward to convey this alongside on canoe journeys or highway journeys within the automotive, and never solely did I really feel it did properly, I watched my cousin use the very same rod to nice impact on fussy brook trout on a number of fishing journeys. Whereas the one-piece lightweights or ultralights that snobby fishermen use will undoubtedly provide higher really feel, I’ve seen dozens and dozens of fish caught on these rods, which leads me to as soon as once more repeat the outdated adage: “It’s a poor workman who blames his instruments.” Discover a lure that the rod handles properly, and it’ll catch fish for you.
Ranking:
7 / 10
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