It May Not Be Indestructible, But I Submit That It May Be the Next Best Thing

I'm talking, of course, about none other than the Shakespeare Ugly Stik. This is the fishing rod advertised as "unbreakable" and to have "started it all."

Since 1976, when the Ugly Stik hit the market, it has been very popular because of its sheer strength. These rods are made for every kind of fishing, with weights from ultralight to extra-heavy, and as publicized in marketing ads, "You can't go wrong with the Ugly Stik...especially for the price."

One of its characteristics that made the Ugly Stik such a success when it was first introduced was the way it was built. Shakespeare used the Howald process, which was first used in the Wonderod in 1947.

Rods made with this method included an internal spiral fiberglass core and parallel glass fibers impregnated with pigmented polyester resin, which then was covered in several layers of tape to hold these components together while they cured in an oven. The tape then was removed with high-pressure water jets.

Today's Ugly Stiks still are made with the Howald process, but materials and methods have been tweaked, considering all the changes in technology since 1976. The modern Ugly Stik rods can be bent into a circle without snapping, which can be credited to the Howald process. Sensitivity also is a large part of Ugly Stik's success, as newer models are built, using graphite in the center of the fiberglass wraps.

Ugly Stik got its name from the ugly appearance of their first rods. Those rods were very large, featured metal handles, the graphite color showed through the blank, and the wraps were black, with white pinstripes. Over the years, though, Ugly Stiks have evolved into the now recognizable red and yellow basket weave design near the handle, a shiny jet-black finish, and a clear tip.

Shakespeare manufactured just fishing tackle until World War I, when the factory was converted to manufacture mortar fuses and automobile carburetors. In World War II, they manufactured controls for tanks, automobiles and aircraft. They further made the first fiberglass radio antennas, golf-club shafts, pool cues, archery equipment, and numerous industrial materials.

From 1968 to 1986, Shakespeare manufactured trolling motors. Today, they also sell non-fishing-related products, such as car decals, hats, glasses, and clothing.

As I was assembling this post today, my mind wandered back a lot of years to a period in the '70s when several Navy buddies and I would make annual week-long bass-fishing trips to Gaston or Kerr. We would camp out in tents, fish all day, and drink beer most of the night under the stars. One of these trips still stands out in my memory because of a couple things that happened. Shipmate Ken B had recently purchased three new Ugly Stiks bearing Abu Garcia baitcasters before this particular trip and seemingly couldn't stop talking about them to all of us during the trip there. On the first night of our stay, after we all were "well oiled," Ken B grabbed one of his three new rods and insisted on giving us a demonstration of its strength. Once he had our full attention, he took the rod by the tip and started lifting until the whole rod was well off the ground. He held it there for several seconds...until, that is, the tip snapped off the rod. Our upset friend went to his tent and grabbed the two other Ugly Stiks, only to prove that he could snap the tips on both of them, as well. He subsequently went and jumped into his boat and took off across the water. When he returned about 30 or 45 minutes later, he was drenching wet from head to foot. We all figured he maybe had taken a dip to cool off, but when we asked what had happened, he sheepishly admitted that he had dropped the trolling motor while he was gone and had forgotten to restow it before running back to our campsite. After a good round of laughs and a few more beers later, we all turned in for the night.

Just for grins and giggles, following are some old Ugly Stik videos I found online today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isOsYhmQ4dE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGBcopa2tUA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT1l7J9X5XA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQuJUbAQJ58