Ugly Stik LITE PRO Spinning Rod, 5" Ultra Light Fishing Rod

It's nice to find a truly dedicated 7' Ultralight 2 piece spinning rod these days. Sure, there are heavily overpriced rods out there from companies that make great claims, but most can't justify the outrageous price for any slight improvement over this rod in balance, materials, action, strength, sensitivity, and warranty. Also, this rod isn't marketted for Kokanee, other Salmon, Trout, Walleye... like many overpriced 7' Ultralights are, which is perfect. No need for specific fish marketing gimics. I am using this to catch slab panfish, catfish, and bass. As with previous Ugly Stik Ultralight 7' rods, I have more than caught my fair share of these types fish. Most other companies are in the business to catch people, not people catching fish. Our distant ancestors had to survive by catching fish to feed a family daily, with far less materials, and here people are buying the most expensive rod for bragging rights, yet won't catch enough fish with that rod in a year's time to put a day's worth of fish for a whole family. I've put several brands, sizes, and types of reels on an Ugly Stik. It almost 50 years, I have only had two failures. One, I snapped the tip because I bent the tip at a sharp angle, in a short segment, trying to see the breaking point, and one had the tip guide insert damaged because my son jabbed it into rocks in the packing area gravel. I repaired those two and still have them. That means I still have and use every single Ugly Stik that I have purchased for myself. All are in good and somewhat cosmetically decent shape. I immediately took this rod out, put a Lew's 75 sized spinning reel on it with a 6 lb fluorocarbon. I could feel a 3" long bluegill nibble on a red worm and circle hook like a sharp tingle. I could set that hook without a swallow or a spit out. I pulled in a platable catfish with little effort. I even snagged on a submerged log that weight well over the 6 lb line limit recommendation and drug it several feet across the bottom before the log snagged on other bottom debris and snapped the line. It may not have a lifetime warranty with hidden fine print, but its 7 year warranty suffices. If it hasn't broken in 7 years under proper use, you've gotten far more than what you paid for it out of it. I haven't even needed to use Ugly Stik's warranty since I first bought one for myself as an adult. In the case of, "You get what you pay for." If more rods were made like an Ugly Stik, that starement would be the best marketing tool instead of a negative stereotype. I definitely get what I paid for over and over again with an Ugly Stik.

2nd lite pro, have the 6,6 UL and it is amazing at slinging light lures. Wanted something a bit sturdier and more portable to take on my trout travels and feel the 5’6 will accommodate me in tight hard to fish areas with the ugly stik strength.