KAYAK FISHING BLOG | CORNISH KAYAK ANGLER
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Information Guides
    • Choosing a Fishing Kayak
    • Choosing A Paddle
    • What to Wear
    • Essential Safety Equipment
    • Paddle or Pedal Kayak?
    • Installing A Fish Finder
    • How to Anchor A Kayak
  • Kayak Modifications
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • Places to Fish
    • North Cornwall
    • West Cornwall
    • South Cornwall
  • UK Fish Identification
  • Photos
    • 2013 Photos
    • 2014 Photos
    • 2015 Photos
    • 2016 Photos
    • 2017 Photos
  • Marine Life Photography
    • Fish
    • Cnidaria
    • Echinodermata
    • Mollusca
    • Crustacea
  • Links

Kayak Fishing Blog

Ugly Stik Elite 8ft 20-50g Spinning Rod  - Initial Overview

21/3/2016

 
Ugly Stik Elite Spinning Rod 8ft 20-50g Review
I love my Ugly Stik GX2 Kayak Rods and I'm yet to find anything that even closely competes with them for a similar priced rod. Despite the Ugly Stik Kayak and Boat rod range being superb i have always been disappointed with the lighter rods in the Ugly Stik spinning and lure rod range due to their lack of backbone.... until i came across the new Elite range!
Every time i have picked up an Ugly Stik spinning rod I've always found them to be fairly 'floppy' with little backbone. I hate this in a rod, yet the Kayak rods and Boat rods of the same name have this desired characteristic. Yeah a soft rod is good for doubling over for a cool photo when hooked into a fish but the lack of backbone would have the Pollack and other species i target laughing all the way back into the reefs and rocks from where they came! I needed an Ugly Stik spinning rod with a bit more grunt. 

Whilst browsing the fishing section of a local marine chandlery store i came across the new Ugly Stik Elite Spinning rod and to my surprise it had the grunt and backbone i was looking for in a lure rod for kayak fishing! A quick bend of the different length rods (7ft, 8ft, 9ft & 10ft) and i settled on the 8ft 20-50g model being the right one for the lighter lure fishing and light bottom fishing i primarily  wanted it for. Its long enough to both fire a lure out a reasonable distance and also get the line around the bow of the RTM Tempo & Abaco from the seating position without needing to lean forward to much. The 7ft model felt a little undergunned in the power department but would have been very exciting with a decent Pollack on, and great for freshwater lure fishing. The longer versions were just too long for a kayak. The 8ft rod was the one for me.

It hasn't quite got the solid backbone found in the kayak rods but this is a spinning rod designed for casting and thus a solid backbone would impede blasting a lure towards the horizon. It has a progressive medium action i.e. the rod bends with a fairly smooth curve to just above the reel seat when a decent amount of pressure is applied. Apply some heavy pressure onto the blank and the bit of backbone that was left in reserve comes into play to put the brakes on a fish if needed! This was looking promising. 

​Lets take a closer look at the rod....

Initial Overview

The rod is a 2 piece (equal lengths) blank that has a 40-50% Graphite content according to the Ugly Stik Website. This does make for a lighter rod and indeed it feels light in the hand and your not going to be feeling the strain of holding it after several hours of use. I am sure the higher Graphite content compared to other Ugly Stik spinning rods is what gives the Elite that bit more grunt.
Ugly Stik Elite Spinning Rod 8ft 20-50g Review
The 2 sections are joined by a standard push-together overlapping joint, reinforced with a short section of whipping and resin. 
Ugly Stik Elite Spinning Rod 8ft 20-50g - 2 piece
Ugly Stik Elite Spinning Rod 8ft 20-50g - Joint
It has a Cork handle and butt section!! I love the look and feel of a Cork handle on a spinning/lure rod so this is a welcome feature. 
Ugly Stik Elite Spinning Rod 8ft 20-50g - Cork Handle
The butt length doesn't feel too long with approx. 36cm from the base of the reel seat to the rod butt, and approx. 56cm from the start of the reel seat to the butt.
Ugly Stik Elite Spinning Rod 8ft 20-50g - Butt Length
In real money that looks like this against a forearm.... It felt about right to me. I certainly wouldn't have wanted it much shorter and definitely not any longer. The rod feels well balanced with fixed spools between the 2500 and 3500 size. I'm sure small baitcasters will feel equally at home on this rod.
Ugly Stik Elite Spinning Rod 8ft 20-50g - Butt
An etched in Ugly Stik logo features at the base of the butt section... 
Ugly Stik Elite Spinning Rod 8ft 20-50g - Cork Handle
Moving up we find a screw-up reel seat...
Ugly Stik Elite Spinning Rod 8ft 20-50g - Reel Seat
And above the fore-grip some weaved thread detailing and a hook keeper which is sort of expected on a lure/spinning rod.
Picture
The usual decals and logo can be found on the rod above the reel seat...
Ugly Stik Elite Spinning Rod 8ft 20-50g
Ugly Stik Elite Spinning Rod 8ft 20-50g
The rod has 7 'Tuff' eyes that have a solid one-piece stainless steel construction. These have held up reasonably well on my kayak rods albeit with a bit of light surface corrosion starting to show. These eyes can be used with both mono and braided lines.

Eye internal diameters as follows:

1 x 7mm tip eye
1 x 7mm
1 x 9mm
1 x 10mm
1 x 13mm
1 x 15mm
1 x 25mm butt eye
Ugly Stik Elite Spinning Rod 8ft 20-50g - Tuff Eyes
Ugly Stik Elite Spinning Rod 8ft 20-50g - Tuff Eye
Ugly Stik Elite Spinning Rod 8ft 20-50g - Tuff Tip Eye
The rod features the characteristic Ugly Stik solid clear glass tip. The rest of the blank has a matt black finish.
Ugly Stik Elite Spinning Rod 8ft 20-50g - Clear Solid Glass Tip
and it comes with a bag...
Ugly Stik Elite Spinning Rod 8ft 20-50g - Bag

Initial Impressions

Well... it appears to be the Ugly Stik spinning rod i have always been looking for! The same feel as the kayak and boat rods but in a lighter design that has a bit more play in the blank for casting and playing a fish. According to the Ugly Stik website this particular Elite series has been designed for the European market which seems plausible given the extra grunt the blank has over previous models which have been american models brought to the European market. This rod isn't going to compete with the top end £150+ lure rods but i reckon for the money this rod will hit the nail on the head for me and for others too. 

The visual design seems to follow on from the GX2 kayak and boat rod design with the matt black finish, tuff-eyes and the clear glass tip. An added bonus though is the cork handle! 

I can see this rod being used quite regularly on my kayaking trips for lighter lure fishing in shallower water, trolling lures, light feathering for baitfish and light bottom fishing with weights less than 2oz. It will be great for the light bottom fishing during the species hunt competitions. I am quite looking forward to putting this rod through its paces and locking it up into a few big fish! 

Time to get out on the water and find some fish! 

Cost & Where to Buy

The Ugly Stik 8ft 20-50g Elite Spin covered in this blog post retails at only £50 despite feeling of somewhat higher quality than you would expect for £50. Even better you can find this rod online for around £40! Bargain!

I picked up mine for £44 from Looe Chandlery - unfortunately they don't have an online shop but if your in the area pop in as they have a great selection of fishing gear.
Kernow
21/3/2016 21:03:32

Nice initial rundown Liam.
Being a fan of the gx2 series, again enlightened by you,I'll be keen to hear how you get on.
I enjoy working lures around our coastline,just never know what might strike next

Cornish Kayak Angler
21/3/2016 22:44:36

Cheers Gary. These aren't part of the GX2 range, but are a new range from Ugly Stik. They do a GX2 spinning/lure rod but it's far to soft for my liking and have never brought one because of this. The Elite range has a different feel though, looking forward to putting a bend in it

William
22/3/2016 15:49:38

Thanks for the trial info Liam. I like the ugly stick boat rods, I have two. The new elite rod seems just the one for me so have ordered one from Glasgow Angling.

Cornish Kayak Angler
22/3/2016 23:23:26

Hi William, Im glad the blog post has helped you find a new rod! I don't think you'll be disappointed, i think i may end up buying another soon so that i have a pair! Cheers, Liam

Patrick
19/10/2016 19:56:15

Thanks for the review. I don't like much over 7'6" on the kayak. Was the 7' rod much weedier than the 8' one? Sadly, I don't get those massive Pollack in Dorset that you do in Cornwall so I'm hoping to go for the 7 footer. I'm currently using 6-12 lb GX2 & 5-15g 7' Abu HRF rods as my main kayak rods. I find the excellent GX2 sometimes lacks sensitivity & the Abu just a bit too light. This would fit nicely in between, I'm hoping.

Cornish Kayak Angler
19/10/2016 19:59:08

Hi Patrick,

The Elite Spin should certainly find the middle ground between your two current rods. The 7ft rod is still a good rod and I very nearly ended up getting that one but the 8ft just had that drop more backbone I was looking for. I'm sure the 7ft model will be absolutely fine and still be capable of handling bigger fish should one come along :)

Perry and Victoria
23/7/2021 13:27:30

Hello Liam, Great rod reviews, Could you please simply advise, and I mean simply (chuckle) I know this isn't your area but we are both decent kayaker's and are about to try kayak fishing in the lake district as its not too far away, we are very novice course fishers but would love to know your opinion on which ugly stik would suit us best, hopefully horizontal casting lure fishing for pike, we like your review on the gx2 7'6" 6-12lbs spinning rod but can only find in 2-7g casting weight, yup I'm sure you cant tell we are very novice, but I don't want to end up buying the wrong rod which could quite easily happen, we're not hoping to catch whales, just pike and larger perch would be very rewarding
please please help! chuckle!!!

Kind regards

Perry & Victoria from up north..

site kurma link
11/9/2022 23:21:53

Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://kurma.website/

mobil ödeme bozdurma link
12/9/2022 10:04:01

Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://odemebozdurma.com/

website kurma link
15/9/2022 03:44:07

Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://bit.ly/site-kurma


Comments are closed.

    Author

    Liam Faisey

    Liam Faisey Cornish Kayak Angler

    SPONSORS

    palm-equipment-logo
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Navionics Logo

    Proudly associated with
    Cornwall Canoes
    Cornwall's only specialist kayak fishing shop

    Archives

    March 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    February 2022
    September 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013

    Categories

    All
    Anchor
    Anchor Chain
    Anchoring
    Anchor Reel
    Anchor Trolley
    Atom Bib
    Baillons Wrasse
    Ballan Wrasse
    Basking Shark
    Bass
    Battery
    Bixpy Motor
    Black Bream
    Blonde Ray
    Blue Shark
    Boat Fishing
    Bull Huss
    Buyers Guide
    Camera
    Clothing
    Cod
    Common Skate
    Competition
    Conger Eel
    Corkwing Wrasse
    Cornwall
    Couch's Bream
    Crate
    Cuckoo Wrasse
    Dab
    Diy
    Dolphins
    Drift Fishing
    Drysuit
    Equipment
    Extendable Pole
    Fishfinder
    Fish Finder
    Fishing Kayaks
    Flounder
    Footwear
    Gilthead Bream
    Goby
    Goldsinney-wrasse
    Go Pro
    Gps
    Greater Weever
    Grey-gurnard
    Grey-gurnard
    Haddock
    Herring
    Hobie
    Hobie Eclipse
    Hobie Outback
    Hobie Outtfitter
    Jellyfish
    Kayak Fishing Guide
    Kayak Review
    Kayak Surfing
    Kayak-wars
    Launce
    Launch Venues
    Leashes
    Lesser Spotted Dogfish
    Ling
    Lithium Battery
    Live Bait
    Lowrance Elite 4x Dsi
    Lure Fishing
    Lures
    Mackerel
    Marine Biological Association
    Measuring-fish
    Megrim Sole
    Mirage Drive
    Modifications
    Mother Shipping
    Mounting-board
    Oceanic Pufferfish
    Ocean-sunfish
    Octopus
    Paddle
    Paddling
    Palm
    Palm-kaikoura
    Pedal Drive Kayaks
    Penzance Kayak Fishing Meet
    Pfd
    Pilchards
    Pilot Whales
    Places-to-fish
    Plaice
    PLB
    Pollack
    Porbeagle Shark
    Pouting
    Railblaza
    Ram Mounts
    Ram Tubes
    Ray
    Raymarine Dragonfly
    Red Band Fish
    Red Gurnard
    Red Mullet
    Reef Fishing
    Review
    Revolution 16
    Rigging
    Rock Cook Wrasse
    Rod Holders
    Rod Rest
    ROKK Mounts
    RPF Master
    RTM
    RTM Abaco 420
    RTM Abaco 420
    RTM Luxe Seat
    RTM Ocean Duo
    RTM Rytmo Angler
    RTM Tempo
    Safety
    Scad
    Scorpionfish
    Scotty Mount
    Selfrescue
    Shark
    Shore Fishing
    Skate
    Slide Track
    Small Eyed Ray
    Smoothound
    Spotted Ray
    Starting Out
    Storage
    Storm
    Streaked Gurnard
    Tandem Kayak
    Team RTM UK
    Teksport Xplore 330
    Thermals
    Thornback Ray
    Tompot Blenny
    Tope
    Triggerfish
    Tub Gurnard
    Turbot
    Ugly Stik Elite Spin Rod
    Ugly Stik Kayak Rod
    Undulate Ray
    VHF Radio
    Vibe Sea Ghost
    Video
    Viking Kayaks
    West Cornwall Kayakers
    Yak Attack

    Add my blog to your feed reader by clicking the button below 

    RSS Feed


    Cornish Kayak Angler - Kayak Fishing Blog

    Get blog updates via email

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner


    blog web counter
    Web Counter

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Kayak Fishing Videos

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Kayak Bass Fishing Video
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    RSS Feed Widget
    Custom feed reader powered by FeedWind

    Useful Links

    Anglers Afloat
    Cornish Shore & Kayak Fisherman
    Cornwall Canoes
    ​Palm Equipment
    ​Penzance Kayak Fishing Meet Info
    Saltwater Kayak Fisherman
    Magic Seaweed
    XC Weather

    Picture

    Choosing a Paddle for Kayaking

    Kayak Fishing Clothing

    Pedal and Paddle Fishing Kayak Pros and Cons

Cornish Kayak Angler - Kayak Fishing Blog

Popular Pages

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • Kayak Modifications
  • UK Fish Identification
  • Places To Kayak Fish

Sponsors

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Navionics UK

YouTube

Facebook

Website powered by pasties and the hope of good weather!
© 2023 Liam Faisey
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Information Guides
    • Choosing a Fishing Kayak
    • Choosing A Paddle
    • What to Wear
    • Essential Safety Equipment
    • Paddle or Pedal Kayak?
    • Installing A Fish Finder
    • How to Anchor A Kayak
  • Kayak Modifications
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • Places to Fish
    • North Cornwall
    • West Cornwall
    • South Cornwall
  • UK Fish Identification
  • Photos
    • 2013 Photos
    • 2014 Photos
    • 2015 Photos
    • 2016 Photos
    • 2017 Photos
  • Marine Life Photography
    • Fish
    • Cnidaria
    • Echinodermata
    • Mollusca
    • Crustacea
  • Links