A Fisherman's Dream Birthday Gift

by Christopher Thery
(USA)

This past birthday I received two great gifts. The first one was an Ugly Stik brand name rod and reel for the ocean and the other was an Ugly Stik brand name for freshwater fishing. Both of these poles are open bale, meaning that you flip them open and put your finger on the line and release. The casts on these poles are very smooth and fluid and the rod itself seems next to indestructible for a thin rod. For the freshwater pole, 30 pound power pro line was bought and for the ocean pole 50 pound power pro was bought. My father gave me this gift and I knew when I received it that it was quality because my dad knows fishing well.

I have many plans for this fishing pole. When the weather warms up I am going to fish in freshwater lakes and go for carp that I could not catch with an average fishing pole or average fishing line. As ocean season approaches I am going to go ocean fishing with my new ocean rod. I should be fine using the 50 pound test line for now but if I decide to go for bigger fish down the road I will definitely need to upgrade.

Now I will discuss what makes this gift so great. First, the fishing line is top notch, and the type I bought is just the right thickness to not interfere with casting distance. I am not afraid of snapping the rod because it seems to be highly elastic. The reels are aesthetically pleasing, with a gold and silver color to them.

A great rod and line is not good without some great lures. My favorite lures are the Rapala brand fishing lures as well as the Slug-go brand. There are many types of lures, including crank, spinner bait, and deep diving along with rubber worms. I prefer the Rapala shown in the picture, as it looks like a minnow. I also catch lots of large mouth bass on the slug-gos pictured as well.
Overall, a great rod, a great reel, and a great set of lures are enough to make any angler's Christmas or birthday dream come true (for me I received them as both my birthday and Christmas gift).