Three Ugly Stiks for the price of one Hellcat is a no brainer! It’s all in the drag!

I'm still using my ugly stiks from back in the 90's....back then we didn't have many to chose from.....I still got the yellow eagle claws,too.....I got the ugly stik striper rods,too.....

The ugly stik original catfishing rod is the GOAT. I've caught every species of catfish on mine, with a $70 reconditioned abu 6500 c3... Anyone just getting into catfishing get the UglyStik with a penn spinning or okuma casting reel. Such an affordable, effective, and easy to use setup. Catfishing is so affordable and so fun.

Berkley big Game rod is s till $24. Catches fish, so good enough for me. I put $15 Shamano 4000 series reels on'em, 40# braided line, all good. 4 rods ready to rock for less than 1 HellCat. I saved so much money, I bought a Do-It sinker mold, Made some UV lights, painted the rods uv glow green, bought a fishing hat, bought some hooks, made some green underwater lights, made some rod holders for my gorilla cart, and still have money left over.

Heard Hellcat rods are breaking a lot. So I went with Madkatz. Love them.

Never needed more than and ugly stik but I've got 2 twc extreme rods for giant baits and bigger fish. Had my ugly stik for 15 years. Had one break and called Shakespeare they sent me a replacement awesome warranty with them

New to the sport. Bought an ugly stik a couple of days ago and I’m in love. Looks very appealing as well, black and red slick design. casts far. Grip feels great especially with the trigger handle. Though I haven’t caught a fish; I’ve been snagged a few times thinking it was a fish and I was pulling hard and I’ll tell you that the rod itself is pretty sturdy for how hard I was pulling 😂😂😂! Excited to continue fishing and hopefully all I have some fish catching experience to share with y’all a few weeks from now! 😂

Big cat fever white , Hellcat green and orange ! Father's day , birthday and Christmas . This is a good year for me !

I enjoy my Okuma BattleCat rod alongside my Ugly Stick. Im sure the Hellcats are nice, but $150 just seems a bit steep for a rod that wont do anything to catch more fish.

Just ordered some 5’7 slime cats for my kayak. The Catch the Fever are still my go to rods for the big boat. Thanks for all the work you put in on these videos. 👍you’re tips have helped me out a lot.

Being on a budget, I've never had anything nicer then a ugly stick. New GX2 works great on carp soft enough to play and stiff enough to fight. We pulled in a 50lbs blue on a old ugly S. Cat rod Last yr. At Wylie. If had to $ to just spend maybe would up grade. But the rod is definitely up to the task ! Catch & release- take a pic to brag!

I've had my 4 Ugly Stiks for about 15 years, they have always come thru here in Central Indiana!! The best part was when I bought them from Walmart Dieter, the lady back in sporting goods was there when I was checking them for flex and I did bend them backwards and her eyes where as big as silver dollars!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I cut my teeth on Ugly Stik saltwater rods trolling for tuna. When it came time to outfit my catfish boat with rods realistically capable of handling 30-50 pound catfish, the Ugly Stik was a natural choice. I like the 7-foot length because they easily fit in my truck, but more so because the reel seat is further up the blank giving you more leverage behind the reel. My channel cat rods are the old Catfish Special Baitcasters and a couple of GX2 spinning rods. The actions are perfect for these fish, and like you, I prefer the trigger on the grip of the baitcasters. When targeting Blue Cats I reach for my four Ugly Stik Tiger Med-Lites. To me, they are the best all-around trophy catfish rod. You can pay more, and get prettier, but you don't have to wonder about whether the rod will hold up. Again, the 7-ft length is ideal for my boat and truck. I abuse these rods with planer boards and have used them with diving planers for Spanish Mackeral and Kings. Speaking for me only, they are the ideal catfish rod and they will easily handle a trophy catfish. I have only owned two BCF Med/Heavy rods so my experience is limited. For all the reasons I prefer the Ugly Stiks, I dislike the BCF rods - grip too short, too expensive, wobbly mid-length action, less than stellar reputation. I could give a rat's ass about the color, slots in the reel seat, or if it will lift me while strapped to a forklift. After a month of fishing with the two I bought directly from them, I sold them. I could not honestly have them on my boat with other people asking me my opinion of them if I thought they were less than my best on my boat. I have nothing against CTF. They are a great bunch of folks. I just prefer my Ugly Stiks. I don't mind not following the masses, I'm buying a rod - save the bling, sales hype, record rewards, and gimmick ads. I just want a great rod. I still own every Ugly Stik I have ever owned. They have NEVER failed me. Oh, my Tigers cost me $69 dollars a piece.

Got two of the Ugly Stik Catfish casting rods. Throw a Piscifun Chaos XS 60 or Abu Garcia 6500/7000 on them and you're all set. The only problem I have with the newer stuff from Ugly Stik is the guides have gotten very thin.

Im a fan of the uglystik catfish special. Been using ugly stiks for years. They work well for the type of fishing i do. The price is a real big plus. Good comparison Dieter.

I think the Ugly stix GX2 s are more of an even comparison to the HellCats . mostly because the blank materials are more similar . I love my HellCats but I like Ugly Stixs too . I think the biggest down side to an ugly Stix is it doesn't have the backbone once to get up past 40lb fish . I mean it will reel em in but the last 50lber I caught on one I had the 1st eye touching the handle nearly lol . which is proof they are one of the strongest rods on the market . but lack the same amount of backbone . but I wouldn't be afraid to use one at all . BCF had the HellCats for 40 dollars off at CatCon too that's when I bought mine

Ive been waiting for an indepth video centered around the ugly stik from you

Still have my original UGLY STICK (1980)...my grandmother worked for Shakespeare monofilament of Columbia , SC and gave me smdh my dad one for Christmas! Never forgot that!

Ugly Stik is my go to for the reasons you said. Since I was a kid and started getting them at Walmart. They always work out good for me. I've bought a few higher dollar rods over the years but now I'm back to sporting all Ugly Stik.

Thats a very nice Chrome Reel. 👍

I think another point that should be brought up is the "lure weight" they can handle for casting and how that's can affect the rod like casting a 6 oz weight on a 1-4 oz rod

I’ve fished with many of the newer rods. Ugly Stik for me all the way. I love the action, selection, durability, warranty, accessibility, and price. For me personally, I’m throwing money away buying the higher end catfish rods.

I use mostly Ugly stiks, mainly due to cost and performance. They've held up to everything I have thrown at them so far. 2 gx2s 2 catfish 8' and 1 catfish special 9' . I found the 12' big water and 12' catfish special, though nice, too much for where we fish. Then sold both 12'. Just my experience so far. I appreciate your honesty on the subject. Seems too many hate anything cheaper that works.

i'll stick to my whisker seeker rods right in the middle of the price range of ugly stik and hellcat rods plus whisker seeker are also 1 or 2 two-piece rods

Good video. I used ugly stik spinning rods years ago & really liked them. I too prefer the trigger handle on all of my catfish rods as well.

I had two O.G. 7 FT Ugly Sticks coupled with an Abu Garcia 6500 and 6600 that I had for 15 years. I finally wore out the two after what was probably thousands of fish. I caught catfish anywhere from pan size to 50 lbs. They are by far the most versatile rig. Light enough for small bites and heavy enough to take on a trophy cat.

I think the Ugly Stik Catfish Special rods vs the Hellcats …would have been more applicable. They’re both new…but with one being considerably less expensive

I've used the Ugle Sticks all of my life and still use them when fishing. I also use the TWC rods. If TWC is good enough for the man Steve Douglas then TWC is good enough for me.

I have 4 ugly stick rods never had an issue. I've switched to catfish Sumo recently and absolutely love them.

I have Ugly Stik rods and I like them but the tip seems a little too soft for circle hooks. I have a HellCat also (not that impressed). I mostly use my Rippin Lips rods. At just about $5 more than an UglyStik they are hard to beat. BUT, that being said.... The Mad Katz are just darn hard to beat. Price is between the other two and the looks and build are every bit as good if not better then the Hellcat. And Mad Katz customer service is top notch and far beyond most other companies.. As an old catfish guy (62 old) this is just my opinion.

I’ve used the Ugly sticks for a many years and I do agree with your opinions and comparing, great video!

Honest review as always.

Great video. Loved the presentation.

As an avid bass fisherman that is now converting to targeting large catfish the trigger grip is more natural to me. I love the graphite Whisker Seeker rods. I have several Mad Katz, Whisker Seekers, a couple Rippin Lips, and a Catch The Fever rod. Maybe the bulk of the other rods will feel better to me after fishing hard this year, but for now the Whisker Seekers light weight and sensitivity just feel the best.

clicked this video since i just bought an ugly stick cat rod yesterday at cabelas.....was hoping to see i didn't make a mistake but discovered you arent up to date on uglystick cat rods. mine is a 10' two piece rod and it cost me $99. took it out this morning and so far im not disappointed but haven't had a big cat on it yet either.

Tl;Dr. To me, this topic is like off road tires on a 4X4 pickup. I have a Toyota Tundra that had BF Goodrich off road tires on it when I bought it used. But when it needed new tires I bought good All Season tires because over 90% of my driving is on paved roads. It makes no sense to me to buy a softer tire that won't last as long for that small percentage of the time I'm off road. The all season tires have taken me anywhere I want to go. People buy them because they look cool and the advertising world has convinced them that they need them. Hellcat rods and others like them look cool and sound cool. Do most people need them? No. No they don't. However, you can buy top of the line equipment for about the same as an Ugly Stick if you shop carefully and wait for a sale. B&M sells Catfish rods for about half the price of the Hellcat every day, you don't even have to wait for a sale. This is all just one guy's opinion, of course. But for most of us, if we're going to spend big money on catfish equipment we'd be way ahead if we concentrated those dollars on the reels we buy. Spend the money on the reel because that's the equipment that'll let you down when you need it most. A good reel that is cleaned and oiled at least every year will most likely last a lifetime for most of us. None of this applies to professional fishermen and women who guide for a living. If I'm paying a guide then I want to see the best equipment known to man on that boat! I want to feel confident that if they put me on that fish of a lifetime that I'll land that fish. Their equipment takes a beating and many times by folks who have no idea what they're doing. For someone like a guide, who fishes every day, I can see something like a Hellcat actually paying for itself. If I were a guide I'd have a whole rack of them right out in the open where people would see them and they might even be part of my advertising program. But I'm not a guide and I don't fish every day. I'll admit that I still own a few Ugly Sticks and use one of them occasionally. But I mostly buy B&M rods. Even their most expensive "catfish" rod is under $100.00 and you can still buy one for under $50.00, if that's your budget. I can buy 2 of their 10' rods for bank fishing for the price of a Hellcat. Catfish Sumo has been known to run a special every now and then so I have 2 of their rods. Whisker Seeker makes a really good rod that comes in right at $100.00 they call Full Metal Jacket or FMJ. I've seen Spenser Bauer bend those over double with big Flatheads and I doubt he ever worried about them breaking. Of course, Spenser is a guide and no longer just a KZfaq star so he needs top of the line equipment and I'll bet Whisker Seeker sends him rods at no cost to him because of his KZfaq channel and the exposure they get there. I don't know that to be true but I suspect that most of the bigger catfish channels get support from manufacturers for exposure. It's good business sense. Sorry for the long drawn out response Dieter. Bottom line is to buy as good of equipment as you can afford. Good equipment will outlast and out perform cheaper equipment. But even the cheaper equipment will land big fish if you take care of it. Sadly, most people don't take good care of their gear. Then, when it fails they blame it on the gear. Clean your gear folks!

I bought a couple of the FIBLINK 7' rods a couple months ago and put the Okuma 300 reels on. plenty of power, and have caught plenty of 20# Blues on Pickwick Lake using them. I really like them over the price range of the Hellcat.

I’ve had my ugly stik catfish rod for almost 20 years and still use it and love it!!! hoping to get a new hellcat or mad cats rod though

Great video,Been fishing Ugly a long time. Really like the Ugly Stik catfish series. Do alot of River fishing and dams. They work great for me. Wanna try there new one out. Like the looks of it. Ugly Stik have stood the test of time

I live in Pennsylvania and fish the Susquehanna a lot. I swear by my Ugly Stik rods. Been using them since the 80s and never broke one. Caught my personal best carp this year with one. Over 40 lb. Pretty good for an Ugly Stik Lite 5' 10'' 2 piece rod from shore.

It last longer and depedabl for what you need it for . Thank you for your time and fishing tips thank you.

I use whisker seeker rods for the most part. I have one ugly stik catfish rod. I use it for catchin small 1-5lbs cats. Good rod for fishin small bayous, creeks and ponds.

I ordered 4 of the striper stealth ML rods a few months ago. For a $100 bait fishing type rod it's probably the most beautiful and well put together rods I own. I would assume that the build quality carries across the full line from catch the fever.

I use custom meat hunter rods, mad Katz rods and uglystik. To be perfectly honest, the uglystik hands down are the best deal around. I own and use the new uglystik catfish specials, and the uglystik catfish rods. What I like the most is action, the backbone and the price. While my custom meat hunter rods cost in price $110.00 on ebay, and my madkatz rods cost $89.99, these 2 brands of catfish rods are comparable in performance and feel. But in build quality, the 2 rod brands out class uglystik. But I don't buy a rod based on looks alone. I buy for price, durability, and how it feels when using it. And hands down for the price and rod quality I say uglystik wins hands down

I have some older BCF Rods ( bought 2nd hand)and I like them I mentioned to Them about a trigger but never heard anything back from them. The ugly stick GX2 were great rods . I'd like to have some hell cats but there just no way I'm spending that much in a pretty rod when there are plenty of good name brand rods on the market. Good video buddy.

I have the Ugly Stick Catfish rods. Absolutely no issues except as mentioned the cheaper materials… and they are on the heavy side. I actually downsized mine because they are just too much for most catfish. So I went to the Ugly Stik Inshore Select. Perfect combination of power and fun. As far as spending the extra cash… I love quality reels. That’s just me but I want a super smooth drag above everything else.

Thanks for the video

Hello ,loved this do much. Hey can you compare the Berkley big game rods against these other rods? They are 7ft rods med heavy with the trigger grip and please let me know what you think.

Me and my Bestie still useSome ugly rods and do fine. She's still using the same 808 that ahe caught her 50 lb. Flatties on last year too ! I'm still using same Diawa I caught mt 42 on two years ago ..The norm. Is the " occasional" or even rare Blue and Flatties to 25lbs .All we've caught this year are flats and a few channels ...Great review . Especially for those that 150.00 rods arent in the budget . tight lines from WV !!!

I've got 4 ugly sticks and have caught tons of catfish on them. I recently bought a B&M silver cat 7ft med heavy for 59.99 and love it. There's not a bit of difference between it and my 4 catch the fever rods. I'll take it over a hellcat for price and proformace

I have several hellcat and several ugly stick catfish rods of various sizes. I really love the feel of the hellcat. It’s just a different experience from casting to catching fish. Feels more powerful and forgiving. But I love my ugly sticks nearly as much. Inexpensive and I’ve caught many big fish on them. I love all my various size ugly sticks for crappie, too. Got them from 4.5ft to 7.5ft I think I catch more fish on ugly sticks than anything else.

I use 2 rods out of my kayak. I have a whisker seeker 7'6" heavy action with a nice Okuna reel. My other rod is an Ugly stick with a 10yr old cheap reel and it catches fish just as well as my expensive set up. It can be a little more sporty reeling em in but it does the job just fine.

i still cant aford this rod few years later . but still watching and amidiring this rod in videoes

Only complaint about ugly stik (spinning) cat rod is it's like a cooked spaghetti noodle but it'll never break

Nice video!

I love Ugly Stick Catfish Specials. Pulled in tons of big catfish with them and never broke one. The other rod you don't hear much about is the Yellow Eagle Claws casting rods for 29 bucks. I got some 15 years ago at Piedmont Bait and tackle. Super rods and yellow and I have had 35lb flat-heads bend them over double and they don't break. Can't speak for Hellcat but I like the Whisker Seekers I have and they are twice as much as the Ugly Stick but I'm not afraid of the Ugly Stick one bit with big fish. I sort of like the rod bent over when they dive down!! A drag is a beautiful thing....

Best bang for the buck catfish rod on the market is the Ozark Big Cat Rod for $39.99. I've been using them for a year with 100's of catfish and quite a few striper boated with them. Biggest fish caught on those rods is a 46"X33" blue so far. They have alotta the same features the big name rod company's use.

Managed to find a used catfish special 6500 for 60 bucks. It was my first baitcaster ever lol. I didn't have a rod for it or a lot of extra money so I bought a 7ft ugly stik catfish rod. Went on many trips without it getting bit and kept waiting for the day I could try it out on something finally. Last trip, I literally landed my PB, a 44lbs blue catfish from the bank with it. It's was an awesome fight but the rod did it's job and I was blown away by it lol. I'm sure the hellcat is amazing and can cast much heavier weight but the ugly stik is still a solid choice for bank fishing in my opinion.

Being new to fishing I didnt know the different name brand rods. But watching another guys show on you tube he put a ugly stik to a weight and kind of torcher test and it was very hard for him to break the ugly stik. So since Ive had to buy a few rods to go with some reels I bought I bought a few ugly stik rods to go with them not even knowing the history of the rods.

The GX2 Ugly Stik has soft guides. I’ve had 3 that developed grooves with mono. My Fenwick, Daiwa, and Bass Pro Whuppin Sticks show no signs of wear.

Im a bass angler and have a couple of high dollar Lew’s set ups. Just caught a pb off a $40 micro rig while fishing for bait.

I agree Dieter more money doesn’t necessarily mean more or bigger fish. I can’t justify the $ for the hellcat rods.

Have to disagree on the durability of the hell cat way to many Have been breaking close to the tip

Hello Dieter melhorn. I have a question I own three hellcat rods medium heavy action. I purchased them from catch the fever when they were first released. I side note I have yet to use them you can say I'm more of a collector but I love to fish. What action hellcat rods do you use? And if you use medium heavy action on your hellcat rods can they handle a good size fish. You have a nice day sir and thank you in advance.

I'm a big fan of the regular Big Cat Fever rods and B'n'M silver cat elites. A decent upgrade in value over the Ugly Stiks without a huge jump in price.

I've been a Ugly person for years from the 80's and Zebco Rino just got a new pole this year. I'm very happy with my price😮 at Walmart on clearance sale $17 each 🎣 ho can say no to that 🤫 price point. I'm going to put the profishinecy sniper reel for it. Fun this summer with my new poles.

Madkatz got em all beat. Awesome video!

I just want a tough rod that I can catch fish with.... I see you had that CatfishPro 600 reel...I really like mine

The only difference in cheap and not so cheap rods is made from difference materials. The more expensive Rod is going to be made out of better materials that's really the only difference

I've fell in love with mad katz rods. Left whisker seeker

I love my hellcats and my Berkeley big game cat rods I've caught a lot of fish with them, my hellcats have caught less but they give me more control when I hook into a big carp😁🎣and other fish and turtles😡, you should do whisker seeker rods I have 4 of them and love them caught a lot of different stuff on them

Hey dieter you always have great videos would like you to rate my catfish setup ugly still 8' medium heavy rod and a Penn pursuit 3 6000 reel keep those videos coming

Uglysticks to me will always be one of my fav rods

Thanks you almost convinced me to switch all my Hellcats for Ugly Sticks . Lol . I love all my and they all serve a purpose in the types of fishing I do . Thanks again for a great informational vid .

Ivee used ugly stiks and tiger stiks never had one break or problems also dont baby them though they still around 15+ years caught everything from bluegill to big stripers off them id say buy the rod and reel combo one and throw the reel in your tackle box as a spare and put a good abu garcia or penn reel on it

General question for catfish rods. I think I heard that for catfish it is preferable to use a med-heavy weight rod with a moderate to moderate-fast action. The length though seems subjective from what I am seeing. I will be bank and boat fishing for catfish and in our area some of the cats push 60lbs for flatheads below our spillway. Not sure what they pull out of our lake here but the spillway and river yield some monsters. So my question is what length rod, weight, and power are going to allow for bank or boat fishing for anywhere from a 2lb cat up to shamoo? (I plan to pair it with an Abu Garcia 6500)

Just got my hellcat pink heavy power

Catfish rods have became so expensive, along wit the reels, fishing has became such an expensive hobby

Im sticking with ugly stick has never failed me

Want a in betweener. Try UGLY STIK CATFISH SPECIAL. 8FT rods. They nicer and little more rugged than regular ugly stik. For only 20 dollars more than regular rods

Can you compare the Hellcat vs MadKatz vs Whisker Seeker rods?

Its worth mentioning Warranty, Hellcat is ok but Ugly Sticks Warranty is MUCH better. I prefer a longer rod for Catfishing (even out of a boat) so I am considering the Ugly Stick Elite Salmon/Steelhead Spinning Rod in a 9ft Extra Heavy (USESSP902XH) All the specs on it check out nice for big Channel Cats, however I can't find any videos on it. Most people are using the lighter versions for Bass.

My local Walmart sells white Shakespeare tiger rod and real combos. For like $50-$70 max. That seems a lil cheap! But they look nice asf. But the price makes them seem cheap product.

Let's see if I buy ten uglystiks it'll cost around $439 now if I buy ten hellcat rods it'll cost me $1,865.6. I know which rod I'm buying and I take the money saved and buy a gps spot lock trolling motor. I don't need a "Pretty" rod to catch fish. Yes I added shipping and sales tax (except no shipping on uglystiks I can pick those up in wally world) . Hellcat rods are for show offs or people with too much money. A rich boys toy. Older people like me ( I"m 66 ) know where to best spend our money. Love you Dieter, really do but in my opinion you blew it on this one.

I have an ugly stik that is 20 years old and still catching fish with it.

I really hope I get an answer back on this question, I talked to the local fishing store in my area, his store is Scc bait shop south eastern Indiana ,and he said, their doing some good catfish fishing on the river at the markman dam, now depending on the store owner operating that given area store, and for what ever is currently in stock, I've seen the video on making the fishing rods, that's cool, obvious that's there's big fish all around, but if you want to go heavier fishing line that's not recommended on any big heavy rod, how do you know if you can go heavier test line, , I don't want to disrespect anyone for catch and release, but I was raised on the idea of keeping food in the freezer, so how do you know you can go to a heavier line and not go against the rod

Sir, any thoughts on Meat Hunter rods? Legends down here around Arkansas Oklahoma Texas and Louisiana.

Only thing I don't like about my hellcats is how bad they fade in the sun. Blew my mind after 2 trips an my rods being in the sun there faded

Hey dieter quick question bud. Just bought a abu garcia 6500 s from academy sports. And I was wanting to know if 30lb mono would be ok for it ?

Ty

My vote goes Ugly Stick, for the money 💰 it can't be beat. Yes Hell Cat is pretty BUT if it's going to break who wants to have it fixed...whats that tell ya plus it's $100 bucks more. Just my thought on it.

out of 5 Ugly Stiks that I own, ranging from 5-20 years old. I've only broken one, and that was my fault for shutting a door on it

Ugly stick catfish is the best rod I’ve ever owned.

Rippin Lips are just a hair up from ugly stick and a hair better. Either way, ugly stick has proven that they are a hard to beat brand.

So how does the rod help with casting? I’ve notice reels make a difference but never noticed the rod itself helped casting.

Well I do not change my ugly sick for any other expensive rods the advantage of always think that it has it gives you 7 years of warranty which other fishing rods don't give it's a budget-friendly fishing rod you can compare it to two or three hundred dollar run it does the same work as expensive fishing and it's made in the USA that's the good part of it people like to brag and criticize ugly stick but then again they love foreign fishing rods I understand you pay what you could afford but I still stay with my ugly sticks can't beat the price for the book God bless America

I wouldn’t call the Hellcat the MacDaddy of all rods. That’s more of matter of opinion especially when they’re our compatible companies such as Rippin lips . Slimecat . Madkatz , etc that offer similar rods

Its Just too bad They will not ship to Canada,

You should compare the hellcat rod to the mad katz rods

Question for everyone. What do you think of Whisker Seeker rods? Its made locally for me and I am just curious if anyone has any strong opinions good or bad about them.