Thread: Ugly Stik Tiger Lite

Anyone use the ugly stik tiger lite rods(not the regular tiger rods)? Was thinking about getting the 6'9" medium casting for for throwing plugs or live bait.

Ugly sticks are legendary for their toughness, but I've never fished one that didn't feel a little "dead" compared to rods just a little further up in the price range. For another $25 you can get some really sensitive rods that are also pretty tough. That said, rod preferences are like names. Everybody has one.

They are tough rods, and while they do lack sensitivity, that to me is not a big issue when fishing an LY or cranking a 4-5" long lure. We ain't finesse fishing for walleye here.

The only times I would prefer a more sensitive rod on the pier would be for sheepshead, flounder and spadefish. If you use braid and a fluorocarbon leader you will get a lot of "feel" from the ugly stik anyway. They are a little heavier and wear me down quicker when throwing a bubble, plug, gotcha, looney jig or a pompano jig.

People may scoff at the ugly stick rods- personally, I like them for their versatility and toughness. I have several, and while they are a little heavy (in comparison to higher end rods with more graphite) I've yet to have one fail. However, if you want a cheap "beater rod" that's lighter than the ugly but handles a lot of abuse, buth fresh and salt water... I'm almost afraid to say it... Lol. The Berkeley fusion combo (only because I've never seen the rod by its self- the reel is junk). 7' 2 piece. It's rated for 1/4- 1 1/4 oz, but I've used it to cast much heavier weights. I've landed more striper than I can count, Atlantic mackerel on sabiki in Maine, Spanish on bubble/straw rigs that were in the 2-3 lb range that I pulled up without a net on the pier... Gar over 50" in the Arkansas river... You name it, its held up and without special care. 30$ with a junk reel.

I like the berkley lighting shock rods, i use them for my medium setups and they have great sensitivity and are tough, hauled up plenty of spanish and bluefish up over the rail with them this past weekend

Originally Posted by fishingjunkie84

I like the berkley lighting shock rods, i use them for my medium setups and they have great sensitivity and are tough, hauled up plenty of spanish and bluefish up over the rail with them this past weekend

Ever tried the berkley inshore rods? I'm looking at a 7'6 mh 1 piece that might be a fun topwater striper rod.

I looked at them and like what i saw, but the lightening rods been doing so well i havent gotten one yet

As to the ugly sticks, the regular ugly stik rods are heavier and less sensitive due to the fiberglass. I have used the ugly stik lite and lite pro in freshwater for bass. They use graphite and fiberglass, are lighter and more sensitive. There aren't any saltwater rods to try when I'm not at the beach so I'm not sure how the tiger lite compares.

I have also used the Bekley lightning rod shock. I use them but have had one break and some reels don't seem to fit well. I have since upgraded to the Shimano Sellus. It's $10 more and a better fit for me.


I just checked out the Berkley inshore rods. They look really nice as well. I also like the ugly stik select inshore rods. Uggh. I wonder how many rods my will let me buy?

As for the inshore select ugly stik, I love mine for freshwater. I was going to use it for salt this year.