Fishing Gear
Ugly Stik Spinning Kit Review: How It Holds Up for a Shore-Fishing Family
A Brandon, Mississippi mom on three 5-foot kits, eight months of bank and pier trips, and the limits she would want you to know.
One cold February morning, three cheap combos, and a nine year old who quit fishing before I finished setting up. Here is what I bought in March and what it actually changed.
A Brandon, Mississippi mom on three 5-foot kits, eight months of bank and pier trips, and the limits she would want you to know.
I owned three of each at the same time. The discount combos went in the trash in March.
Ten reasons, from a mom who fishes the bank with three kids, that a matched rod and reel kit beats a bargain combo.
One cold February morning, three cheap combos, and a nine year old who quit fishing before I finished setting up. Here is what I bought in March and what it actually changed.
Five steps, two of them at the kitchen table, and the end of the bird's nest that sent us home early in February.
Three kits, three kids, eight months on the bank and the pier. The rod is the good half, the reel is the half that gets outgrown, and the 5-foot length is the decision nobody warns you about.
Eight months, three kids, and one hard case that ended the loose-hook era in the back of my Tahoe.
A hard case with three boxes against a soft bag with a shoulder strap, judged from eight months of bank and pier trips with three kids.
A mom who fishes the bank around Ross Barnett Reservoir makes the case for one small hard case instead of a bag the size of a cooler.
One cold Saturday, three kids, and a pile of loose treble hooks in the back of the truck. What we bought the first week of March, and what it actually changed.
A bank-and-pier mom's five-step system for sorting hooks, bobbers and jigs by job instead of by kid, so nobody has to unload the whole box to find a split shot.
An honest second look at the Plano Angled Tackle System after eight months in the back of a Tahoe, including the parts of the design that do not actually help and the anglers who should buy something else.
A Mississippi mom tests the DZrudun ground rod holder for eight months at a farm pond and the bank of Ross Barnett Reservoir, with three kids and two catfish rods.
I cut sticks on the bank for years. Then I bought a 2-pack of ground holders in March and found out what a stick can and cannot do.
A mom who fishes the bank at Ross Barnett with three kids on why two ground holders earned a permanent spot in the back of the Tahoe.
A rod in the dirt, a restless nine year old, and the two ground holders that ended both problems at my aunt's pond.
A bank angler's step-by-step for soft ground, plus the parts of the DZrudun holder that actually matter when the mud gives under your boot.
Eight months, two holders, and one very soft pond bank. The parts of the DZrudun rod holder that earn their spot in the truck, and the ground where they are dead weight.
Eight months, three kids, one small box, and a lot fewer afternoons lost to digging for a jig head.
I fished loose jig heads and mismatched plastics off the bait shop peg for two springs before I bought the kit. Here is the honest split, from the bank and the public pier at Ross Barnett with three kids in tow.
A mom who fishes the bank and the pier with three kids explains what a 115 piece kit actually changes on a weeknight.
A Tuesday evening at the public pier, two kids, one tackle tray, and about a dozen crappie for supper.
Five steps that work when the rail is crowded, the kids are bored, and the fish are suspended somewhere you cannot see.
Eight months of weeknight pier trips, one April supper of crappie, and a nine-year-old who cannot keep his fingers out of the box. Here is the version of this review I would give a friend at the tailgate.
A Mississippi mom's eight-month report on the 6-pound monofilament that filled three kids' reels and got the family back on the pier.
A mom who fishes the bank with three kids compares the line on her reels to the braid she keeps hearing about, and says plainly which rows each one wins.
A mom in Brandon, Mississippi explains why a 6 pound monofilament line has stayed on her three kids' reels since March.
A cold February morning, three bird's nests, and the one spool that fixed our Saturdays.
A mom of three in Brandon on the order that actually matters: how she loaded three kid reels off one spool of 6 pound line, and why she has not re-spooled since March.
Eight months, three kids' reels, one spool of six pound test. Here is the part the listing does not tell you, including the two cases where I would not buy it again.
A Brandon, Mississippi mom on three 5-foot kits, eight months of bank and pier trips, and the limits she would want you to know.
Three kits, three kids, eight months on the bank and the pier. The rod is the good half, the reel is the half that gets outgrown, and the 5-foot length is the decision nobody warns you about.
Eight months, three kids, and one hard case that ended the loose-hook era in the back of my Tahoe.
An honest second look at the Plano Angled Tackle System after eight months in the back of a Tahoe, including the parts of the design that do not actually help and the anglers who should buy something else.
A Mississippi mom tests the DZrudun ground rod holder for eight months at a farm pond and the bank of Ross Barnett Reservoir, with three kids and two catfish rods.
Eight months, two holders, and one very soft pond bank. The parts of the DZrudun rod holder that earn their spot in the truck, and the ground where they are dead weight.
Eight months, three kids, one small box, and a lot fewer afternoons lost to digging for a jig head.
Eight months of weeknight pier trips, one April supper of crappie, and a nine-year-old who cannot keep his fingers out of the box. Here is the version of this review I would give a friend at the tailgate.
A Mississippi mom's eight-month report on the 6-pound monofilament that filled three kids' reels and got the family back on the pier.
Eight months, three kids' reels, one spool of six pound test. Here is the part the listing does not tell you, including the two cases where I would not buy it again.