Reddit mentions of Ugly Stik GX2 Spinning Rod

Here's a copy paste of my old comment, take from it what helps you

I'll try to be brief as possible. Also, I'm not sure your experience level, so I apologize if I go over things that are obvious to you.

Basically you need to be aiming for Spanish Mackerel. They are a fucking blast to fish for.

Your set-up will work fine. These fish only get up to around 8-12 pounds, 15 if you're (extremely) lucky. But, bank on your catches being 8-12 pounds (closer to 8).

What you need:

Leader. You'll need to tie 40 or 50 pound monofilament line to your main line. Spanish have razor sharp teeth and will bite off smaller line. I'll go over later how to tie leader to main line. You can just buy the cheap mono line. I keep both 40# and 50# with me. I'll use 40# first, and if I get bit off 2 times, I switch to 50#. But, no need to spend too much money, just grab a spool of 40 or 50 pound. Worth noting, Spanish have eyes of a hawk and can easily be spooked away from lure, that's why I try with 40# first. So, it's a gamble of getting hooked up/ getting bit off between 40 and 50#. I suggest 40#

Lure: Gotcha plugs. Seriously, That's the only lure you need. Spanish love them. You'll also catch other things such as blue runners and possibly king mackerels. Get them at the local walmart down there in Destin (as well as your other fishing needs) prices online are a little high, and walmart has the best prices (believe it or not). Like I said ealier, get about 5 per person, as you will get bit off. But different colors; sometimes spanish will wanna strike white body/ yellow head, where as the next they want gold body/orange head. They also come in metal body and plastic body. I suggest getting both. In the picture of the gotcha plug above i linked is a gold body/ orange head/ metal body, I highllly suggest that, that is my go-to gotcha plug.

You said you already had line, but I suggest getting 12-20lb braided line. Braided line casts far and has better response.

Pliers. Last thing you want is a Spanish biting your finger. Have some pliers so you can pull the hook out of its mouth.

a big cooler. You may want to rent a cooler cart at the pier. It's a hassle to carry a cooler to the end of the pier, and then back full of ice and fish. bring a long cooler with you

food drinks. don't waste 20 minutes of good fishing by having to walk to the front desk to buy a $4 coke and $3 snickers bar, have that shit with you.


Get to the pier before sun break. You want to be on the pier, in your fishing spot ~15 minutes before the sun comes up. As of today, 6:19 AM is sunrise for Destin, FL. So, you want to be walking on the pier to the spot at like 6:05am. Spanish run early in the morning to about 12pm and then head back to deeper water (they return a few hours before sundown, when the water cools off). Can't stress this enough, be there before sunrise.

Here is a video on how to tie your mono leader to your main line.

When you get to the pier, you'll see other guys out there fishing for Spanish, you'll know where to be. generally it's somewhere in the middle of the pier. Just keep an eye on the other guys and watch where they fish and how they do it. When you cast the gotcha, you'll retrieve it fast with somewhat of a jerk here and there.

So, to recap, hopefully put 12-20lb braid on your rig. Tie with uni-knot 40-50lb mono leader to you main line. Tie gotcha plug to leader (no swivels or anything, just line tied to line tied to lure). be in middle of pier before sunrise. Cast as far as you can, retrieve lure fast with some jerking.

Oh, and when you leave the pier, wash your poles off with the water hose at the entrance to the pier. Especially with your gear that is not designed for saltwater. Saltwater is very corrosive and will lock your reel up if not washed off your reel when done. But, don't wash the reel too much and clean the lubricant inside of it. Just a simple wash will do.


extra: while you're at walmart, get a lure called a sabiki rig. looks like this or this (get sabiki brand, not cheap stuff) Tie to your line, and add a weight to the end. Go near a pilling and drop it to the very bottom, then real up a few cranks and manually bring your pole up and down (tip of pole going up and down about 4 foot). It's always good fun to catch 4-5 fish at the same time. Most of the time it's fish you throw back, but fun none the less. If you were fishing for King mackerel you would do this to catch live bait. You'll see the Korean people on the pier doing this


Most importantly, have fun. If you take my advice, you're bound to have fun! I'll be in Panama city here in about a week and will be fishing non-stop. update me with some pictures of fish!

edit: Here is the gear I suggest for Saltwater fishing from pier (with capabilities of surf fishing)

Pole: Shakespeare Ugly Stik GX2

Reel: Penn Battle II 4000

Line: Power Pro Braided Fishing Line 20lb/300yards I use moss green. Color choice is up to you. High vidiabilty colors (yellow for example) do help when fishing on a crowded pier. People can see where you are casted at. Helps reduce hook ups with other fisherman.

rod and reel. That combo will handle any fish at the pier and will leave you enough money to get braid to go with it.

My 1st rod/reel was this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0KM8GE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_OrIQBbYF8FXFX

It's an Ugly Stick GX2 rod /reel combo, medium/heavy 6'6.

Ive been using it for months and love it. I have it spooled with 20lb braid. I use lures of all different weights and I've always been happy with my cast distance.

Although to be fair it's my first setup and up until recently I haven't had anything to compare it to. I recently picked up a baitcast, but won't be able to try it out until Sunday:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075MY4D3X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_MvIQBbSB0X40E

One thing I found out quickly was that depending on the lure I was using I feel I really need to put a lot of "muscle" behind the cast. A lot of variables can effect cast distance so it could be one thing or several things effecting your distance.

Shakespeare USSP701MH Ugly Stik GX2 1-Piece Spinning Rod, 8-20-Pound Test, 7 Feet, Medium-Heavy Power https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0KM8GE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_hloBCbVY9XJK6




KastKing Sharky Baitfeeder III (Sharky Baitfeeder III, Sharky Baitfeeder III 6000) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0746HBYGJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_qmoBCbM7WGHQK