Key West Fishing Shakespeare Tackle Update

Once again I'm surprised by the new Shakespeare tackle!

I've writen about the lower priced/quality Shakespeare Tackle Company and their history with providing some surprisingly good saltwater fishing gear.....years ago.

Many of the early saltwater guides of the Florida Keys relied on the old Sigma line of spinning
reels, the Wonder and Medalist fly reels that cost a only few bucks but stood up to Tarpon,Bonefish, Permit, Barracudas and the rest of the ocean tuffy's.

I called them G.I. reels as they appeared to be something one might find in an Alice pac issued
by the Army......not pretty, everyone had them, everyone relied on them but no one bragged
about them.

For 15 yrs or so Shakespeare's stuff slipped out of that niche and into the "rod and reel combo"
bought for your grand childern to trast niche, usually bought at KMart or mega drug store.
Most of it was junk! ...sorry Shakespeare.

Shakespeare is back in the "surprise niche" again with a new factory in China ofcourse.

I wrote a few months ago about the new" Custom 100% graphite line of spinning rods and how happy I am with them, still true but, I wanted to mention one rod in this line that I found is the
best FLATS fishing spinning rod I have in almost 35 years of fooling with this sport.

Great , Ugly Stik Custom 7'6'' medium heavy 10-20 lb rated, #USCISP 1176 1MH 100% GR

A looong seven and a half foot rod will a lot of leverage to fight a big fish and will throw a small
bait, jig, plug a looong way.

This rod throws a Permit crab a block and a half and kicks Mr. Permits arse when the crab finally lands on his dinner plate!
We have landed lots of big Permit in the last 6 months on this rod....really great!

A few weeks ago a young lady customer was hooked up to the wrong Tarpon with this rod loaded with 10# PowerPro braided line on a Pflueger/Shakespeare Medalist, she had tossed
a crab into a school of baby Tarpon and ofcourse, Big Mama grabbed the bait and we were off to the races.......she was 90-100 lbs and so was the fish!

After a hour or so I took over and palmed the spool to "Come, bleed or blister!" that fish.

Couldn't believe the power in that little rod, in short order the Tarpon was at the boat and I clamped down and jumped her off.

The new Custom Graphite Ugly Stik is a great spinning rod at any price.
I And the retail price will leave you change for a lunch or two from a hundred dollar bill.


Again this is not really a big Tarpon stik but its a super duper Permit, Bonefish, Redfish, Bass, Salmon, Steelhead , Wizzbanger!