Is a kids fishing pole worth the investment?

First up for the day was the Ugly Stik GX2 Youth Spinning Reel and Fishing Rod Combo. We paired this combo with the Berkley Trilene® Big Game™ Monofilament Fishing 8lb Line. This combo manufactured by Ugly Stick consists of a 2 piece medium action spinning rod, a grip design which is split for lighter weight and smaller hands, a 30 size spinning reel, and a machined anodized aluminum spool.

The rod was definitely not built for grown men, which is ok because we are not the intended users. We rigged the line with a 3lb weight, spoon, and worm and sent it on its way to do its thing in the water. We had 4 lines in total in the water and this combo was the first of the day to catch a fish. We weren’t looking to reel in any record setting fish and you can see by the picture that we caught a nice small walleye which any kid would be thrilled to land.

The rod worked well with clear strike indications and the reel was smooth and capable for the task. The overall length of the rod itself is 5’6″ which will be more than manageable for a child 4 or 5 years of age and up. Throughout the morning we caught 2 more walleye with this rig without any issues.

As far as being a capable and worthy rod for your brood, this is one to add to your cart.

With the first fish of the day secured, it was time for the Shakespeare Amphibian Youth Spinning Reel and Fishing Rod Combo to see some action. We had the same set up as the Ugly Stik using the 8lb Berkley Trilene® Big Game™ Monofilament Fishing Line and tackle.

Shortly after our first catch, we had a strike on the Shakespeare combo, fish on! This rod and reel combo has very similar characteristics to the Ugly Stik combo with a 5’6″ medium 2-piece rod, but you can get this in three colors, blue, orange and pink. You also have the EVA split grips and a size 30 spinning reel pre-spooled with 6lb line, which we changed to the 8lb line before heading out on the water.

Overall we found this setup to be another very capable rod and reel combo which won’t break the bank. If you are looking for something with a few more color options, this one may win out over the Ugly Stik. It’s also half the price of the Ugly Stik Combo which is another perk.

We decided to beef up our line options on both of the rods before we headed out on to the water. Knowing that we could see varied size fish where we were going we wanted a little bit more insurance on the line in case we had an oversized fish take the bait. You can easily stick with the 6lb test that these rods come with or decide to go up a bit if you think your kids may see action on the line beyond what 6lb line can handle.

The Berkley Trilene® Big Game™ Monofilament Fishing Line 8lb worked very well for the application we were using it for. Of the 8 fish we caught for the day, we didn’t have a single line break. This line comes in 19 colors and various weights beyond 8lb as well.

Overall, Berkley is a staple in our tackle box because of years of use and reliable results.