Ugly Stick BWC 2201-2 - Casting or Spinning? Matching Reel?

Hi All,

Does anybody know if this rod is a casting rod or a spinning rod? I'm not 100% sure how to tell.

Thanks!

BWC is casting. compare a spinning rod's eyelets to a casting rod and you'll be pretty sure after that.

BWS would be spinning.

Thanks so much! I thought it might be...and now it explains why it hasn’t really worked well for me 

I will most likely pair this with a Penn 500, as that seems to be a popular choice on the forum.

Would this work as a lingcod and rockfish setup, loaded with 20-30# braid?

Sweet! Thanks so much folks! I’m excited to get out there! (Haven’t been fishing for over 5 years, and never caught anything out here!)

March and halibut are just around the corner.. April and salmon.. May and rockfish..

The tolerances on a PENN 500, specifically on the spool and side plate mating surfaces, are known for being a little loose.  We normally fished twenty pound mono or thicker because smaller diameter lines would slip between the spool and side plate.  If you fished a full spool of lighter braid like that I’d keep an eye on it.......that being said, it’ll work fine. 

I will have to get used to the different seasons for fishing. Hoping to actually time my fishing this time around. I am amazed at how productive our fisheries are!

Hmm...I looked at the Penn 500 and it appears it does not have a level wind, which I feel would be good for me. (I have never casted a casting or bait casting reel before) Are there alternative reels that would pair well with the Ugly Stick Tiger? I looked at these reels, just not sure if the would work well:

Abu Garcia MaxToro 050
Abu Garcia C3-5500
Penn General Purpose Level Wind 9M
Penn Warfare Level Wind 15LW

Thanks so much for all the info!

I personally like the Daiwa Lexa 300.  there's been some really good sales lately. I think you may still be able to find some on amazon for a good price.


I would probably wait for it to go on sale again.  in the last year I've seen 149 and 120 instead of 200, which it's totally worth..but you know.

It's a small form factor, light, fits a ton of line, and is pretty darn strong, good max Drag for a small reel.

anecdotally I lost one in the ocean over night, miraculously someone trolled it up, opening it up to inspect it and clean it I didn't really have to do much at all.  So it's one of my favorites for sure.

Sp O’N:

Youll have plenty of time to spend all your $$$ on gear

  Truth!

I will have to get used to the different seasons for fishing. Hoping to actually time my fishing this time around. I am amazed at how productive our fisheries are!

Hmm...I looked at the Penn 500 and it appears it does not have a level wind, which I feel would be good for me. (I have never casted a casting or bait casting reel before) Are there alternative reels that would pair well with the Ugly Stick Tiger? I looked at these reels, just not sure if the would work well:

Abu Garcia MaxToro 050
Abu Garcia C3-5500
Penn General Purpose Level Wind 9M
Penn Warfare Level Wind 15LW

Thanks so much for all the info!

the Warfare is a good reel. I've got it in the 30LW big bug a very nice reel for the money.

Thanks so much for all the advice! I did watch some videos from Lost Anchovy and Moon, some great inspiration! I also watched some videos on how to use a conventional reel and how to wind the line back in. It doesn’t seem so bad.

there's your basic bulletproof go to setup for ocean fishing in our area.
Ugly Stick-Penn 500, 25-30# mono. 

Great for RF, lings, halibut, bay stripers etc....

Bushy

I use an ugly stick and penn combo.  I actually prefer no level wind.  Easier to maintain and feels smoother.

For jigging in deep water, I prefer high-capacity (300 or 400 sized) baitcaster reels with a fast retrieve rate such as 7:1 and a counterbalanced power handle.  Advantages of baitcaster reels for jigging are (a) they drop your lure fast because the level wind mechanism disconnects when you cast or drop a lure, so there's no level wind or line counter mechanism to slow the lure's descent, and (b) it's easy to keep your lure in contact with the bottom by hitting the spool release with your thumb to drop the lure, and cranking up to raise the lure. A fast retrieve rate will get your lure up from the depths fast.  A power handle will make it much easier to winch up big fish.  I find the standard two-paddle handle found on most baitcaster reels inadequate for reeling up big fish. Non-counterbalanced power handles tend to flop down under the influence of gravity and take in line when you don't want to raise your lure; a counterbalanced handle prevents that from happening.  I agree with tehpenguins that the Daiwa Lexa 300 reel (with a counterbalanced power handle) is a good choice for jigging.

If you aren't used to baitcaster reels, be aware that unless they are adjusted and used correctly, they can create some hideous bird's nests of line, if the reel spool is too loose.  Do some Googling about how to use a baitcaster reel, and how to get rid of those birds nests.  When using a baitcaster reel for jigging, all you need to do is tighten the knob on the side of the reel enough so your lure will drop quickly, but the spool will stop spinning as soon as your lure hits the bottom, and won't keep spinning to create a birds nest. Begin by tightening the knob enough so that your lure doesn't drop at all, and then loosen the knob until the lure drops at a good speed, but the line spool doesn't keep spinning when your lure hits the bottom.

For jigging deep, I believe that braided line is far superior to mono because it has very little stretch, and as a result is very sensitive to bites, and lets you set the hook instantly when you get a bite.  When you're down a couple hundred feet, fishing with mono is like fishing with a long skinny bungie cord.  I use braid which is definitely strong enough for the size of fish I'm fishing for.  For example, for ling and lake trout fishing, I use 30 pound braid, with a lighter leader so I can break the leader when I snag a lure.

Currently, my two favorite jigging rods are Ugly Stik Tiger Elite medium heavy casting rods about 6.5' long, one for 3/4-4 oz. lures, and the other for 4-7 oz. lures. They are stiff enough to be very sensitive to even light bites, and have enough backbone to handle quite big fish.  If your target fish are modest in size, a light fast action rod might be a good choice.