Ugly Stik is a subsidiary company of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

, a

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

equipment retail company. Ugly Stik is primarily known for its fishing rods. Shakespeare, originally called William Shakespeare Jr. Company, was founded by William Shakespeare Jr. in 1897 in

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

. The William Shakespeare Jr. Company changed its name to Shakespeare in 1915, then moved its base of operations to

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

in 1970. In 1976, Shakespeare introduced the Ugly Stik rod.

Ugly Stik rod

The Ugly Stik rod gained popularity due to its distinctive construction method. Shakespeare employed the Howald process, initially introduced with the "Wonderod" in 1947, an innovation by Dr. Arthur M. Howald. This process transformed Shakespeare's rod-building techniques and was later utilized in crafting the first Ugly Stik rods. The approach involved incorporating an internal spiral

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a common type of fibre-reinforced plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened i ...

core and parallel glass fibers infused with pigmented polyester resin, which were then layered with tape and cured in an oven. Subsequently, high-pressure water jets removed the tape. Although contemporary Ugly Stik rods still utilize the Howald process, they have undergone adjustments in materials and techniques to accommodate technological advancements since 1976. The modern Ugly Stik rods, thanks to the Howald Process, exhibit both strength and flexibility, enabling them to be bent into a circle without breaking. The construction methodology yields a product that is robust yet pliable. The incorporation of

graphite Graphite () is a Crystallinity, crystalline allotrope (form) of the element carbon. It consists of many stacked Layered materials, layers of graphene, typically in excess of hundreds of layers. Graphite occurs naturally and is the most stable ...

within the fiberglass wraps further enhances sensitivity, offering anglers the necessary strength, stiffness, and responsiveness for effective fishing. Ugly Stik got its name from the "ugly" appearance of their first rods. The first Ugly Stik rods were very large, featured metal handles, the graphite color showed through the blank, and the wraps were black with white pinstripes. Over the years, the appearance of Ugly Stik rods evolved into the now recognizable “red and yellow basket weave” design near the handle, a shiny jet-black finish, and a clear tip. Shakespeare did not just manufacture fishing tackle. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, their “factory was converted to manufacture mortar fuses and automobile carburetors”. In World War II, Shakespeare manufactured controls for tanks, automobiles, and aircraft. “Shakespeare also manufactured the first fiberglass radio antennas, golf club shafts, pool cues, archery equipment, and numerous industrial materials”. From 1968 to 1986, Shakespeare manufactured trolling motors. Today, Shakespeare also sells non-fishing related Ugly Stik products, such as car

decal A decal (, , ) or transfer is a plastic, cloth, paper, or ceramic substrate that has printed on it a pattern or image that can be moved to another surface upon contact, usually with the aid of heat or water. The word is short for '' decalc ...

s, hats, glasses, and clothing.

References

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External links

Ugly Stik page
at Pure Fishing site Companies based in Michigan