Let me set the scene: It’s 5 AM. I’m dressed in what I’m convinced are the top fishing clothes brands—think moisture-wicking, odor-resistant, and suspiciously stylish. My goal? To finally film that epic drone shot of me reeling in a monster fish. What actually happened? Well, let’s just say the whales were… unimpressed.
It all began the day before when I realized my old gear just wasn’t going to cut it. A quick online search for the closest bait and tackle shop led me down a rabbit hole that ended at total fishing tackle store’s website. Three hours and one maxed-out credit card later, I was the proud owner of what top wholesale fishing tackle distributors would call “a serious problem.”
I picked up a tiger elite ugly stik because the name alone sounds like it should come with a theme song. Not stopping there, I also picked up an ugly stik 10ft spinning rod, an ugly stik 8 ft rod for “intermediate challenges,” and an ugly stik 5ft because… well, it was cute. For backup, I grabbed an ugly stik and reel combo that promised to make me look like I knew what I was doing.
My collection grew. I found myself browsing the fly fishing store section and walking away with trout savage gear and a full trout fishing tackle box essentials kit. I even impulse-bought an ugly stik 4 piece travel rod—you know, for those spontaneous fishing trips I never actually take.
The morning of the big excursion, I loaded my car with tournament fishing gear that I had absolutely no business using. My tsunami fishing tackle company bag was stuffed with top fishing rod and reel combos and enough trout fishing gear near me to open my own shop. I felt unstoppable.
I arrived at the beach with my ugly stik 9 foot rod in one hand and my drone remote in the other. I launched the drone, set up my ugly stik 9ft rod (because why not have both?), and cast my line with the confidence of a man who’s watched one too many fishing tutorials.
For the first hour, the drone captured stunning footage of… well, me untangling line and muttering under my breath. Just as I was considering searching for trout fishing gear near me to see if I’d missed anything, something incredible happened.
A dark shape moved under the water. Then another. And another. Suddenly, I wasn’t just filming myself failing to fish—I was documenting a pod of curious whales investigating my top fishing tackle brands gear. One particularly brave whale surfaced so close to my ugly stik and reel combo that I could’ve sworn it was judging my technique.
In a panic, I grabbed my ugly stik 5ft like it was a lightsaber and I was facing Darth Vader. The whales, apparently amused by my tiny rod, circled a few more times before gracefully swimming away. My drone captured every second, including the moment I almost dropped my ugly stik 4 piece travel rod in the ocean.
I didn’t catch any fish that day. But I did learn that even the top fishing clothes brands can’t protect you from looking silly in front of marine mammals. And that sometimes, the best fishing stories aren’t about what you catch—they’re about what catches you off guard.
So if you’re ever feeling down about your fishing skills, just remember: somewhere out there, a guy with an ugly stik 9 foot rod is being judged by whales. And that guy is definitely me.