There comes a time in every angler's life when you realize you might have a slight fishing gear addiction. My moment of truth arrived when I found myself explaining to my drone why my 7 foot ugly stik spinning rod was clearly superior to my 9 foot ugly stik gx2. The drone, being a drone, had no opinion on the matter—but the shark that showed up definitely seemed curious.
It all started when I decided to upgrade my fishing rod and reel collection. What began as a simple search for an abu garcia ugly stik combo quickly spiraled into a full-blown fishing gear obsession. I found myself the proud owner of not just one, but two ugly stik gx2 rods—both the 7 ugly stik gx2 and its taller sibling, the 9 ugly stik gx2. Because apparently, when it comes to fishing rods, the correct number to own is "all of them."
I paired my rods with an a13 krazy spinning reel that promised to make me look like I knew what I was doing (it lied) and stocked up on abu fishing tackle that looked impressively professional in my tackle box. For those "I'm feeling fancy" moments, I even splurged on an abu garcia baitcaster rod and reel setup that's so complicated I'm pretty it requires a engineering degree to operate.
The real game-changer, though, was my investment in affordable fly fishing waders. Nothing says "serious angler" like standing knee-deep in water while wearing rubber pants, even when you're just fishing from the shore. My fishing rod and reel collection was complete, my waders were on, and I was ready to catch the big one.
Or so I thought.
The big day arrived. I launched my drone, cast my line with my 7 foot ugly stik spinning rod, and waited. And waited. And waited some more. Just as I was considering switching to my 9 foot ugly stik gx2 to see if length really does matter, something extraordinary happened.
My drone's camera captured a dark shadow moving beneath the surface. At first, I thought it was just a particularly ambitious seaweed cluster. But then it moved closer, and I realized—I was being investigated by a shark. Not a huge, Jaws-style shark, but definitely shark enough to make me reconsider my life choices.
For the next twenty minutes, I was treated to what can only be described as a marine wildlife documentary happening in real time. The shark seemed particularly fascinated by my abu garcia baitcaster rod and reel, circling it with what I can only assume was either curiosity or hunger. I like to think it was appreciating the craftsmanship.
I tried everything to attract actual fish—switching between my 7 ugly stik gx2 and 9 ugly stik gx2, adjusting my a13 krazy spinning reel, even trying different abu fishing tackle lures. But the only thing interested in my gear was this curious shark, who seemed to think my fishing rod and reel setups were some kind of underwater art installation.
My affordable fly fishing waders suddenly felt less like a smart purchase and more like a neon sign saying "tasty human in rubber pants." I stood frozen, torn between the desire to capture amazing drone footage and the instinct to run away screaming.
In the end, the shark lost interest before I did. It swam away, probably to find someone with better fishing skills, leaving me with some incredible drone footage and exactly zero caught fish. But you know what? I'm calling it a win. How many people can say they've had a personal shark encounter while testing out their abu garcia ugly stik combo?
So if you're ever feeling discouraged about your fishing skills, just remember: somewhere out there, a person in affordable fly fishing waders is being judged by marine life for their choice of fishing rod and reel. And that person is definitely me.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go edit this drone footage into something that doesn't look like a "how not to fish" tutorial.