Ugly Stik GX2 Spinning Reel and 6' Fishing Rod Combo Travel Kit, Includes Cloth Travel Bag, 4-Piece, Graphite and Fiberglass Rod with Clear Tip Design

Why it's worth it

A four-piece composite rod paired with a size 30 spinning reel, sold with a cloth travel bag. It's the setup tackle shops have pointed beginners toward for decades, and the four-piece build means it fits in a suitcase instead of riding on your roof rack.

The Clear Tip composite blank is what you're really buying. Ugly Stik blends graphite and fiberglass, and the result bends instead of snapping when you do something clumsy. And you will. New anglers set the hook like they're trying to launch the fish into orbit, drop rods on boat decks, and close hatchbacks on tips. This blank forgives more of that than a thin graphite rod ever will. Owners who've broken other collapsible rods single this one out as the exception.

The four-piece design is the practical difference between this and every other Ugly Stik. It breaks down into a cloth bag you can throw in a duffel, so a fishing trip stops requiring a rod tube and a roof rack. One owner packed it for a walleye trip to Canada specifically because it fit in luggage. If you fish twice a year on vacation, that's a bigger deal than any spec on the box.

From our review of 5 fishing rod and reel combos for beginners, by Genevieve Dubois, Home & Living Expert

What we like

• +The Clear Tip composite blank is what you're really buying
• +The four-piece design is the practical difference between this and every other Ugly Stik
• +The reel is honest, not exciting
• +The guides are the quiet upgrade

What to know

• –Fiberglass content makes it heavier than a graphite rod of the same length
• –Multi-piece rods have more places to fail, and "indestructible" is marketing, not a guarantee
• –Reports differ on whether line comes spooled, so plan on picking up a spool of 8 to 10 pound monofilament just in case