Looking to upgrade my 5 piece Okuma voyager ML rod with something more serious. Does anyone have experience with the new Ugly Stik Carbon?

Both rods seem to be made of 100% graphite so it really comes down to experience with each (which I don't have)

Ordered in descending priority:

Primary species: Smallmouth Bass, Lake Trout, Brook Trout, Pike
Primary Techniques: Casting, Trolling, Jigging (Priority on versatility as I will only carry 1 rod with me)
Location: Canoe and shore fishing (no access to motors)

Budget is around 150CAD

Leaning towards a 7' ML rod, will that work for trolling? Will be trolling Rapala tail dancers 30ft, spoons off a 3 way (2 oz weights) and various cranks

You'll want a M or MH and ten pound line for trolling big cranks or 2 oz sinkers. I'd bring two rods.
If I had to take only one, I'd make it a M and pack 2 spools.

I do own a 7' ML Fenwick and love it but way to much flex for trolling even medium size diving crank baits, but great for casting lighter lure.MH definitely for trolling something like taildancers , nothing wrong with ugly sticks but I prefer Fenwick.

Agree with all of the above. I do a LOT of trolling and M is the minimum for deep taildancer or similar deep crank. These rods would be garbage for jigging a 3/16 oz jig. They can rip a 2oz buckshot jig for lakers but that’s not what most people mean when they say “jigging rod.” Personally I would stick with the ML Okuma for jigging and similar finesse presentations and get a good trolling/casting setup to complement.

You need a finesse rod and a power rod. No experience with either of the ones you mentioned but Fenwick is generally more highly regarded than Ugly Stik.

I have a 6'6" Fenwick HMG MH Fast Spinning rod and I love it! It's a great rod for working larger baits and for trolling. Has great touch and great power without feeling like a broom handle in your hand. If trolling for lake trout, I'd for sure go with the MH.

I've been taking the Ugly Stik Elites for a few years now. I usually take a 6'6" M and 7' M. Have been very happy with them. I primarily troll but I also pitch jigs, cast cranks and vertically fish blade baits. They both handle the TDD-11's with snap weights while trolling.
I'm intrigued by their new carbon models but I'd have to sneak them into the house if I bought any more rods. LOL.

It's hard to gauge a comparison without someone on here truly having used both and being able to do an apples to apples comparison. I can tell you how great the HMG is yet I have no way to knowing whether its better than the Ugly Stick.

What I can do is answer your questions for you since I run a HMG 6'6 Medium Extra Fast (2 piece) with a Plfueger Purist as one of my rods.

I use this rod primarily for slip bobber fishing or jigging. If you are trolling with it I don't know if I would necessarily want to go with a medium light. I would probably upgrade to at bare minimum a medium but probably heavier. I usually run my deep diving cranks on a medium heavy.

I can't say anything about the Ugly Stik, but my Fenwick rods have treated me well over the years.

AmarilloJim: "I've been taking the Ugly Stik Elites for a few years now. I usually take a 6'6" M and 7' M. "

I am a fan of Utly Stik as well. I have one of the Ugly Stik Elites (5'6" L for slip bobber) and a few of the GX2 (M).

I appreciate the input from people on this thread.

After reading the first post, I went looking for the Ugly Stik Carbon. Seems they are sold out at online retailers. I also saw that the carbon was introduced at icecast 2019.

I don't think a lot of people are using the Ugly Stik Carbon yet because it hasn't been out that long. That will make finding a comparison a little more difficult.

+1 for Fenwick. Never bought or held one but aren't Ugly sticks for kids and drunks that would constantly break good rods?

MuskyMike: "+1 for Fenwick. Never bought or held one but aren't Ugly sticks for kids and drunks that would constantly break good rods?"

I don't currently fish any Ugly Stiks but that's a silly post in my opinion. Lot of anglers have caught a lot of fish on Ugly Stiks over the years. The "Fenwick" logo isn't what makes the HMG feel better than an Ugly Stik GX2, it's the construction of the rod -- and the Ugly Stik carbon is more like an HMG than a GX2 in terms of construction. With a $20 price difference, in today's market, I would take whichever you can actually get your hands on, and that might be neither honestly.

FWIW: I'm pretty sure the vast majority of "graphite" rods are technically made out of polymers that would be closer to "carbon" than actual graphite. I'm sure this is all branding. But my understanding is that a standard Ugly Stik GX2 rod is a combo of fiberglass and graphite, the Elite series ups the graphite ratio, and the Carbon series is fully graphite.

Sounds like the thread has addressed my opinion, but I can distill it for ya:

-Bring two rods, its just as difficult to portage 2 as it is 1-get yourself some bungee-dealee bobs and soem lightweight rod sleeves for protection and you won't notice the difference. This will allow you to spend more time fishing and less time changing-especially since you target so many species-you won't regret bringing two.
-Medium Light isn't heavy enough for most of the fish you target (especially Lake Trout and Pike)-even the larger smallmouth can overpower a medium light rod and extend the fight and put the fish in danger.
-I do like my Fenwick rod (HMG Medium Light 6'6") but I only use it for my slip-bobber rod. When I hook into a big northern or bass I really have to tire the fish out before I can safely land it and let it go. Ugly sticks are just fine, but it sounds like you have the experience to justify a more premium rod.
-If your budget is $150, I would recommend taking a look at some of the entry-level St. Croix Rods. They are definitely in the premium category, but they do have a few options sub-$150. The 6'8" Mojo Bass Medium Fast (3/16-5/8 oz baits) or 7'1" Medium Heavy Fast (3/8 - 3/4 oz baits), which comes in either baitcasting or spincasting would be perfect for your heavier trolling rod and they retail at $140. Made in the USA and a great warranty.

Hope this helps!

This is information will not help you, but Fenwicks have just been unlucky for me this year. Forgot one at the boat landing on fishing opener (it walked away), bounced one out of the canoe in BWCA two weeks ago, broke a tip (fixable), and broke a fly rod. Meanwhile, the 20+ year old Ugly Stick that is now used by my kid just keeps on chugging. Beginning to think that I shouldn’t have nice things, at least in 2020.

HMG gets my vote

Fenwick HMX isn't a bad option either. The action is slightly different than the HMG but you wouldn't know it unless you had both of them next to each other.