St. Croix vs Ugly Stik:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Ugly Stik had more branded searches than St. Croix among fishing rod brands worldwide. Ugly Stik had about 49,500 branded searches, while St. Croix had 27,100. Ugly Stik made up 11.2% of all fishing rod brand searches we track, and St. Croix accounted for 6.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about fishing rod brands, Ugly Stik appeared in all five answers and St. Croix in four. Ugly Stik was mentioned before St. Croix in three out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Ugly Stik, about 83% more searches than St. Croix
Who does AI mention more?
Ugly Stik, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Ugly Stik, named ahead of St. Croix in 3 of 5 answers
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Top fishing rod brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Ugly Stik appeared in all five answers. St. Croix was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Ugly Stik was listed before St. Croix in three out of five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
- Ugly Stik1st
Daiwa2nd
Shimano Fishing3rd
St. Croix4th
Penn5th
Abu Garcia6th
Fenwick7th
G. Loomis8th
Okuma–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Ugly Stik5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Daiwa4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- St. Croix4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Shimano Fishing3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Penn3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Abu Garcia2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- G. Loomis2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Fenwick2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Okuma0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about fishing rod brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which fishing rod brand should I buy?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best fishing rod brands?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best fishing rod brand for bass fishing?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“fishing rod brands”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best fishing rod”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.
Is St. Croix or Ugly Stik more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for St. Croix and Ugly Stik by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine fishing rod brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Ugly Stik, St. Croix. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Daiwa | Abu Garcia | Shimano Fishing | Okuma | Ugly Stik | St. Croix | G. Loomis | Fenwick | Penn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 31.5% | 17.3% | 16.7% | 14.1% | 9.5% | 6.3% | 2.8% | 1% | 0.68% |
| Nov 2025 | 33.1% | 14.9% | 17.6% | 14.9% | 8.1% | 6.7% | 3% | 1.1% | 0.71% |
| Dec 2025 | 31.8% | 17.4% | 15.9% | 14.3% | 9.5% | 6.4% | 2.9% | 1% | 0.68% |
| Jan 2026 | 32.8% | 14.7% | 17.4% | 14.7% | 8.1% | 6.6% | 3.6% | 1.3% | 0.71% |
| Feb 2026 | 34.3% | 12.6% | 17.2% | 15.4% | 8.4% | 6.9% | 3.1% | 1.7% | 0.61% |
| Mar 2026 | 29.3% | 16.1% | 15.6% | 13.1% | 10.7% | 8.8% | 3.9% | 1.8% | 0.78% |
| Apr 2026 | 25.1% | 16.8% | 15.4% | 11.2% | 16.8% | 9.2% | 3.4% | 1.5% | 0.67% |
| May 2026 | 28.9% | 15.8% | 14.5% | 10.6% | 15.8% | 8.7% | 3.2% | 1.7% | 0.77% |
| Jun 2026 | 24.2% | 19.7% | 14.8% | 10.8% | 16.2% | 8.9% | 3.2% | 1.4% | 0.79% |
| Jul 2026 | 26.3% | 17.6% | 16.1% | 11.8% | 14.4% | 7.9% | 3.5% | 1.6% | 0.86% |
| Aug 2026 | 27.6% | 15.2% | 16.9% | 12.4% | 15.2% | 6.8% | 3.7% | 1.4% | 0.9% |
| Sep 2026 | 30.6% | 16.8% | 16.3% | 13.7% | 11.2% | 6.2% | 3.4% | 1% | 0.82% |
How has the St. Croix and Ugly Stik comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Ugly Stik was ahead of St. Croix in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, St. Croix’s share of searches among fishing rod brands worldwide moved from 6.3% to 6.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 27.1K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ugly Stik’s share of searches among fishing rod brands worldwide moved from 9.5% to 11.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 40.5K to 49.5K.
How did search popularity change for fishing rod brands worldwide in September 2026?
3 changes
In September 2026, Okuma overtook Ugly Stik to rank 4th among fishing rod brands worldwide, with 13.7% of the searches.
In September 2026, Ugly Stik lost share of searches among fishing rod brands worldwide, from 15.2% to 11.2%.
In September 2026, St. Croix lost share of searches among fishing rod brands worldwide, from 6.8% to 6.2%.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using St. Croix’s and Ugly Stik’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Other head-to-heads among fishing rod brands
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