I have been building my own rods for over 20 years now..... and have built some very high end rods mostly G-Loomis GL2,GL3 & alot of IMX rods with all premium products with cerment guides etc etc etc ! ! !

Now have that said I have also "BROKEN " my share of these rods as many as 3 in one year ! Now I realize that Loomis has always replaced these free of charge but the issue is waiting.... buying new handles, removing the old guides etc etc etc ! And approx a month later I m back using the rod again ! I have a couple of back up rods (Lightening Rods, Lew s ) and have had these for several years prob over 10 years and have never broken one of my back up rods ! The question is why does it seem the higher end rods seem to break alot easier ?? Every rod I have ever broken is when I was fishing with it, it wasn t because I close it in a door or hit it on something ! I thought about just buying some cheaper rods like the CUI stuff and just build about 3 of them and maybe they will last me a whole season.... granted I only fish tournaments and I use my rods hard everyday day in and day out ! And I m sure your thinking that I m probably hard on equipment but actually I m the opposite, I m very easy on my stuff but I use it hard when I use it !

But I have replaced many of my customers Loomis stuff also so I know it s not just me ! I was wondering if other peoople have had similar problems and if so maybe these lighter high end stuff may not be worth the extra in the long run !

The higher end rods are built upon less substantial structures. This is possible because they use materials that provide the same stiffness at less weight. So you can use less material to get the same stiffness. This makes them lighter and much better performers. But it also means that they will not take a lot of abuse. Make no mistake, you're breaking those rods by poor handling or fish fighting. I know you don't want to hear that, but it's true. Sure, an occasional bad rod gets out, but they're the exception and not the rule.

You bump the rod, hit it with a lure, they bounce around as you're whizzing down the lake, fractures form and then you set the hook on a fish, or have one in the middle of a fight and "pop" you think you've gotten a defective rod. But in truth, you caused the break sometime earlier. Rod don't suddenly become defective - if it doesn't break the first time out; the first time you put a good load on it, and then it breaks later, well... you did something to it in between.

Now your Berkley rods are good enough rods, but they're made from lower modulus material. More material is required to get the stiffness desired and thus they wind up having heavier walls and beefier overall construction. This is one reason that they can withstand more in the way rough handling. But it also means that they don't perform at the same level as your GL3 or IMX type rods.

So here is your choice - build rods only on blanks that can withstand the way you use/handle them, or build rods on higher end blanks and learn to be a bit easier on them or learn the proper techniques for fighting fish (no, you won't learn how on the Sunday morning bass fishing shows). If the former, you'll give up some level of performance while having rods that hold up better for you. If the latter, you'll have a higher level of performance but will have to change some things about the way you use your rods.

Make no mistake, those Loomis rods aren't at all fragile - I've been fishing them hard for 20 years and have yet to break the first one. I don't think it's just luck. It has to do with how you use the rods.

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Todd,
When you increase the modulus of elasticity there is something called strain energy that decreases in direct proportion to the increase in modulus of elasticity. You can think of it as toughness or as the amount of energy that the rod can absorb. It is just a property of an elastic material. Blank designers can offset this somewhat with the design of the blank but not completely.

Sounds like I m just gonna have to buy that cheaper rods ! Can t break a cheaper one but break high end ones ! And as for changing my ways.... DUH ! I have fished tournaments for 20 + years and have nt had a problem until I thought I would try some so called better stuff !
But I remember the last IMX I broke I had caught 2 or 3 fish and then set the hook on another and it snapped at the 1/2 way point and split it all the way down to the handle ! ! ! Granted fishing river tournament s and up in creeks and so forth is hard on equipment but I am very particular about my stuff and I take very good care of it ! Maybe it s just not for the tournament fisherman just the weekend guys ?

Old habits die hard. Loomis could not stay in business if they sold fragile rods. Nor could any other company. There's no doubt, that except for some saltwater applications, bass fishermen are harder on their equipment than anyone else. Lifting fish into the boat with the rod, high sticking, over-lining, grabbing the rod ahead of the foregrip, poking lures off stumps, etc. Rods aren't made for any of this.

I'm not a "weekend" fishermen by any means (although I no longer get to fish as much as I would like) and I don't exactly baby my rods. But over the year's I've learned how to fight a fish and handle a rod and I can get good service out of my equipment without breaking anything (knock on wood).

I'm really not trying to give you a hard time. But the fact is, tens of thousands of fishermen use Loomis and similar high end rods without having breakage problems. The fact that you are having such problems indicates that you'll either have to change something about your technique or rod handling conduct, or switch to rods that are more capable of withstanding your current use of them.

I will make this suggestion - the GUSA rods are made from high modulus graphite. But, they use a construction method which involves a particular lay up along with smaller diameters and thicker walls that provides a bit more durability than many other high end rods. Of course, the same things that make them a bit more durable, also reduce the overall efficiency of the rod somewhat. It's tough to get a highly efficient and sensitive rod and a really, really tough rod, all in one package. It's the nature of the beast I'm afraid. But you might try a GUSA just to see how it suits you. They do have a reputation for toughness in a pretty high end package.

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I by no means am trying to be a pain or give anyone a hard time but all of these things ( Lifting fish into the boat with the rod, high sticking, over-lining, grabbing the rod ahead of the foregrip, poking lures off stumps, etc. ) I do not do...... Seriously ! I m very funny about my stuff I put alot of time into them with very nice weaves and all, it just doesn t look good in my eyes that I ve had so much problems with the better stuff and I have had these back up which I do probably abuse cause I don t care about them nearly as much and they won t break ! ! I will look into the rods you suggested !

Remember, when you say "better stuff" that doesn't translate into "tougher stuff" or even stuff that is "as tough." Better, when used in fishing rod terms, usually means a higher level of performance. And it's usually understood that you may be giving up a little durability in order to get that next level of performance.

I'd be interested to hear how you like the GUSA blanks and how well they work for you. I know several bass tournament anglers who swear by them.

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I ll be more than happy to give them a try ! And I will also let you know the out come ! I really hope it s good ! !

Tom...Where can we find these GUSA Blanks? Do any of the sponsors carry them?

Bingham's, Angler's Workshop, FishSticks4U for the GUSA blanks. Got my last ones at FishSticks. As Tom said a tough, "better stuff" blanks.