I just had a day laborer back his truck up over my very favorite, most catching rod and reel in the world!!! It was the second of two custom rods I built for myself for casting to stripers, made from a G. Loomis GL3 blank. So light! So strong! S o sweet! So destroyed.

He also totally destroyed a brand new Daiwa Capricorn, besides running down the rod. He was very sorry, but that doesn't help much.

I've honestly never had this kind of damage happen to a rod before. Although I knew it would break, I just had to see, so I flexed the rod and it shattered in about four places, from the tip almost to the fore grip.

I'm trying to figure out if there is any way to salvage at least something of the blank, perhaps the butt end. This rod has landed thousands of pounds of trophy stripers in the four years or so I've had it, and it was my 99% go-to rod.

Any thoughts or suggestions? I'm primarily a fisherman and really only consider myself a rod assembler, not a true rodbuilder. I've only done a very small amount or rod repair work.

What stinks is that they don't even make this blank anymore. What a bummer!

Thanks.

-TH

Bummer Tony!

Not even going to ask how the rod got on the ground to be run over.

You may get lucky if you talk to some board sponsors to see if they
have one of those blanks in back. Next I would try the Buy/Sell page
here. It has not failed me yet! After that maybe try a popular @#$%&
site for a NOS (new old stock) blank or rod you could rebuild to your
likeing.

If all the above fails you could do what Stan did with one of his
broken rods. see
[www.rodbuilding.org]

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

mmmmmm there is a way of making it good but it takes a lot of time and effort
firstly strip everything off it and clean it.
select the longest section you have got bung it in your lathe and take any splinters off
sharpen the end to an angle of 71.5 degrees (CRITICAL)
next take labourer remove his trousers and MOUNT him on sharp end
take him to your local taxidermist and have him stuffed
mount him on wall

then maybe he might remember to check behind him before reversing


seriousl0y 0if it shattered like that its only good for filloiing the garbage can mate SORRY

Allen

OUCH!!!!! HIND SIGHT 20-20!!! Maybe what is good for the goose??? I know that my GL-3 never leaves the rack until it gets INTO the Rod Locker!!! I know that you are sick about it-- But How did it get there? And why did it stay there ? No fixing that - maybe the guides could be saved, just if you can find one-Well you know now. Sorry for your loss, I'll check down here for one for you.
Bill

Just be glad you weren't holding it while this happened...

Putter
Williston, ND

Have another one built, you did the crime, thats the penality life imposes BUT....

When fishing with my young nephew and I see him lay a rod on the ground, I immediately tell him that is no place for any rod EVER, stand it upright against a tree no matter if you have to walk a dozen paces to accomplish this. Placing any valued rod on the ground for any length of time is an invitation to disaster. Its nothong more than a stealthy self deprecating boobie-tarp.

Other words to the wise:

I have occasion to load my car like any other fisherman and I have fashioned a built in protective lined tube (rod with attached reel) can slip my outfits into for transport (An unmounted rod tube that allows a reel to be afixed during transport is another alternative)

When returning from wading, if I set my rod anywhere but back in the transport tube, I place the rod/reel outfit ON my front hood with the tip up over the drivers side windshield, not with the reel on the roof, not leaning against the side or rear of the car or even upright standing against the front bumper..just think how much more bummed you'd be if you ran over your own rod? There is only one place to put a rod/reel around a car. Before I start the car I religiously go through a check list of items that can get left behind,or need to be in the car: Fish, Rod, Vest, Waders, Stringer. There are good habits to learn and bad habits to avoid, like high sticking, but at some point in a fishermans life he will slam a tip in the door either house or car, its enevitable, we all have done it, but runing over, cargo shifting atop, stepping on, or driving off with your rod on the roof, like high sticking can be pourposly avoided.

yea, I drove over a nice rod years ago because I leaned it up against the truck and forgot it was there.
I was asked to move the truck a bit by someone before I was completed loading it. Rod fell over,
truck ran it over, I just about s#$t!

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..