Just returned from a salmon fishing trip (Salmon River, NY)

I noticed several people have their rods break at the butt ferrule (all were 4 piece fly rods, either 8 or 9 wt) while fighting fish. After speaking to the disgruntled owners, I gleened the following ino:

Sage VTS - 8wt
Cabelas Tradition - 9 wt
TFO Professional - 8 wt
Orvis T-3 9wt

All were used with the appropriate WF flyline - none of the rods broke while into the backing,
no-one was using more than one #3 shot as added wt.

I've always used a 2 piece rod in line wts 7 and up because I think they are stronger
(I could be wrong - just my personal liking) Current rod is a Pac Bay IM-7 2 piece 8 wt that I made
with no problems handling fish

Any thoughts ? Opinions welcome

Multi-piece rods are actually less prone to breakage than single piece rods due to less abuse incidence in transporting and storing them.

I'd almost bet that most of these guys had the rods break while they were reaching forward on the rods (single piece rods would have broken in this same area as well) while trying to tame large, powerful fish. This has always been a problem in fly fishing with long rods for larger and stronger species. The fisherman will tend to attempt to reduce the leverage advantage the fish has by reaching forward and higher on the rod. This puts the major load ahead of the area that was designed to handle it.

I've taken striped bass up to 40 lbs on my 4-piece fly rods with no problem, and have done it for years. But I resist the temptation to grasp the rod ahead of the grip. That's a no-no. Because I have fished with so many people, I get to personally witness an untold number of bad rod use techniques. It's really a shame that so few fishermen understand how to use a rod to best advantage - and how to spare themselves breakage issues.

If you're not breaking your 2-piece rod, then you won't break a 4-piece rod either. It has to do with following proper fighting technique. Remember, if 4-piece rods were inherently weak or suspect, the manufacturers couldn't stay in business making them, and many no longer make anything but 4-piece models.

The culprit here, was bad fish fighting technique, not bad rods or ferrules.

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Tom,
Very astute observation !
I did notice several people fighting fish in that manner,
It is difficult not to "want" to reach forward, but it is incorrect to do so as you have pointed out.

One other thing to keep in mind is that 4+ piece are what is predominantly available. Most manufacturers only offer one line available in a 2pc. so you are going to be seeing many more multi piece rods.

Todd

Regards,
Todd Vivian
Mud Hole Custom Tackle

todd@mudhole.com

Tom is right on this one.

My dad and some friends do this very type of fishing in WI about mid October every year. Over the past few years we have collectively broken a half dozen or more rods. All but two of those (my 3pc and Mark's 3pc) has been a two pc rod. All of those were due to our error, Either putting just too much stress on the rod high sticking while trying horse big fish in or grabbing forward on the blank.

That's not an issue with the rods manufacture or the number of sections. That's an issue of the fisherman getting tired, impatient, or just getting too excited about the big one to watch what he is doing. When the fisherman's ego is too big to admit he goofed up he blames it on the rod (or with my crew its, "That fish was too big to land").

Ray

I have broken one 4pc rod as well. It was actually not due to improper fishing technique but rather improper assembly. I fished with this Gloomis GL4 4pc 8wt for 4 years for salmon in the rivers of Alaska with never a problem. Last year I was on the Kenai River and hooked a big fish. Of course it got into the current and then next thing I know I just about lost a tooth! It snapped off the top of the bottom piece. I just didn't have it seated all the way down. When the heavy pressure hit it just gave way. It is the advantage of the warranty rods though! Working on tearing it down as we speak to get it replaced. I already got the cork off but having difficulty removing the reel seat. I would like to reuse it if possible. Heat gun maybe? I tried the boiling water trick and it got the cork off, but the seat wont come off like that.

Matt White

Matt,

I would cut the blank just forward of the seat. Then center bore the seat to remove the blank. This should be possible whether it's a wood insert seat or even if it's a situation where you've shimmed it with arbors.

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Tom,

I am sending the rod back for replacement though. I figured if I did that they might not like it so much! I was going to try a heat gun tonight to see if that would work. If I cant get it off it isn't that big of a deal, I just liked it and was hoping to reuse it.

Matt White

Tom there are two things I do whenever I deliver a rod to a fisherman.

1. I give them written instructions on the cleaning and caring for a rod.

2 I then instruct them that under no circumstance should they ever move the hand up the rod in the erroneous thinking they are lending support to the rod. I have seen many rods broken because of fisherman doing that and some of these people are experienced fisherman. There is a scientific explanation to that effect.

Really good advice Tom. All one has to do is think about it, now that you have said it. Your changing the complete dynamics / load of the rod by moving your hand up.

Wheew...I have been one very lucky fisherman. I have done lots of fishing, and have caught lots of good size salmon, and this has never crossed my mind. No time like the present to change my fighting technique.

Thanks Tom

Harold

Lots of rods get broken on tarpon this way. Lots of them. I think this is why most factory rods no longer have the super long fighting foregrip WAY up the rod shaft.

I have witnessed one piece diver rods broken by the same principle that Tom has written about. When a large salmon hits a diver rod in a rod holder being trolled as fast as 3mph, it exerts enourmous initial strain on the rod. The rod has no shock absorbtion while in a fixed position holder. An inexperienced fishermen will innocently grab the blank ahead of the foregrip to remove the rod from the holder to gain extra leverage and have that shocked, holy --it look on their face when the rod explodes just above their hand. It has little or nothing to do with how many pieces the rods are.

Forgot to mention-returned broken butt area diver rods (while I have only had two), are always suspect for the above reason. One fishermen actually admitted to the wrong practice and was very understanding, the other, well, another tax write off. I have since started giving a handout to my customers, partially plagerized from Tom's what not to do article, along with other heads up tips to help prevent these types of issues.

A TFO rep told me that 90 % of rod breakage is due to loose ferrules. This being said why do some of the heavy weight have an extra fore grip above the normal grip to help with landing a heavy fish? I tend to think that it just might have been a loose ferrule rather that reaching up the blank. Bill Giokas

The very heaviest rods that do have such grips are normally beefed up foreward of that area so that using that foregrip won't cause breakage. But even then, it's usually only a few inches past the regular grip and many fishermen reach up beyond it, which can and does lead to breakage.

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Matt -

I don't know what you used to glue up the reel seat. IF you used Rod Bond it WILL come off with just boiling water. Make sure the reel seat is COMPLETELY submerged and disappear for 15-20 minutes. At which point, you can twist and slide it right off ... I have done it too many times to count with expensive seats.

Jim -

I believe I probably used 15 minute epoxy at the time. It was only the 2nd rod I had built back then. Any ideas?

Matt White

I'd cut and center bore the blank out of it. If you have a lathe this won't be much of a problem.

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Tom,

Will that affect me sending it back for warranty? I still want a replacement more than saving the reel seat.

Matt White

Normally, when you return a blank for warranty, the company will return your new blank, with the old one so that you can salvage components.

I'd send it in as is, and specify that you would like the old blank sent back with the new one so you can salvage the reel seat. Most do it automatically, but I'd still put that note in there.

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