I don't normally do cane rod repairs, but have a customer who has one with a top section snapped in 2, with pretty significant splintering about an inch up in both directions and he wants me to repair it. I was tempted to tell him I couldn't do it, but wanted to run it here and see if I could figure out how, with your help. I didn't see anything in either searching the forum or the library, but maybe I didn't look in the right places. I'm pretty sure this is not an antique. The thread wraps and guides look new, and they are single foot wire guides.

Matt Smith
Greensboro, NC

Matt, You cant do it without making it a pieced rod by adding a metal ferrule if you intend to fish that rod again. If you just glue those splintered sections together, it becomes a wall-hanger. Dennis J. Danku(Sayreville,NJ)

You can scarf the two sections together. This link will provide more and better info than most here have experience with.

[clarksclassicflyrodforum.yuku.com]

I've done scarf repairs on cane rods, and it can result in a strong, fishable repair, but the ones I've done were relatively clean breaks, not splintered on both sides as you describe. If you scarf the two pieces together, you'll lose length due to the overlap of the scarf, so the repaired tip section is going to be short. The splintering can be repaired by careful reglueing, overwrapping after the glue and scarf repair, but it probably won't look very good, and may be problematic from a strength point of view. The better approach would be to scarf in a replacement tip section starting at the end of the splintering on the lower end, but that will involve a piece from a donor rod or a completely new piece custom made to match. You might be better off to either refer your customer to a cane rod specialist or subcontract the repair to one rather than take it on yourself.

Yep that was what I was thinking too. I hate to say no to a customer but better to be realistic with him than to disappoint him with a poor repair or bad results. Thanks guys.

Matt Smith
Greensboro, NC