More than ever today there are more rod tips been broken.
The blanks are far more lighter than they were years ago and need to be treated with alot more care.they are easily fractured as an example by a gold head hitting the blank.

2 of the most common reasons for them breaking is when threading the rod with the line starting up and pulling it through the tip ring while holding the handle and the tip is bent like a hairpin,easier to put it down and pull it through.Also holding the rod in the middle or by the tip with the weight of the reel hanging but the worst and most common is when releasing fish,the rod tip is bent double and the fish hanging while it jumps about and we struggle to get the hook out.Rather than lay the rod down while holding the leader giving us a spare hand to release fish under control and take the weight of the rod tip.

I see it so often and its always the rods fault and not ours.Rods are not strong like the old ones used to be and they are not like barbells for holding weights up.They are designed to add pressure while playing a fish to tire them out and release, but not to hold them up in the air by the rod tip otherwise, snap.

rarely on occasion a blank may have a fault but it is rare.

rant over and its worth a thought

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Kevin

I agree with you where you say rods today are much more fragile than they were a few years ago.

The rod I use for all of my fishing, be it still water for trout or sea trout fishing is the same one I've used for 23 years!

When I was 15 years of age I was fortunate to qualify for the Welsh youth team. For my efforts my father bought me a Fibertube carbon blank (it was cutting edge 23 years ago), that rod is still going strong and I love it as much as anyone can love an inanimate object. Sure it needs a little TLC (it's going for a little R+R at Foxon's this winter).

About 6 years ago I bought a Sage 9'6" which was killed in a blue on blue incident with a car door. I'd only had it for 6 months, and because I'd bought it second hand I couldn't claim on its lifetime warranty. So out came the Fibertube once again, same fuji eyes as originally fitted, and it's still going strong.

That said, I don't half get some strange looks of other fishermen when they see the rather battered finish, the insulation tape I have to put on the ferrule to stop the top section making a dash for the horizon half an hour after I start fishing, but hey, it just adds to its character.

I'd bet a tippy rod from Harrison's or David Norwich would be more robust than such a rod made in the far east.

Surely it is down to design, quality of materials and care of manufacture. When manufacturer's produce rods in full knowledge that a significant proportion will be overstressed at some point, and therefore rely on their guarantee, then you end up with a situation in which a rod series of a particular manufacturer gets a very poor reputation. Some reputations and confirmed year after year as the rods continue to snap, snap, snap.

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Avoid any spey casting instructor who can't spey cast 35 yards of sinking fly line with a 15ft rod.

Its a by-product of consumer/marketing obsession with fast rods plus shaving off fractions of an ounce in rod weight. High modulus materials are more fragile than IM6 carbon and fibreglass and thus less forgiving of the careless ownership the shelter if a lifetime warranty sometimes appears to engender.

Nope, I`d have to agree with morayflyfisher, as I`ve done in two rod tips due to carelessness. Both met their ends the same way,walking along the riverbank, too busy watching the water, instead of where I was going,and rod tip trying to spear a tree. An expensive reminder and a lesson finally learned.

Two of our syndicate anglers have broken their rod tips recently, one of the on two occasions! They both trapped them in their car doors - but I bet that's not what they told the manufacturers.

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How poor a thing, sometimes I find,
Will captivate a greedy mind - Isaac Walton.

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Morayflyfisher - your example about putting the rod down to release fish, this obviously isn't always possible, lets say you're in the middle of a river and don't want to delay the fight as you slowly wade back to the bank etc. Just nit picking here!

I agree with most of what you said, let's face it most if not all breakages are at fault of the user unless there does happen to be a manufacturing issue...

hi Scott no probs enjoy reading all views as they all have a use for knowledge and learning.

I see your point while in a river so what would you do throwing it back to you?(the question that is)

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Kevin

I saw an article recently in which the writer insisted on keeping pressure on the fish even after netting to prevent the dropper flies catching on obstructions or the landing net, after reading these posts I can't see the logic

---------- Post added at 01:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:35 PM ----------

would walking the bank with the tip of the rod behind you help because that's what I do.but recently on returning to the lodge I found the top section had gone the way of a Lucan!

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an interesting mix of apathy and panic

Clive M

In a river just tuck the rod under right arm then take hold of the leader that you had first got hold of with left hand . As the rod is now further back than it was when holding it in your hand the tension had gone from the tip and you have control over the fish as you are holding onto the leader . Works for me anyway

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Your fish ----> ><((((º> My fish ----> ><(((((((((º>
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Cheers Danny

Co-Founder of S.S.F.D 2010