How many

  • Thread starter Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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I was talking to Derek Gibson about this subject earlier today. And I do mean whilst using the rod for fishing, not in car doors, running over it or treading on it.

Derek can only remember breaking 2 rods in his life, one of them being his own fault by trying to cast a very heavy lure on a rod that was not up to it. The other was when he tried to stop a big pike reaching a lock gate with a split cane rod.

For myself, it was a Sharpes Scotty Impregnated split cane fly rod that shattered on a 6000 foot high altitude Natal river whilst casting. This was due to the rod going brittle in the very dry air.

But how many rods have you yourselves smashed - whilst fishing with them of course?
 
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Fred Bonney

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Two.

One while fishing too heavy a weight for the rod, and the other whilst threading braid through the rings of my rod, I pulled,as you do, to get it down to handling distance, and snapped my top section in half.

It was replaced by Fox, foc.
 
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Philip

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Oh dear I must be quite cack handed as thinking back I have snapped quite a few! I can remember breaking a number of tops of match rods as a kid as we basically had the one rod and used to use them for anything from tiddler bashing up to conger eel fishing ! Of course trying to cast a sea fishing watch lead with a match rod is not a good idea and snap goes the tip.

I also remember snapping a fibre glass boat rod at the butt while pirking over a wreck in the channel…although I suspect there was probably a fault with the blank.

Not exactly breaking the whole rod but I have snapped a lot of built in quiver tip top sections….when the ine loops up round the tip then as you reel in snaps it off.

As for proper sort of -stop a fish in its tracks- rod breaking, I can think of a fish I hooked on a river and clamping down on it with a 11 foot ABU 2.5b test curve conoflex blank and it bent it right round and snapped it at the butt. I was obviously annoyed to lose the fish but also I loved those blanks,I had them for years…anyone know if you can still get them ?
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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I am sorry, I'm telling a lie, it's two.

This was a Sportex Tag Barnes 10 foot Avon I was field testing.It was in two pieces with a detachable butt, as many rods in those days were so designed. The butt piece had a beech dowel section to save money. I took the rod to Ireland and asI bent it into a good tench, the butt section smashed.

So much for beech dowel butt sections.
 
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Tee-Cee

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I'd love to hook any fish that might snap my rod-I would be more than happy to bend into anythingthat might give me the chance to test a rod to near destruction!(perhaps I should stop using shark rods and 120lb bs line!!)

(I hooked an 11lb barbel once on a Drennan'Big Tench'rod in flood water and it was close for a while but the fishgave up before it broke-damn it!!)
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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Although I have not smashed many rods in my life,I have seen some devastatingly broken by complete idiots.

A friend of mine saved hard and acquiredfor himself a lovely Sage 9foot weight 7 fly rod. First time out he lovingly threaded the line through the rings and tied on a size 8 weighted Dog Nobbler lure. He energetically double hauled the "fly" out over the water. As it shot forward at incredible speed my friend lifted the rod to re-direct the fly at a fish that had just risen. The lead head of the Dog Nobbler hit the middle section of the Sage, smashing it into several pieces.

Then there was the guy in the tackle shop who was bragging how strong these new carbon rods were. He rigged up a brand new Loomis fly rod, tied the line to a table leg and proceeded to heave with two hands, bending the rod in an attempt to drag the table across the room.

The rod splintered and broke about 12 inches above the cork handle.

/forum/smilies/surprised_smiley.gif
 
S-Kippy

S-Kippy

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4...but never on a fish and always doing something stupid the worst being when I did exactly as Fred and pulling the fly line back snapped the top section of my Hardy Gem first time out.Fortunately Hardy got me a new one foc.

The most spectacular involved a particularly large mackereland a light spinning rod pressed into use as I'd left the proper jobs at home.The rod [a Sammy Shakespeare] dissolved into a million shiny splinters and the mackerel never made the lake.It went straight up and nearlytook me outon re-entry.

I went home.
 
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Steve Spiller

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So you're gonna follow me around on my posts are you?

Time to hit the ignore button.

Byeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Mark Wintle

Mark Wintle

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The original Kevin Ashurst carbon match rods were notorious for breaking; very brittle - I broke two, one trying to stop a 2lb carp, the other attempting to swing an old boot in. The shop used to replace them, no questions asked.My Sealey Black Arrow started at 11ft but by the time I'd broken 8" off the tip, 8" off the butt and broken the middle it was a very patched and shortened rod. And as for poles...

But pride of place goes to a lad from Wareham who had a quick temper; having snapped one rod in match he threw it down in disgust, lost his balance, stepped backwards, broke two more, then tripped again and fell on two more - total five rods and poles in the space of 10 seconds.
 
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Nobby C (ACA)

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Kevin Ashhurst rods,I remember that one,only weighed 5 oz.

Fell on my new pike rod, (actually an 11' bass surf rod casting weight 4oz),first time out. Lost the fish too.Had a pal grab the tip of my just purchased carp rod so I could 'feel' the bend of it,unfortunately he carried on bending and snapped 6" off the tip.Boo hoo. Bought a cheap non-brand carp rod, threaded the line through and pulled the rod to test curve, snap!
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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The early carbon rods were prone to breaking, especially if you subjected them to sudden shock, or pulled on the line downwards andparallel to the rod's axis, thereby putting a violent bend into the tip.

Some of the early carbon fly rods would shatter if you waved them about with no line load. Even the thin walled glass rods were quite delicate.
 
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Wolfman Woody

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I have a little 7' Daiwa Samurai spinning rod and was spinning for perch near Windsor. Hooked a pike for 10 seconds and then it let go, my rod went upwards and knocked the tip off on a branch of a tree.

That's all, but ...........................

We organised a meeting in Newport Pagnell for a famous barbel group and Trefor West did the talk. In the break he was showing some punters his rod, they were holding it and Trefor was pulling on the tip showing how much power was in the middle and butt sections.

Then he let go and the rod went up to the ceiling and met with the overhead fan.

Someone commented "Not much power in the tip now."
 
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