If you have been ultralight fishing for any length of time you have probably broken a rod, or two – especially if you aren’t using a strong rod. In order to make sure it doesn’t happen again, there are a few tips that you will want to think about in order to properly maintain the rods, and keep yourself out of situations where it may be a possibility.
Protect The Rod Tip
One of the biggest reasons so many of my ultralight rods have broken is because of faulty care when I’m transporting or storing the rods. Because of the smaller, delicate nature of the rod blanks, it is much easier to create catastrophic nicks and dents in the graphite or fiberglass, which will cause them to fail later on. Banging the rods against the car door, rocks on the ground, or allowing the rod to fall and hit the floor too many times will cause stress that could lead to it snapping on you when you least expect it.
Keep Your Ferrules Tightened
Another huge problem with multi-section ultralight fishing rods is that the ferrules will crack if they are not kept tight. While you are on the water, you will want to periodically check the fit of the ferrules and make sure that they are tight. If they are loose, and you are lucky, the rod sections will simply separate. However, if you are not so lucky the ferrule will actually crack from the added stress of casting.
Do Not Cast Heavy Lures
Ultralight fishing rods are smaller for a reason: they cast ultralight lures much better. This means that you are going to need to pay close attention to the numbers printed on the side of your UL rod. The manufacturer has recommended lure weights that their rod is capable of casting. If you intend to go heavier than these weights, you can usually expect your rod to snap after a vigorous casting stroke. The tips on ultralight rods are not built to handle heavier lures, so stick to the sizes that the manufacturer says they are built to handle.
Do Not Overpower The Hookset
While it is easy to get excited when you hook up with a fish, you are going to want to avoid using sharp, and abrupt hooksets. These hooksets apply large amounts of stress to the rod and, if the fiberglass or graphite is in a weakened state due to a lack of proper care, the rod will snap in two pieces. Instead, you want to make sure that you are using a sweeping motion to the side to set the hook into the fish’s mouth.
Maintenance and repairs
To get the most life out of equipment, invest in proper maintenance of your ultralight gear. Check out guide to taking care of your spinning reel. We also have a guide to help prevent your ultralight line from breaking. If you do happen to snap the end of your rod, try this technique to quickly fix the tip of a broken fishing rod.
I would say that the picture definately qualifies as a big Ooops.
Mark
Yeah, the picture really cracked me up. Look at the guys face, LOL. He not having a good day. hopefully he brought a spare rod.
Great picture! 🙂 How to turn a good day into a bad memory quick!
Josh