How long should a rod last?

[skdds]

What is the lifespan of the average fishing rod? How long should a well used rod last for until you should buy a new one?

 

I have a few rods I have used for several years, still working ok but each time I land a good fish or catch a hard snag now I wonder if the rod will one day snap!

 

thanks skdds

Edited June 22, 2013 by skdds

[porkpie]

I have a loomis IM6 float rod that has landed untold numbers of steelhead and is over 20 years old. I have many other fishin poles that have been around for years and years! Without being abused, they can last indefinately. A rod that is structurally flawed ge really snaps on the first trip out!

Edited June 22, 2013 by porkpie

[Ron]

Figure it out like this...

 

$0.10 a fish.

 

50.00 rod should catch about 500 fish.

100.00 rod - 1000 fish

500.00 rod - 5000 fish.

 

If it broke after those numbers per dollar value, you got your moneys worth.

 

I recently bought a new NRX rod, I got close to 150 fish on it already..... Another 5426 fish to catch before I break even. :blink:

[irishfield]

Based on that formula Ron... not sure if I've broken even yet on the $149 Berkley Lightning Rod I bought at Lebarons in 1983 !!!! Still my daily user all these years later....

[danc]

Based on that formula Ron... not sure if I've broken even yet on the $149 Berkley Lightning Rod I bought at Lebarons in 1983 !!!! Still my daily user all these years later....

I once posted about a $90.00 rod on here that I like very much, but was told that it was basically no good because of a bunch of numbers and formulas that made no sense to me. Something about it's graphite composition if I remember correctly. I've owned rods that cost 4x as much, but I like this one (these ones. I own a bunch of them) best. Price and technical numbers mean nothing to me. It's all about how it feels in you hands when you get that fish on.

[northernpike56]

I like the $0.10 per fish idea, it seems that is what should be appropriate. My $120 st. croix premier (6'0 ML 2 piece spinning) has lasted through countless fish, including some bigger ones such as big bass, pike, and carp that have latched on incidentally and it's still working beautifully. Maybe it's lasted through so many big fish because I'm really good to it (don't yank on snags is the main thing, also never been slammed down or crushed in a door etc.)

[dhickey]

Good question.

My first response is it will last until You break it.

Simply because the only rods I have broken was due to my carelessness.

 

Having said that I have rods that are retired and only used when I need a wake up call..

I have all my Dads rods and some would still catch fish(pushing 50 years old)

 

I think it rely does depend on how you look after them and how you use them.

The rods on the market for the past 15yrs the average angler couldn't where out from fishing they may get softer but that is up to you to adjust to.

[NANUK]

Generally speaking, durability of a rod mainly depends on its blank materiel, components and workmanship, assuming the rod is not abused.

A glass rod will typically last longer than a run of the mill graphite rod, we're talking durability here, not sensitivity or weight.

I have some $30 downrigger rods which are going for almost 10 years, I load them up in the rigger release pretty tight and they have landed their fair share of big kings, They are made out of graphite and glass mix with quality Fuji components. still going strong.

As for sensitivity, you can't beat a good graphite rod. a quality graphite rod is light, sensitive and durable, just don't bend it past 90 degree.

Use the right rod for the application, let the drag do its work when you hook a big fish,

On a snag, point the rod tip to the snag, put your hand on the reel spool and pull away,

[bigugli]

Only once, in all my years of fishing, have I had a rod bust because of a fish ( It pretty much exploded) I still have the first glass rod I ever owned, and bring it out to play once or twice a year. I have broken a few rod tips from carelessness

[Terry]

I heard if it lasts more then 4 hours

 

to see your doctor

 

 

well that's what I heard anyways

[FloatnFly]

properly taken care of, a rod will last for years, my dad is still using the one he bought 35 years ago, its so worn that the finish is gone, but the rod body is in great shape and had caught more fish than you could ever count. now its a one piece rod, so that may be a factor with no feruls that will crack.

[boombap]

Terry.. LOL!

[craigdritchie]

Only once, in all my years of fishing, have I had a rod bust because of a fish ( It pretty much exploded) I still have the first glass rod I ever owned, and bring it out to play once or twice a year. I have broken a few rod tips from carelessness

 

Me too. The only rod I've ever broken on a fish was a Browning Boron-X (remember those?) that went poof on me while fighting a nice coho back in the early 80s. I was left with the handle, some guides sliding down my line, and a bunch of dust and shrapnel laid out on the ground in front of me. I later learned those rods were pretty fragile, so I didn't feel so bad afterwards.

 

Otherwise, I still have most of the rods I've ever owned. The ones no longer with me all met their fate the hard way ... guillotined by ceiling fans (Bill Dance style) ... converted to multi-piece blanks by Air Canada baggage handlers .... lost a couple to truck tailgates and car doors .... had one fly out of a friend's boat on Rice Lake ... and shattered a 13-foot IMX when the hook pulled out while landing a fish under a 10-foot bridge. That one hurt.

 

Rods don't "wear out" ... they generally break as a result of damage. Years of tiny nicks, bumps and bangs all take their toll. Even that old Browning Boron-X probably exploded as a result of being nicked by split shot. If you take care of the rod, it will last for decades, regardless of what you paid for it.

Edited June 22, 2013 by Craig_Ritchie

[skdds]

Great answers guys. Considering I have yet to hit the 1000 fish mark with any of them. I guess I am all right..until I "want" something new and shiny..

[kickingfrog]

At the risk of offending the fishing spirits... I've never broken a rod. Inexpensive, moderately, to close to very high end. Know what you are using, know how to use it and the likely hood of a break are greatly reduced. Not using braid right causes lots of breaks.

[nexstar]

uglystick is made for life ..

I expect my graphite rods to last 5 -7 years if it's well taken care of. my rods are mostly high end .. G loomis GLX, NRX ...

[BillM]

uglystick is made for life ..

I expect my graphite rods to last 5 -7 years if it's well taken care of. my rods are mostly high end .. G loomis GLX, NRX ...

 

They should last you a lot longer then 5-7 years...

 

Only rod I've ever broken legitimately was a St.Croix Avid that snapped a few inches above the handle when I set the hook on a big pike. Other then that, nothing.. I've got rigger rods from the early 80's that still get use anytime I'm downrigging.. Love those things! Guides could use a re-wrap but other then that they are mint,.

[d_paluch]

Well...

 

I learned the other weekend that a $5 lure is easier to replace than a $70 rod. The rod, mind you, did seem to break a bit easier than it should have, as I was trying to avoid using the rod as leverage and was trying to pull the line by hand.

 

Lesson learned the hard way I guess.

[misfish]

Who here remembers the Hell Bender 10'.6"? I have had mine since 1980. It was the long stick to be had at the time for bows and salmon on the riv I still have it,less 4 inches of the tip, due to my own fault.New tip and alls good. Fished with it til 2004. it,s caught it,s moneys worth of fish, Ganny,off the walls for many browns at the 4 sisters,,Credit,Bronte,Jordon,,Port del,Niagara. whirl pool.

 

Thanks for making me think about the days.

[danc]

I've got a collection of Fenwick fibreglass rods from the 70's that were my pride and joy at one time. Two fly rods and a spinning rod I believe. I might try one of them out sometime just for fun.

[nexstar]

You are right, they should last me longer if I am not tempted to upgrade to the new model they make every 2 years or so .. this is how they make money..

They should last you a lot longer then 5-7 years...

 

Only rod I've ever broken legitimately was a St.Croix Avid that snapped a few inches above the handle when I set the hook on a big pike. Other then that, nothing.. I've got rigger rods from the early 80's that still get use anytime I'm downrigging.. Love those things! Guides could use a re-wrap but other then that they are mint,.

[Raf]

only time i've broken a rod was due to negligence on my part. either stepping on one or using a lure that it wasn't rated for. they should last you a lifetime or till you decide to upgrade.

[danc]

only time i've broken a rod was due to negligence on my part. either stepping on one or using a lure that it wasn't rated for. they should last you a lifetime or till you decide to upgrade.

I remember being heartbroken when I broke my favourite rod in the spokes of my bike several decades ago.

[Tdel]

I have an Ugly Stick that I use most of the time.

My brother closed the car trunk on it once and only bent an eye.

Re-bent the eye and you would never know anything happened to it.

 

Wife bought it for me at Christmas in the mid 70's and it is still going strong.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

i'm admittedly hard on rods... bashing through the bush over the years has left me with a garbage pail half full of various spinning and casting rods. like others, i've only had ONE rod break on a fish. it was a chrome skamania and it destroyed a cheap float rod. okuma = garbage lol!

 

otherwise, my rods have broken because i'm hard on them! hahaha

 

now that i build my own i seem to take better care of them, however i just broke a rod last night trying to carry too much on my portage. again, my fault.