Is exposing rods to the cold bad for them?

[Fishin' Fool]

I have my rods in the garage right now but it's been such a cold winter I'm considering moving them downstairs in the basement. Anybody have any evidence that the cold temps are bad for my rods?

[A-Jay]

As much as we are both in a deep state of bass fishing hibernation ~ 

My rods spend the vast majority of it in the garage as well. 

Temps hang around 30 all winter out there - never recognized any ill effects to them from it.

Wish I could say the same for myself . . . .

A-Jay

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

You're safe. 

[Dtrombly]

Nope, should be good. 

[tander]

Never hear of cold hurting rods, but it does hurt fishermen.

[Adam.love05]

What about using rods in the cold? And by cold I mean 15-20°f... I've never experienced any problems, but this thread got me thinking about the blanks getting cold and possibly getting hairline cracks because it isn't able to flex as well.. 

I guess worse comes to worse, they break and I'd have to buy myself some new ones! Haha

[Angry John]

I would loosen the reel seat after fishing, to prevent excessive stress from heat cycling maybe I just worry to much.

[Fishin' Fool]

 

What about using rods in the cold? And by cold I mean 15-20°f... I've never experienced any problems, but this thread got me thinking about the blanks getting cold and possibly getting hairline cracks because it isn't able to flex as well.. 

I guess worse comes to worse, they break and I'd have to buy myself some new ones! Haha

I would think you'd be more likely to experience a stress break in extreme cold weather but what do I know. I guess this would be a question for someone from Loomis or Shimano.

[DINK WHISPERER]

I don't wanna find out so I always store mine in the "fishing closet". 

[BrackishBassin]

I don’t think it’ll be an issue. Repeated heating and cooling in very short periods of time could be a problem, but I’m not an engineer or a chemist. So, I’m not sure how the specific materials in rods would react to cold temperatures over an extended period of time. 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

If 10#> steelhead bending a ML rod in 10*< temps doesn't break anything your rod in the garage will be fine. 

[Johnbt]

I am more concerned with putting a wet rod in the garage and getting some small damage here and there when the ice swells. I'd really worry about putting up a wet reel. My girlfriend's 3-car garage isn't attached to the house and with the temps having gone as low as -2 recently I don't want to find out if it's safe or not. Three rod racks don't take up that much floor space in the house. (Okay, the big surf rods do take up some space, but what can I say. They delicate tools.  )  And being quite close to the James River there's the daily dose of heavy dew to contend with. Pretty, but it even makes mowing difficult in the middle of the summer.

 

There are some plastic 5-gallon jugs of water in the garage for flushing the toilet when the power goes off and the well isn't working. They froze solid.

 

Okay, time to get ready to take her to her 7:45 appt with the dental surgeon for a little gum work. 

 

 

 

[tholmes]

I store all of my fishing rods in an unheated shed with temps as low as -5*F and have never had any problems.

 

Tom

[Sam]

I was told many, many years ago that heat is not a rod's friend as heat can have an adverse affect on the glue and wrap holding the line guides.

 

I store all tackle in my upstairs man cave in my home and have never thought about how cold could have a negative impact on the rod's composition.

 

And we do have winter fishing and tournaments where the guides get frozen but no one has written about their rod's breaking due to the low temperatures.

 

So take the advice above and don't be concerned about the cold temperatures on your rods.

[Tywithay]

I have been working in aircraft composites for over a decade and have never once heard of an issue brought on by cold temperatures. I assure you, it's much colder at 35,000ft than it is in your garage.

[ww2farmer]

They are all garbage now. Send them to me, I work in the trash business and I will get rid of them properly. Just to be safe, better send the reels too (only if they are LH).

[Tywithay]

13 hours ago, Johnbt said:

I am more concerned with putting a wet rod in the garage and getting some small damage here and there when the ice swells. I'd really worry about putting up a wet reel. My girlfriend's 3-car garage isn't attached to the house and with the temps having gone as low as -2 recently I don't want to find out if it's safe or not. Three rod racks don't take up that much floor space in the house. (Okay, the big surf rods do take up some space, but what can I say. They delicate tools.  )  And being quite close to the James River there's the daily dose of heavy dew to contend with. Pretty, but it even makes mowing difficult in the middle of the summer.

 

There are some plastic 5-gallon jugs of water in the garage for flushing the toilet when the power goes off and the well isn't working. They froze solid.

 

Okay, time to get ready to take her to her 7:45 appt with the dental surgeon for a little gum work. 

 

 

 

Graphite is non-porous. The only water that's going to freeze will be on the outside of the rod, or the eyelets.

[Bankbeater]

My rods are in the basement when not in use, no matter what time of year. 

[Johnbt]

Sure, or in porous or cracked cork, or under the guide wrapping, or in the metal threads. I'm not saying it will happen, but the eternal dampness in this neighborhood is a concern.

 

Every time one of the garage doors opens after it's been cold for a few days condensation forms on the floor and quite a few other places up higher. Due to the high water table ( she has a 20-foot well that's never run dry in 24 years)  and heavy clay soil, the garage required an exceptionally deep concrete foundation that holds the cold. It's great during the summer, especially stretched out on the floor under the riding mower or boat trailer.  "Yes dear, I'm working, can't you see?"

 

After some of our frequent thunderstorms I've been known to throw duck decoys into the big puddles that form in the front and back yards. Sometimes they don't drain for a couple of days. I even fooled the farmer next door the first time the driveway flooded enough to float a few decoys.

[Adam.love05]

Thinking about it.. we use the same graphite in the rods for ice fishing and they don't seem to be bothered by the cold.. and those things get wet, freeze, dropped and about bent in half.. so I guess it's not as bad as I initially thought it could be.. 

[Further North]

My rods stay out in an unheated, detached, boat specific garage all year.  No issues.

 

My cars stay in a heated, attached garage all year where the temperature never drops below 50°.  No problems there, either.

 

...and it sure is nice when it's -20° outside...

[Preytorien]

I'd like to chime in with some kind of "mine have never broken in the winter on the water" but that's just not the case for me. Mine have the reel seats, drag stars, and tension knobs loosened sometime in late November and usually stay that way, sitting in the rack, until sometime in usually Mid-March.

[ratherbfishin1]

One of my friend broke an ice rod bc the eyelet froze over not allowing the line to move and so he went to reel it in and thought he had something on there he broke the tip off. But that’s probably just a fluke accident and he was using a super ul rod.

[Boomstick]

Just loosen up your drag and tension knob, but you should be fine as long as you keep them dry. Now if you have any mono spooled on those rods however that's going to be shot.

[J Francho]

Wait, the cold will ruin mono?  Sorry, fish for steelhead all winter long, with mono, and graphite rods.  They get wet.  Sometimes I even toss them in the snow for a pic. No ill effects. 

 

The fish don't know your rod and reel are freezing!