Do you have duplicates of any of your rods as backup to keep you on the water while waiting for a warranty?

[Ohioguy25]

I haven’t in the past but am considering it since I snapped the tip of my St Croix Legend Tournament Bass Ned/dropshot rod.  It really sucks to be without a rod for ANY amount of time right in the middle of the prime season, especially when every rod we take with us serves a specific purpose which in this case cannot be duplicated with any other rod in my arsenal.  If you do this, do you keep exact duplicates or less expensive but “functional” alternatives to get you by? 
 

St Croix has been extremely backed up on several lines and a warrantied Legend Tournament or Victory is sitting at an estimated mid July now if placed today.  I went ahead and bought a brand new one as I was luckily able to find one through another supplier but that is an expensive rod to buy twice.  But again, hard to put a price on something we love to do and have been waiting all winter for, and while the cheaper alternatives like Mojo/Premier are good they’re not nearly as sensitive or high quality components as the LTB line.  Idk it’s a tough call.

[Bankc]

Nope.  I wouldn't buy a second just to tide me over for the warranty work.  That's expensive and defeats the purpose of having a warranty, in my opinion.  I'd likely just keep using one of my other rods, or pick up a cheap, used one that I could flip without losing too much on to hold me over.  

 

The thing about a fishing rod is, while you can definitely tell the difference between a good one and a cheap one, it's not likely to affect your catch rate all that much.  If you're a professional or do a lot of tournaments, then I could see it mattering, as one missed bass can cost you a lot of money.  But for most of us, we buy the nicer gear because we enjoy using nicer gear.  Not because we're relying on that 1% difference to feed our family.  

 

Then again, everyone's budget is different.  Some people can't justify buying one St. Croix rod, as it would ruin them financially.  Others could buy the whole company and not make a dent in their lifestyle.  So it depends on where you're coming from.  

[JustJames]

Are you in tournament? 
I have more than one rod that can do the same task one might be better than others but it is workable. Yes I have a few duplicate rod but not tie up to just one specific technique but because I like the feel, sensitivity and comfortable of the rods and think it could work for other techniques as well.

Hey if you have money and room laying around, it is not a bad idea to have backup rods. I know I lost one of my favorite rod and it is hard to replace once they discontinued.

[Ohioguy25]

8 minutes ago, Bankc said:

Nope.  I wouldn't buy a second just to tide me over for the warranty work.  That's expensive and defeats the purpose of having a warranty, in my opinion.  I'd likely just keep using one of my other rods, or pick up a cheap, used one that I could flip without losing too much on to hold me over.  

 

The thing about a fishing rod is, while you can definitely tell the difference between a good one and a cheap one, it's not likely to affect your catch rate all that much.  If you're a professional or do a lot of tournaments, then I could see it mattering, as one missed bass can cost you a lot of money.  But for most of us, we buy the nicer gear because we enjoy using nicer gear.  Not because we're relying on that 1% difference to feed our family.  

 

Then again, everyone's budget is different.  Some people can't justify buying one St. Croix rod, as it would ruin them financially.  Others could buy the whole company and not make a dent in their lifestyle.  So it depends on where you're coming from.  

Fair enough, I have all applications consolidated into 3 rods as I primarily float, so each one is critical.  I suppose you are right with your assessment about catch rate but to me the difference in sensitivity is might and day for finesse. Moving baits not so much but once you get a feel for quality it is certainly hard to go back.

31 minutes ago, Bass_Fishing_SoCal said:

Are you in tournament? 
I have more than one rod that can do the same task one might be better than others but it is workable. Yes I have a few duplicate rod but not tie up to just one specific technique but because I like the feel, sensitivity and comfortable of the rods and think it could work for other techniques as well.

Hey if you have money and room laying around, it is not a bad idea to have backup rods. I know I lost one of my favorite rod and it is hard to replace once they discontinued.

Not a tournee fisherman (yet) but I only have 3 setups and I like them a lot, and St Croix’s warranty schedule is so backed up that if I break another one it will be months before I see it.

[JustJames]

I don’t really hear a lot from ppl buying a rod and expect it to break under any circumstances. Yes it can happen but with care, use the right tool for the right job and not abused the rod should last for a long long time.

You only have three setups, it wouldn’t hurt if you buy another whole setup even the duplicate one. You can use one for dropshot another for Ned Rig then you wouldn’t have any down time. 

[QED]

2 hours ago, Bass_Fishing_SoCal said:

I don’t really hear a lot from ppl buying a rod and expect it to break under any circumstances. [stuff deleted]

 

I'm sure a lot of rods are broken not by usage but by accident via car doors, being stepped on, etc.  Personally I buy dupes of my favorite rods even though I haven't broken a rod yet (knock on wood).  Warranty may not work well for discontinued rods, since you often only have the option to receive a similar, newer model.

[Wprich]

I don't have any exact duplicates but I do have other rods that serve the same function at a lower price that goes for all my spinning and fly rods.  I mainly have them for spares when I take a friend out and for when I make my 1or 2 trips to salt and don't want to risk damaging my best rods.

[Jig Man]

I have several duplicates and one quadruplicate.  I use them so I don’t have to stop and retie bait colors.

[ATA]

Since it is so pricy, I dont have budget to have duplicate for anything. I have rods that they can be use for same application but not duplicates, For example I have two Large swimbait rods if one broken, I can use another one because they are slightly different from each other.

[T-Billy]

I don't have duplicates for that purpose, but I have more than one of a few rods I like, and since that's an ever evolving thing......... There's 52 rods in the garage. I don't see the point in selling them for a loss. They don't eat anything and sometimes they find their way back into favor.

[webertime]

I love my NFC 807 built rod for carolina rigs.  I'm terrified of breaking it (been super durable so far) so I bought another blank and built it up as a back up.

[new2BC4bass]

1 hour ago, T-Billy said:

I don't have duplicates for that purpose, but I have more than one of a few rods I like, and since that's an ever evolving thing......... There's 52 rods in the garage. I don't see the point in selling them for a loss. They don't eat anything and sometimes they find their way back into favor.

I have duplicates of two different rods, but other than that I'm kind of like you.  Should I break a rod I have one or two (or more ) that could take its place.

[NYWayfarer]

I have several different rods of the same power and action both casting and spinning. 
 

If one breaks I don’t have the exact same rod to replace it but a back up nonetheless.

[padon]

no but ive thought about it on some of the rods i really like and use for multiple techniques. then again some rods are so useful i have 2 anyway. for me the 72 medium heavy expride is so versitile i have 2 of them. btw i have 6foot 8inch ltb ned rod yhat im not using and is for sale if your interested. 

[Deleted account]

No, I have duplicate of most of my rods for two reasons, when fishing from a boat, I'll have 2 or 3 of them rigged identically, and ready to go, and second, often rods differ from production run to production run, so once I find what I like, I have something I know will fish the same, It's the tennis player in me, when you break a string, or your grip comes loose, you don't fix it, you put it down, and pick up another one from the bag. Fun fact, most professional tennis players have at least 6 newly strung racquets in their bags, and have them restrung for every match, more at the French, clay eats strings (and socks)...

[roadwarrior]

I consider all of my rods technique specific. However, several rods can cover

multiple applications.  A specific example is my jerkbait rod. It can serve for

topwater and shallow or medium weight crankbaits,