I'm Still Sick About It

[Friggs]

Two Mondays ago I was in NJ visiting my sister. We always fish together when I do. She takes so much stuff I need to use my rod carrier that attaches to the hand grabbers in the vehicle. As I was packing up I was putting my most used rod and one of my most expensive into the holder. My 1999 GMC Yukon had rear A/C with vents in the ceiling. The tip of my St Croix Mojo Bass 6'8" MXF spinning rod tip went into the vent. I could not get it out. Tried several things. Decided to just break the vent so I could spread the plastic to get it out. When I stuck my knife in the vent and hit it. instead of the vent breaking it turned and snapped the tip. Now I know these aren't expensive to most. But to me, it might as well cost $1000. Since I bought it my disability income has been cut by 25% so there is no saving up to replace it. I bought a repair kit from Wally World and put on a new one. But when I look at it I just get sick to my stomach and mad. I hate it when things aren't right. It took me a week to even try it and see how it fishes. But I have noticed my casting distance has been cut by 30%. It only broke an inch and a half off the rod. I didn't expect this much of a difference. I think part of it is the crappy tip I put on it. I need to find a tip like what it had. 

 

Sorry to vent but I figured I would share my accident with some people who understand. 

[jbrew73]

Go online and check out tips from vendors until you find what you need.   Measure your rod tip diameter and guide size.

It shouldn’t be any more difficult than posting on a forum to vent your frustration .  

[ElGuapo928]

Sorry to hear about it. I feel your pain, I’ve been there - I lost about 1.5”-2” off one of my favorite rods (old American Rodsmiths topwater special) in a door mishap and it was killing me. 
 

I took it to a local shop that builds/repairs rods, and he charged me $10 to put a new Fuji tip that fit right and looked right. Ultimately there wasn’t any real loss in performance, just kind of funny looking. I had the Wally World “emergency” tip on it and it sucked - none in the kit fit even remotely close, 1 was too small, the others were throwing a hot dog down a hallway.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

I broke my favorite irreplaceable OG Steez rod two weeks ago in the process of trying to get one of my sentimental favorite baits back after a 5lb fish wrapped me up.......I lost a 5lber, a favorite bait, and a $500 rod all within 5mins.  

 

I was physically ill for about 24 hours, and I cried for another week like a child, wouldn't even look at my fishing gear.    Two weeks later I've got a brand new JDM P5 Destroyer 110 Stick that makes me smile just as much when I use it.   It's never going to replace the Steez, but it'll due.   

 

Lots of good rods friend, these things happen to everyone if you fish long enough, go out and get another rod, maybe cheaper, but it'll be special in time no doubt.

 

Sorry I know the feeling.  

[islandbass]

Sorry. I feel for you and I know I’d be feeling exactly like you, heck even if it were an ugly stik. I’be had my share or breaking rod tips. 

[MiceNReets]

Give st croix a call and see what they say about a replacement at a fraction of the cost of a new one.  Maybe you can get it replaced with the new trigon handle.   Worth a shot.   Call them.  Don’t email.   They’re fast to answer.   At least with my experiences.    

[casts_by_fly]

The top couple inches of a rod is where all of the feel comes from. If a rod maker gets the first 6” right and has enough middle to support it they are 90% of the way there. Consequently, breaking off an inch can be enough to completely kill the action.  You can fix it with a sleeve but that’s the hardest fix to get right. I’ve done a couple fly rods like that and they are okay. 
 

id call st croix, explain the situation, and see if they can help. Even though not a warranty break, they may do a reduced price replacement. They have consistently been one of the most generous makers over the past 20 years for replacements. 

[Dwight Hottle]

19 hours ago, MiceNReets said:

Give st croix a call and see what they say about a replacement at a fraction of the cost of a new one.  Maybe you can get it replaced with the new trigon handle.   Worth a shot.   Call them.  Don’t email.   They’re fast to answer.   At least with my experiences.    

This.

[Friggs]

Thanks for the replies guys. I know they sometimes offer replacement rods at a discount. But I meant it when I said I have no money I can put into a replacement. I know some people have a hard time understanding that. But if you saw my disability check I get each month, you might better understand. I did email them. If I don't hear back from them after a while I will call just to see what they might do. But I have a feeling I would be wasting my time due to my limited income.

[MiceNReets]

1 hour ago, Friggs said:

Thanks for the replies guys. I know they sometimes offer replacement rods at a discount. But I meant it when I said I have no money I can put into a replacement. I know some people have a hard time understanding that. But if you saw my disability check I get each month, you might better understand. I did email them. If I don't hear back from them after a while I will call just to see what they might do. But I have a feeling I would be wasting my time due to my limited income.

you never know what’ll happen unless you reach out.  I don’t think you’ll get a reply from email.   Explain to st croix your situation and if you get the right representative you may be surprised.  Assuming you are in the states.  Do you ever venture to the Canadian side?

[Darth-Baiter]

i am feeling your pain.  i just got a rod tube to send my fav rod in.

 

i snapped it way down the shaft and it blew up.   i am cutting in further into smaller pieces to save on shipping.  it hurts.  but rods break..sucks.  

[Friggs]

14 hours ago, MiceNReets said:

you never know what’ll happen unless you reach out.  I don’t think you’ll get a reply from email.   Explain to st croix your situation and if you get the right representative you may be surprised.  Assuming you are in the states.  Do you ever venture to the Canadian side?

 

I actually just got a response from my email and they told me to put in a warranty claim. I feel kinda bad about doing that because it was totally 100% my fault. But they told me to so I did. It might be to my advantage that my rod is being discontinued. They might really want to get rid of them. If I remember I will post what they have to say.

[Darth-Baiter]

do it.  sometimes things just go wrong.  nobody's fault. 

[TLHSS]

3 hours ago, Friggs said:

 

I feel kinda bad about doing that because it was totally 100% my fault. But they told me to so I did. 

Don’t feel bad. You’ve already paid them back by posting an example of superior customer service. People will buy product based on how they have treated you. Win-win for all involved. 

[MiceNReets]

3 hours ago, Friggs said:

 

I actually just got a response from my email and they told me to put in a warranty claim. I feel kinda bad about doing that because it was totally 100% my fault. But they told me to so I did. It might be to my advantage that my rod is being discontinued. They might really want to get rid of them. If I remember I will post what they have to say.

Yeah that’s fine.  I’ve snapped a couple st croix by accident.  Out of warranty too.  I’ve called them and told them that right away and both times they told me it wasn’t a problem and will get a new rod to me asap.   And they indeed did do that.    Glad to hear you got a prompt response from them through email.   They must be back up to speed now

[Friggs]

5 hours ago, MiceNReets said:

Yeah that’s fine.  I’ve snapped a couple st croix by accident.  Out of warranty too.  I’ve called them and told them that right away and both times they told me it wasn’t a problem and will get a new rod to me asap.   And they indeed did do that.    Glad to hear you got a prompt response from them through email.   They must be back up to speed now

 

WOW! That would be amazing. That would make this fat, disabled guy do a dance. LOL

[galyonj]

Different company, but a similar situation – broken rod by way of stupid accident that was 100% my fault – to that described by @MiceNReets and others in this thread.

 

The other company was super cool about guiding me through the warranty process. I'd expect no different from St Croix.

 

These are still (relatively) small companies, and this kind of situation can be used as an opportunity to put a good story out in front of a lot of motivated, passionate potential consumers for significantly less than the cost of shooting a commercial or producing an ad in an industry magazine.

[Friggs]

Well, you all were right. A brand new rod is coming my way. They even cut the $50 fee in half to help me out. What a company. But what galyonj said is totally correct. They will get a lot of positive exposure from this at the cost of a rod which is probably not as much as we would think. I wonder if I will get one of the new Mojo Bass rods since they discontinued my rod. But I doubt it. I am sure they have some there just for a situation like this.

[Eric 26]

Don’t forget they also monitor this site or at least did when it came to the Mojo Trigon thread. Just a thought🤔 but either way that’s awesome how it worked out for you @Friggs.

[Randy Price]

Good to hear SC took care of you!!!!  I've been a user/fan of their rods for over 20 years.  I was just by their place last week on my way to musky fish on Lake Namakagon in Cable, WI.  Unfortunately, it was after 5 PM and their store was closed.  Probably saved me $$ that I would have spent if they were open.

[NorthernBasser]

8 hours ago, Randy Price said:

Good to hear SC took care of you!!!!  I've been a user/fan of their rods for over 20 years.  I was just by their place last week on my way to musky fish on Lake Namakagon in Cable, WI.  Unfortunately, it was after 5 PM and their store was closed.  Probably saved me $$ that I would have spent if they were open.

You ever fish Lake Owen there in Cable? Great smallie lake!

 

Anyhoo, good to hear the OP was taken care of. Great customer service. 

[Randy Price]

@NorthernBasser, no I've never fished Owen.  I'll have to add it to my list, thanks!

[thediscochef]

The one time I've had to deal with St. Croix customer service it was a great experience too, it was my favorite rod at the time and I was really torn up about it. I still had to pay shipping on the replacement but it's still way less than a new rod off the shelf. I remember it being a pretty fast process. I have had to replace the tiptop on the warranty replacement since (chipped the insert), but that's a cheap and easy fix. Good customer service is still important and I think there's still a lot of the better brands that understand this

[Friggs]

My new rod came today. And I am shocked. I was in management in retail years ago and dealing with manufacturers I learned that most, when they discontinue a model and come out with a new one. They hold on to some of the old ones so they have them for warranty replacements. I was expecting the same rod I had. But I guess St Croix does not do that for warranty replacements because I got a brand new Trigon as a replacement. It came at 12:45 so I went to a local pond to give it a go. At one point I got snagged and of course at first I thought it was a fish. I noticed my reel moved around in the grip. I had tightened it like normal. So I tightened it as tight as I could. If I hold the reel and twist the rod a little it still moves a little bit but I could live with it. I have not noticed this on my other St Croix. It has different guides and maybe it is my imagination, but it seems to cast a little smoother and farther. I also noticed the whole rod does not have a finish on the whole rod. Just around the decals and the guide wrappings. I guess this is trying to save a little weight. I like the glossy coating on the old one but I can live with this. The grip that they are making a big deal over is okay. I could take it or leave it. It's not something I would look for in another rod. So that's a quick comparison between the original Mojo Bass and the new Trigon.

[Friggs]

I have to say the more I check out this new Trigon Mojo Bass rod, most of it I like. But I have to say, and it saddens me to say it. The reel seat is horrible. It feels so cheap. I compared the amount of movement to my other Mojo Bass spinning rod and the Trigon allows the reel to move a lot more. And it just feels like very cheap plastic. The reel seat on my Ugly Stick Premium and regular is much better. What was St Croix thinking? Maybe I am wrong and it is a better one than I think. But it sure doesn't feel like it. And to raise the price as much as they have compared to the discontinued Mojo Bass. If I was buying this from a store and was able to check it out I would not have bought it. I really hate saying this. I look forward to hearing what others will say about it and see if it is just my opinion that is like this.