Broke my $10.00 panfish rod

[throttleplate]

After 2 years of overuse on bass and river snags my Shakesphere Micro series 7ft rod broke from using it for fish other than micro, such as 3lb bass in the river current and trying to pop out snags, i allready replaced the tip 2 years ago. I am going to fleetfarm sunday to replace it with a $19.99 rod from Daiwa called the Sweepfire series, 5ft 6" ultra light fiberglass. Strictly for panfish unless of course i get bass which is 100% going to happen along with catfish......😁

[bulldog1935]

That's ok, I have a $30 rod I'm planning to break on snook.  

[throttleplate]

On 5/18/2024 at 5:18 PM, throttleplate said:

After 2 years of overuse on bass and river snags my Shakesphere Micro series 7ft rod broke from using it for fish other than micro, such as 3lb bass in the river current and trying to pop out snags, i allready replaced the tip 2 years ago. I am going to fleetfarm sunday to replace it with a $19.99 rod from Daiwa called the Sweepfire series, 5ft 6" ultra light fiberglass. Strictly for panfish unless of course i get bass which is 100% going to happen along with catfish......😁

 

Well i didnt buy the diawa sweepfire, it was exactly as advertised, an ultra light 5ft 6in and it was just to ultra for what i catch when panfishing.

I did buy a berkey cherrywood, this one is a medium light 6ft 6" two piece on sale for $19.99. I stood in fleetfarm comparing different brands, bending the tips side by side lookin for the slowest tip.

I own a cherrywood 7ft medium which is a 1 piece and it has been my main rod for 2 years and held up and performs great for all species of fish, even 57 inch muskies in the river. So i thought for reliability, durability and price i cant go wrong.

6 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

That's ok, I have a $30 rod I'm planning to break on snook.  

what a kool lookin bike with the fishin rod stow pack and your front pack, what an economical way to fish.

[bulldog1935]

@throttleplate even better, this is a fabled snook hole - a dam across Cayo Atascosa in Laguna Atascosa NWR.  There's really no water that matters above the dam, and below the dam is a tidal basin limit.  

 

It takes at least 3 hours to padle a kayak from the only launch, at the county park on the Arroyo navigation channel.  It's tricky to find the channel from the expansive mud flat at the mouth of the Cayo, which keeps the motor skiffs out, except for guides who have found it by braille.  The bike ride from the visitor's center at the south end of the NWR is an hour.  No motor vehicles are allowed on the roads because the NWR has 35 native ocelots - the roads belong to bikes, and most bikes don't venture this far north, they stay on the trail loops at the south end of the 98,000 acres.  

 

The max collapsed length for a rod to fit the bike half-frame bag is 51 cm.  And of course, most of the good travel rods are 52 to 58 cm collapsed length.  I have a couple of 5-pc mid-grade Japanese rods under 7' that fit, and went to A/E to find longer 6- and 7-pc shore-casting rods.  

 

Bike-fish also has its place in the TX hill country.  Several counties don't allow parking on county roads near river crossings.  But you can park your vehicle on state roads, pedal to the county road crossings, roll a bike into the flood-plain sendero, cafe-lock to a tree, and you're into State navigation rights - can hike and wade anywhere below the high-water mark.  

  

I have a few rod choices, and the bag will hold 3 of these rods, so I can outfit a couple of friends, as well.  

 In the first photo, the big front bag on my bike will carry wading boots and a fishing bag, or if you prefer, a 15-l Ice Mule and a 6'er.  

[throttleplate]

On 5/19/2024 at 8:11 PM, bulldog1935 said:

@throttleplate even better, this is a fabled snook hole - a dam across Cayo Atascosa in Laguna Atascosa NWR.  There's really no water that matters above the dam, and below the dam is a tidal basin limit.  

 

It takes at least 3 hours to padle a kayak from the only launch, at the county park on the Arroyo navigation channel.  It's tricky to find the channel from the expansive mud flat at the mouth of the Cayo, which keeps the motor skiffs out, except for guides who have found it by braille.  The bike ride from the visitor's center at the south end of the NWR is an hour.  No motor vehicles are allowed on the roads because the NWR has 35 native ocelots - the roads belong to bikes, and most bikes don't venture this far north, they stay on the trail loops at the south end of the 98,000 acres.  

 

The max collapsed length for a rod to fit the bike half-frame bag is 51 cm.  And of course, most of the good travel rods are 52 to 58 cm collapsed length.  I have a couple of 5-pc mid-grade Japanese rods under 7' that fit, and went to A/E to find longer 6- and 7-pc shore-casting rods.  

 

Bike-fish also has its place in the TX hill country.  Several counties don't allow parking on county roads near river crossings.  But you can park your vehicle on state roads, pedal to the county road crossings, roll a bike into the flood-plain sendero, cafe-lock to a tree, and you're into State navigation rights - can hike and wade anywhere below the high-water mark.  

  

I have a few rod choices, and the bag will hold 3 of these rods, so I can outfit a couple of friends, as well.  

 In the first photo, the big front bag on my bike will carry wading boots and a fishing bag, or if you prefer, a 15-l Ice Mule and a 6'er.  

Great adventure with what you explained plus great exercise.