rod longevity?

[stormrider]

What is the longevity of a graphite rod? I have a couple of rods that are around 20 years old. They still perform as expected, at least I think so. Do they degrade over time?

Cab the sensitivity degrade without realizing it? If you use the same thing over and over one may not realize a differnce if it happens over time. My reels were matched to the rods and they are about worn out. They are a little sloppy so I am going to replce them over the winter months. Should I have my new reels matched up with new rods?

[Grey Wolf]

Yes if you can afford it . If your equipment is twenty years old , they should be retired into your hall of fame. You definately got your moneys worth out of them.

[blue cat]

i do beleive a rod soften's up with use. the better rods it will take longer .

if you can buy at least one high end unit. it will amaze you,how the drags are smoother, the rods are more sensitive.

tight lines

[cart7t]

That's actually a very good question.

To my knowledge no one has ever done long term testing on graphite fishing rods to determine if the rods sensitivity degrades or if the structural integrity is compromised due to fatigue from long term usage.

That would be a good question for someone in the rod manufacturing business.

[kikstand454]

everytime i use a graphite rod it ends up breaking.

hooksets, hangin up on a lilly pad, casting a spook- just some of the crappy ways i have broken them. these were all rods givin to me... and a few years old. but they allegedly had no problems. just old.

and not cheap stuff either. had a st. croix break casting a spook jr.

pathetic.

i have to get a graphite rod for worm/c-rigging and frankly im terrified to spend more that 50 bucks on one.

i am NOT hard on my equipment and baby most of my stuff obsessively. i have not bought a graphite rod until now cause i was normally in a gheenoe or canoe and didnt want to put them through it.

now i spend more time co-angling on a bass rig and know its time to step up in some areas.

think im getting a lightening rod or something.

not spending 100 bucks on a shimano that breaks on a lillypad. :'(

[Grey Wolf]

everytime i use a graphite rod it ends up breaking.

hooksets, hangin up on a lilly pad, casting a spook- just some of the crappy ways i have broken them. these were all rods givin to me... and a few years old. but they allegedly had no problems. just old.

and not cheap stuff either. had a st. croix break casting a spook jr.

pathetic.

i have to get a graphite rod for worm/c-rigging and frankly im terrified to spend more that 50 bucks on one.

i am NOT hard on my equipment and baby most of my stuff obsessively. i have not bought a graphite rod until now cause i was normally in a gheenoe or canoe and didnt want to put them through it.

now i spend more time co-angling on a bass rig and know its time to step up in some areas.

think im getting a lightening rod or something.

not spending 100 bucks on a shimano that breaks on a lillypad. :'(

I'd say you have a unique problem and it's not all the rods fault. Stay with the lightening rods and ugly stiks.

[.RM.]

kikstand454,

Probably had a lot to do with the way the rods were stored and treated in transit and while being used before you got them. Rod with nicks in the blank from fishing on rocks and in transit, and exposed to extreme heat all effectively build up to a future failure.

As far as the original question I have 13/15 year old rods that I still use, that are just as crisp and powerful as the day I built them.

Tight Lines!!!

[Pigsticker]

everytime i use a graphite rod it ends up breaking.

hooksets, hangin up on a lilly pad, casting a spook- just some of the crappy ways i have broken them. these were all rods givin to me... and a few years old. but they allegedly had no problems. just old.

and not cheap stuff either. had a st. croix break casting a spook jr.

pathetic.

i have to get a graphite rod for worm/c-rigging and frankly im terrified to spend more that 50 bucks on one.

i am NOT hard on my equipment and baby most of my stuff obsessively. i have not bought a graphite rod until now cause i was normally in a gheenoe or canoe and didnt want to put them through it.

now i spend more time co-angling on a bass rig and know its time to step up in some areas.

think im getting a lightening rod or something.

not spending 100 bucks on a shimano that breaks on a lillypad. :'(

Spend as much as you can on a rod if your getting a shimano rod, they have very good warranty

[kikstand454]

yeah, i just read the other thread down there that had gary loomis explaining im ratings and it explained alot to me in the sense that it wasnt really the rods fault that the owners before me may have accidently mistreated them and didnt even know it.

ive owned graphite rods before a long time back and didnt have any problems that i remember but i went along time with durability being more important to me than sensitivity. like i said on the  other post i feel more comfortable about the entire situation now.

it didnt help my self esteem to know that  millions of people only use graphite rods and dont  have the issues i did.

now i  feel more confident that i was in fact right all along and the problem had nothing to do with me!! : : :

[Joe Boss]

I still have a Berkley Cherrywood from the 80's that is in great condition. I pull it out of retirement every once in a while and pair it with an antique Garcia Mitchell 300 reel to fish. Love the clicking sound that reel makes.

[Raul]

I still fish with three over 20 years old Berkley Lightning Rods and haven 't noticed any difference in them after more than 20 years of use and abuse.

[Daniel My Brother]

I had not broken a rod in many years, but I've busted 2 in the past week. One I stepped on, the other I snapped while trying to free a snag.

The bad news is I have to buy 2 new rods.

The good news is I get to buy 2 new rods.

My oldest graphite rod that I actually still use is probably only 7 or 8 years old, although I still have several old fiberglass rods from my childhood that I will occasionally bust out for old time's sake.

[Paul Roberts]

My oldest graphite rod I purchased in 1981: a Skyline 6005. A year later I added a 5506. They function as well as they ever did. I've added and sold/given rods almost every year. I've not broken one yet. Oh...I take that back...

I broke a 9wt Loomis fly rod on a steelhead. Picked up on a nymph take and the rod folded! I was shocked, and a little ticked at Loomis. Later on my fishing partner for the day admitted he'd plopped his wader bag down on my rod, not seeing it in the early morning darkness. This created a hairline fracture. If he hadn't remembered doing it, and admitted it, I'd have thought those Loomis rods were more fragile than they really are.

Also broke a steelhead drift rod lifting too hard on a steelie. That rod, an Eagle Claw "Blue Diamond", was a line that had a history of breakage problems in the tackle shop I worked in. I new this about the rod and had been careful with it for several seasons (catching many steelies in temperatures down into the single digits) up until that one day when I over-strained it while bringing one to hand -on a rather balmy day no less.

Some rods simply had breakage problems. Some (almost always off-brands) we had as much as 70% returns with. They were early thin-walled rods (very light and crisp) and had to be handled and fished with some care. I owned two such rods and fished them for several years without a problem, but I was very careful to seat the ferrules properly, check them frequently, and not to over-strain them.

But most rod breakage comes from abuse: From dings or fine fractures, over-straining them, or over straining in a way they weren't meant to be -like in landing a fish with the rod pointed straight up. One poke upwards when the fish makes a dash and POP!

If you do buy a "really good" graphite rod, take care of it and it'll last a long time -at least 17 years:).

[roadwarrior]

I still fish with three over 20 years old Berkley Lightning Rods and haven 't noticed any difference in them after more than 20 years of use and abuse.

Mind boggling: $20 rod/ $500 reel... :

[Muddy]

Thats because it ain't the car, It's the driver.

I have never had a Fenwick,Bps or Cabelas rod fail, that was not my fault

Of all the rods I have from these 3 companies

2 Cabelas: On the Bottom of Mauch Chunk Lake

1BPS: Threw the tip insert, when I used the rod to dislodge a spinnerbait

1 Fenwick; was destroyed when the storage shed i had it in was demolished

My take on warranties: You can't fish with a warranty! I have never had my favorite rods fail, I would rather have a rod with a warranty I never have to use than a rod with a warranty that i paid extra for and find myself having to use :

[roadwarrior]

Muddy,

I have never had a rod "fail" either, but I have broken a few!

The insurance is a nice feature and offers a great deal of comfort

for what I consider a nominal cost. Unless you lose a higher end

St. Croix or G. Loomis, you will have that rod or a replacement

forever! More importantly, at least to me, is the added enjoyment

that comes from fishing with top notch gear. It's not all about "catching",

it's about making the "fishing experience" more fun!

8-)

[Muddy]

Hey RW, I love to watch the enjoyment you tackle junkies get, this was not a statement about you fellas, just how I look at things.  Hey a guys works for his money, it his his choice on how to spend it.It really amazes me how Knowledgable guys Like you.Micro,ReelMech and Robert know the latest stuff and where to get it!

I am even cheaper than Russ used to be, he is drifitng upwards slowly but surely.

My statement about the driver is most mishaps I have had and many other's here seem to be user error.

[Raul]

I still fish with three over 20 years old Berkley Lightning Rods and haven 't noticed any difference in them after more than 20 years of use and abuse.

Mind boggling: $20 rod/ $500 reel... :

Back then during the age of the dinousaurs when I bought those they weren 't exactly "cheap", the price of a LR in those days was 75 dollars plus tax, translate that into todays dollars and they would be in the price range of an Avid.

[roadwarrior]

Just pulling your chain...

I can't get the image out of my mind:

Raul on the shoreline, surrounded by canyon walls,

casting his Lightning Rod saddled with his "muted red"

Pixy reel.

You need one of these, too:

http://www.riverbum.com/Tilley-T4-Cotton-Duck-Hat/

8-)

[Raul]

Just pulling your chain...

I can't get the image out of my mind:

Raul on the shoreline, surrounded by canyon walls,

casting his Lightning Rod saddled with his "muted red"

Pixy reel.

You need one of these, too:

http://www.riverbum.com/Tilley-T4-Cotton-Duck-Hat/

8-)

Nope, those rods have their mates, they 've been married for a long time and I 'm not the one who 's gonna separate them, they made an oath: till death do us part. Both are matched to a couple of Abu XLT Plus series reels.

Pixys are married too, one is married to a CR721, the other one is married to a CR722, got a single Pixy, it still hasn 't found it 's match, I was thinking about getting it a Pixy rod but so far no joy, when BB had one in stock I spent the money on something else and now I 'm kicking myself on the butt for not purchasing it and now I can 't find one available.  :-X

[fishbear]

I know of a guy here in Georgia, that leaves his rods strapped down on his boat, year around.  Now, if you have never experienced the sun and humidity here in Georgia say around August, you have missed out on an experience as close to Hades as you can get...  ;D ;D

Anyway, this guy has had 3 rods fail in the last year, and is constantly losing fish to break offs.  I have tried and tried to tell him to just spend another 5 min. when he gets home and put his rods in the garage, but he will not listen,, he just badmouths every line he has ever tried, and rods are sent back to the manufacture for replacements....    : : : :