Broken fly rods???? REALLY?

[Korrie]

Every time when some guys are returning from a fishing trip where there are BIG fish, I hear the stories of how many fly rods where broken.
Really? is that how you measure a fishing trip's success on how many rods are broken on big fish?
I overheard a conversation where the one guy said "We broke all the rods on this trip"

Now I am starting to wonder
a. are the rods of such sh!t quality nowadays that they all break?
b. is that why fly rod companies are giving life long gaurantees?
c. are the fly fishers perhaps just bad fishermen?
d. should the guys play the fish a bit longer?
e. maybe the fly fishers should step up a weight or 2 to handle the bigger fish?

Your opinions please.

[Korrie]

f. EGO? To see how hard can you pull and can you break your fly rod?

[Kevin James]

Ah mate - sh!t happens as they say in the classics.

The times rods have been broken is usually as a direct result of angler negligence.

The most common is the high sticking right at the end or close to the end of a fight trying to get the thing in a net.
That rod tip is just not meant to bend to those acute angles!

I've also seen it happen in boats right at the end when trying to lift the fish up to get the gaff shot and the rod either explodes in the butt section or the rod accidentally touches the side of the boat.
Touching the boat with rod loaded up nearly always ends in tears!

Obviously there's the heavy fly making contact with the rod and introducing a soft spot - again, angler error in not compensating for the more open loop cast.

Add into the mix, falling or slipping and landing on the rod or worse still, leaning your rod up on the fence and a cow comes along and eats the tip while you've got your back turned.
NO - I'm not kidding either.

I'm sure there are a few more war stories relating to broken rods -

Just as a side comment with regards to your last post, it is virtually impossible to break a rod if you pull on it where the butt section takes the strain.

Don't believe me - get 10kg class tippet and see if you can break that pulling on the fly rod.
Straight sticking is cheating

[yella]

The walls on the new rods are thin though too. The high end rods cant be as light as they are now without becoming thinner. I regularly break rods but usually its been after a big fly hit the rod etc.

[Korrie]

I think one of the problems are that the fly fishers think it is a hoist or a crane and they have to lift the fish up from the bottom instead of playing the fish up.

[PieterS]

Probably a few things that can be at play:

1. Fisherman stories...
2. If it is a salt water trip where GT's are involved rods can definitely explode, especially certain brands (Maybe glass rods like the Swift Boca Grande would be a better call, no critical material failure)
3. Probably the most common reason for rods to break is bad casting, flies hitting the blank and causing fractures. My bet would be mostly on this point, this is something most guides would point out. A lot of clients struggle to even manage 5 to 10 meters

[dollar]

I think one of the problems are that the fly fishers think it is a hoist or a crane and they have to lift the fish up from the bottom instead of playing the fish up.

agreed and the too tight drag near the boat

[Kevin James]

Sorry gents, but my experience differs somewhat.

The rod is a hoist or a crane - how else are you going to get the fish up.
Use the rod to the maximum that the tackle (tippet) can withstand and give it hell.
A lot of the situations we only get heads back if you dick around too long and play - your mileage may vary, but I know what works for me and most of the blokes I fish with blue water.

Angles are your friend!!
Get the rod working from the butt - buggering around and lifting off the tip is getting you nowhere.
Put the hurt on the fish from the get go.

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EDIT: I see photobucket are forcing you to pay now to host 3rd party photo's.
Well, they can get ****ed!

I'll need to try find those photo's again at some stage and re-post.

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[dollar]

in my lack of saltwater fishing has produced a few broken rods. saltwater fish are demons compared to freshwater fish. to help me for not breaking another rod while doing the salty stuff, i looked at shorter rods. like for bassing where short casts, accuracy and pulling power to pull the bass from structure is needed didnt really work for me in saltwater conditions. i needed distance, something to throw bulky/heavy flies, always wind about and lastly on land i needed height to avoid waves. the 9 foot (sometimes i wished a 10 foot) rod was the answer.
with the length now sorted, i looked at angles. on land i use my legs to position myself relative to the fish, avoiding or steering the fish from from rocks, working myself with surf surges and indentifying/guessing the time when to grab the leader/line by hand to beach the fish. offshore, i use the boat to distance me a bit until the fish has reached the upper levels or near the surface, drag loosen to deal with swell and possible fish runs, a boat partner almost essential to help pull in the line when the fish is almost at the boat and lastly i hardly ever lift pass the 60 or 70 degree angle - id rather pump the rod a few more times.

a thought - would fibre glass be a better option for offshore fishing

[dollar]

oops, sorry