# Rod life expectancy



## ESOX

How long a life do you expect to get out of a decent graphite rod? Looking back to the late 70's- early 80's when carbon fiber rods became readily available to no, it seems that for me any rod, treated well but used consistently has about a 10 year life span.
What got me thinking of this was that I just discovered a pet 9' GL3 steelhead rod I was spooling up for tomorrow is developing a gap at the fore grip/ reel seat transition that opens and closes with the blank loading. Not good.:sad: That got me thinking about other favorites that died of natural causes. I guess the glues etc only have so long a life span. 
What kind of life spans are you guys getting?


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## Zofchak

It's been my experience that the more I pay for a rod the faster I end up breaking it! :lol: Don't forget that barring actual damage to the blank fishing rods really don't have a set life span. They can almost always be repaired or refurbished to look and perform like new.


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## frenchriver1

Take care of them well and they will take of you forever...


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## Toga

It all depends on how you care for them and the craftsmanship. My go to rod is fished hard and fished often. I built it approximately 25 years ago on a Dale Clemens custom builder blank (yes it is graphite) and used top quality components. I have caught thousands of fish on it and it is still in excellent condition. Heck the handle on it even after 25 years of use is nicer than the handles I see on store bought rods and most of the custom rods I have encountered. I'll fish it for a few more years then It will be time to re-wrap the guides to prep it for another 20+ years of battle


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## earl

Had a wave take a Sage 4106 two years ago, was about 25 or 26 years old. Got a couple of others (a 2106 and a GII4106) that are probably now about 23 and about 17 years. Got a GLoomis 1141 that is about 15 too.

Busted an IM 6 salmon casting rod that was only 5 or 7 years old, never loved it, and never replaced it either. Had a Lami 9.5 foot about 10 years old that the TSA shortened by 4 inches for me.

I've rewrapped a few guides, but the goo, scales, and handle wear just adds charactor.

I've added some factory rods in the last couple years, saves wear on the oldies and recognizes that the number of guides that I'm going to rewrap is limited...


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## jd_7655

Before Fenwick started making they're rods in China I had decent luck with them lasting. I had one for 10 years until something yanked it overboard.

My current St Coix is going on 5 years. I've also had good luck with Shimano.

I just bought a Berkly. I havne't even used it yet and it sounds like something is rattling in it.


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## Eyefull

How long a rod last is related to several factors. The most common factor in rod failure is unintended damage whether known or unknown. Todays high modulus graphite blanks are the best performing blanks ever, but that comes at a price. As the modulus ratings go up, so does their inability to take damage. Just a whack on a tree limb, gunwall of the boat, or dropped can put a scar on a blank that will result in failure. Often times the actual failure of the blank is down the road and the fishermen is left holding a broken rod, scratching their head and cussing the manufacturer, not remembering the previous bad act. The very high end rods that are utilizing the highest modulus blanks (Loomis, St. Croix, Sage, etc...) see the most of these types of unexplained breakages. They are also the ones that are broken by often unsuspecting anglers by practices like high sticking (fighting the rod past 90 degrees), jerking like Roland Martin trying to free up a snagged 4$ lure with a $300 rod, and overlining (using 50# braid on a rod rated for 15#). As with the previous mentioned damage related breaks, you can damage the blank doing something stupid, and have it break five fish later as a result. 

Once you get past the blank, it comes down to the components and assembly techniques. You can start with the best blank in the world, but if you use crap components, and assemble it using poor practices, it will surely fail. The retail rod manufacturers are working with very small margins and many rely on many across the pond companies for assembly, yes even the previous mentioned rod companies use overseas help. 

Take one of your scrap rods and cut the reel seat in half. I can almost guarantee you will find that plain old masking tape was used to create bushings. What happens when water and masking tape get together? You get a mushy mess that will eventually just fail. Guides are another way they cut costs. Using a $3 set of guides on a $85 blank is another way to cut costs. Retail rods also have their finish applied by machine, often if not always resulting in a poor job. Next time your rod shopping, take a close look at the thread finish edges. Most if not all rods in a store will have at least one guide that water can get in around one of the edges, that is when that guide twists or falls off unexplainably. 

Finally the owner themselves play a role in keeping their rod in great shape. Periodic maintenance can avert many small problems. I use Pledge Orange Oil to clean and leave a nice protecting sheen on my rods. Never use things like WD40 or fingernail polish to clean or touch up guide wraps, they contain acetone, lacquer, or other solvents that breaks down the epoxy.

That is why a good custom rod will last for years, and why I have a lifetime service guarantee on my rods. They are made one at a time with the best components available. Sorry, this wasn't meant to turn into a shameless plug, but it did:yikes:. 

There are great retail rods out there, but they are made by machine and will have some issues related to that and costing. Choosing them or even a custom rod carefully, using them correctly, and taking good care of them will help them last for years, maybe a lifetime if your lucky.


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## Eyefull

I talked about the high end rods, but left out the obvious. If you pay $20 for an 8'6" downrigger rod, you have to know what your getting. Start with a cheap or second quality blank, cheapo guides, and a grip and reel seat setup that is poor at best. If you fish *hard and often*, these types of rods will fail for sure and normally quickly. Rod manufacturers aren't concerned about giving you a $20 rod that is a quality marvel because it makes them feel good. They sell you a $20 rod because they still make $8 profit on it.:rant:


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## Cpt.Chaos

frenchriver1 said:


> Take care of them well and they will take of you forever...


My Dad made a couple of rods back in the 70's, he used all quality materials, he has and uses them to this day.

I mostly troll, I have good old Ugly Sticks and some Cabela's DM downrigger rods and they are going on 11 years. I have a Browning noodle rod that is 12 years old.


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## -Axiom-

I have a custom made Lamiglas steelhead rod and a Fenwick HMG that are both over 15 yrs old.
The Fenwick has been fished to death every year since I bought it, it should have broken many years ago.

This Fenwick amazes me, I quit using it a long time ago but someone is always using it.
This Fenwick has gone through pretty much everything short of being slammed in a car door.
Even novice fisherman can't break it.
The ferrules and seat are still tight also, simply amazing.
I think the Fenwick is 18yr old or more, it was the first high quality rod ( over $100 at the time) I ever bought.

Aside from the wear they are both in perfect shape.

I have some St. Croix's that are approaching 10 yr old, they are in perfect shape also.


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## Whit1

I've had rods for many years including a graphite/Eagle Claw blank that I built about 25 yrs. ago. It still serves me well and I use it for steelheads. The comment above about the components is spot on correct as is those speaking about taking care of the rod.

I have an old Shakespeare fiberglass rod that I've refinished. For you gents that have been around more than a few decades it was one of those white rods.........what was the name??......and it was a favorite of mine for many years. The last time I used it was at Homestead Dam on the Betsie R. during the salmon run. I caught a king that went about 10lbs. with it and there was no trouble at all. I rarely use it now.

Back during WWII rod makers would use steel for rods. I still have one of my father's. I would be very reluctant to use it now because the steel gets brittle and some rust does set in. It is a hollow steel rod by the way. Dad broke one on a carp in the Grand River in front of Fourth St. Dam back in the late 50s. By "Fourth St. Dam" I am, of course, referring to what is now called 6th St. Dam. In reality it is at Fourth St.

Whenever I broke a rod it was my own fault rather than a problem with the rod.

By the way Fenwick used to make some of the best glass blanks available and they're still around.


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## earl

The legendary Shakespeare Wonder Rod...did you match it with Mitchell 300? or something else...


Are those Fenwick fiberglass 12's really still available?


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## Whit1

earl said:


> The legendary Shakespeare Wonder Rod...did you match it with Mitchell 300? or something else...
> 
> 
> Are those Fenwick fiberglass 12's really still available?


Yes, I know "Wonder Rod", but there was another name and it applied to fly rods. I used a DAM Quick 221.........the quick retrieve version of the 220........with the rod. I still have that reel along with two other 220s.


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## MSUICEMAN

probably worthwhile to get that fixed E, sounds like the cork just came loose.


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## Eyefull

Yep, probably very worth getting it fixed. Either the cork is loose as stated or the reel seat bushings (tape, cardboard, or worse) are mushy and the seat is moving. Either way it can be fixed. If it is the cork, hit it with steam to get the epoxy underneath hot, it should break free and slide up the blank. Clean away the residue and scuff the blank. Re apply a good epoxy (Rod Bond) and slide the cork back down. If it is the reel seat that is moving, it becomes quite a bit more involved, but still very worth doing if you love the rod. Good luck, you have to love a quality rod.


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## jasnooks

Whit1 said:


> Yes, I know "Wonder Rod", but there was another name and it applied to fly rods.


 "Howald" Wonder Rod. I have (and still use sometimes) my grandfathers fly rod made in 1953. White blank, red thread, nice cork and a green anodized reel seat, still in the original rod sock and aluminum tube. It even has a hook keeper at the top of the handle. Its paired with an old Arnold reel that i cant find any info on. Nice rod, all original, still works great. I dont use it much though, for fear of breaking it. Usually just when i'm feeling nostalgic. Edit: Howald was the name of the inventor of the "Howald Process". Which is used in making glass blanks. Google "the howald process" for more info.


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## Whit1

jasnooks said:


> "Howald" Wonder Rod. I have (and still use sometimes) my grandfathers fly rod made in 1953. White blank, red thread, nice cork and a green anodized reel seat, still in the original rod sock and aluminum tube. It even has a hook keeper at the top of the handle. Its paired with an old Arnold reel that i cant find any info on. Nice rod, all original, still works great. I dont use it much though, for fear of breaking it. Usually just when i'm feeling nostalgic. Edit: Howald was the name of the inventor of the "Howald Process". Which is used in making glass blanks. Google "the howald process" for more info.


That word "Howald" doesn't ring a bell at all. I broke my original Shakespeare fly rod on the Frankfort pier, but found another one at a yard sale for $3. The guides were worn and I stripped that rod down and refinished it, using ceramic guides, which removed any markings.


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## brigeton

This isn't really a how long did it last post but I had a Shimano Crucial spinning rod break a couple weeks ago. It was about a year old. I called the customer service number and the guy said send it with a note with your name, address, & how it broke. No receipt. A week later I had a brand new rod. All it cost me was $16 to ship it there.


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## Steelmon

I pulled my 9 ft. St. Croix Wild River out of the truck yesterday and the first guide up from the handle had the ceramic missing. The piece wasn't in the truck, so I can only assume that it fell out on my last trip. I do bang my rods into rocks and trees sometimes. It can hardly be helped in a couple of the spots I fish. That rod is about 6 years old. I had another Fuji Guide on hand so I put it on last night.


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## honkey

I have a number of graphite rods that are over 20 years old and going strong.


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## Chinookhead

Graphite rods are going to last as long as they are not abused or damaged. Like people have said, damage is harder to avoid on the most advanced and expensive super light and thin blanks. They are more prone to cracks from being banged. Cosmotech blanks are an extreme example.....these are super light blanks that are designed to be able to handle 20-30# of drag for tuna and 80# braid, yet if you bang them on the rail....they become very prone to failure b/c the blanks are so thin and the graphite so hard and brittle.

This is why when I boat fish I will often choose higher modulus blanks b/c the lightness and sensitivity is nice, but when I shore fish I tend to shy away from very high modulus blanks b/c on shore I tend to bang my rod against rocks and trees etc. and they're more tolerant of being bent at extreme angles........"high sticking" is especially a no no with with high modulus rods.


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## Robert Holmes

I see it every year on the river, a guy pulls up in his truck walks down to the river makes one cast and is snagged up good. Whatever line he has on there is equal to 60 pound test line.The rod probably has a line capacity of 4-10 pound test. That does not matter because the fisherman is trying to catch a salmon. He locks the drag and walks backward until you hear what sounds like a rifle shot. So much for that rod.....now it is headed back to the store for an exchnge. Believe me it was not the fault of the rod.


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## sfw1960

I can't even believe I hadn't thought of posting this until now, even after reading:


brigeton said:


> .....I had a Shimano Crucial spinning rod break a couple weeks ago. It was about a year old. I called the customer service number and the guy said send it with a note with your name, address, & how it broke. No receipt. A week later I had a brand new rod.​




I gave my BIL an old Shimano MagnumLite GT, that at the time was touted as having 97% graphite with a 3% Boron mix. MC Sports is, somewhere roughly between 19-22 years ago - where I bought a 6'6" "pool cue' butted medium action spinning rod for $49.99, God only knows how many _THOUSANDS_ of fish that rod has killed, or how may dings there are in the rod's lacquer. It was a 2 piece, with most of the usable blank 2/3 of the way out of the butt and the bottom end a club to hold on too.....
:lol:
He's still using it, I'm sure not as often as I might if I still used it - but it's still alive and I'd put 3 new tip-tops on it due to line wear during my ownership , but a SIC tip-top ended all that. The EVA foam has hunks gone and has long worn smooth, but the titanium rings around the reel seat are as strong as ever.
They sure don't make'M like that anymore, do they boys??
​


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## Fecus

UV can really beat up a rod. I wax all my rods twice a year. Not only does the wax keep it looking sweet... if you do the guide you will cast farther. Keep it in a dark place during winter storage or put a rod sock on it.


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## Ranger Ray

Whit1 said:


> By the way Fenwick used to make some of the best glass blanks available and they're still around.


I still use one. Have had it since 1978. My friends have nick named it the meat stick. After I lose a few fish on my whimpy 10 1/2' St Croix, I pull out the yellow beast and *throw* a quick couple fish in the boat. :lol:


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