Can a Fishing Rod be Repaired?

Many of us anglers have heard the sickening crunch of a cracked fishing pole at one point or another in our lives.

A quality fishing rod can last for decades, so if you break an oldie, it can be quite hard to say goodbye.

As you hold the broken pieces of your beloved fishing rod in your hands, you may most probably be wondering how to repair a fishing rod.

The answer is that it is definitely possible to repair your fishing rod, depending on the extent of the damage.

A broken tip, damaged cork handle, or a cracked ferrule may be fixed if you have the right equipment.

Although there may be several things to consider, repairing a broken rod can be well worth the effort. Here we will answer questions like:

• How can you damage your fishing rod?
• How to repair some common fishing rod problems?
• Can all sorts of fishing rod damages be repaired?

How Can You Damage Your Fishing Rod?

Fishing rods are designed for decades of use, but that doesn’t mean they are immune to damage.

There are endless reasons why fishing rods can break. Some of the most common ones are listed below:

Low-Quality Material

Your fishing rod is likely to break during a fishing expedition if it is made of poor-quality material.

Some materials cannot withstand high pressure or extreme temperatures and may snap.

Therefore, it is important you check the material and temperature ratings of your fishing rod when making a purchase.

Many of the best type of fishing rods are made of fiberglass or graphite.

Manufacturing Defect

A flawed and imperfect design is another main reason for a fishing rod to break.

Most cheap-quality fishing rods also have manufacturing defects and faulty designs.

They may not have proper tips and guides, and may have poor flexibility.

Additionally, cheap quality rods do not employ the use of innovative and precise technology, so machine error is always a possibility in them.

Misusing the Fishing Rod

Using your fishing rod roughly and with inexperience can cause it to break.

Many inexperienced anglers may struggle with the rod during a fish fight.

Instead of giving their rod some leeway, they grip it too tightly. This means the rod bends more than it should and it can break.

Additionally, many anglers may break off the tip of the rod if they grab it in the middle to haul a fish out of the water, or to try to rip free of a snag.

Avoid doing this. Instead, use the whole rod to pull out the fish or use a net to fish it out.

If the tip is caught in a snag, go back and try to pull it out from the same angle.

If it doesn’t come out, point the rod straight at the snag, grip the spool, and pull the line straight out so that the tension is on the line rather than the rod.

High Sticking

High sticking happens when inexperienced anglers pull on their rods so that they stand up almost vertically.

This increases the stiffness in the rod and the pressure can snap it into two.

Using Guides to Hold Hooks

Inexperienced anglers sometime use guides to keep their hooks so they have the convenience of quickly hooking on a lure and reeling down.

This practice should be avoided as overtime, it can put a stress to the guides and cause them to bend or break off.

Adding a hook keeper to your rod to hold the hooks is a better option.

Laying the Pole Down

It is easy to step on a fishing rod that is lying down in the middle of the deck.

If your rod has an open face spinning reel, your handle and bail spring should be up and the weight of the rod and reel should not be borne by the bail spring or handle.

Laying them down on the floor can weaken and damage the bail springs and the handles.

Transporting the Rod

When traveling long distance or over rough waters, it is a good idea to strap down your rods or stow them in cases.

At the very least, buy a rod sleeve that you can use to protect the pole from scratches and abrasions.

Storing the Rods

Your garden shed may seem like a good place to store a fishing rod, but moisture and fluctuating temperature can weaken the fiberglass and graphite poles.

Although it may seem fine from the outside, your next big fish could snap it into two.

How To Repair Some Common Fishing Rod Problems?

The first step on how to repair fishing rod is to assess the severity of the damage.

Broken Rod Tip

This is the most common break that anglers experience. Fortunately, it also the easiest and most affordable kind of damage to fix.

In many cases, your tip will be broken a few inches from the very end and can be repaired without reducing the quality of your rod, although you may experience a slight dip in sensitivity.

However, this is normally not a big issue. Here’s how you can fix the tip:

• You will need to buy a new tip top for this.
• Use a lighter to melt the adhesive on the broken tip top of the rod, so it is easier to remove. You can remove the tip top straight off the rod blank.
• Use a 120- or 220-grit sandpaper to smooth the exposed tip of the rod.
• Slice out small round pieces of rod cement so they fit inside the hollow chamber in your new tip top. You can use a lighter to melt the cement so the tip top attaches to your rod.
• Once the cement has melted, quickly slide the tip top onto the tip of your rod so that it aligns with your guides.
• Let it set for a couple of hours and your rod will be free to use.

Snapped Fiberglass Rod

If pressure is not distributed evenly over your rod, it can snap into two.

If your fishing rod is hollow, you can fix it with a fiberglass pole. If it is not, then there is no way you can fix it.

A broken pole can be mended, although your rod may not function as good as new.

However, it should not snap again if you take it out for a test.

• Use a 180- to 220-grit sandpaper to smooth the ends of the broken rod. If the rod has a jagged edge, you can cut out its sharp edges with clippers.
• Using a tape measure, wrap it around the broken end of the rod and measure it. Then measure the other piece of rod to see if it is thinner. Write down the measurements to know what pole size you need.
• Buy a fiberglass pole that has a smaller circumference (about one-eights to one-fourth inch smaller) and cut out about 12 inches of it, so it can easily slip inside the hollow fishing rod and adequately support the pole.
• Slide the pole into the hollow fishing rod until only 6 inches of it remains exposed. It should fit snugly inside. If it doesn’t, you can make it thick by wrapping duct tape around it.
• Coat the exposed fiberglass pole with epoxy glue and before it can dry, slide the other end of the broken rod onto the fiberglass pole. Make sure the guides on the pole line up so your line doesn’t get tangled. Press the two broken pieces flush against each other.
• Let the pole rest overnight. You can also wrap electrical tape around the rod to make it more secure.

Damaged Line Guide

The guides on a fishing rod are made of soft metal with a metal or inner ring that allows the line to glide through without friction.

Sometimes, the guide can become bent or break off or its inner rings can become scratched, which means they need to be replaced.

• If the damaged guide is still hanging on, you need to cut through its old wrapping and epoxy to remove it. Don’t put a razor to the rod as it can damage it.
• Sand the place where you want your new guide to go so that is smooth and offers better adhesion.
• Press the base of the new guide on the rod and make sure it is aligned with the other guides on the pole. Wrap a piece of tape to hold the guide in place and then wind thread around the guide while maintaining tension on the loop. Stop when the loops of thread extend half an inch to either side.
• Paint a layer of epoxy onto the guide so that the threads do not fray and stay in place. Let it try overnight.

Cracked Ferrule

The joint which joins the rod pieces of the fishing pole is called the ferrule.

A ferrule may become cracked due to excessive pressure on the road.

Small cracks on the ferrule can be repaired and the ferrule will perform just like before.

However, if a ferrule has a crack larger than half an inch, even after fixing it, it won’t be strong enough to handle the flex of the fishing rod.

• You can cut off the cracked part of the ferrule using a Dremel rotary cutter.
• The thread and epoxy wrapped around the cracked ferrule is removed.
• Rewrap the ferrule with new wrap in the same way as explained in the guide replacement method.
• Coat it with epoxy for extra security.

Can All Sorts of Fishing Rod Damage be Repaired?

Some types of fishing rods damage cannot be fixed and you will need to buy a whole new rod to continue fishing.

One-piece fishing rods or rods that are not hollow cannot be fixed if they snap in the middle.

Although small damages can be easily fixed, some cases call for you to buy a new rod because the fixed rods may not have the original functionality.

Some situations demand precise casting and improperly fixed guides or tip can prevent you from hooking more fish.

However, in many instances, you will not need to throw away your fishing rod, especially if you are catching smaller, lightweight fish.

We hope this guide showed you that repairing a fishing rod doesn’t have to cost a fortune, and that a broken or damaged rod shouldn’t end your fishing career.