Sick of Graphite

Wetswinger

Go Deep
Forum Supporter
Sorry, but I need to vent... I'm sick, sick, sick of breaking graphite fishing rods! My beloved NFC switchrod broke while casting a couple days ago. I probably bumped it while bushwaking down to the beach. So let's see. That's the sixth broken rod in the last three years. Two Fenwick spin rods, a short Cabelas fly rod, a CND switch twice, and now my No. Fork. Christ, are these things made of egg shells?
The thing is, I used an old 70's Fenwick glass rod exclusively for 20 yrs. without a problem. I still have it and pull it out a couple times a year. If they made longer glass rods I'd change out my switch and 10ft lake rod and say good riddance to f-ing graphite forever....
Oh, thank you. After all this bitching, I feel much better now!...
 

Bambooflyguy

Life of the Party
Bummer! That’s the bad thing about hollow plastic rods......give up strength for lightness. I fish bamboo, but not in the salt, but I really don’t fish the salt much anymore. I guess you play you pay.....
 

Bambooflyguy

Life of the Party
Dan, I was going to give your post a like......but I just couldn’t. I’ve been known to break rods too....but most bamboo breaks I can fix!
 
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Salmo_g

Legend
Forum Supporter
Wetswinger,

Graphite is far more brittle compared to glass, but 6 breaks in 3 years? Graphite rods are not that delicate. Maybe time to look in the mirror for a major contributor to your problem. If there truly is zero difference in how you treat both the graphite and fiberglass rods, then maybe there is something about the rods going on. I've broken a few graphite rods, and except for one model that was known for a particular defect, all the rest were some form of user error, which can include slipping and falling and whacking a rod tip on a boulder. Only ever broke two glass rods, and those were definitely user error. Frankly, for the way I treat my gear, I'm surprised that I don't break more rods.
 

Evan B

Bobber Downey Jr.
Staff member
Admin
Wetswinger,

Graphite is far more brittle compared to glass, but 6 breaks in 3 years? Graphite rods are not that delicate. Maybe time to look in the mirror for a major contributor to your problem. If there truly is zero difference in how you treat both the graphite and fiberglass rods, then maybe there is something about the rods going on. I've broken a few graphite rods, and except for one model that was known for a particular defect, all the rest were some form of user error, which can include slipping and falling and whacking a rod tip on a boulder. Only ever broke two glass rods, and those were definitely user error. Frankly, for the way I treat my gear, I'm surprised that I don't break more rods.
There's a lot of truth here. I will say that from my experience in the rod industry, the folks who seem to be the ones breaking the most rods will often comment with such things like "I've been fishing for 40+yrs and still have rods from the 70s I've never broke!" - then you have other guys who own 10+ of our rods and comment on how they've never broke a one in years. Maybe a tip accident here or there, but that's it.

Think the last time I broke a fly rod was 7-8yrs ago.
 

Northern

Seeking SMB
Forum Supporter
Other than user-error tip accidents, the only rod I've had with breakage issues is old Albright A5's**. They were known to be brittle, but both the 4 & 5wts are favorites of mine, joy-of-casting-wise. At one point I had the 5wt in dark green, and also in a special edition light green. (They went OOB maybe 8 years ago.) Over the years, I broke each multiple times, but different, alternating sections...so now I have what @FishingGirl fondly refers to as "Frank"- as in Frankenrod - as my only and often-used 5wt in a large stable of rods 🤪
20221201_154249.jpg
**incidentally, if anyone has an Albright A5 9ft in 4wt or 5wt (even a broken one!) laying around, I'd be interested in buying 😉
 

Buzzy

I prefer to call them strike indicators.
Forum Supporter
Other than user-error tip accidents, the only rod I've had with breakage issues is old Albright A5's**. They were known to be brittle, but both the 4 & 5wts are favorites of mine, joy-of-casting-wise. At one point I had the 5wt in dark green, and also in a special edition light green. (They went OOB maybe 8 years ago.) Over the years, I broke each multiple times, but different, alternating sections...so now I have what @FishingGirl fondly refers to as "Frank"- as in Frankenrod - as my only and often-used 5wt in a large stable of rods 🤪
View attachment 43427
**incidentally, if anyone has an Albright A5 9ft in 4wt or 5wt (even a broken one!) laying around, I'd be interested in buying 😉
Pretty sure you were fishing this Franken thingamajig when we met......

I've broken several graphite rods over the years, only one wasn't my fault. Damn heavy beadheads anyway.
 

Sam Roffe

If a man ain't fishing...
Forum Supporter
I've been very fortunate, not breaking to many rods, it either means I am extra careful, or don't fish enough. Probably the later.
 

Rob Allen

Life of the Party
Sorry, but I need to vent... I'm sick, sick, sick of breaking graphite fishing rods! My beloved NFC switchrod broke while casting a couple days ago. I probably bumped it while bushwaking down to the beach. So let's see. That's the sixth broken rod in the last three years. Two Fenwick spin rods, a short Cabelas fly rod, a CND switch twice, and now my No. Fork. Christ, are these things made of egg shells?
The thing is, I used an old 70's Fenwick glass rod exclusively for 20 yrs. without a problem. I still have it and pull it out a couple times a year. If they made longer glass rods I'd change out my switch and 10ft lake rod and say good riddance to f-ing graphite forever....
Oh, thank you. After all this bitching,


I broke a rod this year.. I broke it by putting in a tube that was too small. The stripping guide compressed the upper mid section and it broke with 5 feet of line out.

You cannot treat graphite rods like fiberglass rods.

15 years in the industry . Some people just break rods..
 

Wetswinger

Go Deep
Forum Supporter
Wetswinger,

Graphite is far more brittle compared to glass, but 6 breaks in 3 years? Graphite rods are not that delicate. Maybe time to look in the mirror for a major contributor to your problem. If there truly is zero difference in how you treat both the graphite and fiberglass rods, then maybe there is something about the rods going on. I've broken a few graphite rods, and except for one model that was known for a particular defect, all the rest were some form of user error, which can include slipping and falling and whacking a rod tip on a boulder. Only ever broke two glass rods, and those were definitely user error. Frankly, for the way I treat my gear, I'm surprised that I don't break more rods.
Ya, like I said, I probably am the culprit. The spin rods both broke at the same place, the 4th guide down and were covered by a generous Fenwic warranty. The NFC and Cabelas more than likely from heavy bushwacking. CND, heavy hits with lead eyes. I'm just frustrated with it all. When I was a young buck I never had any equipment problems. Now I'm old and everything including me just falls apart...
 

Northern

Seeking SMB
Forum Supporter
Ya, like I said, I probably am the culprit. The spin rods both broke at the same place, the 4th guide down and were covered by a generous Fenwic warranty. The NFC and Cabelas more than likely from heavy bushwacking. CND, heavy hits with lead eyes. I'm just frustrated with it all. When I was a young buck I never had any equipment problems. Now I'm old and everything including me just falls apart...
I think you should just assume that your older, more mature and skilled self generates such impressive line speed with your powerful casting technique, that the occasional, wind-mediated clouser strike is now near fatal to your rods 😎
 

jasmillo

}=)))*>
Forum Supporter
Sorry, but I need to vent... I'm sick, sick, sick of breaking graphite fishing rods! My beloved NFC switchrod broke while casting a couple days ago. I probably bumped it while bushwaking down to the beach. So let's see. That's the sixth broken rod in the last three years. Two Fenwick spin rods, a short Cabelas fly rod, a CND switch twice, and now my No. Fork. Christ, are these things made of egg shells?
The thing is, I used an old 70's Fenwick glass rod exclusively for 20 yrs. without a problem. I still have it and pull it out a couple times a year. If they made longer glass rods I'd change out my switch and 10ft lake rod and say good riddance to f-ing graphite forever....
Oh, thank you. After all this bitching, I feel much better now!...

It happens. I think I broke 3 rods during coho season in 2021 and another on a ho hum 5ish lb blackmouth in January 2022. This coho season, no breaks :). Nothing targeting chum either…yeah! I am admittedly tough on rods, in particular the stuff I use multiple times a week during busy times of year. You can likely put the blame on me for all those breaks. That said, I think there is an argument for rod companies to better balance durability with performance. Make the rod a little heavier…have it cast a few feet less, if it means it won’t explode randomly mid cast when a rod section becomes a little loose. It’s sexier…and probably more effective to market performance versus durability as well. Every fly fisher is looking for an edge. Even though most fly caster probably are not able to capitalize on the incremental performance improvements rod manufacturers are pushing.

I also did not fish Sage rods much this coho season either. My Scott Centric put in the majority of the work. So….
 
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