Posts by Captneilf
1 - 6 of 49 Posts
Joined
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10,661 Posts
Hi,
Did this crack happen in the area where the tip goes from flex to stiff? I ask as I have not fished an Inshore Lite.
Many years ago The LI Fisherman had a great article about stress on blanks. Their testing proved that when holding the rod between 3 and 5 o'clock the most stress was placed on the fish and not on the blank. Raising the tip above 3 o'clock heading towards 12 o'clock produced less stress on the fish and more stress on the blank. Swinging a fish over the side is basically high sticking. Many times you see an angler on a pb waiting for a mate with the rod tip up and a fish handing below the tip. I have seen them with the butt resting on the deck and the fish hanging off the tip. And then, a rifle shot! The weakest ares of a blank are where there are changes in design, flexible tip area to mid section of blank and even the mid section to the butt area. Graphite is very strong but it's achilles heel is it's stiffness.
Neil
Did this crack happen in the area where the tip goes from flex to stiff? I ask as I have not fished an Inshore Lite.
Many years ago The LI Fisherman had a great article about stress on blanks. Their testing proved that when holding the rod between 3 and 5 o'clock the most stress was placed on the fish and not on the blank. Raising the tip above 3 o'clock heading towards 12 o'clock produced less stress on the fish and more stress on the blank. Swinging a fish over the side is basically high sticking. Many times you see an angler on a pb waiting for a mate with the rod tip up and a fish handing below the tip. I have seen them with the butt resting on the deck and the fish hanging off the tip. And then, a rifle shot! The weakest ares of a blank are where there are changes in design, flexible tip area to mid section of blank and even the mid section to the butt area. Graphite is very strong but it's achilles heel is it's stiffness.
Neil
Joined
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10,661 Posts
How many times have I seen this? Too many!
Customer has fish on and having trouble getting fish over the rail. Mate grabs the rod half way up and swings fish. He just reduced the length of the blank in half and is putting all the stress on the top of the rod. This is fine if the mates does in on the boat rods as it becomes their problem if rod breaks. But then most pb rods are beasts or very flexible. DO NOT do that to any rod that I am using.
If a nice fish is coming up ask for the net OR wind up, get the fish on the surface, lean over the rail and lift the fish in holding the leader.
Yes, I agree swinging fish is a ton of fun, especially big blues. But you need a lot pof room to swing them properly. You need room behind you so that the lift is in one easy motion. Once you have the fish flying it's momentum will do the rest so the tip is not doing the work. Then let the tip follow the direction of the fish. As it hits the deck, release line so the tip is free.
Think about this. Every blank is rated for a casting range, say 1-3 ounces. That is the range of lures that the tip can handle when casting. Now when that same blank is used to swing big fish the top area of the rod is over loaded.
I suspect you swung that fish pretty fast. If you had been slower I think the blank would be in 2 or 3 pieces as the graphite material would have been twisted and shredded due to the stress.
Folks these blanks we are using today can not take the abuse the blanks of 30 years ago could. It is a new ball game. Most of the blanks I build on I tell my customers that they are finesse sticks and treat them as such. We have 30# class blanks with #7 tips. Years ago that would be a #12 or better. We are fishing with blanks that weight less than 2 ounces instead of 6 or 7 ounces. Yes, graphite is more sensitive and stronger but that comes with a price. They have to be treated kindly!
If a blank fails during the first couple of usages a good guess is that it was a manufacturing defect. I have had a blank break the first time I checked the spine before building it. That is mo where near the pressure a fish would put on it.
I do find that the blank manufacturers are very good when replacing blanks/rods. I would call them again. Maybe some one had a bad day or the person before your call/inspection gave the employee a hard time. Good fortune.
I hope this helps.
Neil
Customer has fish on and having trouble getting fish over the rail. Mate grabs the rod half way up and swings fish. He just reduced the length of the blank in half and is putting all the stress on the top of the rod. This is fine if the mates does in on the boat rods as it becomes their problem if rod breaks. But then most pb rods are beasts or very flexible. DO NOT do that to any rod that I am using.
If a nice fish is coming up ask for the net OR wind up, get the fish on the surface, lean over the rail and lift the fish in holding the leader.
Yes, I agree swinging fish is a ton of fun, especially big blues. But you need a lot pof room to swing them properly. You need room behind you so that the lift is in one easy motion. Once you have the fish flying it's momentum will do the rest so the tip is not doing the work. Then let the tip follow the direction of the fish. As it hits the deck, release line so the tip is free.
Think about this. Every blank is rated for a casting range, say 1-3 ounces. That is the range of lures that the tip can handle when casting. Now when that same blank is used to swing big fish the top area of the rod is over loaded.
I suspect you swung that fish pretty fast. If you had been slower I think the blank would be in 2 or 3 pieces as the graphite material would have been twisted and shredded due to the stress.
Folks these blanks we are using today can not take the abuse the blanks of 30 years ago could. It is a new ball game. Most of the blanks I build on I tell my customers that they are finesse sticks and treat them as such. We have 30# class blanks with #7 tips. Years ago that would be a #12 or better. We are fishing with blanks that weight less than 2 ounces instead of 6 or 7 ounces. Yes, graphite is more sensitive and stronger but that comes with a price. They have to be treated kindly!
If a blank fails during the first couple of usages a good guess is that it was a manufacturing defect. I have had a blank break the first time I checked the spine before building it. That is mo where near the pressure a fish would put on it.
I do find that the blank manufacturers are very good when replacing blanks/rods. I would call them again. Maybe some one had a bad day or the person before your call/inspection gave the employee a hard time. Good fortune.
I hope this helps.
Neil
Joined
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10,661 Posts
Go back a few years,
a company advertised broken rods replaced no questions asked. Sounds good. But here is what one guy did. Bought the rod and at the end of the season he would purposely break it, return it to the tackle shop and get a new one. Started the next year off with a new rod.
Another guy lifted stripers with a lite rod and it broke. Goes to the tackle shop the next day gets a new rod. Goes fishing that night and breaks the second rod lifting a striper. So he goes back to the shop and gets a new one. This time the employee tells him I know what you are doing. This is the last rod you are getting replaced.
This is the one area of custom rod building that I don't like. Rod breaks and regardless of the reason some folks expect me to build them a new one for free. Wasn't my fault the rod broke. I do offer to build them a new one for 1/2 the labor rate plus parts.
This is certainly a gray area for both the manufacturer and the purchaser.
Capt Neil
a company advertised broken rods replaced no questions asked. Sounds good. But here is what one guy did. Bought the rod and at the end of the season he would purposely break it, return it to the tackle shop and get a new one. Started the next year off with a new rod.
Another guy lifted stripers with a lite rod and it broke. Goes to the tackle shop the next day gets a new rod. Goes fishing that night and breaks the second rod lifting a striper. So he goes back to the shop and gets a new one. This time the employee tells him I know what you are doing. This is the last rod you are getting replaced.
This is the one area of custom rod building that I don't like. Rod breaks and regardless of the reason some folks expect me to build them a new one for free. Wasn't my fault the rod broke. I do offer to build them a new one for 1/2 the labor rate plus parts.
This is certainly a gray area for both the manufacturer and the purchaser.
Capt Neil
Joined
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10,661 Posts
My thought!
Most anglers never end up with a broken blank. Some anglers might have one over their fishing life time. Then some anglers have a history of breaking blanks.
Custom rod builders probably see more broken rods and have more dealings with the manufacturers. It never ceases to amaze me how many times they honor their warranty. Many times I was surprised when they gave the customer a new blank or rod. They should get credit for that. I do understand that it is less expensive to give out a blank versus a rod.
Neil
Most anglers never end up with a broken blank. Some anglers might have one over their fishing life time. Then some anglers have a history of breaking blanks.
Custom rod builders probably see more broken rods and have more dealings with the manufacturers. It never ceases to amaze me how many times they honor their warranty. Many times I was surprised when they gave the customer a new blank or rod. They should get credit for that. I do understand that it is less expensive to give out a blank versus a rod.
Neil
Joined
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10,661 Posts
Forgot to read the fine print!
I take too much for granted. Sometimes it causes me grief.
Saw these nice colored blanks for sale that would make good fluke rods especially for children. Price was right and cam with a limited warranty. So I ordered a few in all the colors. I wanted to make inexpensive children's rods. Turns out that was impossible unless I worked for 5 bucks an hour. They did make nice rods.
I forget exactly why but I had to go back and read the limited warranty. The warranty stated that it was good for only 1 year. So I called the company that I purchased them from. It turns out the warranty started the day they sold me the blanks. Of course it took me over a year to start building on the blanks. The warranty was up before I started to build. BUYER BEWARE!
Many blank/rod purchases are made without taking into consideration what the warranty is. It is only after a disaster that we get concerned. How many anglers buy a companies rod and know that for a set fee they can get a new one if theirs breaks? I bet not many. Store employees could care less about another companies warranty. I have no idea which companies have such plans.
I always try to tell my new customers what I will do for them if a rod I built for them gets broken. Actually as a customer they should ask that question. Too many think they will get a new one for free.
Capt Neil
I take too much for granted. Sometimes it causes me grief.
Saw these nice colored blanks for sale that would make good fluke rods especially for children. Price was right and cam with a limited warranty. So I ordered a few in all the colors. I wanted to make inexpensive children's rods. Turns out that was impossible unless I worked for 5 bucks an hour. They did make nice rods.
I forget exactly why but I had to go back and read the limited warranty. The warranty stated that it was good for only 1 year. So I called the company that I purchased them from. It turns out the warranty started the day they sold me the blanks. Of course it took me over a year to start building on the blanks. The warranty was up before I started to build. BUYER BEWARE!
Many blank/rod purchases are made without taking into consideration what the warranty is. It is only after a disaster that we get concerned. How many anglers buy a companies rod and know that for a set fee they can get a new one if theirs breaks? I bet not many. Store employees could care less about another companies warranty. I have no idea which companies have such plans.
I always try to tell my new customers what I will do for them if a rod I built for them gets broken. Actually as a customer they should ask that question. Too many think they will get a new one for free.
Capt Neil
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