How Long Does Your Rods Last?

[FlatsNBay]

How long will your rods last you?

 I got to thinking that my rods usually last up to 10 years, maybe longer. When I break a rod, it's usually my fault. The last couple of broken rods were flipping sticks. When I set the hook and missed a fish, the hook and bullet weight came shooting out of the water and hit my rod. A trip or two later, "snap"!! Other than that, they just don't break.

I end up eventually upgrading rods after many years of use to get the latest and greatest benefits from new technology.

[Capt. BassinLou]

Great thread! Like you, other than rod breaking by my doing, which is rare, btw. Rods last me YEARS!

[ike8120]

How long will your rods last you?

 I got to thinking that my rods usually last up to 10 years, maybe longer. When I break a rod, it's usually my fault. The last couple of broken rods were flipping sticks. When I set the hook and missed a fish, the hook and bullet weight came shooting out of the water and hit my rod. A trip or two later, "snap"!! Other than that, they just don't break.

I end up eventually upgrading rods after many years of use to get the latest and greatest benefits from new technology.

Unless I break it usually a pretty long time.

[njpaulc]

It seems to me that rods get slower as they age.  Like the blank wearing out or getting "tired".

[Donald Garner]

My rods last me a long time.  I have a Lew Speed Stick Spinning Rod that I still use on occasion.  I bought this rod in 1973

My BPS Extreme Rods were all purchased back in 2009 > 2014.  I still have them and use them.  I'm in the process of upgrading them to the Dobyn's series due to the new technology.

[Pferox]

I bought cheap, saying that I will upgrade when they break, well that hasn't happened yet.

I have broken a bunch of real old rods but none in the last 10 or so years, go figure.

Because of the type of fishing I do now, I usually buy fiberglass or a fiberglass composite rod, and although they aren't as sensitive as those high cost rods, work well for around here, and are a lot more forgiving to dents and dings, etc.

[J.W.]

I just recently broke my last pre-Academy All Star rod (bought probably mid 90s).

So, a while. 

FWIW, it was a "mystery break." Put it in the rod rack in my boat intact, and next time I saw it, it was snapped 6" from the tip.

[big g]

I have several carbon lites that I use almost everyday and they are close to ten years old.  I don't baby them, throw them in the bed of the truck, and flip fish in all the time.  They take a licking and keep on ticking.  They only place showing wear is the handle and I rerap them every so often.  They do last.

[loomisguy]

I usually rotate through rods every year. I'm pretty loyal to a few brands but I probably trade/sell 20 rods or more a year.
The exception's are a All Star Zell Roland TWS that I've had for 35 years at least, and a Yamamoto spinning rod that's still the best shaky head rod I've had and its close to 20 years old I'm sure.
I don't think age hurts them, maybe it softens them up a touch. but I don't think you would ever notice it.

[Hobious]

the last awesomely, right up to the point where I break it.  always user error.  for me that is usually taking a tungsten weight to the blank. 

[skidemn]

I still have some of my original Shimano Magnumlite rods from the mid-1980's. I don't fish them anymore, but Shimano made such good looking rod and reel cosmetics back then that I don't want to get rid of them! Lol


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[Princeton_Man]

Rods can last several lifetimes, I have rods that I had when I was 12-14 years old. 

[Hobious]

I file this under questions like. "how long should my brakes last?"

seriously depends on how often you brake.  there is no way to say a rod will take 10,000 bends.  bends are all different.  some are on thick braid with no give in the line.  some are after a tungsten sinker does that 1/10000 shot of hitting the rod on the rocket ride back.  some are because of a 20 pound catfish. 

I do know this.  they all break unexpectedly.  less unexpectedly if it is a Dobyns Fury (for me)

[apenland01]

I've actually only had 2 rods break since I got back into heavy bass fishing in 2018, both were Dobyns, both my fault.  An Xtasy 752 and 753.  I take a more care of these now, especially when moving them in and out of the rod locker....

[Eric-Maine]

I sent a nrx to loomis on the 5th of January and had a replacement on the 31st. Cost $20 for shipping. Had it not been warranteed it would have been $125, still well worth it. The new one is a nrx +. I wonder if if it will feel different? 

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[Smallie_Stalker]

I've worn out and had to replace components like guides and handle materials but rod blanks are pretty resilient. The only ones I've ever had to replace were ones I either stepped on or shut in a car/truck door.

I have rods from the late 80's and early 90's that are still going strong.

Back in the 90's when I was using Falcon rods I shut the car door on 2 of them and snapped the blank about 3 guides down from the tip. One rod was under warranty and the other was not. They didn't charge me anything to replace the out of warranty rod so I had 2 brand new rods and all it cost me was $12.95 for 2 day air delivery.



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[Wizard]

My rod builder was a happy man. I put his son thru college. I have only bought line since my retirement in 2008. I have had more rods taken by thieves than I have broken.

Wizard

[The Rooster]

It seems to me that rods get slower as they age.  Like the blank wearing out or getting "tired".

I think I'm experiencing this now with a 14 year old Shimano Compre. It feels less stiff than it once did. About 5 years ago I also hooked and landed a large catfish on a spinnerbait with this rod, and it was so bent that several times during that fight I thought the rod would explode into a thousand pieces, but it didn't. After that I always did think that took some of the fight out of it. Feels like the tip lost something and now flexes more like a medium mag instead of a medium heavy.