We’ve come a long way from the fishing rods of yesteryear, which were typically made from strips of bamboo. These rods would break down when exposed to water, and they didn’t last nearly as long as the rods we currently use. Today’s rods are made from graphite, fiberglass, or a mix of the two, and they’re significantly more sensitive and durable than their predecessors.
Even with all these improvements in fishing rod technology, it’s still possible to snap a fishing rod. Many factors can contribute to rod breakage, such as factory defects, general wear-and-tear, and angler misuse.
Read on as we cover everything you need to know about what causes fishing rods to break and what you can do to protect your rods and ensure they’re always ready for your next fishing trip.
What Causes Your Rod to Break?
Fishing rods can break because of a litany of different reasons. The best way to keep your rods safe is to identify the various causes of breakage to avoid them when you’re fishing.
1. Manufacturing Defect
While all anglers are quick to blame a broken rod on the manufacturer, it’s rare for a factory defect to cause a rod to break. Occasionally, rods will snap due to defective material or damage at the factory, during shipping, or at the store.
Rods with manufacturing defects will typically reveal themselves quickly as you begin fishing with the rod. If the rod breaks on one of your first few trips with it, there’s a strong chance a manufacturing defect is a reason for the breakage.
2. UV Damage
The sun’s rays can wreak havoc on the finish and the rod itself. Over time, UV rays will weaken the rod and make it more likely to snap. It usually takes several months or even years of exposure to UV rays to make a rod fail.
3. Tackle Mismatch
One of the leading causes of rod breakage is when an angler pairs a rod with reels or lines much larger than the rod can handle. Virtually all fishing rods have parameters printed on the blank that indicate the line weight and lure size the rod can handle. Pairing gear intended for larger game with a lighter rod is a recipe for disaster.
Many anglers are guilty of loading their reels with extremely strong braided line. These braided lines have a much higher strength-to-diameter ratio when compared to monofilament lines, so it’s tempting to load your reel with a heavier line.
This often comes back to haunt the angler when their rod, rated for lower line weight, ends up snapping under the stress the heavier line generates.
Another way anglers can damage or snap rods is by casting lures much heavier than what the rod can handle.
4. Dead Sticking
Dead sticking is a popular technique with freshwater and saltwater anglers alike. When dead sticking, the angler drops their bait to the seafloor and leaves it there in hopes that an unsuspecting fish will take the bait.
Unfortunately, this technique can be dangerous if you snag something on the bottom and don’t pay close attention. With the rod straight up and down, sitting in a rod holder, the pressure on the rod is often enough to snap the rod in half.
5. High Sticking
The proper way to fight a fish is to hold your rod at around 45-60 degrees. Having your rod in this position evenly distributes the fish’s load across the entire rod blank. When an angler raises the rod to a greater angle, it’s called high sticking.
When you high-stick a fish, you’re concentrating the pressure of the fish along the rod’s weakest point, which makes it far more likely to snap. If you’re lucky, the fishing line will snap at the rod tip and save your rod from catastrophic damage.
6. Fighting Fish Directly Under You
When fishing from a boat or a pier, you’ll want to be mindful of how you’re playing the fish as you reel it in. When a fish swims directly under you, you put yourself in the same position as if you were high sticking the fish.
Once the fish is under you, they have the leverage, and they’ll force the rod to bend at its tip like it would if you were high sticking. You’ll want to quickly move to a new position where you can take the leverage back from the fish. If you continue to fight the fish while it’s under you, there’s a much higher chance of breaking the rod.
7. Fitment Issues
Two-piece rods and travel rods come in multiple pieces joined together with a ferrule. When correctly assembled, a two, three, or four-piece rod should be as strong as a one-piece rod. But, if you don’t carefully assemble the rod and ensure that the pieces fit together perfectly, you can run into trouble.
If the pieces aren’t properly fit, the joint becomes a weak point in the rod, and it’s more susceptible to breakage.
8. Bending the Rod Backward
Fishing rods are designed to bend down from the tip, and they’re able to withstand an incredible amount of pressure, provided that the rod is bending in this fashion. What fishing rods cannot do is bend backward. If you bend a fishing rod upward instead of downward, it will shatter the rod, even if you aren’t putting much pressure on it.
How to Protect Your Rod From Breaking
All anglers should follow a few simple tips to get the most out of their fishing equipment. While it’s still possible to break a fishing rod you’ve taken great care of, you can dramatically reduce the chances of that happening by practicing proper fishing and maintenance habits.
- Always store your rods away from direct sunlight.
- Always rinse down your rods after each use, especially when fishing saltwater.
- Examine your rods before each fishing trip to check for signs of damage.
- When dead sticking, pay close attention to your rod to avoid dangerous snags.
- Never high stick when fighting a fish.
- Always pair your rod with lures and line that fit within the parameters outlined on the rod blank.
Happy Fishing & Tight Lines