To upgrade or not to upgrade?

[saltfisherman]

On 3/27/2023 at 1:15 PM, flyrad10 said:

ElisaA how did you fix the broken rods? That could be a new thread in itself. Here is my upgrade sequence but my fishing success got worse: Fenwick glass 10 wt - Pflueger 1498 > Deerfield Side by Side Power Pak 7,8,9,10 - Martin 77s, TFO Axiom II 10 wt - Lamson Guru. Listen to Killiefish he is the guru of used gear

I’ve used this to repair a rod. It comes with different dia rods. So far it’s been fine, I haven’t really felt a difference that’s super noticeable. 
 

 

[saltfisherman]

On 3/26/2023 at 2:33 PM, EliasA said:

Yeah my go to rods are an 8wt rplx and a 10wt rpl+ I inherited from my dad. Both rods do anything I could expect of them and more. The rpl+ is a bit faster and has a different taper from the rpl and rplx, but the rpl+ will punch through head wind like it’s not  even blowing

 

that 10wt has caught everything from a searobin to a 125lb tarpon, it’s been broken twice, **** in car doors, banged around in the boat in the trip over to the vineyard, and the airline workers even managed to run it over once on the way to Florida and it keeps on ticking

It’s amazing how between rods of the same style and weight each one handles lines so differently. I have three 10s rpl+ and each one is a little different on the lines they can handle. I’ve used 500 grain sinking on one of the rods, the other two that line feels so different on. 

[EliasA]

On 3/27/2023 at 0:15 PM, flyrad10 said:

ElisaA how did you fix the broken rods? That could be a new thread in itself. Here is my upgrade sequence but my fishing success got worse: Fenwick glass 10 wt - Pflueger 1498 > Deerfield Side by Side Power Pak 7,8,9,10 - Martin 77s, TFO Axiom II 10 wt - Lamson Guru. Listen to Killiefish he is the guru of used gear

The first 2 times it go broken before I was even alive. The first time was on a solid tarpon, IIRC they estimated it around 110-120lbs, he got it boat side and they thought it was done but the guide went to grab it and It bolted under the boat then jumped on the opposite side of the boat. Trying to keep it on, dad plunged the tip straight down into the water to clear the boat and keep the jumping fish on, but they had drifted real shallow, like a 18 inches of water, and in his haste he jammed the straight into the bottom, and the rod snapped like 3 inches under the tip.

 

I think the first two times sage fixed it, i think they just replaced the tip with a matched section, but I'm not sure how they would've done it. The most recent time I was the one to break it, bit I only lost about half an inch on the top, so I just cleaned up the break and added a new tip

[EliasA]

3 hours ago, saltfisherman said:

It’s amazing how between rods of the same style and weight each one handles lines so differently. I have three 10s rpl+ and each one is a little different on the lines they can handle. I’ve used 500 grain sinking on one of the rods, the other two that line feels so different on. 

That is very true. It seems like a lot of older rods have more “personality” than newer rods. There always seemed to be a bit of variation between the same rods. On the one hand, it was nice when you found a rod that felt perfect, but the downside is it can throw you off a bit when you switch between different rods and they all feel the same. With newer rods, once you’ve felt one you’ve felt them all

[poopdeck]

4 hours ago, saltfisherman said:

I’ve used this to repair a rod. It comes with different dia rods. So far it’s been fine, I haven’t really felt a difference that’s super noticeable. 
 

 

That’s what I did but I used a piece of another broken spinning rod with a solid tip section  that had a smaller diameter than the area of the break. I epoxied a “stent” inside the two broken pieces and then wrapped the area with thread and epoxied over the thread. It’s been fine for years. 

[formula1]

46 mins ago, poopdeck said:

That’s what I did but I used a piece of another broken spinning rod with a solid tip section  that had a smaller diameter than the area of the break. I epoxied a “stent” inside the two broken pieces and then wrapped the area with thread and epoxied over the thread. It’s been fine for years. 

I’ve used sections off carbon fiber arrows to bridge the two broken pieces.  Works very well.

[formula1]

On 3/27/2023 at 9:43 PM, ridgebackpilot said:

The current context for me is that I'm planning a trip to Baja in June to pursue Roosterfish, and looking for a new 10 wt rod. Last year, I used my Sage Xi3 12 wt to catch the fish pictured below, but it felt too heavy and stiff for the purpose. I also brought my Winston 9 wt and it felt too light. Hence my search for a 10 wt.

 

Per my upgrade policy, I'm considering Sage Xi3, Maverick, Salt HD, or similar rod. Any advice from Forum members who may have experience with Roosterfish and/or these rods? I've heard good things about the Beulah Opal single-handed rod, which apparently was developed specifically for this fishery.

 

Thanks in advance for your advice and counsel!

 

I’d say try an 11 wt.  I got turned onto 11 wts for tarpon and other big fish because they have nearly the strength of a 12 but feel lighter in hand.  I used to run a 10 wt for tarpon and that worked well too but I like the 11 as it can handle some very big fish.  My personal favorites for an 11 is Hardy Zephrus and TFO Axiom IIX.  Although I’m tempted by the Zane Pro, it’s a very smooth rod and I Iike how it casts.    

[flyrad10]

Thanks Elias, saltfisherman, poopdeck and formula1, your replies run the gamut from factory replacement and repair, to broken tips, to rod stents, to novel stents like arrow shafts. Saltfishman, great find, I will study the stent sizes but can any be used to repair say 4 inches missing from the tip of a 7 wt graphite fly rod?

[Killiefish]

A four inch loss on the tip of a 7wt is, IMO, a non-repairable thing, especially if the lost tip part is completely missing.  What I'd do is bring the next lower section to a larger store that sells bargain priced rods and try to match the tip section of another el-cheapo rod from the rack.  There may be a need to change out or reposition 1-2 of the guides on the new tip.  You might actually end up with a rod you like even better.  I did this with a broken 5 piece 5wt that I loved to take backpacking.  Found a tip from another fly rod (4 wt) that ended up making a 9ft five weight into a ~9' 2" rod that I'd say is now a 4/5wt.  Great nymph/indicator rod with a 4wt GPX/MPX line. 

[mro]

20 hours ago, flyrad10 said:

but can any be used to repair

 

Call mudhole.

They might be ale to set you up with a "new" top section.

Years ago I was at a fly show and was talking to there rep and mentioned a broken rod I had.

He said I could sent them the whole rod and they would try to match up a new top section.

Don't know if they will still do it though.