2pc vs. 3pc and 4pc rod question(s)

[Wild_Trouter]

I'm just curious for everyone's thoughts and/or experience with rods that are 3pc or 4pc. I recently had a custom built 8' 3pc 3wt rod built for me on an American Tackle Emerald Green Matrix blank. This was the first time that I went for something other than a 2pc. 4 fish in, I went to make a cast and as I was shooting the line forward, the end piece broke about 5" down from the tip top. I guess my question is whether anyone else using 3pc and 4pc rods have experienced this before and are multi piece rods like this more brittle and susceptible to breakage as compared to a traditional 2pc rod? This is only the second rod to break on me in 39 years. I'm debating on whether I should have an identical rod built like the one that broke, or whether I am better off going back to a 2pc rod? I know it could have just been a defective blank in this case or a fluke, but wanted to see what you thought before I go about replacing it. Thanks

 

[gulfgreyhound]

I'd say defecvtive blank. What did the break look like? Clean or ragged like it unwound? GG

 

[laszlo]

To me it sounds like a defective blank, the fact that it is 3 pc, 2 pc or 4pc really should not matter.

 

[PennKev]

I dont see a correlation between a break near the tip and the number of sections in the rod blank. I just don't understand that logic. If anything the light weight blanks might be more susceptible, but that has nothing to do with number of sections. I don't think number of sections was a contributing factor in your case based on the location of the break.

If anything, I would recommend just going to a 4 piece rod for the next build. The storage and travel advantages of 4 piece rods, and the current quality of most blanks, even inexpensive ones makes 4 piece rods the default configuration, IMO. When I first started building rods, I bought 2 piece rods to save a few bucks. I hardly use any of those rods anymore despite several of them being very good casters. I wish I'd have built all 4 piece rods.

 

[moon1284]

I have a lot of rods some 2 some 3 some 4 some 5 piece. I prefer 2 piece rods but they aren't travel friendly. 3 piece rods pack smaller but suck when you break them down while rigged to put in your vehicle, same with 5 piece. 5 piece are best for traveling, 4 piece are nice as well. I have a couple of the same rods in 2 and 4 piece configuration and I like the 2 piece better. I like the way 3 and 5 piece rods fish better than 4 piece too, but that's probably all in my head.

 

[wbranch]

I've broken 2, 3, and 4 piece rods. There is no correlation relative to rod breakage based on how many pieces the rod has. Often rods break near the ferrule because the sections are not seated properly and the casting stroke is enough to put too much force on the incorrectly seated rod sections causing it to break. I own too many Gatti fly rods and they have a history (for me) to break in the tip section whenever I am landing a fish and the rod is too close to vertical. It is a resultant of having designed the rod sections with very thin walls and this, imo, compromises the hoop strength. Were you using a weighted fly, a beadhead perhaps, that may have collided with the blank on the forward cast? That would easily break a rod section. If it wasn't a split shot or fly then it is ore likely that the blank had an unseen flaw. Send it back with a explanation of what happened.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

I'm really starting to think that I simply bought a dud based on the responses here. I was fishing dries, so no split shot. I didn't hit anything with the rod or anything of the sort. I loved the way it cast and weighed in right at 2oz. Having no experience with anything other than a 2pc rod, I was concerned that I made a poor decision by going to a 3pc. I appreciate the insight guys. I'm going to send it back and have an identical rod built.

 

[afishinado]

Wild_Trouter wrote:
I'm really starting to think that I simply bought a dud based on the responses here. I was fishing dries, so no split shot. I didn't hit anything with the rod or anything of the sort. I loved the way it cast and weighed in right at 2oz. Having no experience with anything other than a 2pc rod, I was concerned that I made a poor decision by going to a 3pc. I appreciate the insight guys. I'm going to send it back and have an identical rod built.

Hitting your rod with a beadhead fly or split-shot or even whacking it against a branch a while back can cause it to break sometime in the future.

If you really liked the rod, I would have the rod maker either wrap another complete rod or perhaps just make up another tip section of the same rod.

 

[ColdBore]

As alluded to above, some earlier rods sometimes had issues of breaking at the ferrules. So a two piece rod made sense, as it only had one potential weak point compared to three of them on a four piece rod. But that is pretty much a thing of the past with the advancing technology.

None ify that is a factor though in a break 5" from the tip.

It could've happened to any rod, regardless of number of pieces.

 

[Swattie87]

Agree. Nothing to do with the number of pieces.

I too started my fly rod purchases with 2 piece models...Cheaper, was my motivation. That being said, I only buy 4 piece models now. Even a 9 or 10 foot 4 piece breaks down small enough to easily travel with or go backpacking with.

I have one 2 piece left - I've sold or traded all the others in the meantime. It's an LLBean Streamlight Ultra (older model) 6'11" 4wt. It's actually my favorite rod I own. That being said I fish a Redington CT 7'6" 3wt (that I don't like as much) far more often, simply because it is a 4 piece and is more convenient.

Edit: I forgot...Also have an older model Orvis Clearwater 7'9" 5wt that's a 2 piece. I wanted a short, relatively heavy, niche rod (that wasn't fiberglass) for streamers on small streams, and options were pretty limited. I like that rod a lot too, but again, use it far less than the Redington 4 piece.

 

[JackM]

I think as others that it was a defective or weak section and not any result of the number of segments. The good thing is that you only need to replace a small segment. That said, the more segments the more joints. Just as with a 2 piece rod, you should check your joints as often as you check your tippet for frays. I often am forced to re-align and "tighten" my joints.

 

[wbranch]

JackM wrote;

you should check your joints as often as you check your tippet for frays. I often am forced to re-align and "tighten" my joints.

Also before putting the female section over a male section be sure the male section is clear of any foreign material like a bit of dirt or grit. Unclean male and female ferrules may disallow the sections from seating as deeply and as tightly as if they had been clean. Maybe enough of a mismatch to get a break while casting.