I broke my new fly rod

[Canoetripper]

I probably only used it 3/4 times, but I spent a lot of $ on a new Orvis Helios fly rod/Orvis Mirage fly reel fly line combo(9' 5 wt.). I hooked a >20" stocked trout and know what to do. Rod tip up and let that reel's drag do what it is supposed to do.

I lost the fight and broke the fly rod.

I don't know what I did wrong. The Reel's drag was as advertised, and I thought did it's job flawlessly. We all know that if you fish enough, you eventually will break your tackle.

I did land the trout only to figure out later that I broke my fly rod.

I called Orvis and told them what happened. They said that they would send me another replacement tip section. My back up fly rod/reel is also an Orvis combo: Recon 9' 5 wt. fly rod/ Helios fly reel, which I think I can cast a little bit better.

Once again, Orvis never doubted my story and is just going to send me what I need.

 

[timbow]

Just my opinion, but rod tip up over flexes the delicate tip and really doesn’t put a lot of pressure on the fish as there isn’t a lot of power in the tip. Low-side pressure flexes the rod deeply into the stout butt section and is much more efficient at tiring a fish quickly.

 

[jrj]

Orvis has been great on two broken rods my son and I have. One left on top of the car, run over, lost/found/returned by a fellow PAFF member. Other rod shattered when son fell off the trail when he spooked a black bear in Yellowstone. Each time had a new rod on my porch in 4 days.

 

[jifigz]

That stinks to hear. I have never broken a rod while fishing. I have broken a spinning rod when I accidentally slammed it in a car door. That stung. And once as 12 or 13 year old while living in Florida I broke one while riding a bike to a nearby pond. The tip caught the ground and it just rolled back and busted off. Whoops.

It's good to hear that Orvis took care of you though. I only have ever had one Orvis rod and I never filled out the warranty. Whoops..

 

[rrt]

I, too, had good luck when breaking Orvis rods. Now that they are over 25 years old (and two of them are still my small-stream favorites), I hope not to break one again. Since rod manufacturers went almost exclusively to 4-piece rods, I doubt that I could get a new tip or butt. And, it would be hard to replace 6'6" and 7'rods. Most rods I see are 8' or longer.

Anyhow, while I am sorry to hear you broke the rod, I am glad to hear Orvis backed its rod.

 

[troutbert]

What part of the rod broke?

 

[redietz]

timbow wrote:
Just my opinion, but rod tip up over flexes the delicate tip and really doesn’t put a lot of pressure on the fish as there isn’t a lot of power in the tip. Low-side pressure flexes the rod deeply into the stout butt section and is much more efficient at tiring a fish quickly.

I agree. Rod tip up looks good in pictures, but it isn't a very good way to fight a large fish.

There's a good chance that the rod was already broken before you hooked the fish. It only takes one hit from a bead head to weaken a rod tip to the point that it will break on even a modest sized fish.

 

[Bamboozle]

Vince Marinaro used to say, let the reel do what it is supposed to and point the rod at the fish and lift and let the full length of the rod do the work.

I listened and have never broke a rod of any kind on any fish.

 

[Canoetripper]

Thanks for all of the input and advise. I was using barbless flies which is what the guide in Colorado coached me to do to keep tension on the trout. I broke the lower tip section below the first five upper eyelets. on a four piece fly rod.

The Orvis fly rod that I broke previously was 100% my fault since I backed over it in my F-150. I am going to use the above advise given the next time. I may have been guilty of over relying on the reel's drag.

Also, as Clint Eastwood once said; "A man has got to know his limitations." I know that I am not the best fly caster and very well could have broken the rod with the bead head wooly bugger hitting the rod before I hooked the trout.

As always though, Orvis is going to take care of me.

I win some and lose some, but I am always trying to learn more, which is why I appreciate the advise that I get from this board.

 

[flyflicker]

I second the previous beadhead or splitshot strike theory. I had a nick through the top coat from throwing weight on the Salmon River. Next fish kapow! Glad you had a backup and that Orvis treated you right. Tight lines!

 

[just_jon]

Mr. Marinaro’s advice is something I had to learn when I switched to bamboo full time in 2012. I lost a 24”+ rainbow in VA last month because I was afraid to put too much pressure on the 8’ 4 wt rod. After that trip, I posted to the Classic Fly Rod forum seeking to understand bamboos limitations. The attached photo was posted of a rod run over my multiple vehicles alleviated all my fears.

 

[ryansheehan]

redietz wrote:

timbow wrote:
Just my opinion, but rod tip up over flexes the delicate tip and really doesn’t put a lot of pressure on the fish as there isn’t a lot of power in the tip. Low-side pressure flexes the rod deeply into the stout butt section and is much more efficient at tiring a fish quickly.

I agree. Rod tip up looks good in pictures, but it isn't a very good way to fight a large fish.

There's a good chance that the rod was already broken before you hooked the fish. It only takes one hit from a bead head to weaken a rod tip to the point that it will break on even a modest sized fish.

100 percent correct on both parts, it's all about the side pressure.

 

[moon1284]

Kind of hard to explain, but you want the butt of the rod to fight the fish not the tip. You do not want a 90 degree bend in the rod, you want the rod bent as deep into the butt as you can get it. Side pressure is one way to do this, another is to point the rod tip towards the fish and lift your arms to get the butt of the rod in play. Below is an article that explains what I'm saying and has pictures.

http://oregonflyfishingblog.com/2011/07/17/fly-rod-position-when-fighting-big-fish/

The flip side to this is when you break a rod in the butt while you are fighting a fish it explodes the rod and breaks very loudly. I broke a 7 weight fighting a fish about 6 inches above the top of the cork and it was violent.

 

[ColdBore]

jifigz wrote:

I have never broken a rod while fishing..

Me either.

I'd like to catch a fish big enough to break my rod sometime. Those twelve inchers just don't have enough in them to do it. :lol:

 

[SteveG]

Broken tip sections are a common thing for Helios rods. I was told this by a fly shop which sells them.

 

[PennypackFlyer]

8 + Years of fishing to include fishing the Salmon river a couple of times. My friend broke my Clearwater II tip on the last adventure on milkweed plants. Orvis replaced the 2 piece rod with a 4 piece. It was an upgrade for sure.

 

[springer1]

I second the previous beadhead or splitshot strike theory.

+3

 

[krs]

Great service from Orvis.

 

[Canoetripper]

I just got my new rod tip that I broke from Orvis. I went fishing this weekend at the R&G club. This was the picnic so I stayed today and went fishing early, and didn't get the broken rod tip until I got home so I didn't use this fly rod and fished with my other ones.

I didn't do very well and only caught a chub or a fall fish, but I did see three Bald Eagles. My casting is improving though. No knots in my leader, but I stopped as the water temperature began to rise.

I am looking forward to cooler temperatures as fall arrives.. As I have gotten older, I really don't pay as much attention to sports as I used to. I still want the teams that I care about like the Eagles and Steelers, and Penn State doing well, but I would rather go fishing than watch the games.

I may hit the road to watch a University of North Carolina football game. I never did that while my daughter was a student there, but ifshe gets into graduate school there, I will make it a priority.

 

[poopdeck]

How did you lose the fight but land the fish?