Lemon Rod

[booktrout]

I hate to admit it, but I started the new fishing year, today, by breaking the tip section of my St Croix, Imperial, 8.5’, 5wt, 4pc. Not only that, but I snapped the same rod in its butt section last fall. Neither break seemed “right” to me. In other words, I didn’t feel like I stressed the rod sufficiently to break it. I’m no expert, but I have broken other rods “right” and I think I know what it should feel like.

I bought the rod on ebay and chose the St Croix because it was in my price range and they offer a good replacement guarantee even to secondhand owners. They did indeed replace the butt section last fall for $25 plus shipping.

My question is: Is there such a thing as a lemon rod? I can envision a case where the resin-curing oven containing this batch of blanks went a little too hot or not quite hot enough. The blanks look fine, but are just too brittle.
What do you think?

 

[BrookieChaser]

I'd say, as with any manufactured item, that it is possible to get a sub par product.

 

[sandfly]

well if you replaced the butt section last year and now the tip, it won't be a lemon anymore----unless its a 4 piece !

 

[pszy22]

Typically if there is a manufacturing defect in a rod, it's going to fail fast, usually on the first time out.

Since you bought the rod used, that's not to say the previous owner didn't abuse or damage the rod in some way. Alot of times when a rod fails, it was previously damaged somehow, and whatever might be currently going on causes enough addition stress to complete the previously done damage.

 

[PennKev]

booktrout wrote:
Neither break seemed “right” to me. In other words, I didn’t feel like I stressed the rod sufficiently to break it. I’m no expert, but I have broken other rods “right” and I think I know what it should feel like......

.....What do you think?

Not enough details to give a solid opinion. What were the circumstances of the breaks?

 

[johnstevens5462]

I am not sure what constitutes or defines a "right" break? I am aware that graphite fly rods can break if casting cone head and dumbbell eye streamers and you nick the rod, and I'm sure that some rods do suffer from a manufacturing defect, but I don't understand how anyone can break multiple rods "right" unless they are doing something "wrong."

Never grab the fly rod anywhere except on the cork grip and when fighting and lifting a fish always keep the rod parallel or rod tip pointed just above parallel to the surface. Never apply pressure or try and lift the fish by raising the rod tip straight up in the air or worse yet, continuing to rotate the rod tip over your head and pointing the tip behind you. You are guaranteed to break your rod and if that is what happened, you may think it was a "right" break but it was a wrong break.

Fly rods are very tough if used correctly and very fragile if used incorrectly. I've landed the occasional unexpected striped bass pushing twenty pounds using my nine foot 5wt medium action trout rod while fishing estuaries and backwaters for twelve to eighteen inch school striped bass so in my opinion the vast majority of rod breaks are due to operator error and not rod defects.

 

[tridentfly]

It's already been stated, but it's hard to tell whether or not the rod is a 'lemon' without knowing the circumstances surrounding the break. Breaking a butt section is rather difficult without some kind of misuse or previous damage/manufacturing problem with the rod. Knowing how rods are manufactured, it's unlikely that you'd have both a bad tip and bad butt section, but possible.

 

[pszy22]

I agree that it is odd that there would be a problem with two out of four section. What is even stranger to me is that if there was a pre-existing defect in both, that the butt would have failed before the tip. Then there was a fair amount of time that went by before the tip went. Usually when there is an inherent problem, it fails fast.


I guess that's why they have warranties.