How to Fix A Broken Fishing Rod

As a fisherman’s rod gets older, the more prone it is to breaking at the slightest of things.

However, even a new rod can get broken either while you’re out on the water or before/after your trip.

No matter what, it’s frustrating when your rod gets broken, but it’s possible to fix your rod for much cheaper than buying a brand new one.

How do you fix a broken fishing rod?

The correct method of fixing a broken fishing rod will depend on what is wrong with it. You could be dealing with the rod portion, the guides, or the tip needing repair.

In order to fix a broken rod, you will need to cut another piece of the same length and slide it into place with glue. When you have a broken tip or guides, on the other hand, you will basically remove the broken piece and replace it with a new one using the same glue.

There’s a multitude of different ways to fix your broken rod, and this article will attempt to give a rundown on how to do so.

It might seem like a daunting task, as a fishing rod can be delicate and you want to put it together correctly, but with the right steps, you’ll be on your way to fixing it to be as good as new in no time at all.

How to Fix a Broken Fishing Rod

The rod of a fishing pole is so crucial to fishing that it can be devastating when it gets broken. Due to the fact that a rod can be expensive to replace, it is easy to say that one wouldn’t want to go out and buy another one.

While it might seem difficult to get your rod back to normal, it can actually be done in no time at all. You’ll just need to get your guide out and follow it!

Materials Needed to Fix a Broken Fishing Rod

Before getting started on actually fixing a broken fishing rod, there are some materials you’ll need. They are:

6 Steps to Fixing a Broken Fishing Rod

We’ll discuss the steps to fixing a broken fishing rod in depth, but here are the steps for fixing a broken fishing rod at a glance:

Step #1: Sanding Down the Broken Ends

The first thing and most important thing that you should do is sand down the broken ends of your rod. Sanding the broken ends will make for a smoother surface, so that you can more easily attach them, once again.

Using 180 or 220 grit sandpaper is recommended. Sanding only works when there’s a clean cut, however, and we all know that it’s possible to create jagged edges. If you have jagged edges, cut them clean off, then sand them down, as if the initial break had been clean, too.

Step #2: Taking Measurements of the Rod

To know exactly how to fix your rod, you’ll want to get out your measuring tape to know the rod’s circumference. You’ll have to wrap the tape around both pieces of your rod, and write them down on a sheet of paper.

Steps #3 and #4: Cutting and Sliding the Smaller Pole

Get a pole smaller in circumference to your pole and cut it to be about 12 inches long.

You’ll be using this other pole to put in your broken fishing pole, so make sure that it’ll be able to slide inside it. Once it’s prepared, slide the pole into your broken one and into place.

Step #5: Applying 2-Part Epoxy

Next, you’ll want to get some 2-part epoxy and apply it to the exposed side of the pole. Make a thin layer on it, mix some of it together, and apply another layer before the other one dries completely. You’ll have to move fast, so that it doesn’t dry before you can apply it.

Step #6: Securing the Parts Together

Finally, slide the other rod onto the epoxy rod, and wait for it to dry. You’ll want the guides to line up, as per usual, so be sure to keep that in mind as you do this. You’ll need to wait overnight for this to dry completely together.

With that, you should be good to go! Your fishing rod will be ready in no time to get back out onto the water.

5 Techniques For Fixing Rod Tips

Rod tips are just as crucial to your fishing pole as guides, and it’s important that they’re maintained and in place.

Fixing your rod tips takes a few steps and hard work, but it’ll be done before you know it. Following these steps will make sure that your tips are as good as new.

Materials Needed to Fix Rod Tips

A lot of the materials needed to fix rod tips are pretty common, and you may already have them. There may be some you’ll need to obtain, though. The materials you’ll need to gather to fix rod tips are:

5 Rod-Fixing Tips

There are roughly five steps when it comes to fixing the rod top of a fishing pole. They are:

Step #1: Heating the Rod Tip

The first step to fixing or changing your rod tip is to heat the top of it, trying to help get that adhesive off. You don’t want to hold whatever you’re using to heat it up there for too long, though, and just a few seconds should be enough.

However, for some tips, if they’ve been broken off, you don’t need to follow this step, as it has broken off.

Step #2: Sanding the Tip of the Rod

Sandpaper is king, once again, and you’ll want to sand the tip of your rod to make it smooth, using 120 or 220 grit sandpaper. This will help you with attaching new tips and such on later.

Step #3: Cutting the Rod Cement

For this next step, you’ll want to have some rod cement. You’ll want some rod cement that’ll be able to go into your new top. You’ll need a razor blade or knife to cut what you need of the rod cement, as it comes in more of a block shape. You can find this online or at sports stores.

Step #4: Melting the Rod Cement

Using what you used to heat the top earlier, melt the rod cement that you cut into the new tip of your pole, to use as an adhesive. You’ll want to work quickly, so that the cement doesn’t dry again.

Step #5 New tip

Finally, you’ll want to put your new tip on, keeping in mind that it has to be in line with your guides. You’ll need the cement to still be hot, so that you can attach it to the top. It shouldn’t take all that long for it to dry completely, and you’ll want to clean up the rod before it completely dries.

Once all of these steps are followed, your rod should be as good as new! When the rod tip is completely dry, you can go back out fishing right after, as there’s no more periods of time that you’ll have to wait before you can go out fishing again.

How to Maintain a Fishing Rod

Maintaining a fishing rod can be difficult, given how delicate it can be. You’ll want to always be careful with it, so that you can ensure that it won’t be broken in any way. There are ways to maintain it when you’re not on the water and when you are.

When you’re at home, there are a multitude of ways to make sure that your rod will stay as good as new. Keeping care of it at home is crucial, as it can be easy to break it in the safety of your own home.

We don’t quite realize how chaotic home lives can be until our rods end up broken because of something that happens at home.

4 Tips to Make Sure Your Rod Doesn’t Get Broken When at Home

Since most of us can’t be on the water or using our fishing rods all the time, keeping them safe when they’re being stored or at home is important.

Here are tips for making sure your rod doesn’t get broken while at home or being stored:

Keeping Your Rod in a Safe Place

The first is one of the most obvious: make sure that your rod is kept in a safe place. You don’t want to store your rod in a crowded closet that is rummaged around in every day.

Keeping your rod in a busy space like this is one of the easiest ways for your rod to get broken. Another place that doesn’t seem like it could be broken in, but easily can, is a bedroom or open place such as that.

Storing it there, where anyone could come in and potentially mess with it, is a surefire way to get your rod broken. Finding a safe space in your home to maintain your rod’s safety is the most important thing.

Making Sure Your Rod is Properly Stored

Make sure that your rod is properly stored, as in broken down how it should be and safely tucked away with whatever other things you might be storing nearby.

A tip that I would give to all of you for a storing space: I would recommend having a closet or locker or safe to keep your rod in, along with your other fishing supplies. Keeping your rod with your other supplies ensures that you won’t lose it, and you’ll know where it is at all times.

Keeping Your Rod Away from Children or Pets

Make sure that no children or pets have access to where you’re storing your rod. Kids and pets, as much as we love them, can cause mayhem, and are prone to breaking things. You definitely don’t want your rod to be one of these things.

To ensure that your rod is safe, try to make it so that your kid or pet doesn’t have access to it or could find a way to access it. Not only is it a way to break your rod, but it can potentially hurt your child or pet, if the rod is broken with a jagged edge.

4 Tips to Keep Your Rod Safe While on the Water

While we know that it’s important to keep your rod safe at home, you should also keep your rod safe when you’re on the water. Believe it or not, things on your fishing boat could get chaotic and chaos can often lead to your rod being broken.

Keeping Your Rod Safe During Transport

When you’re driving to the lake or ocean or river where you’ll be fishing, make sure that your rod isn’t in any danger of being broken on the way. You don’t want to get to the water and realize that your rod is broken. So, making sure you transport it safely is very important.

To keep it safe on the journey: you could try keeping it tucked aside where no one else is riding with you, and make sure that there’s no room for it to rustle around with any jumps or turns in the road.

Keeping Your Rod Safe While on the Water

When you’re at the water, make sure that your rod is put in your boat easily, and in a place where it can’t be broken by anyone else getting onto the boat. You’ll need to make sure that it isn’t in anyone’s way, as you prepare for your boat to go off.

Getting your boat ready to go out onto the water can be busy, and it’s sometimes hard to be careful with things in the rush of it. However, your rod’s safety is important, so you’ll want to make sure that you are careful with it.

Choosing the Right Spot

Once out on the water, once you’re all set up, make sure you pick a spot on your boat that you’re fishing in that’s out of the way.

While it might seem like there aren’t many places on a boat’s edge that could lead to a potential break, there are, and it’s good to know what areas of your boat will be the most populated or busy. Picking your spot is more important than you’d think.

Keeping Your Rod Safe on the Way Home

When the day is done, you’ve gotten all of your fish for the day, follow the same previous steps about traveling home safely, so that your rod doesn’t get broken while traveling, as it is easy to do so.

These are just a few tips as to how to maintain your rod, as it’s easy to break your rod in the chaos of human life. Taking extra steps to keep your rod safe might seem tedious, but if you make sure that your rod won’t get broken, you’ll be glad in the long run that you didn’t do anything that led to the rod’s destruction.

When to Replace A Broken Fishing Rod

Of course, not all rods can be fixed easily. Sometimes, a break can be devastating, and it’s difficult or impossible to actually fix your rod.

It’s important to know when these times are, so that you can either save up money for a new rod to get a new rod before your next fishing trip. Here are a few examples as to when your rod is too broken to fix all on your own:

A Smashed or Cut Rod

If your rod is all smashed up, it’s safe to say that it might be time to get a new one. If it’s all in different pieces, you won’t be able to properly tell which piece goes where, and will ultimately lose time trying to fix a rod that can’t be fixed.

If your rod is cut into pieces, but you can’t locate one of them, it might be best to start looking for a new one, instead of continuing to look for a piece that you can’t find. As frustrating as it might seem, sometimes even a clean cut will have to be completely replaced, if you can’t find the right pieces to attach again.

A Rod Beyond Repair

Sometimes, if a rod has been broken enough times and replaced as many times as it’s been broken, it will be difficult or impossible to fix something. For example, if one part breaks, it could be possible for another part to do the same. So, save yourself the time and effort and go to the store to get a new rod.

All in all, fixing a broken fishing rod can be a long process, but with the right tools, it isn’t impossible.

It’s important to keep in mind every factor of the break, but with your willpower, you should be able to get that rod fixed in no time.