Brand new TD Black been whacked into concrete pillar. Is the rod toast or fine...

[JamoDamo]

Hey Raiders!

To say i've had a horrific streak of luck recently with expensive fishing gear is an understatement. Had expensive rods fall over onto a sandstone rock platform amongst other things, reels been dunked, daiwa ags guides snapping, well I guess you get this picture! 

With high hopes I ended up buying a brand new 2020 TD Black rod from Daiwa specifically the Grub'n 722 ULFS, five minutes into owning it I take it outside a shop and begin to put in into the car and it slips out of my hands with my 2000s freams attached to it.... Anywho I get it in the car and go home. I end up going for a session and christen the rod with five flatties on plastics on 6lb leader. 

Had an early day off from school today so I decided theres no better way to spend my arvo than going for a fish! Ended up going down to my local and pulled out a 48ish cm flathead. Ended up also getting my first bream on a crankbait finally! Anyways I end up getting dropped off at home, I run up to the door and get inside and my dog jumps directly on my rod blank setting me off balance and swinging my rod into a concrete pillar.... Absolutely devastated.

I try to be super careful with my gear but it just ends up getting smashed around all the time. Just wondering would this bruise the graphite blank and cause a weakness in the blank or turn my rod into a rod with the sensitivity of a broomstick? Super worried about it just wondering if I could get a second opinion on more experienced fishos espeically rod builders and what not. 

Sorry for the rant but i'm just super worried about my gear as I don't have the money to replace it..

Cheers everyone!!!

Jamo

 

Edited December 9, 2021 by JamoDamo

[DerekD]

Sorry to hear it JD.

Have you thought about using a rod tube in the future. Most of the stories I hear about rods getting damaged are due to unlucky/poor handling (usually in the car during transport) rather fishing (with the exception of high sticking).

I've got rods in the car that have lived in there for over a decade. It costs me a little more time to set up as the reels are stored separately in neoprene bags but I find a little care goes a long way.

Regards,

Derek

[frankS]

Damo. Sorry to hear about the fall, it does not take much of a bump on concreate or any other hard surface to fracture a Graphite rod,  Hope it wasn't hard enough bump to fracture it.

Trying to work you out. You told me you couldn't raise $100 to buy the outfit I offered you yet you go and purchase gear like you did ?. Would have been 4 time the amount.

It's your money .

Frank

[JamoDamo]

2 hours ago, frankS said:

Damo. Sorry to hear about the fall, it does not take much of a bump on concreate or any other hard surface to fracture a Graphite rod,  Hope it wasn't hard enough bump to fracture it.

Trying to work you out. You told me you couldn't raise $100 to buy the outfit I offered you yet you go and purchase gear like you did ?. Would have been 4 time the amount.

It's your money .

Frank

Mum and Dad weren't too keen on it sorry. I would love to have gotten it but I usually am not allowed to buy second hand.

[Little_Flatty]

Sorry to hear that Jamo. It won’t happen very often, but you will break a rod or two over the course of your fishing career. I’ve broken a few, all due to stupidity and not due to fish! Hard lesson to learn, but I’m sure you’ll be extremely careful from now on (especially around the dog).

It does happen to some people more than others. I know someone who it happens to at least once a year. Said person has plenty of money though, so it isn’t a problem…just a waste. It’s correlated with hand eye coordination, and care.

[Rebel]

It will get better.

We all have bad days.

Cheers.

[Restyle]

Spewing! 
if it makes you feel any better, i have a 2kg td black that I've had for a few years. When i first got the rod i took it inside and inserted the rod into the ceiling fan which was running full blast. Still got the rod to this day & even pulled rat kings in on it. seems like quite a tough rod compared to the diawa ballistics and the zodias rods both of which i have broken from just small mistakes like letting the rod fall over when it was leaning against my car 

I do understand that feeling especially when you get attached to your rods with the various PBs you catch on them. I, like many others prefer to keep their stuff in top condition. No scratches, scuffs, etc. Sadly after a long day on the water fatigue can set in and mistakes happen.

[leonardgid]

reason i will not buy graphite ,  hate the idea of spending good money  and sometime down the track  it breaks in my hand because i bumped it somewhere 

[anthman]

Rod tubes is a great idea, inexpensive and near bullet proof.

Otherwise maybe spend less on your rods if you are prone to breaking them - definitely stick to graphite but grab them on sale / cheaper versions. I've found some boating camping fishing store brand rods on sale at ~$40 to be excellent - great feel and performance. Relatively heavier and "clunkier" than my equivalent Daiwa black rods but totally acceptable when you think of the price point. 

Id rather spend a bit more and get the good stuff but I know I'm careful with my gear. I have my cheaper gear for lending out to mates fishing with me who don't appreciate the gear as much as I do ☺️

[lastworm]

$15 rod sock is enough to protect the rod from bumps and even drops from height. The worry with graphite is when it hits a hard surface, rods are strong when they bend but it’s that sudden shock of hitting an equally hard surface that creates the damage. I wouldn’t worry too much about it unless you have taken a chip out of the exterior of the blank, just fish it till it breaks and deal with it then.

[Pickles]

JD, a few thoughts:

* I clipped the tip off a TD Black and now it doesn’t flick a light SP as intended, but have landed several hundred Kingies on it and I actually think it has improved the action (not fast action any more). So long as the graphite hasn’t been scratched, it won’t be weakened and should be OK - but it doesn’t take much to scratch it.

* you’re nuts not to take up Franks offer - second hand is fine - especially from someone who knows and looks after their gear.

* “Rod Sox” are cheap and protect graphite rods really well (and cheap ones insurance) 

* Unless you want a “flick stick”, where graphite is superior, I always steer new inductees to our obsession to look at the ubiquitous, unbreakable “Ugly Stick” (crystal tip)- I am still using 5 or 6 of these that are nearly 40 years old, mind you when they were first out they were cutting edge technology and expensive, but I’ve still got them and they have had a lot of use and what I lend to newbies when I take them out on my boat.

Edited December 11, 2021 by Pickles
Addition

[bluefin]

Old School graphite broke if you looked at it the wrong way! Now with new technology, Especially Nanofill, they will take a lot !!!! Forget it and keep fishing.  The final word !!   Howard!