Sometimes, finding a perfect rod for fishing can be difficult. sometimes, we need to count some extra bucks to purchase a well-performed fishing rod. What if, your pretty expensive fishing rod gets bend just for your inattention during fishing?
It’s not a good idea to purchase a fishing rod again. If you are not a regular angler, then you can easily cope up with that bent fishing rod just by following some balancing strategies.
But if you are a regular one, then you need to fix it. So, we are here to clear all the doubts regarding how to fix a bent fishing rod. The following guideline will be much more effective in case you want to acknowledge the fixing process.
How to fix a bent fishing rod?
Although modern fishing rods are designed to be flexible, they can bend for overload and imbalance. If the rod is made with a lightweight graphite material, it can be fixed just by stressing in pressure. In contrast, harder fiberglass material may require tools like a rod straightening machine.
Table of Contents
How to straighten a bent fishing rod?
How to straighten a graphite fishing rod?
When a fishing rod is made of graphite, it offers powerful performance even being lightweight. However, these fishing rods can easily be broken or bent.
So, the durability of graphite fishing rods is still questionable. If graphite fishing rod bends then there are some easy steps to follow for straightening it.
Understanding the measurements
First of all, you need to measure, how much your fishing rod has bent. According to the measurements, you need to take the following actions. To measure the bending fishing rod, you can use a scale or measuring tape.
Hold the fishing rod sprightly and position the measuring tape on the tip area. Now, measure the depth that how much the rod has bent. You can write it down if you want.
Deciding the weight
In this step, you need to find out how much weight your fishing rod can carry. According to the weight capacity, you need to decide that how much additional weight you will give it to make straight. Hence, try to have the precise weight lifting capability of the best fishing rod.
Deciding the action
In this last step, you will need to put pressure on the two sides of the fishing rod. You have to do it by providing a bit extra weight than its actual weight capacity. Although graphite rods are stiffer and lighter, they are more brittle than any other fishing rod material.
Make sure that you are not breaking the rod by giving excessive pressure. Moreover, you can go for a rod straightening machine as well. It will give you a professional outcome rather than the manual one.
How to straighten a fiberglass fishing rod?
The fiberglass fishing rods are not lightweight like graphite rods but they are more durable with extra protection. So, there is a lesser chance to bend than graphite fishing rod. They are heavier and much more flexible. Mostly, they are very difficult to break.
As fiberglass fishing rods are stronger, it is pretty difficult to straighten once they bend. But still, there are some easy steps to fix a bent fiberglass fishing rod.
Measuring the depth
This step is common in almost all fishing rod straightening processes. You need to measure the depth of the bending area. You can do it with a simple scale or measuring tape. If you are an expert angler then you can easily measure it with your hand.
This measurement is needed to assume that how much you need to straight. Keep the fishing rod on a plain surface. Find out in which area your rod has bent. If it is in middle then measure it horizontally with measuring tape. In the case of tip area, measure vertically.
Finding weight lifting capacity
As fiberglass fishing rod is heavier and stronger, it has more weight lifting capacity than graphite fishing rod. So you need to find out how much weight your fishing rod can easily lift.
Repairing through professional tools
As is mentioned before that fiberglass fishing rods are heavier, it needs some extra pressure to straighten. In this case, you can easily go for a hydraulic cylinder. It will help you to bend the rod with its strong piston.
Another option is to go for a rod straightening machine. Despite being a bit costly, it will perform well in the case of straightening your fishing rod.
Why do fishing rods bend?
There are several reasons behind bending fishing rods. Some of them are too obvious to mention,
Lighter rod:
If the fishing rod is light then it will have more curves. With every shake, it will look like a pool noodle. The light fishing rods are not designed to lift larger fish. So, if you target bigger fish than your rod capacity, then it will bend easily.
Flexible rods:
Flexible rods are designed to balance rod according to the pressure of the water. They easily flex the tension on the line when the fish fights back to getaway.
But still, flexible rods may bend if the angler cannot balance them appropriately. Moreover, it keeps tension on the line in case the fish gives pressure back. If the reels have tension adjustment it makes it harder.
Hence, the fish spit out the hook for getting away. And that moment the fishing rod usually bends.
Load:
If your rod is light and you want to target larger fish then it may create excessive pressure on your rod. This extra load may bend your rod.
Moreover, if the rod is too bendy and light then it may make the casting harder in case of larger baits. It won’t be able to lift extra weight and easily bend down.
Size:
There are certain weight lifting capacities according to the different sizes. If the fishing rod is small then its load capacity will also be lesser. In that case, if you try to lift heavier fishes than its capability, it will easily bend.
Which way should a fishing rod bend?
A fishing rod should bend from the ride area because of the load. Mostly, the spine of any fishing rod is placed on the side.
In the case of the spine finding test, you will find the spine rests on. And it is related to the ride area. So it should be bent from that area. Moreover, it happens for lifting extra weight.
Can you fish with a bent fishing rod?
As bent fishing rods are not broken in half, they can be used for further fishing. Although you may find it a bit difficult to balance, you can cast it anywhere you want. In the case of a bent fishing rod, you will need to cast it according to its capacity.
You cannot target heavier baits with your bent fishing rod. And you need to keep your rod straight as much as you can while fishing. Otherwise, you will lose keeping track of your target.
How do you fix a fishing rod that won’t reel in?
If the fishing rod doesn’t reel, then you need to fix it by following some easy and basic steps.
- Step 1- Find out the root cause of why your fishing rod is not reeling.
- Step 2- Then check the housing and remove its cover.
- Step 3- Examine both ends of the spool. Then look for the fishing line that is stuck in the bush. If you find the fishing lines are stuck, you can use a screwdriver to remove it.
- Step 4- then you have to pinch the bail of the cast. After pinching the reels, release the two ends of the cast bail housing. At the final stage, you have to place the reels back in their case. Then, simply test whether it works or not.
If you are looking forward to a proper fixing process of your bent fishing rod, then you will find all the needed details from the mentioned guideline. So follow those easy steps to fix your bent rod as new as before.
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