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Merwin: The Science of Rod Busting
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The Honest Angler
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April 20, 2009
Merwin: The Science of Rod Busting
By John Merwin
We were talking the other day here about breaking fishing rods, which reminds of some testing I once did to see how much force is required to actually snap a rod. I took 7 brand-new medium-weight, one-piece casting and spinning rods and rigged each one in a fixture that held the rod rigidly by its grip at about 45 degrees above horizontal. Then I ran some parachute cord through the guides and tied it off to the reelseat. On the other end of the cord was a bucket, into which I kept adding lead weights until -- KAPOW!--the rod snapped. This was pretty exciting, and you can read about the whole test here.
The rod with the weakest butt section (a Falcon model) snapped at 22.4 pounds. Among the strongest was a Shimano Clarus, which snapped at 44.6 pounds. The only rod I was unable to break was an Ugly Stik, which carried a weight of 55 pounds without snapping, at which point I gave up. I was really surprised at how much weight these rods could stand; certainly far more than I’d expect to put on a rod in actual fishing. And yes, Ugly Stiks are very strong and relatively inexpensive, but I also think they feel a little clunky and don’t often fish them for that reason....
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Comments (9)
I know they are a littly chunky, and trust me, that is hard to admit, just like admitting your child is a little on the heavy side... but I love my Ugly Stik. I catch fish with it and it works. I never have to worry about it breaking or anything. I can always buy one at a relatively reasonable price. It is one of those rods that you could have for a lifetime and even pass down to the kids. Thanks for the interesting post.
I've got a couple Ugly Sticks around for my kids to use and to loan to friends. They are a great value for the price.
Looking back I have busted one rod on a fish. Two of us were standing in a 10 ft jon boat fly casting for bass in a small pond. I set the hook on a fish and my shakespeare wonderglas rod broke in two at the ferrel. Amazing we both stayed dry but I do recall we both sat down rather quickly to stabelize the boat. I also landed the fish by hand lining.
I know that baitcast rods and spin rods are rated for a certain pound of line. If you buy a fly rod it is rated for a certain weight of fly line but the end result of the pressure on a fly rod will be the tippet but they are not rated for tippet strenght. Example: I take my 6 wt with 6 wt line to the Gulf of Mexico with 20lb tippet. I would expect my rod to break or at least I have increased my chances tremendously. Are there any studies that match tippets to fly rods?
I have never had one break with a fish on but I have had my share of tips broken off on the way fishing in the truck door. If they invent one that can withstand that I will definately pay the money.
I broke an ugly stick right in two. My wife commented that she was pregnant just as I was stepping out of the boat with the rod in my hand. I stumbled and fell against the dock and the rod snapped like a popsicle stick.
Lost a good pair of sunglasses in the lake then too.
i use the ugly sick lites, not as clunky and just as tough for when i come home and see my 3 kids using them as anything but what they were designed for. i loved my st croix baitcasting rods, but they got busted in a move and i just havent had the heart to spend that much cash to replace em.
Of my at least 50 rods I have owned, I have never snapped one on a fish, although car doors take there fair toll...
Ok this reminded me of a funny story......
I once took a trip to the closest Bass Pro Shop, which is in Nashville, TN. It was about 3 years ago so I was about 15 or 16 years old. I was just browsing through their fishing rods looking for a new medium light spinning rod. I turned the corner to go into another aisle when i spotted a guy looking at an Ugly Stick. I guess he wanted to see how strong the really are. He took the rod tip in his left hand and the butt in his right, and tried to touch the two ends together just like the commercial. Well all i heard was SNAP! I have never laughed so hard. The guy casually put the rod back and walked quickly to another place in the store. I get cracked up just thinking about it....
Kinda breaks my heart to think that seven nice rods got busted without ever seeing a fish but science is a cruel taskmaster. Good test from the sound of it and probably a lot of fun to carry out.
I buy Ugly Stiks for the youngsters because they are basically indestructible and fish really well for the crankbaits and spinnerbaits that are good for anglers who haven't practiced presentations that require more skill.
I did the test from the commercial to my Ugly Stik when I was much younger and it passed although there was some ominous creaking. A one timer for sure and not something to try without eye protection. I do have a Shimano Clarus and I fishes very well for a mid-priced rod. Glad to hear it did so well in the test.
So many times rods break because they were bumped or banged onto something hard and causing a micro fracture that causes the rod to break when a load is put on it and it breaks at that fracture point. Pretty hard to break a rod on just a fish.I own 48 rods and have fished a lot over the years with them and never broke a rod on fish. Car doors and trunks are another story.
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I know they are a littly chunky, and trust me, that is hard to admit, just like admitting your child is a little on the heavy side... but I love my Ugly Stik. I catch fish with it and it works. I never have to worry about it breaking or anything. I can always buy one at a relatively reasonable price. It is one of those rods that you could have for a lifetime and even pass down to the kids. Thanks for the interesting post.
I've got a couple Ugly Sticks around for my kids to use and to loan to friends. They are a great value for the price.
Looking back I have busted one rod on a fish. Two of us were standing in a 10 ft jon boat fly casting for bass in a small pond. I set the hook on a fish and my shakespeare wonderglas rod broke in two at the ferrel. Amazing we both stayed dry but I do recall we both sat down rather quickly to stabelize the boat. I also landed the fish by hand lining.
I know that baitcast rods and spin rods are rated for a certain pound of line. If you buy a fly rod it is rated for a certain weight of fly line but the end result of the pressure on a fly rod will be the tippet but they are not rated for tippet strenght. Example: I take my 6 wt with 6 wt line to the Gulf of Mexico with 20lb tippet. I would expect my rod to break or at least I have increased my chances tremendously. Are there any studies that match tippets to fly rods?
I have never had one break with a fish on but I have had my share of tips broken off on the way fishing in the truck door. If they invent one that can withstand that I will definately pay the money.
I broke an ugly stick right in two. My wife commented that she was pregnant just as I was stepping out of the boat with the rod in my hand. I stumbled and fell against the dock and the rod snapped like a popsicle stick.
Lost a good pair of sunglasses in the lake then too.
i use the ugly sick lites, not as clunky and just as tough for when i come home and see my 3 kids using them as anything but what they were designed for. i loved my st croix baitcasting rods, but they got busted in a move and i just havent had the heart to spend that much cash to replace em.
Of my at least 50 rods I have owned, I have never snapped one on a fish, although car doors take there fair toll...
Ok this reminded me of a funny story......
I once took a trip to the closest Bass Pro Shop, which is in Nashville, TN. It was about 3 years ago so I was about 15 or 16 years old. I was just browsing through their fishing rods looking for a new medium light spinning rod. I turned the corner to go into another aisle when i spotted a guy looking at an Ugly Stick. I guess he wanted to see how strong the really are. He took the rod tip in his left hand and the butt in his right, and tried to touch the two ends together just like the commercial. Well all i heard was SNAP! I have never laughed so hard. The guy casually put the rod back and walked quickly to another place in the store. I get cracked up just thinking about it....
Kinda breaks my heart to think that seven nice rods got busted without ever seeing a fish but science is a cruel taskmaster. Good test from the sound of it and probably a lot of fun to carry out.
I buy Ugly Stiks for the youngsters because they are basically indestructible and fish really well for the crankbaits and spinnerbaits that are good for anglers who haven't practiced presentations that require more skill.
I did the test from the commercial to my Ugly Stik when I was much younger and it passed although there was some ominous creaking. A one timer for sure and not something to try without eye protection. I do have a Shimano Clarus and I fishes very well for a mid-priced rod. Glad to hear it did so well in the test.
So many times rods break because they were bumped or banged onto something hard and causing a micro fracture that causes the rod to break when a load is put on it and it breaks at that fracture point. Pretty hard to break a rod on just a fish.I own 48 rods and have fished a lot over the years with them and never broke a rod on fish. Car doors and trunks are another story.
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