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[HamidSeshadri]

The last two times I've been out fly fishing, I've broken my rod (and my heart) both times. that snapping sound is the worst thing I have ever heard.

the first time, i was told the rod (7wt Amundson Super) likely had a weak defective part because it broke near the butt as i was fighting a pink.
went to the warranty office (they were very nice about it  ) and got a replacement, an 8wt Amundson TopFLy

took the new rod out, caught some more pinks, foul hooked one and as i was bringing it in i was worried i might break this rod too so i was trying to be extra careful, i thought i should grab the line with my hand to take the pressure off the rod... so i took my hand off the but and placed it higher up as i was reaching for the line.. snapped the tip off  . thankfully i can get it replaced again... i was told that this time it was my mishandling...

i learned yesterday to never take my hands off the butt and put them anywhere else on the rod when there is pressure on it.

any of you guys have any other tips for NOT breaking rods?

[Funeral Of Hearts]

Yup. Dont grab up the rod beyond the cork it puts a different stress on a different part of the rod and can break them.

Another tip is when landing a fish don't high stick the rod on an angle behind you. Kind of hard to describe but usually you have the rod length in front of you with a bend in it. If you bring your rod tip up and rotate it back over behind you ( with a fish on) you bend the tip in an odd way and risk snapping it.

Hope that makes sense.

[Tex]

The "don't put your hand above the cork" recommendation is a key one apparently, as you mentioned.

Funeral of Heart's recommendation about not bending the rod behind you when trying to land a fish is another good one.

A great alternative when you're trying to land a fish yourself is to lift the rod until it's near vertical, then strip some free line off the reel into your rod hand.  Release that line swiftly and pull your rod back, in effect creating slack in the line between your rod tip and the fish (so as not to bend your rod at a weird angle and potentially break it).  Grab the slack line with your free hand and hand-line the fish in to land it.

This will give the fish slack and you may lose one now and again, but it will prevent undue strain on your rod.

[MoeJKU]

As stated before do not grab above the cork as its streses the rod differently.
When building rods there is a certain side of the blank to put the eyes on it as it bends better one way. As well as guide placement, these are used in specific spots to take the weight and evenly disperse it throughout the rod . Which if your holding your rod wrong, or have your rod to high up in the air it will break. I try to keep my rods at a 45 angle give or take  a bit from the water.

[DanJohn]

Ill say this to you, and please dont think Im being rude, because I say it almost every time im out fishing around other people, and they are catching fish.

KEEP YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF THE BLANK AND ON THE CORK!!!

Seriously. Dont feel bad, you certainly arent the only one to do it, and many people dont know. Ive never broken a rod this way, but Ive seen a few videos of it, and I know that sound you speak of. I hope to never hear it! At least one of the rods was defective. Would have happened sooner or later. Another thought, dont cast heavy flies and let them hit the rod (chuck and duck style) because you can dent the blank, and provide a weak spot for breakage.

One more time for good measure

KEEP YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF THE BLANK AND ON THE CORK!

Good luck.

[HamidSeshadri]

thanks everyone,

KEEP YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF THE BLANK AND ON THE CORK!

ok, i'm listening 

[HOOK]

the thing im worst for is high sticking my salmon rod behind my back or around my body trying to grab the line. I blew up a switch rod this way 

I have now figured out the technique of lifting the rod tightly to the fish, then release the reel/pull some slack line, then let go quickly and let the line fall into your hand. this of course doesn't go smoothly every time 

example - last time out for pinks I went to do this and when I went to grab the line it actually wrapped around my wrist !!! if this had been a large fish it would have been very hard and painful to get my hand free. holding the rods handle in my teeth while trying to pull the line loose enough to get it off was hard enough with a pink pulling on the other end 

[DanJohn]

thanks everyone,

ok, i'm listening 

Haha ok! After that little tidbit, I have no advice. I have no idea what can or cant break a rod. I DID break one while casting in a really tight spot once. I had overhanging bushes and trees behind me, as I brought my final cast forward, I guess I caught a branch, and the tip snapped about 6 inches from the top. Just a normal cast. I believe that was caused by whacking the rod with heavy flies, but it might have been a defect in the blank. Best advice I think I have is fish carefully, slowly, and intentionally, and if it happens, it happens. Im sure some rods just give up one day, whether you cause it or they are just tired and old.

[HOOK]

don't leave your rods anywhere near vehicle doors either. they eat rods for dinner !!!

[zabber]

Glad I read this post.

I've been grabbing the blank all season to increase mechanical advantage.

[HamidSeshadri]

another question:
how many times have you broken your rod, and how did you break it?

i should learn from your mistakes too 

edit: oops i see dan already posted an answer to my question before i posted it

[HOOK]

I have had my 5wt broken twice. first time was casting clousers to pink salmon and hit the blank with the fly blowing it in half instantly, second time the wife shut it in the truck door

busted my old 4wt twice also on back to back trips. first trip I think the line may have been stick somewhere on my pontoon when I went to pull the rod out to use it and the tip broke into 5 pieces, second time I think I only looked at it sideways as the tip broke into 3. my dad now owns it and has had no issues 

snapped a switch rod in two as stated above

blew apart a spinning rod horsing on a snag

exploded a levelwind rod into about 13 pieces just trying to pop my hook free from some braided line I was stuck on. I had the line above water and was just bouncing it trying to get the hook to fall off and the rod exploded. sounded cool though

I think there is a couple more rods but those are the ones I remember.

I even blew up a levelwind reel !!

[HamidSeshadri]

second time I think I only looked at it sideways as the tip broke into 3. my dad now owns it and has had no issues 

hahahahahahha

and here i thought i was the most unlucky SOB

[FlyFishin Magician]

Yes - all good advice here.  One more "tip" (no pun intended) is to avoid laying your rod down on the rocks or flat surface - esp. when there are lots of other people around.  Instead, place something underneath the rod (like your vest, jacket or sweater), or lean your rod against a bush or tree, so the tip is up to avoid someone accidentally stepping on it.   

[Funeral Of Hearts]

Yup. Rod tips go pretty much trasparent when you lay them down on the rocks for some reason.
 To follow along the same lines, I don't know how many times I see people tossing their rod aside in a frenzy of excitement when they land a fish. Be gentle with your rod and it will last longer. A ding in a dropped rod can create a weak point and an unwanted snap.

I also cringe when I see people battling a snag to save the $5 in gear at the end of their line by whipping their rod up and down violently.... followed by a loud crack and a puzzled look on their face... sigh...