Fixing A Broken Fiberglass Fishing Rod

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Many anglers, when they break their fishing rod, will throw it away and go and purchase a new one. Before you do this, you should check whether it is possible to repair it first. There are often ways that you can fix your broken rod that will let you still be able to use it, especially if it is your favourite. 

If you have a broken rod laying around, use the advice below to see if you can repair it, rather than throw it away, and you can still enjoy your favourite rod for a long time to come.

Look At The Break

The first thing you will have to do is to look at the break in the rod and understand how it has happened. If your fishing rod is made from fiberglass, then it can be a simple repair, but you may lose some flexibility in the rod. You’ll then have to get everything that you need to make the repair, and your local GT fishing tackle shop may be able to supply everything that you need. 

Cut The Rod

You will want to tide up the two broken ends of the rod, and a small saw can do this and ensure that both ends are flat so can be connected again. When you have cut the rod, you will then want to measure the diameter of both ends, and you will need to source a length of fiberglass that is smaller than the rod. 

Making The Repair

The idea of the repair is that you insert your piece of the fiberglass inside your current fishing rod, which will hold the two pieces in places. The longer the insert is, the more flexibility you will lose, but having not enough may mean that your rod will break again. Make sure that the fiberglass pole will fit snugly in your rod, and if it is a bit loose, use some tape to make it thicker. 

Image Source: Wikipedia

Now it is time to get your epoxy resin ready and start repairing your fishing rod, and you will want to apply the epoxy resin to one side of your fiberglass pole and insert this into one end of the broken fishing rod. As that side is drying, you can then apply the reason to the other side of the pole and slide the other end of the fishing rod down all the way. You will want to have both ends of the rod as flush together as you can, and you will also need to work quickly before the epoxy resin sets, and you can no longer move the pieces. If any of the epoxy comes out of where the join is, smooth this out with your fingers and try to get rid of the excess. 

Let It Set

Now you will have to let the epoxy resin cure and set which can take a few hours depending on what type you are using. Look at the instructions and see what the manufacture recommends, and when it is set, you can add a layer of tape to the joint for added protection and hide the break. 

Within no time at all, you have a repaired fishing rod that you can use again, and the cost of fixing it is much smaller than that of buying a new rod.