North 40 Fly Shop eMagazine October 2016 | Page 31

I will admit it. I have broken many fly rods. I’ve crushed tips with power windows and ceiling fans. I’ve slammed rods into doors. I’ve tumbled down steep banks with bad results to the rods and my body. I’ve broken them against fish, snags and all manner of obstruction. I’ve double hauled them into 5 pieces. However, one thing I’ve learned from all these bad examples is that it’s always been my fault. I hear it time and time again. “I was casting and it just broke.” Or, “I hooked a fish and it just broke.” Generally speaking, fly rods don’t just break. There is an event leading to the breakage. Often the event is a severe shock to the rod. This can come from pulling on a snag incorrectly, slapping the rod against an object while casting, smacking the rod with the fly or line while casting or severely bending the rod against a fish. Often times, the event leading to the break happens before the break occurs. When the breakage actually occurs, the angler does not always correlate the previous transgression to the present moment of dysfunction. Dealing with a Snag When pulling on a snag, anglers frequently jerk violently against the rod. This serves little purpose other than to stress the rod. Just ask my wife. Stress is bad. A few tugs or better yet, a roll cast applied to push the line in the opposite direction of the snag is the best way to start. Then a static pull on the line with the rod pointed directly at the snag is the final step. Put all the stress on the 31