Fishing – Caring for carbon fibre rods

Carbon fibre has revolutionised the construction of fishing rods, offering a blend of exceptional strength and minimal weight. Its high tensile strength enables manufacturers to produce rods that are remarkably sensitive, allowing anglers to detect even the faintest bites. The lightweight nature of carbon fibre also reduces fatigue, making extended fishing sessions more comfortable. Additionally, carbon fibre rods boast impressive durability and resistance to corrosion, especially in saltwater environments, contributing to their longevity.

However, carbon fibre rods are not without drawbacks. Their primary disadvantage is their brittleness; while strong under tension, they can be prone to cracking or breaking if subjected to sharp, sudden impacts.

A rod can receive an undetected knock during transport or use which has bruised the fibres. The next time you hook up on a decent fish, the rod fails, the angler blaming the manufacturer rather than their own carelessness.

While carbon fibre rods are my go-to, especially for light tackle jigging and softbaiting, they do need extra care from the time they are loaded into the boat to when you get home. The worst culprit is the way anglers attach their lures in transit. That 200g slider lure or sinker that has been left swinging on a short leash at the top of the rod accounts for more ‘unexplained’ rod breakages that anything else. I see boats charging from spot to spot at full noise with lures flailing about on the rod tips – a disaster waiting to happen.

Lures should be secured as low as possible on the rod, preventing them from damaging the blank. While some rods will have hook keepers, many do not, but it is not difficult to manufacturer your own. Former Mangawhai charter operator Tony Orton introduced me to some Bass Pro rubber hook keepers, which you rolled over the butt of the rod to hold lures in place. A thin zip tie and small stainless split ring is another hack I use to create a hook keeper. If you think the bottom guide on your rod is a ready-made point to attach a lure, you are right, provided the hook is attached to the guide mount, not the insert.

A more permanent solution is to drill a small hole in the plastic pistol grip often found in lighter slow-pitch jig rods.

Many of the latest softbait rods have what is known as an ‘exposed butt,’ where the blank is left open to improve sensitivity of the rod. This can lead to breakage of the butt section of the blank, most often caused when the rod is in the holder and the strike drag set to high. The exposed blank section can always do with some protection. The major rod manufacturers all have after-market protectors which slip over the blank, or you can create your own using an appropriate diameter cable protector, like those used on dive regulator hoses.

Check out www.fishing.net.nz or more useful tackle hacks.