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Broke My Rapala and Can't Get Just the End Piece


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#1 rhymobot

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Posted 28 May 2014 - 01:58 PM

So while landing a 21 inch pickerel or so, the end piece bent severely while boating it and SNAP! I have a Rapala MG20SP70M4 four piece 7 ft travel rod. Warranty was only for one year and I got it three years ago, though I've only used it three times.

 

Emailed Rapala Canada and they said they can't get me just pieces. They are a distributor and only get whole rods from overseas.

 

I bought this on sale from Le Barons for $50 plus tax.

 

What do you do in a situation like this? Call Finland? Or am I SOL?


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#2 PUMP KNOWS

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Posted 28 May 2014 - 02:06 PM

It's gonna cost you more then $50 for shipping from overseas.

 

It sucks that warranty has expired but just look for another rod that's on sale.

 

I broke plenty of rods that I barely used.

 

My last rod I broke was a uglystick...  I was riding my bike to a small pond and when I was almost there, my fishing rod some how got between my back tire and cracked in half.   I wanted to cry but I just bought a new one.


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#3 staffman

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Posted 28 May 2014 - 02:43 PM

Pump is correct, your better off to write it off and purchase a new one. I would save the eyes by cutting through the thread and save the tip also by heating it with a lighter than pull it off using pliers. You never know when they may become useful.


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#4 MuskieBait

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Posted 28 May 2014 - 03:52 PM

Ask yourself if you really need a travel rod and how often you travel with it.

 

If you are just fishing locally and can avoid using the travel, then get a 2-piece rod instead. The more pieces and the more joints, the greater opportunity for a snapped rod.

 

If you REALLY do need a travel rod, at this point, your best option is just to write it off and get a new one. Consider paying a little more and getting one of these options...

 

Tsunami Kayak Inshore 7' 3-piece (with 5 year warranty) - $80

 

http://www.tackledir...nshore-rod.html

 

Okuma Citrix Travel (with limited lifetime warranty) - $80

 

http://www.fishusa.c...rix-Travel-Rods

 

 

I have travel rods from Temple Fork Outfitters at $150 each rod at the time with No-Fault Lifetime Warranty. Whether it was a fly rod, spinning or casting rod under the same warranty, all I need to do is to ship it back with $25 shipping and handling fee and I get a brand new rod back within 2-weeks. I have broken one of their fly rods...but yet to break one of my travel rods. Been close to 7 years since I've got them and took them all over from Thailand to France to Australia to Hawaii, California and Florida. Caught tons of fish on them.

 

I have the Tsunami rods suggested here. Tsunami does not deal with Canadian customer, but I got them from Tackle Direct and TD took care of everything for me. Shipped it back and I received a brand new rod within 2-weeks. I've only snapped the tip off one of my three Tsunami's. It was my fault the rod (heavy spinning model) snapped because the 25+lb chinook dove through the net during netting process and the fish dragged the rod tip into the net mesh. It was tangled up and line wouldn't release so SNAP! Before the rod snapped, I landed a little 3-foot Tarpon on it without even worrying. The replacement had landed a 200lb Nurse Shark plus a few 30-40lb Cownnose Rays on that rod. I even have heavier models from the Kayak Boat Travel series. Yet to really test the power in those...but they handle the same Cownose Rays without any issue. I want to really test them out on Bluefin Tuna, California Yellowtail and perhaps even Sailfish and Striped Marlin in the future.

 

My friend owns the Citrix rod and has yet to deal with a rod break. He's been fishing it hard landing bonefish, snapper and barracuda on it from Belize in my recollection...he's fishing now in Hawaii and I'm sure he's putting that rod to some work too.

 

** Aside from that single odd freak accident (fish diving through the net), I've yet to snap any of my travel rods. I've used multiple ones from UglyStik to Cabelas to Daiwa spin/fly and then the current TFO's and Tsunami's. As long as you remember they are travel rods and don't put the rod in awkward and excessive angles, they are just as good as any other rods out there.


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#5 usernamehere

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Posted 28 May 2014 - 10:58 PM

more pieces, less sensitivity, except for the most expensive rods.


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#6 MuskieBait

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Posted 28 May 2014 - 11:40 PM

more pieces, less sensitivity, except for the most expensive rods.

 

Really?

 

The following species were caught using my 7', 3-piece, medium power, fast action Temple Fork Outfitter TiCR2...$150

 

Atlantic Silverside 2in

Actinopterygii_Atheriniformes_Atherinops

 

Ocellated Killifish 1.5in

Actinopterygii_Cyprinodontiformes_Cyprin

 

Mummichog 6in

Actinopterygii_Cyprinodontiformes_Fundul

 

Striped Killifish 4.5in

Actinopterygii_Cyprinodontiformes_Fundul

 

Yucatan Gambusia 1.5in

Actinopterygii_Cyprinodontiformes_Poecil

 

Mangrove Molly 1.5in

Actinopterygii_Cyprinodontiformes_Poecil

 

Onespot Fringehead 3in

Actinopterygii_Perciformes_Chaenopsidae_

 

Frillfin Goby 2.5in

Actinopterygii_Perciformes_Gobiidae_Gobi

 

Black Goby 3in

Actinopterygii_Perciformes_Gobiidae_Gobi

 

I've caught 388 species of fish, probably 50% of them with this particular rod, and about 40% of those are species under 6" long...so I can go on all night providing examples...

 

I guess multipiece rod are insensitive as you said...right...

 

The medium Okuma Citrix, priced at $120 is even more sensitive. It can be had on Amazon for $97. It's not even close to the price of some 1-piece St. Croix or Loomis or Fenwick.


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#7 tuhlapsss

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Posted 28 May 2014 - 11:45 PM

Really?

 

7', 3-piece, medium Temple Fork Outfitter TiCR2...

 

Actinopterygii_Atheriniformes_Atherinops

 

Actinopterygii_Cyprinodontiformes_Cyprin

 

Actinopterygii_Cyprinodontiformes_Fundul

 

Actinopterygii_Cyprinodontiformes_Fundul

 

Actinopterygii_Cyprinodontiformes_Poecil

 

Actinopterygii_Cyprinodontiformes_Poecil

 

Actinopterygii_Perciformes_Chaenopsidae_

 

Actinopterygii_Perciformes_Gobiidae_Gobi

 

Actinopterygii_Perciformes_Gobiidae_Gobi

 

I can go on all night...

is the second last one a goby? Man its beautiful.


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#8 MuskieBait

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Posted 28 May 2014 - 11:54 PM

** I was updating the post just as you replied

 

Yes, Frillfin Goby (Bathygobius soporator). That one in the picture was caught in Belize, but they are very common in Florida as well.


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#9 FrequentFlyer

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Posted 29 May 2014 - 12:20 AM

the sensitivity of multi piece rods depends on manufacturer and quality of graphite used.

 

if the tip of your rod broke while trying to land the fish, stop high sticking the fish, with exception to car doors and trunk lids, high sticking fish, ie putting the tip under too much pressure when landing, is one of the leading causes of rod breakage. this is because it takes the pressure from the mid section and butt end of the rod where its supposed to be, and puts it all on the tip.  very easy to prevent with a nice long handled (5ft+) net get the rubber coated mesh, not only good for any fish you plan on releasing, but it doesn't tangle..

 

the other posibility, is that the the rod was hit by split shot while casting which will cause micro fractures in the graphite and then its not a matter of IF, its a matter of when.    this is what happened to my Loomis NRX rod, a beaded fly hit the blank at some point, and it broke on me on opening day


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#10 LICENSETOPIN

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Posted 29 May 2014 - 01:14 AM

Cant weigh in on the rapala issue but if your looking for another travel rod check out Shimano's Exage line. Awesome travel rods, even use my 4 pc med on a daily basis when fishing home waters.


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#11 eric

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Posted 29 May 2014 - 07:55 AM

better luck buying something new, then getting a replacement.

consider it a nice gift for yourself.  :D


okuma has alot of nice travel rods, if you can budget it.

the okuma nomad travel rods are nice, xpress, citrix

daiwa has a few

stcroix makes a decent one

lamiglas is nice but its a discontinued model

tsunami

 

choices boil down to how big the fish you regularly target.

 

if you have the space wise.. its still better to get a 2 pc rod.
the best higher end 'shorter, travel style' rods i know are butt joint rods, where the whole tip connects to the handle portion.

these type rods can even go and do lite boat work.

 

and then the JDM japanese market rods... prob the best, but also the most expensive.


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#12 rhymobot

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Posted 29 May 2014 - 08:46 AM

Normally I wouldn't break my rod in this way but it's a long story. I wrote about it in the report I posted last night. But I gotta admit, I'm pretty disappointed that I can't get just the end. Hate having to write off something like this.

 

I bought it for trips to DR and Cuba. And only used it last week for another reason.

 

I also have 3 retractable rods which I can travel with but they are maximum 5.5 feet, which I don't mind when boat fishing but 7 foot is better for surf casting.

 

I've only broken one rod before and my cousin broke my rod when landing his first pike with me. But all my rods I bought for $20 to $25, which were on half off sales except this one and a $70 ugly stick.

 

I won't be replacing the rod with another travel rod. Not in the foreseeable future that is.


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#13 chinooky

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Posted 30 May 2014 - 07:57 PM

more pieces, less sensitivity, except for the most expensive rods.

 

agreed. its exactly the same as a weld vs 1 piece. All things being equal, the same rod will lose sensitivity with more joints.

 

having said that, a 2 or 3 piece rod can still be sensitive enough as shown by MB


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#14 usernamehere

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Posted 30 May 2014 - 08:45 PM

Really?

 

The following species were caught using my 7', 3-piece, medium power, fast action Temple Fork Outfitter TiCR2...$150

 

Atlantic Silverside 2in

Actinopterygii_Atheriniformes_Atherinops

 

Ocellated Killifish 1.5in

Actinopterygii_Cyprinodontiformes_Cyprin

 

Mummichog 6in

Actinopterygii_Cyprinodontiformes_Fundul

 

Striped Killifish 4.5in

Actinopterygii_Cyprinodontiformes_Fundul

 

Yucatan Gambusia 1.5in

Actinopterygii_Cyprinodontiformes_Poecil

 

Mangrove Molly 1.5in

Actinopterygii_Cyprinodontiformes_Poecil

 

Onespot Fringehead 3in

Actinopterygii_Perciformes_Chaenopsidae_

 

Frillfin Goby 2.5in

Actinopterygii_Perciformes_Gobiidae_Gobi

 

Black Goby 3in

Actinopterygii_Perciformes_Gobiidae_Gobi

 

I've caught 388 species of fish, probably 50% of them with this particular rod, and about 40% of those are species under 6" long...so I can go on all night providing examples...

 

I guess multipiece rod are insensitive as you said...right...

 

The medium Okuma Citrix, priced at $120 is even more sensitive. It can be had on Amazon for $97. It's not even close to the price of some 1-piece St. Croix or Loomis or Fenwick.

 

I never said insensitive, i said "less sensitive", please read carefully. A 1 piece rod (the same rod), break it into pieces, and the sensitivity will most likely go down, even if its by a very small margin. 

I havnt seen or used any non-high-end multi-piece rods that retains the same sensitivity.

 

Also, I dont even know how you caught those fish, for all i know you couldv used a float as a strike indicator.


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#15 usernamehere

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Posted 30 May 2014 - 09:34 PM

Also speaking of multi piece rods, you guys seen this?

 

http://www.daiwa.com...ail.aspx?id=691

 

Looks very interesting, definitely covers a weakness in multi-piece rods.


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#16 Kleiner

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Posted 30 May 2014 - 10:12 PM

Usernamehere is right, generally speaking a rod with more joints is less sensitive when compared to the same one piece rod.


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#17 MuskieBait

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Posted 30 May 2014 - 10:59 PM

Don't know how much more sensitivity you need from a rod when you can feel a 2" fish nibbling at the end of you line...Oh well, believe what you like...I'll keep traveling and actually catching fish with my travel rods.


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#18 usernamehere

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Posted 30 May 2014 - 11:14 PM

Don't know how much more sensitivity you need from a rod when you can feel a 2" fish nibbling at the end of you line...Oh well, believe what you like...I'll keep traveling and actually catching fish with my travel rods.

:mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:


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#19 rhymobot

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Posted 03 June 2014 - 01:57 PM

Just got confirmation from Rapala in Finland. They won't send me just the one piece. I have to buy a whole new one from Rapala Canada.

 

This is why I can't buy nice things.

 

I got an Esquire watch for my birthday. The battery is dead now. The manual says only get it fixed by Esquire. There's only one Esquire office in Canada. It's in Markham. You know how much it costs to ship by registered mail with insurance to Markham and then have them charge me to service? What if I didn't live that close to Markham? Anyway, I'm gonna get a local jewellery store do it because they say they do it all the time for expensive watches but the point is that the more expensive something is, the more it costs to fix or replace.

 

Same with cars. You buy a $60k Benz or something and all the parts and servicing cost more than a typical car. Not to mention that the more bells and whistles a car has the more things can go wrong. My uncle experienced this a few times now with his Benz. And I have a moonroof on my car and the tracking broke and after all was said and done I spent $900 to get it replaced. And that was with a used one from the scrap yard installed by Apple Auto Glass! If I went with a new one and done by dealer it would cost $1,900.

 

This Rapala was the cheapest proper travel rod I had seen at the time 3 years ago and for $57 I said why not. What if I spent $200? What if I dropped $500 on a rod like a couple of guys I met in my time on the water and it's past the 1 year or whatever warranty period? Then you're SOL?

 

What if I were spending $11 on each jerk bait or crank bait and it gets snagged or a pike snaps it off while bass fishing, etc? Or like my brother in law who spends $25 to $30 on each musky lure and then every once in a while it breaks off on rocks or something?

 

What about the only expensive pair of shoes I have, which were $120 before tax? Steve Maddens. I wore them once a week to work and never in the winter. Of all my work shoes, they were the ones to break first. The sole separated from the shoe in two places only a few months apart and I've probably not worn them more than a hundred times. Meanwhile, my four other pairs were all under $80 after tax and lasted years and each worn several hundreds of times to more than a thousand times like the pair that finally broke down and I just replaced. Hell, one of them was from Spring and cost me $25 after half off sale and I got them on now for the whatever hundredth time and they're still going strong.

 

Man, I have three retractables that range from $17 to $20. All of them still going strong. All of them caught fish from bass to pike to sheephead to small salmon. Up to 8lbs. Mind you, I did break an old retractable when I smashed it into another rod in the rod holder on my back cast, and that's my fault, but the point is, I replaced it for $17! So I didn't mind so much.

 

All I'm left with now is a useless rod with only 3 pieces while the smallest piece of them all cannot be replaced. And it was me boating a fish that couldn't have weighed more than 2.5lbs that broke the rod! Yet all my other rods have so far supported fish when boating them except for one of the $25 ones my cousin was using last year when a pike snapped it.


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#20 MuskieBait

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Posted 04 June 2014 - 12:59 AM

Get the right rod, take care of it, use it properly...and it doesn't matter if it is 1-piece or 4-piece.

 

 

 

Tsunami 3-piece catches...on a rod rated 10-25lbs...$80.

 

7' Nurse Shark approximately 200lb

Elasmobranchii_Orectolobiformes_+Ginglym

 

Approximately 36" Tarpon

Actinopterygii_Elopiformes_Megalopidae_M

 

30lb+ Cownose Ray

IMG_0831_post.jpg

 

25lb Chinook Salmon

IMG_0404_post.jpg

 

** The Tsunami rod is under 1-year old...so it hasn't made too many big catches yet and aside from the Nurse Shark, I've not put it to its upper limit enough yet.

 

 

 

Temple Fork Outfitters TiCR2 4-piece catches...on a rod rated 10-25lb again...$150

 

10lb+ Steelhead

IMG_1386_post.jpg

 

30lb Grass Carp

Actinopterygii_Cypriniformes_Cyprinidae_

 

34" Common Carp approximately 25lb (You can see the rod in the picture)

Actinopterygii_Cypriniformes_Cyprinidae_

 

10lb+ Freshwater Drum

IMG_1436_post.jpg

 

 

 

** Those are NOT expensive rods...they are mid-range. Action between a 3-piece travel rod is very different from a multi-segment telescopic rod.

 

Yes, my TFO rods cost $150 each...but if I happen to snap it, the rod still has the No-Fault Lifetime Warranty (which TFO confirmed in black and white that they will continue to honour the warranty even when the rods had been discontinued). I just sent it back (about $20 shipping) with $25 shipping and handling fee and I get a brand new rod in return. I look at it this way...if I snap the rod, I can't get a comparable powerful and dependable replacement rod for $45 in the market today...especially not when it comes to travel rods. If the warranty is not honoured, I had the rod for close to 10 years (basically $15/year of use) so it has more than worth its cost already.

 

When it comes to my Tsunami rods, they are $80-90 with 5-year warranty. Once that warranty expires, yes, I may not be able to get a broken rod repired or replaced. But at $90 that had been used for 5-years, it is worth every bit of that price (basically under $20/year of use). By that time, I would have fished the crap out of the rod anyways...and if it continues to perform, then I'm getting bonus value from the rod.

 

Again, believe what you want...I know what my rods had done, can do, and will be capable to do in the future for years to come.


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