Life expectency of fishing rods?

[mrblond]

I have not fished in many years now and I have several rods, both mine and some my father had. Now most of these rods date from the 70s to the mid 80s. some are fiberglass I believe and others are graphite.. should I just stash these rods and see about replacing them or are they still usable?

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[mkwerx]

Still usable, depending on make & model, maybe still sought after too. So long as its not broken, its still fine.

 

[mkwerx]

BTW, what kinda rods are you talking about?

 

[Nosferatu]

Depends on how they've been stored. If they don't have any major nicks, scars, or cracks, the eyelets are still in good shape and if they're still straight and don't have any memory when bent, you should be good to go.

Take them out to a lake, throw a weight on it and do a few test casts.

 

[mrblond]

BTW, what kinda rods are you talking about?

Spinning rods, they were nothing special as we were not rich haha. mostly steelhead and trout rods

 

[mkwerx]

Yeah, but what kind? Fenwick, Eagle Claw, Lamiglas, Shakespeare?

 

[bbbass]

I still use old rods... they are my treasures!!! Caught my first salmon on a rod I had from the 60s.

The advise about bent rods is good stuff. Be careful how you store them. Lay flat or hang up.

BTW, any damage to wrappings or eyelets can be repaired/replaced. Been there done that, it's fun.

 

[bbbass]

Yeah, but what kind? Fenwick, Eagle Claw, Lamiglas, Shakespeare?

Yeah, Fenwick and Lamiglas... nothing special. I'd make him an offer to take them off his hands!!!

 

[mrblond]

Yeah, but what kind? Fenwick, Eagle Claw, Lamiglas, Shakespeare?

Haha. yes! I think all of those except shakespeare. The eagle claw were the older ones and I think the Lamiglas was the last he bought which would be 1984ish. Its a 1 piece ultra light rod.

 

[mkwerx]

Fish 'em. Especially Fenwicks and Lamiglas. Eagle Claws are nothing special, but not junk either. Even if they have taken a bit of a set, they will fish fine. Its more cosmetic. No rods come out arrow strait. Still cast fine.

 

[Timbertodd]

I would not hesitate to use them. 1 of mine is from the mid 70s the other early 80s and I use them all the time.

 

[Certaindeaf]

A fishing rod can be likened to a recoil spring in a gun so you should replace it/them every year.














not really

 

[Flymph]

Wonders if lamiglass is still good...
Any fly rods? I have $20 if you need to free up some space.

 

[thorborg]

I wouldn't give up on things because their old, I still use mine from the 60"s which still sports a Dam Quick 330 with interchangeable spools, also my fly rod I bought in 72. One exception, I haven't used my back pack rod I bought in 58 from WigWam which breaks down in four sections, for decades.
I have my dads from the 40's but the cork is all worn to the point it won't hold a reel tight any more. Bye the way, that one has worn out two tips, the original metal and one ceramic lined put on in the early 70's. It still is a fine pole. Someday I'll recork it, an easy thing to do.
Someday.

 

[KKG]

While they may need some TLC they should be fine. The much Older Bamboo rods can even be used for a Century with the right type of care.

 

[EPS]

Yeah, Fenwick and Lamiglas... nothing special. I'd make him an offer to take them off his hands!!!

I believe Lamiglas has life time warranty

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Yep, still good! My rods are 40-50yrs old, still fine, but I haven't stressed them with a bunch of unnecessary bending and such!

 

[No_Regerts]

If you fish like me, my rods last about a year or two. Downriggers can be hard on rods with fiberglass being more durable. I use a lot of high modulus graphite which can be kind of brittle.

 

[KKG]

It would help to have a few more fish out there to catch but the Indians have managed to make a real mess of the Salmon Fishery in the PNW. And with all the help from our State Government, well they are Not exactly impressive on either the Fish or Game side of the ledger.

 

[EPS]

If you fish like me, my rods last about a year or two. Downriggers can be hard on rods with fiberglass being more durable. I use a lot of high modulus graphite which can be kind of brittle.

Yep down riggers can where out rods but depending on how much you fish two years