You ever do one of those things that you know afterward was just absolutely stupid? Last weekend, I did. My ferrule is crushed, and so am I.

Most of my rods are custom built - rods I've built myself over the years, although I haven't built any in a decade because of lack of space. Naturally, as someone who took pride in the workmanship, I made sure that all of my rods had their own aluminum protective cases, and most of the time, I am very careful about putting the rods in their tubes while storing or travelling.

My Poor Fly Rod

But not last week.

One of my favorite fly rods was built on a Talon IM6 blank - a 9' 5wt. This rod had the best cork available for a handle - a handle I turned myself from 1/2" cork rings. A lovely Bellinger real seat with a maple wood insert. Fuji SiC guides throughout. And a decorative thread wrap over a blue dun base.

I spent hours building this rod, and it has given me great pleasure over the years. I've caught big carp, stream size brookies and brown trout, smallmouth bass up to 4 1/2 lbs., and well.. those of you that have favorite rods that have a lot of memories associated with them will understand.

Last week, while travelling, I thought I had enough clearance in the back of my van to set the rod down without putting it in it's protective tube. I even made sure, so I thought, that it was well back of the door and was in no danger. But hours later, when I opened the back door, I was met with the tragic discovery of a broken tip section - broken in two places as you can see from the images above - the first break at the ferrule, and then a second break at the first guide on the tip section above the ferrule.

I doubt it can be repaired. If anyone can repair this rod, it is Ralph O'Quinn, the founder and developer of U-40 Products. Ralph has been specializing in rod repairs for a long time, and I'm going to give him a call or send him an email with the images of the damage.

I guess one lesson I've learned - ALWAYS protect your rods, no matter what. It's one thing to have a rod broken by a big fish. Another thing all together to have a rod broken due to carelessness.

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From The Bench: The Muncher is a favorite of Ian James for carp, smallies, more.    Tie This!

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