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There are two types of fishermen. Those that have broken a fishing rod, and those that have not…yet.

We’ve all been there. It’s like losing a fish - bound to happen, but not anymore enjoyable when it does despite the awareness of the inevitability.

Still, we sell some pretty high-quality (and expensive) Daiwa fishing rods - like Procyon and Aird-X series rods - on our website.

Protect that investment. Don’t break another rod - with these tips.

No More High-Sticking

High-sticking refers to the act of putting too much pressure on the last foot to two feet of the rod; you’re “high sticking” whenever your rod is too close to vertical and is under a load, say, between 70° and 90°.

High-sticking puts a lot of pressure on the rod, that, in most cases, it is not engineered to absorb. Fiberglass rods might be able to hoof it, but sensitive graphite (which constitutes the vast majority of Daiwa fishing rods made today) is designed for speed and responsiveness, not load-bearing.

Keep your tip away from the fish to keep pressure on, for sure, but don’t overdo it. Enough pressure to keep the line tight is usually all you need to keep the fish on.

Avoid Aggressive, Sharp Jerks

Here’s something some of you bass fishermen probably don’t want to hear: setting the hook aggressively isn’t always necessary.

If you’re fishing soft plastics and the point of the hook is buried in the bait, sure, set it. But this is not baseball. Don’t swing for the fences.

If you’re fishing with a plug or a spinnerbait, the fish will usually hook itself on the strike, anyway, and what’s worse, setting aggressively can rip the bait right out of the fish’s mouth.

But really what we want to avoid here is a broken rod. Believe us, if you swing like Aaron Judge on a 10lb bass and you’re using a light graphite rod, you absolutely can break the darn thing.

Don’t Lift the Fish

Lifting the fish is essentially high-sticking, but worse. Look, we’ve all seen videos of pros fishing 5oz lures on medium-heavy casting outfits with 60lb braid swing a bass over the gunwale.

Can you do it? Sure. Should you? Almost never.

First, it stresses the fish. Second, if you don’t have a good set on the hook, you might rip the bait out of the fish’s mouth and lose the prize. Third, you could easily - very easily - snap the rod.

Worse, lifting a fish, especially if you misjudge its weight, could deal you a really bad break. We can all repair a broken tip, but lifting a fish can cause the rod to snap at its midsection.

You learned how to lip fish, and we have nets for a reason. Be ready when it’s time to land.

See what the guy’s doing in that image above? Stop doing that.

Un-Rig It

Transporting Daiwa fishing rods that have hooks and lures, or worse, weights, still rigged up, is really bad news.

Weights and lures will bounce in transit, and in doing so (even when you have the hook on the keeper) will invariably lead to some undue stresses on the rod guides and body.

Just unrig the thing before you go anywhere; it’s not that hard.

Be Careful When Grabbing the Rod

If you go to grab the midsection of the rod for more leverage when you get a fish boatside, be careful. Most rods are designed to have a consistent parabolic bend through the blank. Putting your hand anywhere past the butt of the rod destroys the symmetry of the parabola, and can break the rod.

Stop Squaring Up with Snags

Some of us catch more snags than fish. It is what it is.

But that doesn’t mean you need to go crazy when you get snagged. You’re an angler, not a boxer.

When you get snagged, be gentle. Don’t horse the rod around. Use a lure retriever if you’re really stuck, and if you can’t get it back, think of it this way.

You can either lose the lure, or lose the lure and the rod. Which will you have?

So, if you’re up against a really deadly snag, don’t try to break the line by horsing the rod. Get a pair of pliers, loop the line around the jaws a few times, and pull until the line breaks - or just cut it.

Transport with Care

One of the worst things you can do for your rods is transport them carelessly. If you bunch them up and throw them in a truck bed, they’re going to rattle around like wild before you get where you’re going.

That’s no good for the rods. It won’t break them outright (most of the time) but it will damage the finish of the rod that helps bind the graphite fibers, and it will also result in microscopic fractures and delamination of the fiber matrix.

That, cumulatively, weakens the rod, predisposing it to a break the next time you do one of the other things mentioned here - like high-sticking or snapping the rod against a snag.

Our suggestion is remove your reels from your rods in transit, and package both in separate sleeves or cases that will protect them.

Use Rod Tip Protection

Last but not least, we all know that the most likely part of the rod to break is the tip, and much of the time it’s going to break because something fell on it.

That’s why many of our fishing kayaks have built-in rod tip protectors. But, if you don’t have them, you can easily make your own with a bit of pool noodle.

Just cut off a few inches and slide it over the end of the rod when you’re not using it. It’s not a genius fix but it is better than nothing.

Shop Daiwa Fishing Rods Today

Here because you need to replace a broken Daiwa fishing rod? We won’t tell anyone, your secret is safe with us.

Get a new one here. Just remember the tips you found in this article for next time!