How to Fix a Broken Fishing Rod Tip

The common cause of failure on fish rods is broken tip-tops. Likewise how to replace and measure the tip of a fish rod are the questions that people as frequently. Fishers that fall in this category should leverage the following steps, and if a tip-top of your fish rod is yet to break, it will break soon so users might need to stay alert. Fishers often throw away parts of a rod that could be replaced or repaired within a few minutes. Your fishing rod will even become stronger after repair or replacement than it was before it failed or broke down. While this may sound impossible, fishers can take advantage of the following simple steps to repair their rods and maintain their optimal performance.

Snapping off a tip of a fishing rod is as heart-breaking as it is unique. Human error is perhaps the leading and upsetting cause of failure on tip-tops of a fishing rod. Followed with a sound that would offend almost everyone, broken fish rods can frustrate a fisher and make the entire fishing trip devastating. Whether anglers stepped on the tip-top of their fishing rod or severed it while closing their car door, the point is that a tip-top can break down, but it can be fixed. Fishers might need to inspect their rods to determine the part that broke down. In most cases, damages occur on open areas of a fishing rod and away from any guides.

After the tip-top of a fishing rod breaks down, most people will rush to smashing its remains, but the first step to saving a fishing rod is to maintain composure. After that, the next thing is to move the old, broken tip on the fishing rod. Removing a tip-top is as easy as whisking a flame such as a candle or lighter under the tip-top tube. Using a lighter or candle, heat the tip-top until it become melts down and get released from the rod blank, but ensure it doesn’t twist off. You can pull the tip straight off of the rod to ensure no more complications occur. 

Identify the Style of the Tip-Top

Styles of tip-tops range from fly and boat tops to casting and spinning tops. Each tip-top suit a specific fishing application, so fishers might need to double check to make the right decision when looking for the replacement. Based on their intended fishing application, anglers should choose the best design to enhance their performance.

The Size of the Ring

Fishermen measure the size of the ring in millimeters, and its size can be determined by either the ring’s inside diameter or outside diameter. The standard size of a ring for a conventional rod ranges between 6, 8, and 10 millimeters. However, the size of a ring can be as large as 16mm for applications such as saltwater fishing. Since both methods give anglers the same measurement, it depends on what a fisherman has to measure. For example, if the entire tip-top broke down, fishermen can measure the size of any ring that can fit their rod.

Tube Size

The size of the tube depends on either the outside diameter or inside diameter of the tip or tip-top tube. Unlike ring sizes, fishermen uses fraction measure the size of their tubes, and this means they can get a little obscure. Instead of millimeters, the fraction is in inches, but anglers can enhance the performance of their rods by ensuring all their tube sizes are 64 inches wide. The measurement of the tube that fishers often see when shopping for a new tip-top is the fraction of the 64th of an inch.

Replace the Tip-Top

Of course, fishermen have to purchase a tip-top that fits their tube size and ring size and matches their intended fishing technique. Anglers can visit various websites that arrange tip-tops by a code that begins with the abbreviation of the model, then the tube size, and the ring size.

Installation

After purchasing the ring and tube, the next step is to install the new tip-top. With a few simple steps, replacing a tip-top is as easier as following the installation guide. First, use a razor blade to cut off the silver on the top of the tip-top adhesive. However, the silver should be small enough to fit the inside of the tip-top tube. After that, uses pliers to hold the tip-top and wave it on a gentle heat for a short while, but use either a lighter or alcohol burner to heat the adhesive inside the tube. While a lighter tends to function better than alcohol burner when a fisherman is applying heat, an alcohol burner gives a rod a professional look once finished. However, a heater seems better than a lighter for any chrome tip-tops as it doesn’t leave any carbon marks on the tube. Once the silver glue melts down, fishers can slide their new tip-top on the blank and spin it 360 degrees until it secures an adhesive bond.

In case a tip-top of a fishing rod has snapped off entirely, fishers may be in trouble with the spacing of their rods once they replace the tip-top. If a rod is broken and the location of the new tip is within half an inch of the running guide, anglers can replace that guide with a new tip-top. Alternatively, fishers can install a new tip-top on a fishing rod and readjust it until it fits to ensure the space between the first running guide and the tip is covered. Anglers can chip or crack their insert ring if the tip-top remained intact even after the fishing rod broke down. Fishermen should refrain from fishing with damaged insert rings to make sure their fishing line doesn’t erode against the blemish of the ring. Whether an angler has a broken tip-top or is preparing for future fishing, repairing and replacing their fishing rod isn’t complicated as long as they follow the right steps.