Dad-Gum It...

[breachless]

I pulled a Bill Dance yesterday out on the lake and broke the tip off of my Vendetta at the first eye... I would be way more upset about it, but it happened while pulling in my personal best of the year so the sting was not SO bad (she made one last run alongside the boat and pulled the rod tip into the side of the prop and *SNAP*.

I still fished with it all day yesterday and caught plenty more fish with it with no problems, but it really irks me that my relatively new rod already broke on me. Why didn't I get that replacement plan they offered at Gander Mountain when I bought it?!? So now my 7' Vendetta is a 6'9" or so Vendetta.

Just out of curiosity, is it worth trying to pursue a fix for this or should I just deal with it? To be perfectly honest, I couldn't tell much of a difference really before and after breaking the tip off, but it bugs me just KNOWING that the tip broke off...

 

[poolie]

That's a bummer. Knock on wood ...<knock>... <knock> I haven't broken a rod yet, but I have bought several off eBay that were warranty replacement rods (broken off tips) that someone had repaired and I've been pleased with the performance. Assuming it broke off between the last eye and the tip you should be able to purchase a new tip and glue it on pretty cheap. I've seen kits available and it's any easy thing to do.

If nothing else putting a new tip on will make the rod serviceable for the rest of the year.

 

[Mattman]

As you've probably already noticed, the rod changed a bit when it became shorter.

Most glue on a new eye and keep using the rod, even if it does feel a bit different.

Repairing the blank and making it the same length again is pretty tough way up there in the tip section of the blank. And often times the repair changes the feel of the rod anyway so you would have been just as far ahead as putting a new top on it.

 

[breachless]

As you've probably already noticed, the rod changed a bit when it became shorter.

Most glue on a new eye and keep using the rod, even if it does feel a bit different.

Repairing the blank and making it the same length again is pretty tough way up there in the tip section of the blank. And often times the repair changes the feel of the rod anyway so you would have been just as far ahead as putting a new top on it.

Yeah that's kind of what I figured... Like I said, it still works just fine: it just bugs me that I know it broke. Anyone else would probably have a hard time knowing it's missing the tip unless they read the label that says it's a 7' rod and then measured it out with a tape measure.

Hey Mattman, I just noticed you are in Fergus Falls. I actually have a lot of family up in that area. There is some really killer smallmouth fishing up there! My grandparents live on a lake more near Underwood up there that is actually managed for Smallmouth and it's pretty phenomenal.

Anyway, here is a pic of the fish responsible...

 

[poolie]

At least you broke it on a nice one ;-) The way my summer is going I might consider breaking the end off a rod to catch one like that

 

[Mattman]

Hey Mattman, I just noticed you are in Fergus Falls. I actually have a lot of family up in that area. There is some really killer smallmouth fishing up there! My grandparents live on a lake more near Underwood up there that is actually managed for Smallmouth and it's pretty phenomenal.

Yup...couple of those lakes around...I'd like to see some more management in area lakes.

 

[BaitCaster]

Better to break it on a fish rather than while you are putting it in your trunk! Is there no manufacturer's warranty?

 

[breachless]

Better to break it on a fish rather than while you are putting it in your trunk! Is there no manufacturer's warranty?

I don't know... Do you suppose if there was that this could be considered accidental? I have had it for roughly a month or two at the most. I thought about taking in to Gander Mountain and just see if they would do anything about it, but I have to find the receipt first...

 

[BaitCaster]

Better to break it on a fish rather than while you are putting it in your trunk! Is there no manufacturer's warranty?

I don't know... Do you suppose if there was that this could be considered accidental? I have had it for roughly a month or two at the most. I thought about taking in to Gander Mountain and just see if they would do anything about it, but I have to find the receipt first...

If it broke with a fish on it should be covered by the warranty.

 

[nathanielrthomas]

thought about taking in to Gander Mountain and just see if they would do anything about it, but I have to find the receipt first...

Dont just see if theyll do anything about it. Demand(nicely) they do something. Dont ever give them an opportunity to weasle out of an exchange. Just walk in there and confidently tell them that your rod broke on a fish, and youd like to exchange it. If they give you some crap about taking it up with Abu, make them give you all the contact info and explain the warranty procedure thoroughly. But make no mistake, Gander Mtn. can exchange it on the spot, just like anthing they sell in the store.

By the way, Abu carries a one year warranty on thier rods. And if you broke it by loading it up with 55# test powerpro, you can forget about the warranty. The rod has to break under the normal conditions with the recommended line weight as stated in the rod specs. At least dont admit it if you had braid on it.

Id be pissed dude, thats a $100 rod that snapped on a 4 pounder. Thats weak. They need to make it right. Dont give up until someone fixes it for you. And I wouldnt settle for anything less than a free rod.

 

[breachless]

Well to be fair, the fish didn't exactly break the tip... The lower unit of the boat motor did. The fish just helped guide the tip of the rod into a very hard object and *snap*.

Still though, for the amount of money I have spent at Gander Mountain over the years, I wouldn't feel guilty if they replaced it for me at no extra cost...

 

[nathanielrthomas]

The lower unit of the boat motor did. The fish just helped guide the tip of the rod into a very hard object and *snap*.

I dont believe you actually seen that happen, right?? Maybe, just maybe, you broke it on the hookset.....with 12# test stren. 8)

 

[Brine]

First of all....it's not "Dag-gone it", it's "Dad-Gum It". I'm sure Bill has certainly broken his share of rods. Sad part is, I think most happened without a fish on the other end.

Secondly, I hate it for ya. I broke a custom rod about 14" from the tip right after a good fish myself. I had the fish in one hand, and my son in his excitement to see the fish, kicked my rod overboard. I had fish in one hand, and one hand to reach into the lake to grab the rod. I panicked and frantically pulled up on the rod near the tip and "snapo" goes my custom. :twisted: I had the guy who built it do a repair, and I can't say I can notice any different. Being that yours was so close to the tip, I think I'd just put an eye on the end of it and call it a day. At least your doesn't read..."Built for breachless" on the blank. It took a while, but the negatives of breaking the rod have since passed. Kinda like a battle scar now. :LOL2:

I don't see a problem with you taking it to Gander mountain and telling them what happened, and like you described, I don't think ABU sold you a bad rod, and I don't think Gander is responsible for replacing it for free. That said, the worst that happens is they say "No", and your rod ends up a few inches shorter. I'm confident you won't notice a difference in performance, but I'm sure (like me) it will sting just knowing it broke. Like others said, (and like me), at least it was on a fish! And who knows, you may end up with a free replacement, just without the "character" yours has now.

In the meantime..... I'm sure it's tempting for some to fabricate some story (like many people do) knowing that neither the store nor the mfg are to blame. To me, that's victim mentality and I commend you for not thinking someone else should be repsonsible for your accident. No telling how much of a percentage of the markup on rods is purely to pay for such fraud.

I feel for ya!

 

[breachless]

First of all....it's not "Dag-gone it", it's "Dad-Gum It". I'm sure Bill has certainly broken his share of rods. Sad part is, I think most happened without a fish on the other end.

Fixed!

And yeah, I am the worlds worst liar: I couldn't go in and make up a story if I wanted to. They would see right through me and send me packing. I will go in and see if they will do anything for me though. Who knows? Maybe the guy I talk to will be a big bass fisherman and sympathize with my story and give me a break. That is assuming of course that I can actually find that receipt.

 

[ShadowWalker]

First of all....it's not "Dag-gone it", it's "Dad-Gum It". I'm sure Bill has certainly broken his share of rods. Sad part is, I think most happened without a fish on the other end.

Fixed!

And yeah, I am the worlds worst liar: I couldn't go in and make up a story if I wanted to. They would see right through me and send me packing. I will go in and see if they will do anything for me though. Who knows? Maybe the guy I talk to will be a big bass fisherman and sympathize with my story and give me a break. That is assuming of course that I can actually find that receipt.

Sorry if this isn't what you wanted to hear, but odds of you getting it replaced for nothing are very slim. You don't even want to know how many people, in a day, let alone a week, come in and say "the big one" broke the top 2 inches of their rod off. I know a lot of people don't necessarily like the "big box" outdoors stores, but if we replaced every broken rod at no cost for everyone we'd have to close the doors.

I am predicting the best case scenario is that they will replace it this time if you purchase a summit plan for the replacement. The good news is depending on the rod its less than $10 and covers normal wear and tear for a year. If you were to break it again after purchasing the summit plan, you would get a Gander Mountain gift card for your purchase price + tax (minus the cost of the plan itself of course). You can use the gift card on anything you want in the store, doesn't have to be the same rod, or a rod at all.

Sorry if I sounded like a salesman or something, but I can vouch that the summit plan does work without hassle because we have had several customers buy it and use it, and they were happy they did it.

 

[breachless]

No I am not really counting on them giving me a break on this. Like I said, I really wish I would have went with the replacement plan when they offered it. I just figured I would give it a shot: the worse they can do is say no, and I wouldn't really be all that upset if that was the case.

I am happy to hear someone vouch for the usefulness of that replacement plan though: you can bet I will be buying it with my rods and reels from here on out!

 

[nathanielrthomas]

I am happy to hear someone vouch for the usefulness of that replacement plan though: you can bet I will be buying it with my rods and reels from here on out!

or you could just buy a loomis.

 

[breachless]

I am happy to hear someone vouch for the usefulness of that replacement plan though: you can bet I will be buying it with my rods and reels from here on out!

or you could just buy a loomis.

Hah! If I made the kind of money that would make it easy to justify spending that kind of money on what in the end is essentially a hobby, I would totally buy them... I spent less than $100 on that Vendetta, and that was really pushing it for me, and now that I am getting more into this and need to have more rods and reels, there is no way I will spring for a rod that costs more than $100. I just can't do it...

 

[BaitCaster]

I am happy to hear someone vouch for the usefulness of that replacement plan though: you can bet I will be buying it with my rods and reels from here on out!

or you could just buy a loomis.

....or a St. Croix.

 

[nathanielrthomas]

Well whenever you get ready, pretty much anytime of the year you can get one 25% off, free shipping, no sales tax, and of course the free lifetime warranty if you know the right places to look. I dont go all out on my loomis rods, although I do have one GLX. Most of mine are mossybacks(that I love) that Ive paid $140-190(new) apiece for. An extra $75 over the cost of that Abu will get you in one of the best rods on the market and a lifetime warranty. Its a pretty good investment if you ask me. Think about it, how much would you pay for a lifetime warranty? I know theyre high, but theyre worth it, to me at least. But fair warning, once you go loomis, its hard to back to another brand of rod. Ive bought 2 a year for the past 3 years after my first loomis. I now have 7, and you couldnt make me throw another brand. Ive never paid more than $190 for a new loomis.