my Okuma swimbait rod to break in half on a cast? At a tourney this week end, I casted a Hudd and BLAM, my 7'6 XH Guide Select broke cleanly right above the second eye from the bottom. I would return the rod if the force of my forward motion caused the butt section of the rod to fly out of my hand and land 10 feet or so a way from my in the lake. As I watched the rod and reel sink slowly out of site I could not see any frayed graphite at the break, but I could not tell for sure as I was frnticly trying to snag it before it sank out of site.

I only used the rod for Hudds, and I have put some serious hours on the rod since I bought it in August. Have any of you guys that use these rods regularly had a problem like this? While one of the things i loved about the rod, its ability to throw a Hudd a mile, should I calm down on the force of my casts?

I also want to say that I am not bashing Okuma rods. I loved the rod that broke and I plan on replacing it with another Okuma as I don't think you can buy a better swimbait rod for the money. I just want to make sure that I don't break the next one.

Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what have-yous

John
I'm a firm believer that very few rods are actually broken due to fishing use...they might come apart while we're fishing with them, but they probably were originally damaged during transport.
Just a thought.

Do you transport it with other rods? I've heard of that exact situation occurring after guys drive around with Carolina rigs tied on. The weight bounces against the blank just right and shatters it. You don't notice until you go to make a cast and the rod breaks in half. Maybe the weight from another rod or some other blunt force trauma affected the rod without you noticing??

even a slight nick or scratch can cause a weak spot. then when the stresses are just right it will break. It also could have been a manufacturing defect like a slight fissure in the blank or a weak spot in the roving.
How deep was the water where you where fishing? You could make a rake from some wire like a closet shelf and some pvc pipe or even weight it down and use a rope to snag it. Then you may be able to determine what caused the rod to fail or even have it repaired or replaced under warranty.

I do transport my rods together but only have baits tied on when I am at the lake. I am looking at my other rods to see if I can see any damage to them at around the same spot as where the Okuma broke. So far nothing looks out of the ordinary. I can't wait to get my Christmas money so I can get a new one.

Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what have-yous

Hey John...

I just got in from the East Coast and saw your post. I'm not sure why the rod broke on you. With now over 2700 swimbait rods out in the market, we are seeing very limited breakage. I'm not sure if it was Supermatt that mentioned the knicking but that sounds like it could be the case as they are a high grade / modulas blank. Who knows... a reel of another rod may have bounced on it causing a small fracture.

Regardless... we need to get it taken care of for you. We have those rods in stock and I want to get one out to you as soon as possible. Please contact me at your convenience so I can get some information from you.

Mark Rogers

mark@okumafishing.com

Mark,

You and Okuma's customer service is unbelievable. I do not know of another company that would offer such a service. I have sent you a e-mail. Thank you very much.

John Humphreys

Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what have-yous

Although I have only been a member of this site for a week I already can see that it is composed of oustanding individuals with top notch sponsers.
As of yet I have not used an Okuma rod but the post here just made them the first place I will look when it comes time for a new toy. I hope thier product line and price range will fit my budget.
Can somebody post a link to their site please?

Okuma's US website is here:
http://www.okumafishingteam.com/

You can get the swimbait rods through tacklewarehouse with free shipping since they are over $50.
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-OKUMA.html?from=calfish

Cabelas probably has the widest selection of Okuma reels online at:
www.cabelas.com
type okuma into their search box and bunch of stuff will pop up.

Seeing replies from Okuma representatives here and them going out of their way to help out a fisherman who uses their products makes me glad and confident I bought an Okuma Guide Select Rod 7' 11" Heavy action. After the holidays I am going to pick up one with Extra Heavy Action. 7'6" or 7' 11" ? Which would be better for throwing Huds and 12 inch plugs?

Mark
I hope this act of benevolence comes back to you a hundred times.
Tree

radray,

Here's how I see rod action for the hudd...

For the ROF12 and 16 with the top hook I don't need a supremely stiff rod. My hookset is more straight up with those top hook baits, trying to get that top hook in to the roof of the bass' mouth. Hence I go with the 7'6" Okuma Heavy action. That rod is a powerful rod but it has flex in the tip section. I can get a quick strong hookset but I have some flex during the fight to avoid bending hooks and whatnot.

For the ROF5 with hanging trebles, I want a very stiff rod. With the ROF5, you inevitably get slack in your line and when a large fish compresses your bait on a semi slack line, it can be very hard to get a hook in to them. You may not experience this phenomenon for a long time but when it happens to you, you will say a lot of swear words :) The biggest hudd fish that ever hit my bait did this to me on the ROF5 on a rod that was too soft and I lost it. 15lbers hurt when they get away. For that reason I go with the 7'11" XH Okuma for the ROF5. You can really unload on them with that rod. You might lose a few more fish during the fight but at least you'll hook them.

Hope that helps with your thought process some. Swimbait rods are like any class of rods, there is no one perfect rod. Just like a good DD22 crankbait rod is not good for casting 1/4oz Speed Traps a good Hudd or Stocker Trout rod is not good for casting MS Slammers. I talk more about rod selection in one of my articles here:

http://www.calfishing.com/freshwater/holistic_swimbaits/Swimbait_Rods.html

that's some good writing rob!

definitely makes a lot of sense!

very niiiiice

Rob,

Thank you for the reply. It was very informative. You just helped me decide on which length I am going to go with. I am new to swimbait fishing and I am eager to catch my first decent swimbait fish. It's a lot different from the finesse fishing I am accustomed to. I have spent so much on equipment to do swwimbait fishing correctly. It's hard enough learning a new method imagine how much harder on the wrong equipment.

At the moment I am chasing trophy stripers from shore at Castaic and Pyramid. When I land one using a trout plug, I will make sure I share it all with you here. Everyone thank you for sharing.

Raymond

cool man, good luck with your new pursuits :) If I could recommend one more piece of reading it would be this one:

http://www.calfishing.com/freshwater/writing_your_own_book.html

When you're starting out in something new, it's always good to poll the experts, read up on the subject, and gather information. But over time it's also important to build your own concept of what the "right" ways to do things are. My advice on swimbait rods will get you off on a good start but subtle differences in the way you fish or the places you fish may mean that my strategies are not the perfect ones. In other words, don't be afraid to take risks, try new things, and tweak proven theories. I look forward to seeing your first big striper or bass. I hear the stripers are going nicely at Castaic :)