Multi-section rods

There has been a move toward multi-section rods for some time now that seems to have really accelerated in the past couple of years. People are just more mobile, the world really is smaller, and easy to transport multi-section rods are the key to being able to take your trusted gear along regardless of mode of travel.

Improvements in ferrule technology have made graphite rods of 4, 5, 7 and even 9 sections possible that perform extremely well and fit almost anywhere. Manufacturers are dropping many of their two section rod blanks in favor of multi-section blanks only in catalogs.

I am curious as to how these rods are received? Do you like them for the convenience alone? Is the performance living up to your expectations? Are you sticking with the multi-section rod or do you long for your favorite two section rod?

I confess to being a much better fly rod builder than fly rod caster, so they seem to perform well enough for me. Certainly, the mulit-section rods are what my clients want, or think they want, so I build a lot of them these days. What do those of you who are much better at casting think about these rods?

Great topic, I own several rods that are either 2 piece or 4 and i love the 4 piece for long travel but on short trips around my area I'll go with my 2 piece, I do notice more stiffness with my 4 peice and I think that casting is alot better with a 2 piece, not slightly better but more noticeable.

Performance wise i think they are par, but i do have alot of friends complain about certain brands with the pieces coming apart during casting, i don't know if this is an error cause by them or just the manufacturer itself, but after replacement the rods still have a habit of coming apart during the cast.I had a few that did that and tried to make sure that when i put it together it was with enough force to prevent it from coming undone but that wasn't the case it was faulty.

but i think no matter what type of rod people are looking to invest there is always going to be a personal choice, i love multi sections as they are easy to stow away in compartment of a small car or trunk. but i also love my 2 piece as well. and both of them performed up to my expectations.

I don't Fly Fish, but on conventional rod and reel, I have the same problems with my Eagle Claw maybe its time for a replacement, but I do like multi section rods as they are better for easier carrying especially if you don't have a truck and can't get the long rod completely in your car and you got to crack the window so a foot of it can stick out..

But usually we spin caster have only a 2 piece set, guess its just mainly for you Fly guys, but would like to see more conventional rods with multi piece set, at least you can put it in your day pack and hike up to a lake and set it up with out worrying about it wrapping around a bush or a tree

There are some multi-section spin/cast blanks but most are two section. I have one 5' spinning rod that is a 5 piece and will almost fit in your back pocket. It is an older rod and I believe one of its selling points was being able to stick it in a motorcycle saddlebag. It's a very portable ultra-light.

I have built multi-section spinning rods for backpacking into high lakes and streams on fly rod blanks. These make nice light and ultra-light spinning rods and...let's face it...the blank doesn't know what it was supposed to become

Try the bayonet connection to assemble your rods and avoid the sections coming apart when casting. Be careful transporting graphite rods. Fiberglass and bamboo are really quite durable, but graphite is more susceptable to damage in transport than the others. Graphite is quite strong and makes a good fishing rod, but tapping against the car window; leaving weights, lures or bobbers attached to tap against the rod in transit; or, banging the rod against the side of the boat or a tree can/will create a "bruise" in the wall of the graphite. Such a bruise can and will weaken the shaft and result in a break, crack or explosive separation when put under pressure by casting or catching a fish. It is important that you transport graphite rods with a bit more care than you might glass or even bamboo.

I have a brochure that we developed on care and usage tips for your fishing rods. It is quite useful and I provide a copy to all of my clients. I'll see if I can get this put on the site.

Thanks for your comments. I don't mean to restrict this discussion to fly rods only. Any rod can be multi-section and all rods should be well cared for these days...they aren't cheap and they are your favorite tool for the water.

Yeah thats great Joe, it would help out alot of Anglers if you could post the information on caring for the rods, seems like it would be one of those things that alot of us take for granted especially when it comes to buying a custom rod, I am as guilty as alot of fishermen out there in just tossing my stuff in the back of my truck in a hurry trying to get to the best location before anyone else does, and in the long run it ends up with me buying a new rod because of my carelessness, but very interesting topic.

I love multi section rods, like mention earlier i don't notice alot of difference between the 2 section or 4, but its about the storage space and carrying space that i look at, especially if you are a frequent flyer, thats when a multi peice with a hard case comes into play, but performance don't realized alot of difference.

Looks like I lost a response or hit the wrong button earlier when I responded about the rods coming apart during casting.

When you assemble a graphite rod always use what they call the "bayonet" connection. For this technique insert the male section about 45 degrees or so off center until it seats and then turn it to line up the guides. To disassemble the rod do the opposite, turn the male section and pull apart. This technique will seat the ferrules much better than simply sliding the sections together and trying to exert added force.

Of course, if the rod blank does not fit properly, this won't help either. The only way to solve the problem is to replace the rod blank. This brings up another interesting point.

Many people want to replace only one section of a graphite rod because of damage or poor fit. Graphite rods are laid up and trimmed individually which is to say that each rod, regardless of how careful one is about measurements, is unique. It is possible to find a rod section that will fit your damaged rod perfectly, but it is mostly luck. It is equally probable that the same section from another blank won't fit your rod well enough to work.

Typically, you can find a piece that will "work well enough to get by" and you can make the replacement. This will require wasting an entire rod blank. Manufacturers do not make replacement sections for graphite rods, they make whole rod blanks. The "wasted" parts can be kept for future use as replacements (usually the case for tip sections) or can be recycled into reamers or samples to display thread work, feather inlays and other custom features.

If your graphite rod does not have a replacement and repair warranty, don't dispair. It can be repaired by a competent rod builder. Rods broken in two or smashed when you slip or step on them can be fixed. This involves an internal support and an external sleeve which creates a small "dead spot" but puts the rod back into use fairly quickly and relatively inexpensively. Summer time here in the mountains means a lot of rod repair work as the tourists slip and slide around the streams and steep banks.

Thanks for your comments. I find it interesting that you notice a stiffness in the multi-section rods. I'll have to look into this more. It seems intuitive that the extra ferrules would stiffen the rod some; but one would think the designers take that into consideration and try to make the resulting action of the multi-section as close as possible to the two section rods. Maybe that's as close as it gets and you have to endure a slight stiffness. I'll do some research and ask some questions.

Personal choice is really it, I agree. We all have one or two rods that we are confident will catch fish so they are our favorites. Mine are a 7'0" two piece bamboo fly rod and a 7'6" one piece fiberglass spinning rod. Are the rods really better or do we fish better because we think they are? Or, do we just catch more fish on them because we use them all the time? Beats me

My esteemend collegue failed to mention about how to repair a ferrule that is too loose.

The rod can be trimmed to improve the fit. It's amazing how just taking off 1/8" or so will improve the connection. I had a 4-piece rod where one section always came loose after casting a couple of hours. I finally trimmed it and now it fits well, never comes apart.

Piscator