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Broke Rod

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Well, on my fall solo trip, I stepped on my rod tip and broke my two piece. Has anyone used a two piece Ugly Stick? Are they really more durable? I'm thinking I really need a 1 piece for trolling deep with heavy lures, but I don't know how to protect it on portaging. Any tips from one-piece anglers?
 
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Ugly sticks are very durable, not as sensitive, but they are tough in my experience. I carry a 2 piece Ugly as a backup for bass fishing, I also have an ultra light 5.5' U-stick for the stream. I have never managed to break them... yet

That being said, I have never stepped on an Ugly Stick to test it! I have broken other tips in car doors though!

I also carry my rods like Jim does, bungee to the thwart and seat.

Jason
 
Fishing trips that involve canoeing, or canoe trips with a little fishing... each gets their own tackle. During the latter, which is more common for me, I bring a telescoping rod. Very easy to collapse without having to remove the terminal tackle. It's stowed in my "boot-bag" while not in use / on portage. I wish their quality was better, but they do the job.

Reminiscing, my father and I were on a fishing/recon mission to check out a potential cabin purchase. Fly-in only, we stayed at a friend's cabin on another, nearby lake. The property in question was a 1 hour hike through the woods. We packed a lunch and his Daiwa Minispin and arrived at the cabin that was in the process of being reclaimed by nature. No one had been there in years. There was a wood canvas canoe stowed on a rack in the trees. We pulled it down and went for a tour on the lake, trolling a beetle-spin. We hooked into a good-sized pike, 15 - 18 lbs. We had to paddle the canoe around to keep the line from being stripped away from the tiny reel. I was 14 and remember it like yesterday. That little rod and reel combo was a jewel.
 
All trips involve fishing, rods and tackle go everywhere regardless of portage length or quantity. We use two piece inexpensive Cabela's fibreglas rods which are fully rigged then broken down and kept in a fabric rod case. Easy for portaging to just carry the case, when you want to fish, pull the rod out of the case, let out a little line, put the rod together and you are ready to go. Easy peasy. The only thing we have broken on a portage was a carbon paddle. Christy broke a rod tip off once hauling a big pike onto the bank, we fixed it with a little epoxy after burning the broken piece out.
Karin
 
One thing that would help carrying a rod along the gunnels would be a sleeve (sock) of some sort - maybe canvas - to keep the eyes and line from snagging in packs and gear. Perhaps with a carbon insert to add rigidity.
 
I use these in my bass boat to keep the rods from tangling in the locker.

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As previously mentioned, the Uglysticks are more durable, just not as sensitive......If they are going to fail, it will be a line guide snapping off or getting smashed....the guides aren't as robust as they used to be. I usually carry two rods, unrigged with the reels in my pack. I slide the rods into a cover like Cheeseandbeans mentioned above and bungee them on the underside of the thwarts/seat and portage with them there. If it's not strictly a travel day, I may rig one up to troll or cast with.....

Mike
 
Last year I bought a 4 piece spinning rod made by St Croix on EBay. I liked it so much, I bought another one for my friend. We both used it on our canoe trip and loved the action of the rod, the compact way it packs down and the fabric sleeve that all the parts slide into. I had a 6’ plastic rod case from Cablelas that I cut down to size and slid the fabric protector into the plastic case. Worked great and was very safe during all portages and trips in the canoe. Once we made camp and went to fish, it took just a minute to put it all together and start fishing.
This is the same rod I bought. https://www.tackledirect.com/st-croix-triumph-travel-spinning-rod-trs66mf4.html
 
First things first: I am really good at breaking rods. One May I spent 8 days on Kekekabic (bwca) with a friend. We entered with 5 rods, exited with 2 and a bunch of pieces. I broke all of them. I have an ultralight 1 piece ugly stick that I really love. I have had it longer than any of my other rods so it must be more durable. I can't remember the last time I stepped into a canoe without it. Quite possibly not since I bought it (2016?). I broke 3 ultralights that summer, then bought the Ugly Stick and haven't broken an ultralight since. Definitely sacrifice a bit of feel as compared to a comparable St Croix or Fenwick, but for me this isn't as bad with the ultralights as with the medium-lights or mediums. I've tried out a few different Ugly Sticks but have not found one that is anywhere comparable to the feel of the medium-light one piece rods that I prefer to use most of the time; the ugly sticks feel soggy. I bought a Shakespeare 5 piece rod one time thinking it would be my ultimate pack-rod only to try it out and realize the feel was abysmal. I ended up putting an antler handle on the end section, called it an ice fishing rod and threw the rest of it out. I use spinning reels nearly 100% of the time when in a canoe.

I either BDB them to the thwarts like Jim or have someone that understands rods should ONLY be handled from the handle carry them. I prefer to single portage and take turns with either the canoe or the rods/paddles. It sounds like it is much more difficult to carry 3 or 4 rods and 3 or 4 paddles at the same time as one would think.

I used to travel with a large group that required everyone to bring two piece rods. They would all be broken down and tied into a single bundle until we were setting up camp or finishing the last portage of the day. We never broke a rod, but we also never caught many fish on travel days.
 
On one of my early trips with a friend we broke three out of four rods. After that I only took four piece rods that are in a case. On lake trips with portages I keep them stowed in a pack until I get to my destination. I don't like "loose ends" when I portage. On river trips with fishing I keep a rod or two rigged and ready but I still need to be careful because I've lost a rod to a low branch. Since then I try to remember to store my rods laying flat on the thwarts rather than sticking up above the rails.
 
I have a collection of "boat rods" that I use while underway. These are rods that if I dropped them overboard I would just laugh. I keep my sweetheart rods in cases while underway and break them out once camp it set up.
 
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