A Permanent Fix is Explained for Custom vs Stock Rods!

Last week i took a fall fighting a fish. The mainline snapped putting me on my back. That fall dislodged the rod tip insert. To get me by the following day i decided to temporarily super glue the insert back in. Some of my rod building friends like Mark Gonsalves cautioned me that this is a temporary fix, which it was. Today i went to visit Hawaii's best known rod builder/instructor/teacher/expert Brian Kimata, owner of Brian's Fishing Supply. Brian even gives free classes on rod building so he knows his stuff.

Before leaving i researched how to repair my rod tip on YouTube. Virtually everyone gave the same lecture on using a lighter to heat & melt the epoxy glue holding the rod tip to the blank's tip. Then pull it off. Sounds simple, right? Well i found out it's a half-true myth. If the rod is a custom rod, yes you can pull the rod tip off by using a lighter. This is because a rod builder will use a thermo plastic adhesive to attach the rod tip. The melting point of this adhesive is lower then the melting point of the rod's blank so the tip can be removed safely.

But if the rod is a factory rod, which over 90% are, the factory epoxy glue has a much higher melting point then the rod's blank so the actual rod itself will droop & melt way before the epoxy does. I was told maybe 1 out of 15 factory rods "might" be lucky enough to be fixed this way. This same info was shared with me today by not only seasoned rod builders but also by a rod building instructor.

I'm so glad that my friend Brian Kimata took the time today to properly explain & show me how to do my own repairs. My other fishing buddy & master rod builder Mark Gonsalves kindly offered to do it for me but i really wanted to learn this on my own. Always good to have great buds to back you up!

With Brian's permission i'm going to share his knowledge with everyone watching this video. Even a slow guy like me did this under 8 minutes on my first rod tip repair. If i can do it, anyone can. LOL!

Not only is Brian a master rod builder but he also instructs others to become rod builders & Brian is the advisor to Okuma, Penn & Shimano when they're developing new products. These companies not only listen but act on his recommendations for a reason. For those that think he's wrong, bear in mind the credibility of this shop owner & rod building instructor.

Scuba Chris, enjoyed the video. About to replace a few of these so it was good timing and appreciate the tips.