The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

I hesitate to jump in here as it might jinx me. I cannot even come close to either Greg or Ed. I have broken one rod, a three weight trying to fish it over fish that were too large for a three weight, in water not designed for a three weight on the Madison River in Montana on the rod's inagural trip after dad custom built it for me for my birthday. Man I was sick!

I have witnessed several rod breaking's. Let's see, GM on the Kisaralik not far below the lake on the first day of the float on a nice Silver......believe that has been commented on already in this thread. I think I got that one on film, but can't recall. I was nearby when Ed's 6 weight went over the side on the same trip, and was just downriver when another in the group broke one on a snag during a tricky section of the river navigating a tight log jam. Greg got the aftermath of that one on film. It was commented on earlier in this thread. I was also close by when GM lost the tip off a rod he had been loaned by Pappy on the same trip, also commented earlier in this thread. Last season Dad and I were returning to the truck from the DC Bridge on the Trinity and he was taking apart his 4 piece and a piece fell off the tailgate and he promptly stepped on it with studded boots. Sage replaced it. Another time I was with a friend at Pleasant Valley Creek and he had taken his $1000 Hardy six piece two weight upstream way up the valley. We spotted a nice 18" rainbow, which he hooked and landed with his new seven piece rod after snapping off the tip (for the fourth time with this rod). I got that one on film. It was a nice fish and a justifiable way to break a rod. Hardy replaced it with a different rod, since this one clearly was too light for a ferule in the tip. I also broke a salmon rod after hooking a deadweight jellyfish, but that was a long time ago and an old rod and not fly fishing, so it doesn't count. That's all I can think of for the moment!