# Dad-Gum It...



## breachless (Aug 8, 2010)

I pulled a Bill Dance yesterday out on the lake and broke the tip off of my Vendetta at the first eye...  I would be way more upset about it, but it happened while pulling in my personal best of the year so the sting was not SO bad (she made one last run alongside the boat and pulled the rod tip into the side of the prop and *SNAP*. 

I still fished with it all day yesterday and caught plenty more fish with it with no problems, but it really irks me that my relatively new rod already broke on me. Why didn't I get that replacement plan they offered at Gander Mountain when I bought it?!? So now my 7' Vendetta is a 6'9" or so Vendetta. 

Just out of curiosity, is it worth trying to pursue a fix for this or should I just deal with it? To be perfectly honest, I couldn't tell much of a difference really before and after breaking the tip off, but it bugs me just KNOWING that the tip broke off...


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## poolie (Aug 8, 2010)

That's a bummer. Knock on wood ...<knock>... <knock> I haven't broken a rod yet, but I have bought several off eBay that were warranty replacement rods (broken off tips) that someone had repaired and I've been pleased with the performance. Assuming it broke off between the last eye and the tip you should be able to purchase a new tip and glue it on pretty cheap. I've seen kits available and it's any easy thing to do.

If nothing else putting a new tip on will make the rod serviceable for the rest of the year.


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## Mattman (Aug 9, 2010)

As you've probably already noticed, the rod changed a bit when it became shorter.

Most glue on a new eye and keep using the rod, even if it does feel a bit different. 

Repairing the blank and making it the same length again is pretty tough way up there in the tip section of the blank. And often times the repair changes the feel of the rod anyway so you would have been just as far ahead as putting a new top on it.


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## breachless (Aug 9, 2010)

Mattman said:


> As you've probably already noticed, the rod changed a bit when it became shorter.
> 
> Most glue on a new eye and keep using the rod, even if it does feel a bit different.
> 
> Repairing the blank and making it the same length again is pretty tough way up there in the tip section of the blank. And often times the repair changes the feel of the rod anyway so you would have been just as far ahead as putting a new top on it.



Yeah that's kind of what I figured... Like I said, it still works just fine: it just bugs me that I know it broke. Anyone else would probably have a hard time knowing it's missing the tip unless they read the label that says it's a 7' rod and then measured it out with a tape measure.

Hey Mattman, I just noticed you are in Fergus Falls. I actually have a lot of family up in that area. There is some really killer smallmouth fishing up there! My grandparents live on a lake more near Underwood up there that is actually managed for Smallmouth and it's pretty phenomenal.

Anyway, here is a pic of the fish responsible...


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## poolie (Aug 9, 2010)

At least you broke it on a nice one ;-) The way my summer is going I might consider breaking the end off a rod to catch one like that


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## Mattman (Aug 9, 2010)

breachless said:


> Hey Mattman, I just noticed you are in Fergus Falls. I actually have a lot of family up in that area. There is some really killer smallmouth fishing up there! My grandparents live on a lake more near Underwood up there that is actually managed for Smallmouth and it's pretty phenomenal.




Yup...couple of those lakes around...I'd like to see some more management in area lakes.


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## BaitCaster (Aug 9, 2010)

Better to break it on a fish rather than while you are putting it in your trunk! Is there no manufacturer's warranty?


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## breachless (Aug 9, 2010)

BaitCaster said:


> Better to break it on a fish rather than while you are putting it in your trunk! Is there no manufacturer's warranty?



I don't know... Do you suppose if there was that this could be considered accidental? I have had it for roughly a month or two at the most. I thought about taking in to Gander Mountain and just see if they would do anything about it, but I have to find the receipt first...


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## BaitCaster (Aug 9, 2010)

breachless said:


> BaitCaster said:
> 
> 
> > Better to break it on a fish rather than while you are putting it in your trunk! Is there no manufacturer's warranty?
> ...



If it broke with a fish on it should be covered by the warranty.


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## nathanielrthomas (Aug 9, 2010)

breachless said:


> thought about taking in to Gander Mountain and just see if they would do anything about it, but I have to find the receipt first...



Dont just see if theyll do anything about it. Demand(nicely) they do something. Dont ever give them an opportunity to weasle out of an exchange. Just walk in there and confidently tell them that your rod broke on a fish, and youd like to exchange it. If they give you some crap about taking it up with Abu, make them give you all the contact info and explain the warranty procedure thoroughly. But make no mistake, Gander Mtn. can exchange it on the spot, just like anthing they sell in the store.

By the way, Abu carries a one year warranty on thier rods. And if you broke it by loading it up with 55# test powerpro, you can forget about the warranty. The rod has to break under the normal conditions with the recommended line weight as stated in the rod specs. At least dont admit it if you had braid on it. 

Id be pissed dude, thats a $100 rod that snapped on a 4 pounder. Thats weak. They need to make it right. Dont give up until someone fixes it for you. And I wouldnt settle for anything less than a free rod.


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## breachless (Aug 9, 2010)

Well to be fair, the fish didn't exactly break the tip... The lower unit of the boat motor did. The fish just helped guide the tip of the rod into a very hard object and *snap*.

Still though, for the amount of money I have spent at Gander Mountain over the years, I wouldn't feel guilty if they replaced it for me at no extra cost...


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## nathanielrthomas (Aug 9, 2010)

breachless said:


> The lower unit of the boat motor did. The fish just helped guide the tip of the rod into a very hard object and *snap*.



I dont believe you actually seen that happen, right?? Maybe, just maybe, you broke it on the hookset.....with 12# test stren. 8)


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## Brine (Aug 9, 2010)

First of all....it's not "Dag-gone it", it's "Dad-Gum It". I'm sure Bill has certainly broken his share of rods. Sad part is, I think most happened without a fish on the other end. 

Secondly, I hate it for ya. I broke a custom rod about 14" from the tip right after a good fish myself. I had the fish in one hand, and my son in his excitement to see the fish, kicked my rod overboard. I had fish in one hand, and one hand to reach into the lake to grab the rod. I panicked and frantically pulled up on the rod near the tip and "snapo" goes my custom. :twisted: I had the guy who built it do a repair, and I can't say I can notice any different. Being that yours was so close to the tip, I think I'd just put an eye on the end of it and call it a day. At least your doesn't read..."Built for breachless" on the blank. It took a while, but the negatives of breaking the rod have since passed. Kinda like a battle scar now. :LOL2:

I don't see a problem with you taking it to Gander mountain and telling them what happened, and like you described, I don't think ABU sold you a bad rod, and I don't think Gander is responsible for replacing it for free. That said, the worst that happens is they say "No", and your rod ends up a few inches shorter. I'm confident you won't notice a difference in performance, but I'm sure (like me) it will sting just knowing it broke. Like others said, (and like me), at least it was on a fish! And who knows, you may end up with a free replacement, just without the "character" yours has now. 

In the meantime..... I'm sure it's tempting for some to fabricate some story (like many people do) knowing that neither the store nor the mfg are to blame. To me, that's victim mentality and I commend you for not thinking someone else should be repsonsible for your accident. No telling how much of a percentage of the markup on rods is purely to pay for such fraud. 

I feel for ya!


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## breachless (Aug 9, 2010)

Brine said:


> First of all....it's not "Dag-gone it", it's "Dad-Gum It". I'm sure Bill has certainly broken his share of rods. Sad part is, I think most happened without a fish on the other end.



Fixed!

And yeah, I am the worlds worst liar: I couldn't go in and make up a story if I wanted to. They would see right through me and send me packing. I will go in and see if they will do anything for me though. Who knows? Maybe the guy I talk to will be a big bass fisherman and sympathize with my story and give me a break. That is assuming of course that I can actually find that receipt.


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## ShadowWalker (Aug 9, 2010)

breachless said:


> Brine said:
> 
> 
> > First of all....it's not "Dag-gone it", it's "Dad-Gum It". I'm sure Bill has certainly broken his share of rods. Sad part is, I think most happened without a fish on the other end.
> ...



Sorry if this isn't what you wanted to hear, but odds of you getting it replaced for nothing are very slim. You don't even want to know how many people, in a day, let alone a week, come in and say "the big one" broke the top 2 inches of their rod off. I know a lot of people don't necessarily like the "big box" outdoors stores, but if we replaced every broken rod at no cost for everyone we'd have to close the doors.

I am predicting the *best case* scenario is that they will replace it this time if you purchase a summit plan for the replacement. The good news is depending on the rod its less than $10 and covers normal wear and tear for a year. If you were to break it again after purchasing the summit plan, you would get a Gander Mountain gift card for your purchase price + tax (minus the cost of the plan itself of course). You can use the gift card on anything you want in the store, doesn't have to be the same rod, or a rod at all. 

Sorry if I sounded like a salesman or something, but I can vouch that the summit plan does work without hassle because we have had several customers buy it and use it, and they were happy they did it.


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## breachless (Aug 10, 2010)

No I am not really counting on them giving me a break on this. Like I said, I really wish I would have went with the replacement plan when they offered it. I just figured I would give it a shot: the worse they can do is say no, and I wouldn't really be all that upset if that was the case.

I am happy to hear someone vouch for the usefulness of that replacement plan though: you can bet I will be buying it with my rods and reels from here on out!


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## nathanielrthomas (Aug 10, 2010)

breachless said:


> I am happy to hear someone vouch for the usefulness of that replacement plan though: you can bet I will be buying it with my rods and reels from here on out!



or you could just buy a loomis.


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## breachless (Aug 10, 2010)

nathanielrthomas said:


> breachless said:
> 
> 
> > I am happy to hear someone vouch for the usefulness of that replacement plan though: you can bet I will be buying it with my rods and reels from here on out!
> ...



Hah! If I made the kind of money that would make it easy to justify spending that kind of money on what in the end is essentially a hobby, I would totally buy them... I spent less than $100 on that Vendetta, and that was really pushing it for me, and now that I am getting more into this and need to have more rods and reels, there is no way I will spring for a rod that costs more than $100. I just can't do it...


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## BaitCaster (Aug 10, 2010)

nathanielrthomas said:


> breachless said:
> 
> 
> > I am happy to hear someone vouch for the usefulness of that replacement plan though: you can bet I will be buying it with my rods and reels from here on out!
> ...



....or a St. Croix.


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## nathanielrthomas (Aug 10, 2010)

Well whenever you get ready, pretty much anytime of the year you can get one 25% off, free shipping, no sales tax, and of course the free lifetime warranty if you know the right places to look. I dont go all out on my loomis rods, although I do have one GLX. Most of mine are mossybacks(that I love) that Ive paid $140-190(new) apiece for. An extra $75 over the cost of that Abu will get you in one of the best rods on the market and a lifetime warranty. Its a pretty good investment if you ask me. Think about it, how much would you pay for a lifetime warranty? I know theyre high, but theyre worth it, to me at least. But fair warning, once you go loomis, its hard to back to another brand of rod. Ive bought 2 a year for the past 3 years after my first loomis. I now have 7, and you couldnt make me throw another brand. Ive never paid more than $190 for a new loomis.


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## dyeguy1212 (Aug 11, 2010)

nathanielrthomas said:


> But make no mistake, Gander Mtn. can exchange it on the spot, just like anthing they sell in the store.



Not sure if this falls in the same category, but I know BPS will not take back particular brands, and insist you send them to the manufacturer (St. Croix and G Loomis), and abu might be one of them. Chances are Gander Mtn. would have similar standards. I'd have to imagine its some type of agreement between the store and the manufacturer, and not just the store trying to jack you around.

That's half the reason I went to carbonlites.. broke one on a boat cleat, and exchanged it without even saying what happened. Not to mention, they were onsale at the time so I got a new rod and 20 bucks cash. Only a one year warranty, but you can just buy a new rod and return/exchange the old one if you won't lose sleep at night.


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## FishinsMyLife (Aug 11, 2010)

Loomis charges $50 regardless I thought. Not sure on St. Croix.

I'm converting to Shimano everything..If you break a rod in your door or on a fish, bring it to an authorized dealer and they'll trade it out right there. No shipping it back, and no $50 check in the rod tube.


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## Doug (Aug 11, 2010)

Sorry to hear your rod broke but glad it was on a fish. I have had my rods broken accidently at the tips by my kids and just repaired them with no issues. Really couldn't notice any difference it the way it fished.

Good luck on the return.

Doug


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## ShadowWalker (Aug 12, 2010)

nathanielrthomas said:


> breachless said:
> 
> 
> > thought about taking in to Gander Mountain and just see if they would do anything about it, but I have to find the receipt first...
> ...


Not quite sure how I missed this one the first time I read this, but demanding things (nicely or not) is not going to get you far. As a store, WE don't have to do anything. In fact, if a customer comes in and asks if we can do anything and is reasonable, its more likely we will do something for you. Coming in and saying I "have" to do something is going to make it worse. The walkie talkies and ear pieces we wear are pretty sweet, because my manager knows you're being a D-bag before he even gets out of his chair. 

Like I said in my previous post, how do you expect a company to replace literally dozens of rods a week because people break them. I imagine that some of these are probably legit, but a very small number compared to the amount of people telling the same story, when they really slammed it in a car door. This is the reason places are starting to stray away from replacing every single broken rod that comes in the door. I have watched guys slam brand new rods in their doors in our parking lot, and come in and tell some sob story about how a 10lb Bass was lost because it broke.

I agree, in this specific situation it was not the users direct fault. No, a 4 pound fish should not break a rod under normal use, however the rod tip meeting the prop isn't exactly normal, now is it? If I put a 4 pound fish on my line and then slam it in my tail gate, that must mean its normal circumstances and "must" be replaced by the store too, right?


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## nathanielrthomas (Aug 12, 2010)

Ok, you guys are right, Im an A-hole with a chip on my shoulder. Blame it on the damn military, I cant help it im so bitter. :LOL2: :LOL2: Breachless, in my case Ive always gotten to return an item by confidently telling the employee what my plans are. I just took a $500 Samsung back to wally world last week. I went up to the Cashier and said, "I bought this TV last week, and now its got a dead pixel, and Id like to swap it for another one". And she gave me a gift card with refund on it. I could have went up and said, "My TV is messed up, is there anything I can do about it?" and she would have had an opportunity to steer me in a different direction. Bump that. 

I put 3 years of my life working at the corporate monster known wal mart(distribution center) and Ive seen pot heads and pill poppers destroy hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of goods($15,000 was the biggest accident report Ive ever seen on a truck load of DVD players that got smashed by a stoner on a fork lift) And thats pocket change to these guys. And now im in the Navy getting screwed by uncle sam every 15 minutes. 

So back to my point, Do I feel bad when I exchange something at one of these marketing giants that put the small business owner out of work? No. The markup on these products is insane anyway. I look at it as my opportunity to get back at the man. GM just got 400 gazillion bucks from uncle sam, but they still charge you $40,000 for a new truck. Bump that too. I take money where I can get it. BPS charges 180 bucks for a new curado, and I can get it for $140 at a mom and pop tackle store. And BPS can only give me a 10% military discount 7 days an f'n month(21st-27th)? Im in the miltary 365 days a year! Bump that too, I'll screw them and Gander Mnt every chance I get.

Breachless, i have a vendetta. A personal one. 

I love it when the cashier doesnt see that case of bottled water in the bottom of the buggy, and I just walk right out with it. It really makes my day. Maybe I need counseling.... Thanks for letting me vent.


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## ShadowWalker (Aug 12, 2010)

Once again you compare apples to oranges. A dead pixel in a tv that's a week old shouldn't happen under normal use. Just like the rod tip shouldn't break on a 4lb fish. But I doubt your tv met a good sized piece of aluminum while you were watching it. 

Not trying to be an ass, but there is a difference between you breaking something and a product failing.


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## nathanielrthomas (Aug 12, 2010)

ShadowWalker said:


> Once again you compare apples to oranges. A dead pixel in a tv that's a week old shouldn't happen under normal use. Just like the rod tip shouldn't break on a 4lb fish. But I doubt your tv met a good sized piece of aluminum while you were watching it.
> 
> Not trying to be an ass, but there is a difference between you breaking something and a product failing.



guity as charged, but I felt a lot better getting all that out. Thanks shadowwalker for setting me straight. I needed that. Sorry for my outburst guys. I like apples and oranges, and the occasional banana. Some may even say I'm nuts. Lol. I love you guys.


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## nathanielrthomas (Aug 12, 2010)

Once again, another failed attempt to justify my ignorance. #-o Just fix the tip and fish breachless.


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## breachless (Aug 12, 2010)

nathanielrthomas said:


> Once again, another failed attempt to justify my ignorance. #-o Just fix the tip and fish breachless.



:lol: 

Done and done!


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