Turning a broken open water rod into an ice rod

[NJChris]

I have a 13 fishing black omen I broke in half and figured I'd try to turn it into an ice rod. I've never tried to build or fix a rod before so I'm looking for some tips. My idea was to shorten it to like 54" and then JB weld/tape it together, and then sleeve it with something to distribute the pressure when the rod is loaded up. I figured I'd get rid as much of the butt section as possible and have pieces attached close to the base so softer section of the rod absorbs most of the load. What are your guys thoughts on this? Is there any way I could do it better?

[Idahogator]

I have used the tip 2' or 3', found a stick/limb in the woods, something with character, ha, drill it and glue the rod top in.    Great for shallows/sight fishing, just add a couple of pins for a bit of line.  The crude appearance makes you look Pro/older than your years.       I have several of these beauties.

[esox_xtm]

If it were me I'd repair it and just buy an ice rod. I've "fixed" a number of busted rods. It's surprising how little the action is affected by the repair even when it's very far forward.

Of course, I've got a barrel of rods to work with. First, I even up the break on the rod I want to fix. Next I cut a section of blank to fit inside as an internal splint. I like as snug a fit as I can get. Next, fit an external splint, same deal. Once everything fits well dry, mix up some Flex-Coat, schlorb everything up, put it together, align the guides and let 'er cure. Smooth up any rough spots and over wrap with your choice of thread finishing with more Flex-Coat. I know, it's sounds like it would be really stiff but not nearly as much as you'd think. Salvaged some pretty nice rods too.

First one I did was a brand new Browning flippin' stick some guy mashed in his car door right outside the store. He turned around, walked back in the store and told the owner he wanted to make a warranty claim. I came internally unglued when the owner said OK, but it really wasn't my call. I got the project for nothing, he asked what I was going to do with it and I said never mind. Break was in the upper third of the rod, repair barely noticeable and "pressure tested" with a 42" musky.

[RyanW]

Gotta love people like that ^^

Reminds me of when I bought my ultra light summer rod a few years ago. I was at a major outdoor retailer in my hometown in central Michigan. The kid asked me if I needed help so I said sure. He went to hand me a 6"'6' Diawa Presso by taking it off the rod stand by grabbing the first 3" of the rod tip. Needless to say he snapped the tip almost clean off only to be left hanging on by a few strands of carbon fiber. He said "oops" outloud, placed the tip back in place, and proceeded to hand me the one next to it like it never even happened. I couldn't believe it. He even left it on the rack and just walked away after he handed me the other one. After an extensive and thorough look over of the rod he handed me, and him never returning to the area, i ended up buying it. Turned out to be a fantastic little ultra light and I later bought a one-piece 4' Presso for my boy. It's a very fun little rod and perfect for kids around 5 years old.

I know it's not quite the same as they guy that blatantly abused the warranty claim, but they are off the same breed. As far as business is concerned, it's just a warranty claim and the only people out are the manufacturers, which is why it's hard to find a decent warranty now a days to begin with.

To the op, I have zero experience repairing rods but I have built quit a few and if gluing/splicing doesn't quite work out, you could always install a metal ferule. I've actually seen some custom ice rods that have interchangeable blanks by installing one end of the ferule flush with the handle (attached to a handle length section of blank that the handle is glued to) then just switch out the blanks for a "different" rod.

[rgfixit]

I've done a lot of repairs over the years. When you fish for 50 or so years, you seem to collect a fair sized pile of rods, new, old and broken. There's a little voice in every fisher's head that says " keep it, you might be able to use it for something".

I've done most repairs using a section of a glass rod sanded to fit the broken blank, epoxied in place and over wrapped.

Years ago I snapped a sweet St. Croix Legend right at the winding check. It was a light 7' and the carp was too big. I could have sent it back and gotten another on the warranty, but it had considerable sentimental value to me so I fixed it. I cut off the end of the handle, reamed it out a bit to roughen it up and dug up a piece of a glass blank that ended up fitting up through the handle and well into the broken blank. After cleaning up the broken ends, I epoxied it together and re wrapped it. Darned thing looked like new and I used it for many more years. One day the whole butt section split in its length ending probably 25 years of hard fishing.

So I stripped the guides and reel seat and built  a 3'-6" ice rod from the tip. I use it more for perch over the side of the boat than I do on the ice.

Rg

[Old Goat]

oh that little voice never stopps yaking you might be able to use it later

[esox_xtm]

I've done a lot of repairs over the years. When you fish for 50 or so years, you seem to collect a fair sized pile of rods, new, old and broken. There's a little voice in every fisher's head that says " keep it, you might be able to use it for something".

Rg

Of course, I've got a barrel of rods to work with.

Brothers from different mothers...

[ronco]

I have a 13 fishing black omen I broke in half and figured I'd try to turn it into an ice rod. I've never tried to build or fix a rod before so I'm looking for some tips. My idea was to shorten it to like 54" and then JB weld/tape it together, and then sleeve it with something to distribute the pressure when the rod is loaded up. I figured I'd get rid as much of the butt section as possible and have pieces attached close to the base so softer section of the rod absorbs most of the load. What are your guys thoughts on this? Is there any way I could do it better?

 Here's a video of how to make a ice rod from a spinning rod section.

[NJChris]

I have used the tip 2' or 3', found a stick/limb in the woods, something with character, ha, drill it and glue the rod top in.    Great for shallows/sight fishing, just add a couple of pins for a bit of line.  The crude appearance makes you look Pro/older than your years.       I have several of these beauties.

This definitely seems like the easiest way to do it. Shorten the tip section, drill out the butt and glue it in

[albo]

my first ice rods were made from broken open water rods and I still use them when I fish with 6 rods and not tip ups. I cut the bottom half off at the butt then fill the hole with epoxy and then slide the upper portion inside and let it set up. I end up with rods that are in the 3' to 4' range and I then permanently attach a rod holder to it and spread the base wider than the holes I drill. This setup works great when you are spread out as you can see the larger rod easy and it won't go down the hole when a large trout hammers it.