Easier than wrapping on a line guide

 using a Dobson Clip

Ever have this happen: You put your rod together and start threading the line through the guides when you notice that you don't have everything aligned?

Most of us just give the assembled rod a twist and keep going. That's usually O.K. until the time comes to disassemble the sections at the end of the day or before hiking through the bush to the next fishing spot and they won't budge.

 

What happens is that a bit of dirt or grit will lodge between the blank and the ferrule causing it to jam tight. Twisting it to align the line guides is often the event that causes the lock-up so you should never attempt to re-align the line guides after joining the sections of a rod.

We all do it though and once its jammed its a real problem.

The instinct is to try and apply more power to separate the rod sections by grabbing it around a line guide and twisting and pulling using the line guide to improve your grip.

That technique is sometimes successful but often ends in disaster for a beautifully wrapped line guide.

 Next time try this tip that dates back to the days of bamboo rods: If a ferrule sticks tight, hold the rod behind your slightly bent knees.

 Gripping the sections with one fist on either side of a knee, gradually exert outward pressure with your legs, spreading your knees further apart until -pop- the ferrules part.

Having separated the sections give both the male and female ferrule components a wipe or rinse in water to make sure they are clean.

 I sometimes drag my antique fly rods out for a flick and while it is fun and interesting, the difference in the amount of maintenance required versus a new rod is vast. Still, some of the old tricks are pretty useful.