Question about how long a rod last for, when to replace

[Irishman]

I've got a couple of penn rods that are both 15 years old, they still do the job. I got to wondering what's the norm before retiring them? There perfect for my kayak fishing but am getting my gear dialed in for this year and was wondering how long a fishing rod actually lasts???

[JeffB]

Until it breaks! I just stripped down a 14yr old G-Loomis and re wrapped it. Put an aluminum reel seat on it and titanium guides. The thing is better than ever.

[tacmik]

I would say that their are several factors to take into account. Quality of rod, care of rod, and most important, How many fish it has caught.

[Hunters Pa]

Technology has come a long way in the past 15 years, but I still have some older rods that perform great. If you are going to use it for braid and the eyes are not the right type you may want to get them re-wrapped or learn to do it yourself. It's not that difficult. It comes down to initial quality. If there are still performing then why retire them?

[taggermike]

Most decent quallity rods will last until they suffer an accident or you buy new stuff. Most of my gear is used and its still killing fish just fine. I do like my newer style graphite sticks (lighter, faster recoil, more sensitive) more than older all glass ones but the glass is still great rods. Mike

[FlyFishinYakr]

Originally Posted by JeffB

Until it breaks! I just stripped down a 14yr old G-Loomis and re wrapped it. Put an aluminum reel seat on it and titanium guides. The thing is better than ever.

LMAO! Sooo true! Fishem' until they break.
Penn rods back 15 years ago weren't bad rods. They were just OK as long as you fished the rod within it's specified limits (actually just in the middle of the recommended line rating) and took care of them.
I have Calstars from back in the early 80's and wouldn't even think of selling them (even the LR rods I built myself-with the exception of any trimming and the handle set I had Leon build to my specifications).
As long as you took care of your gear you should be OK for the most part. However before the start of every year you should check your guides for rust and stability (lightly grab the guide and "wiggle"it to see if it moves), also if you've used braid on any of your rods especially if they're not SiC or SiN, run your pinky inside the guide to see if you feel any "nicks (an old favorite method to check guides that you don't hear about much any more is to steal a pair of your wife's nylons or panty hose cut one of the legs off and run them through the guides, nylons are so delicate if there is a nick in your guide it'll find it!) if any of the previous issues are found check to see if anyone on this site is close to you and is willing or has the time to repair it for you. You should also check the reel seat if metal for rust and buy some Corrosion-X (found on Amazon) and spray it down and let soak if rust is located. I have a personal preference to "grease" my Graphite reel seats so they don't accumulate a salt residue and stick (as I tend to "lock-down" my reels tightly!).
FFY

[jorluivil]

Question about how long a rod last for, when to replace


Until you can afford to buy a better one

[skrilla]

Rods expire when the warranty is up.

[PapaDave]

I have several Fenwick Pacificstiks and original Sabre fishing rods, over 25 years old and still going.