Checking Rod Eyes For Damage

Everytime before I go fishing, I check my rod eyes on each rod for damage. I have found that if you are not careful with your rods, you can damage an eye and not realise it until you get a fish on and the fishing line is cut on the damaged eye.

A friend of mine that I was fishing with lost a good 8+ pound fish because his line broke. He just discounted it as the line had gotten wore down from abrasion. The next time we went fishing, he set the hook and the line broke again on the same rod. Here again, he didn't think anything was wrong with the line or the rod. He set the hook again and the line broke again. When we got to looking at the rod, it had a damaged eye that was cutting the line when pressure was put on the rod.

You can damage a rod eye from stepping on it, from the rod bouncing around in the rod locker box in the boat, just dropping the rod on the floor, asphalt or concrete, etc. Remember that your fishing buddy or one of your children could have knocked the rod over and stepped on it and you don't even know that there had been an accident involving that rod.

To check your eyes on your fishing rods, take a Q-tip and rub it around the eyes. If there is damage to an eye, the cotton on the Q-tip will stick to the damaged area of the eye.

You can get a repair kit at Bass Pro Shops or you can take the rod to Bass Pro Shops and let them fix the eye professionally.