Hey Bart:
I ordered, received and have been using Richards 7.5ft long graphite rod for about two months now. I found only one small problem with that rod and that was the guide on the very end of the rod. I modified that guide with some JB Weld and fixed the small problem with line catching on the back part of the guides metal brace. Now it works a lot better. I love the rod. I like the size, feel, looks and everthing about the rod. It's easy to cast as the guides are very smooth and large at near the rods' handle and get smaller as you go to the tip. Yes Richard said that he would sell a replacement section. Not sure on the price but I would assume that it won't be much as an entire new rod is less expensive than most other rods on the market that have the same features. Richard's 7.5 ft rod is my go to rod these days and then I like to use my 6ft CAbela's graphite rod too. I fish Richards rod tightling with jigs and a drop shot and have caught a lot of crappie with it this summer. It's very sensitive and I can feel the bit well. As with any graphite rod if you take care of the rod and don't step on it or wack it against something it should last a lifetime. I have owned and fished with Graphite Rods ever since they first came out with them many years ago. I have not broke a graphite rod yet. (Knocks on Wood)
I store my rods on a Cabelas Oak Wood Round Rod rack when I am not using them. I can store 24 rod on this rack without the reels. I keep the rest of my rods stored standing up in a spare bedroom. The rods that I fish with are stored horizontally on rod holders that are made out of sponge rubber and tied down with webbing and velcro. I try not to let the rod get banged against each other.
I also have a 12ft long BnM Jig Pole that I use. It's harder to use for me as I am used to the shorter rods. It also has the very same type of guide on the tip of the rod that Richards Poles use. I had to modify the guide on my BnM pole too. I covered the braceing with a golb of jb weld and then smoothed the jb weld to make a smooth transition from the rod material itself to the guide. It helps stop the line from getting caught around the back side of the guides bracking when the line gets wrapped around the tip of the rod. Now if the line gets wrapped around the rod's tip I can just hold the rod's tip lower than the handle and wiggle the rod and the line will slip over the guide and off the tip of my rod. I can get back to my fishing much faster these days and when the fish are really biting that means everything to me. There are times when I am catching one crappie right after another and time is fish. At those times I don't want to be having to untangle the line from the end of a 12 ft long rod. My boat is only 16 ft long LOL.
Originally Posted by Bart