New Long Rod

[Nightprowler]

I got my first 10' Wally rod and wondering what the salesperson meant by balancing the rod?? And I hear alot of the rods get broken in the boat when there not being used. How is the best way to break them down and store them, so the tips down get broken?

[foul hook]

balance the rod with butt weights. I will sell you some cheep. You might want to try so you will mhave first hand experience. Rods get broken because people step on them. I have 12 wally rods , only problem I have had is stripers taking them out of the boat. I also have some hi end bass rods that will break if you step on them. Go figure!

[slab_slayin_fool]

i have a rod case from gander mountain i like really well it seems to protect them really well when storing them or transporting them

have both took mine on trips with me via bus.. train.. and plane.. they travel well also

[Sandwich Maker]

He may mean to try different reels until the rod feels "balanced" in your hand. Heavier or lighter reels will make the rod feel either butt heavy or tip heavy. Try several until you find one that makes the rod feel equally balanced in your hand. On my Wally Pro Series, I find that either his little plastic Pro reel or a very light spinning reel feels good to me. I use the 9', though.

I know that on most of his rods, you can take the rod apart, place the tip end to match the butt end and reel the slack up with your reel aand the tip will be slightly above the butt, protecting the tip.

[drfishjd]

I like to fish a balanced rod, as you end up with less wrist fatigue than you do with a rod that's front heavy. To see where the balance point is, put a reel on the rod and find the point where the rod will balance on one finger. If that point is about where your thumb would be when holding the rod, it's balanced just right. If that point is further up the handle than your thumb is, you can add a little weight to the butt of the rod to balance it. It usually takes very little weight to balance a 10' rod. Another option would be to use a little heavier reel. The long rods take a little more weight to balance, due to the length of the blank, unless the reel is positioned appropriately on them. Good fishing.

[CrappiePappy]

I got my first 10' Wally rod and wondering what the salesperson meant by balancing the rod?? And I hear alot of the rods get broken in the boat when there not being used. How is the best way to break them down and store them, so the tips down get broken?

I think the salesperson was referring to weight and placement of the reel, to balance the weight of the rod (blank/guides past the front end of the handle).

Balancing is something I've done with all my rods/reels.

A tip heavy outfit will wear on your wrist, and tire you out faster. But, a butt heavy outfit or too heavy of a reel, will also. If you don't already have a reel specified for that new rod ... take some of your other reels and try them on it. If the rod has a reel seat ... you're going to have to find a reel that weighs the right amount to balance against the rod blank/guides. If it doesn't have a reel seat ... move the reel forwards/backwards on the handle and see what weight of reel will balance your outfit -- then get you another one of those reels, or one that weighs the same (or is very close). You'll pretty much know when you have the right weight of reel, and positioned right, because the outfit will "feel" lighter and won't pull your wrist one way or the other .... it'll just feel right to you ... aka "Balanced"

... cp

[skiptomylu]

Speaking of new long rod, one of my son's is getting me a 12' Wally Pro Series and I can't wait!

I just lay all my long poles on the side of my boat. On the other side from where I sit and have not had any mishap yet, with fingers crossed since I said that, LOL!

I have a wide boat though and they may get tangled a little sometime, but they are pretty much out of the way. I also like the handles within reach when I am sitting up front.

Skip

[TapOut64]

I got my first 10' Wally rod and wondering what the salesperson meant by balancing the rod?? And I hear a lot of the rods get broken in the boat when there not being used. How is the best way to break them down and store them, so the tips down get broken?

I have broken several while in my boat. I have 4 12'ers and 2 10'ers along with four other rods I bring since I like to be prepared to spider rig, long line, pull cranks, etc...So as not to break them anymore while fishing (just stepped on one a week or so ago) I've added four more home made rod holders up front. The workmanship is rather shoddy but the pvc and stainless steel hardware to make these four only cost around $8.



I allready had 8 in the rear of the boat.



You can buy a rod rester from Driftmaster as well.

[Brush Buster]

Do not hit your rods on the boat edge of other hard objects specially out towards the ends. A nick or indention will make the rod more prone to snapping under normal use. If you lay them in the boat, make sure the rod is not rubbing against metal hard plastic. Check this when you are trailering as well as there will be added vibration and wind.