best century rod for plugfishing the cape cod canal. 2 to 4 oz plugs

[Saltheart]

Every rod line has some breaks and if the truth be known they almost always involve some kind of initial ding from user abuse. Yes rods should take some abuse but any rod can break after it gets nicked. Secondly , as Subsurface points out , if you break a Century in normal use , you get a new one. Can anyone deny that? If you step on it or break it in a car door , etc well that's not their fault. I know of no one who was ever denied a warrantee claim by Century.IMO they are the best available blanks right now . Yes I still like Lami's and all stars and some other brands and in fact mostly fish the canal with an XRA 1205 but if that ever breaks it will be replaced with the best suited Century at the time or whatever "new" rod brand that might come along to displace it.

The canal is a rediculously perilous environment for both the rod and the fisherman. How many people , much less their rods get all banged up there. The difference is rods don't heal. You ding your rod and thats a permanent potential failure initiation site.

Lastly , I have seen guys break every big brand name rod out there. When it has happened when I was watching , it was always operator error. If a rod breaks on your first or second day out , the rod had a defect.A defective rod will break on the first big fish or the first few casts after a big fish. If the rod breaks after 20 or 40 fishing days or two years of use , its because it got damaged during use. We are lucky to have a company like Century that is so reliable about honoring their warrantee. Many of the "lifetime warrantee" companies of the past and some new comers now regularly turn down warrantee claims siting high sticking or some other unproveable cause as their reason for denying a claim. Some people just don't know when they have it good!

[bart]

I don't think I'd ever sell a GLoomis unless I could trade it for a GSB 120 1M or an Allstar 1088 (don't hear about many of those breaking). I don't know anything about the newer rods and that is only because I am comfortable with the companies I use, and currently have no reason to look elsewhere. If that changes, well then, I will look to another company. But I agree with statements made in other posts and on other sites. The rod wars are friggin' pathetic and childish. The agendas of most people are so transparent, it's almost like an insult to one's intelligence. Why would anyone care what other people fish? Build a good rod and let your reputation/work/customer service speak for itself . I, too, am not talking about anyone in particular nor do I have any affiliation with any company (wish i was that good ). Just wanted to make that clear...

[puppet]

Originally Posted by Saltheart

The canal is a rediculously perilous environment for both the rod and the fisherman. How many people , much less their rods get all banged up there. The difference is rods don't heal. You ding your rod and thats a permanent potential failure initiation site.

I really think this summarizes it all, and is of course not limited to
the canal. Goes for using it as a wading stick, dropping it from the
car, dropping gear on it, accidentally getting it jammed in the
bushes or the ground as you are walking, and most of all falling on
the sucker.

Its sort of human nature to pass the blame or forget things like
how used your rod on the rocks to prevent a face plant when you
tripped. Last season, I did that with a brand new rod....landed the
full 210# of falling weight, bracing the rod on the corner of a
rock....on the banks of the canal. I am just waiting for it to talk
back....amazing it hasn't.

If I break a rod, i just eat the cost if there is any reasonable doubt
that I may have caused the issue. I have only redeemed warranty
on one rod where I broke the rule....and it was earlier in my
surfcasting career, before I knew it was a no-no to high stick.
Believe me...I know I am broken, and I wish I could just demand
replacements like everyone else.

There is something about graphite or carbon fiber that gets jacked
if hit on the perpendicular. Permanent weak spot. I have had more failures
with early fresh water graphite rods in this way. I remember the
impact....followed soon with a failure. Sometimes after an impact it
would look fine, but all you would need to do is touch it and the rod
tip would fall off like a dead leaf.

Its really a testament to the advances in technology that these
rods can really stand up to considerable abuse. I don't know much
about the technology, but there is a lot of talk of these stronger
resins. I guess the industry is motivated to protect themselves
from warranty claims. On second thought perhaps bogus warranty
claims are a good thing! Never mind! We do demand better rods! We want progress!