Rods and reels are an avid angler’s most prized possessions. Quality fishing tackle is expensive, but it’s expected to perform flawlessly in a harsh environment where salt water, sun, sand and assorted knocks and bumps all wage war on fishing equipment. Sometimes the elements win the battle and there is an equipment failure. Have you ever broken a fishing rod while fishing miles away from the dock? If you don’t have a spare rod handy, the day might be ruined. Fortunately, there are some things you can try in the field which just might save the day.

Fishing rods are low-maintenance items. A quick, thorough rinse with fresh water after a day’s fishing is about all that’s required to keep a rod functional for years, but there are still things that go wrong. For example, rod tips are usually installed with hot glue and they can come loose. If you’re out fishing and notice the tip on your rod is loose, you might be able to fix it by simply heating the tip with a cigarette lighter. The glue that’s already inside the tip melts and re-glues the tip in place when it cools. If this doesn’t work, you can sometimes save the day by completely removing the tip and shoving a short piece of monofilament under the tip as you wedge it back on the end of the rod. Hopefully when you try the cigarette lighter trick again, the piece of line wedged inside the tip will melt enough to hold the tip in place temporarily. Just be careful not to overheat the tip of the rod: Fiberglass can and will catch fire.