Broke my Okuma kayak rod

Yeah,yeah. Thank you brah! So about that gas money...ha ha   jim

I've never seen a book yet that explains how to break off a snag. funny how basic stuff like that does not get explained.

That's where you and the other awesome fishermen/women in this group step in...sometimes the wealth of information available from our forum members just amazes me!    NCKA rocks! It's been said, but we should write a collaborative NCKA yak-fishing book so that others can benefit. 

Great Info!!!!

Thanks!!

Badog

pretty much not the way to free up on a snag. point the rod at the snag, so it's straight and has no bend (yes it will be mostly underwater) then reel up until it's tight. hold the spool steady with both your thumbs. pull carefully and it will break if a wave doesn't break it off for you.  if you have mono, you might have to reel down a few times in the trough of a wave.

if you are pulling on a graphite rod like you pull on a fish to break off the snag, you are going to break your rod eventually.

cutting the line leaves a large amount of garbage (the line) in the water. if you break it at the lure/leader, you leave only a leader.

John

Thanks for all of the tips gentlemen, especially J.

After looking back, I realize how poorly I wrote my first post.  Although a couple times I did have my pole doubled over, it was an attempt to pull up what I was snagged on.  For a few minutes it actually felt like I was gaining line.  After I realized that it was just the swell making my think I was getting somewhere, I did turn my tip towards the depths of the Pacific with my rod handle facing the sky.  I was able to recover all of my spectra and cut the line at the mono.

Next time I will listen to J and reel down while in the trough of the swell and try to break it off - hopefully at the knot.

Michael

They replaced mine under warranty when I broke it in the first few times I used it on a snag where I actually got back my lour.  I was kind of slow in getting around to swending it in but they were prompt and rightous about it.  I agree that for the light weight you need to be a little easier on them but Okuma stands by their warranty.  Huzza    Bravo!

We had 3 okuma rods break on the first day of the islander trip.  It was snaggy out there fishing irons, but that must have been something like a 50% mortality rate for those rods, which is dismal.  It seems these rods are simply unsuitable for jigging in structure, particularly with spectra line (higher shock).

I have two of the 701M's that are as the same as the ones that broke during the trip.  Those rods have have been bomb proof for me and I think folks may need rethink the way they try and free a snag when using 50# Spectra on a rod rated for 25# line. 

If you are using 50# braid on a 25# rod, all bets are off, however, given the quality of angler on the trip it seems that there may be a production problem with the rod. As I have said before, high quality rods like Calstar and Seeker are the rods of choice for the majority of long range anglers and worth the investment, IMO. I built my first Calstar (270-7) 20 years ago and it has never failed under extremely heavy use.

Scott

While the crew on the Islander is experienced, lots of the crew is relatively new to pelagics and the increased stresses involved with big drags, strong line, and powerful fish. 

Both of the YT I landed spent a significant amount of time wrapped in the kelp while I was bucking a strong current and wind.  I kept my rod angled down and backed of the drag.  I saw others doing lots of major highsticking.

On the flipside these imported rods are no match for a Calstar or a Seeker...however none of them make a floating rod.  Anyone listening??? 

I didn't treat it any different than my other rods, and I imagine it would have broke with 20lb line too - it doesn't matter if you're using 20 or 50lb line if your drag is set to 6lb.  That so many failed while other rods came through okay tells me something is wrong.  Maybe their manufacturing process is defect-prone so some rods are bomb-proof while others are just bombs.

I was watching when one of the Okumas died (it wasn't P-Spark  ). A classic snag slag.

Maybe their manufacturing process is defect-prone so some rods are bomb-proof while others are just bombs.

Or their QC is spotty...they are made in China.  I know mine has been bomber and it is ideal for what I do, but I wouldn't be afraid to spend money on a better made version.

it wouldn't suprise me if the QC is spotty-- the end plug on mine fell out not two days after getting it...minor, but you could see that the glue wasn't even around the plug.

The response from Okuma has been very nice.  I should have a new rod in about 10 days.

Gotta love that.