Can I use a 25 year old fishing rod?

December 28, 2003 6:09 PM

I stumbled across an old fiberglass fishing rod in a cardboard mailing tube.
It still appeared to be in excellent shape, yet I know the rod must be at least 25 years old, as it was a parting gift from the previous owner, circa 1979.

Should I risk taking it out on the water, for old time's sake, or would the rod end up snappimg from fatigue? What sort of reel considerations could I make, given it's age?
posted by Smart Dalek to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (4 answers total)

Smart Dalek - I wish I could match your expertise from the last post, but - excepting that - I'd say that fiberglass is only minimally susceptible to ageing, to oxidation. As far as I know, oxidation is the crucial possible ageing factor here - and I don't think silica oxidizes at all.

I bet that it's as good as the day it was made.
posted by troutfishing at 8:37 PM on December 28, 2003

The biggest enemy of fibreglass is sunlight, so it should be fine if it has been protected in a cardboard tube. Give it a gentle bend and listen very closely - if you can hear even the faintest "splintery" noises, don't use it. Or, at least, don't catch anything with it.
posted by dg at 1:16 AM on December 29, 2003

Response by poster: I'll give it a try, then. Thanks, troutfishing and dg!
posted by Smart Dalek at 5:28 AM on December 29, 2003

you're welcome. happy fishing (for trout? also - check local alerts for mercury levels in fish) - dg filled in my gaps. UV degrades fiberglass or - perhaps - the resin that binds the glass fibers. UV tends to degrade an awful lot of things. People and dogs, couches and drapes.....
posted by troutfishing at 6:57 AM on December 29, 2003