How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

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jrpaquatics
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How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#1

Post by jrpaquatics »

I have a couple of NICE rods I’m thinking about selling. Some are to nice/unique to fish, some I just didn't connect with when I fished them last, some are duplicates of rods I love. They are all nice rods that I don’t want to regret selling later on but I’m considering letting some go. What’s your criteria for keeping a rod or selling one?

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av1903
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Re: How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#2

Post by av1903 »

It depends if you are a collector or just an angler, i am not a collector so the type of angling i do and my personal tatstes of course, dictates what rods to keep.
Wise indeed was George Selwyn Marryat when he said: "its not the fly; its the driver"

page 193,
GEM Skues,The Way Of A Trout With A Fly

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Flykuni3
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Re: How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#3

Post by Flykuni3 »

When? Well, after 20–30 tossing and turning nights and gnashing of teeth. And years later I still regret a few I let go.

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ibookje
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Re: How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#4

Post by ibookje »

I let go if I have a duplicate in length and line weight. Insane expensive rods are also gone

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Re: How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#5

Post by Cross Creek »

Accumulator rather than collector, I keep the rods that speak to me and I have use for. One in particular, I hardly ever have reason to fish, but casting and handling it is so lovely that it remains. Anything else, I let go find a more appropriate home.

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Hellmtflies
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Re: How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#6

Post by Hellmtflies »

I collected for a number of years. Quads in particular. When at one point I had over a hundred cane rods in the collection my wife began to question my mental stability. So I reevaluated and cut it down to only rods I was going to actually fish. Now down to about thirty cane rods I have reestablished my wife's more forgiving view of my angling sickness and mental state. It was a cleansing experience and I'm a better person for it. Thank goodness for Rod Collectors Anonymous.
Now, for my glass rod, reel and book collections? Well............:)

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Peales
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Re: How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#7

Post by Peales »

My criteria is essentially the same as the original poster. I have not had many regrets as the rods I have sold ‘become’ rods that are better suited to my fishing needs.

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Re: How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#8

Post by PYochim »

Anything that does not get fished on a regular basis is gone.

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Re: How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#9

Post by wrong66 »

Let the rod go when somebody hands you the money for it.

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cdmoore
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Re: How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#10

Post by cdmoore »

I have sold or traded rods for many reasons, with different indicators of when and why to sell, in no particular order:

1.) I found a better example of the same rod.

2.) To raise, make or avoid losing money.

3.) To help out a friend in their search.

4.) To rid myself of a bitter taste.

5.) My collecting interests have changed.

6.) I didn't like it after I bought it.

7.) To pay for rod making tools and materials. (Special subset of #2)

8.) Too much (idle) stuff.

There's one common reason not on my list: moved to a location with different tackle requirements.
Last edited by cdmoore on 03/23/20 13:34, edited 1 time in total.

NMiangler
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Re: How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#11

Post by NMiangler »

I like the list...but I agree with a few others; if you don't use it and you have duplicates, let it go.

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Re: How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#12

Post by GMflyf1sh »

At one point I had 15 one piece bamboo fly rods. I am now down to two and all the rods went to people who were going to fish them....I Still have 15 multiple piece down from 25 - as I get older I am donating rods and selling rods to other collectors.....It is a personal decision. My library went to trhe Bud Lilly Collection amost 10 years ago and I no longer collect books. Sometime in the near future I am going to have to begin selling off my reels. Most of the reels are not high end.

Gregg

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Re: How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#13

Post by RMorrison »

I have a lot of rods of all materials. I fish probably 100-150 days a year. Every winter I’ll go over my rods. If there are some I haven’t reached for in a few years and don’t have any cool factor or rarity they go into an area of the rod room for “available” rods. There are a few rods I absolutely love to fish and few others that have cool spots in my collection - those will always remain. And there are the few that check both those boxes. But rods that find their way into the “available” area usually stay there until I get a request for one of those or I decide I need to add something new. I try, as I’m sure many of us do, to make my collection a zero sum game - stuff goes to provide funds for something new.

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Re: How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#14

Post by uniquafly »

Whenever the closet doors will not close.
“He told us about Christ's disciples being fishermen, and we were left to assume, as my brother and I did, that all first-class fishermen on the Sea of Galilee were fly fishermen and that John, the favorite, was a dry-fly fisherman.”

Norman Maclean

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Re: How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#15

Post by DUCKMANNM »

My problem is that I never want to let any rod go. Most likely I won't get the amount I paid for the rod, even if I never used it!

David4Him
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Re: How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#16

Post by David4Him »

Great lists of the reasons and agree with all. For me, I've had ownership of more than 30 bamboo rods since sliding down this slippery slope just 4 years ago. I got my latest "collection" down to a bakers dozen early in the winter, but now am back up to 18 3 months later. Have to agree that for me, I don't want to just collect, but filter my selling choices as to whether I'm really going to fish with the rod. As I upgrade and refine my rod choices, have not really regretted letting another rod go as hoping it finds its way to someone who will use it.

Even at 18, I'll have to reevaluate again after the summer as I don't get enough fishing days to use a rod more than 1-2 times a season; especially since I still have my 2-3 favorites that get out in the sun more than the others.

David

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thegubster
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Re: How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#17

Post by thegubster »

If I were the more intelligent type of boy who, if he didn't fish a rod then it would be gone, I'd likely be down to one rod in my rack!

Unfortunately that's far from the case. With a couple exceptions, I dearly like most of the rods I own and really like a handful of others and truly love the remaining bunch!

For as many hours per season I actually spend on-stream it's a bit of a travesty my owning some rods that I do. I go round and round with myself about it then tend to turn away from the issue.

Last year I made the valiant effort of deciding to be rid of 3-4 of these rods and took all my rods out of the rack and gave them all a serious look-over. I wanted to sell at least 3!

One by one I picked the best ones out to keep and put them back. One by one...and one by one until I figured the last few would go!!

They went alright, right back into the rod-rack! It's a little embarrassing to admit this "out loud" in a way. It is!

Maybe one day...and I rue that day right now!

Geez!

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Re: How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#18

Post by Woodlakejag »

There was a fad going around a few years ago called the Marie Kondo method of decluttering that involved holding an object up and looking at it. if the object didn’t “spark joy”, then it was time to get rid of it.
It’s a pretty good method for decluttering, but I’ve found that almost all of my rods “spark joy”, so I guess I’m stuck with them.
George
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Dave Westburg
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Re: How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#19

Post by Dave Westburg »

If i don’t fish a rod in a year I let it go.

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Re: How do YOU know when to let a rod go?

#20

Post by para_adams »

Dave Westburg wrote:If i don’t fish a rod in a year I let it go.
Dave, I guess that means I just need to fish more often so the entire collection gets fished each year. I say that in jest, but with a grain of truth. One of the cool things about bamboo rods is their sheer diversity. Each rod shines best in a certain type of fishing, and it increases my enjoyment of each type of fishing when it gives me a chance to get that almost forgotten treasure out of its 1930s rod tube to give it a work out. So more rods, more fishing.

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