Braid grooves in your eyes.

getalife · Post by **getalife** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 3:00 pm

I just came back from another ling cod trip out of Bodega and I had a bit of bad luck today. I snapped off my first fish, and about 140 ft of 65lb power pro because there was a groove worn into my tip from the braid. I later snagged up on the bottom and the rod EXPLODED into 3 pieces (Lamiglas Big Bait Special) so the groove thing is irrelavent, but I am curious if there is a rod out there with a tip that will not develop this groove over time. I am considering a Dobyns rod as a replacement (this was my shell cracker rod).

BIG DADDY BLUE RANGER · Fri Sep 28, 2007 6:46 pm

Are you sure the groove was actually in the guide itself???? I've fished braid on Lami's and Loomis' for years and never once had braid cut into them..... it polishes them real good though

Now I have seen extra glue/epoxy on some guides where the braid will cut a grove into that.. the expoxy is kinda hard to see and at first I thought it was the guide too... but scrape it lightly with an exacto knife and it will come right off.

NaCl · Post by **NaCl** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 7:29 pm

Lami and Loomis quality rods should not have a problem handling your braid. I suspect the ceramic insert in the tip got cracked (or chipped) at some time (easy to do) and widened into a sharp edged "groove". That can happen to any quality rod, including Dobyns rods. But, if you have to replace the rod anyway, Dobyns Rods are the way to go.

Gary's design specs, his overseeing the quality of construction and his integrity on the warranty...these things make his rods one of the best overall deals on rods today. Yes, I am biased by being on his staff but I have owned Lami's, Loomis rods, Phenix Rods, Warrior boron/graphite rods, Powell rods, Shimano and a few more. When I compare my Dobyns Rods with the others I have owned, they compare equally with rods that cost me a lot more and, they are significantly better than rods I paid the same amount for. But, don't take my word for it. Pick up a Dobyns rod at the store and you'll feel the balance, see the finish and notice the light weight for yourself!

.....NaCl

getalife · Post by **getalife** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 10:06 pm

It looked like a groove and it cut my line real good. I will never know the answer to that question... I have two peices of the rod and the third, the tip section, is at the bottom of the Pacific. It seemed strange that the braid would cut a groove, I only recently started using braid on that rod. The crack theory is probably correct. I may just try to get Lamiglas to replace this rod, it was a kicka$$ rod.

Fish Chris · Post by **Fish Chris** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 5:38 am

Hey Getalife, I've also never had a problem with braid grooving guides..... and I've been using nothing but braid, for about 14 years, for everything from Bluegill to Sturgeon.

Interestingly, I did have a small problem with some of those "super duper titanium nitride coated plated" whatever they call them, guides.... You know, the ones that are really thin and light, but are supposed to be super hard.... In which, the tip guide was causing my braid to fray, but not all the way down the line while playing fish, rather, just about a 6" section right off of the tip of the rod, which which was taking lots of pressure during my casts.
So, I simply changed the tip guide with a "not so super-duper" hard guide, and bam. Problem solved.

Peace,
Fish

PS, BTW, sorry to hear about that exploded rod. This is where the proper drag setting comes into play. It's not near so important if your using rubberband for line (mono) but when your using real fishing line (braid) the drag setting actually matters.

getalife · Post by **getalife** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 7:42 pm

Yeah, my drag was really tight because I was stuck on the bottom, trying to pull it free. There were about 40 people on the boat and the boat was drifting. I cranked down and pulled at the same time a swell lifted the boat and... BAMM! If none of you have had groove problems from braid then I will not give it another thought. Thanks for the input.

Jeff Huth · Post by **Jeff Huth** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 9:44 pm

has been claimed since the invention of braided kevlar lines.Here is my, and I repeat my own observations.Does braided line groove the guides and eyes, on a whole, NO. have I seen it ,YES, mostly on steel guides and tips. The failure of a graphite rods such as a Lamiglas Big Bait Special or any other premium graphite rod, be it Loomis,Dobyns,Lamiglas etc, etc,with 65Lb braided kevlar, while hung on the bottom,with the additional load of the role of a charter boat or personal vessel, while fishing, is in my opinion not rod failure but operator error.We all got programed to the stretch factor of mono line for years, and with the none stretch of braid, now we have rod failure that we automatically blame on the rod manufacturers. In my opinion if you want that "cushion" back that you had with the stretch of mono line, go to a Ugly Stick or similar fiberglass rod to compensate for the lack of stretch while fishing braid.But in my opinion and I repeat in my opinion you will lose the reason to have a graphite rod..Sensitivity...Yes graphite is more fragile compaired to fiberglass, but are you willing to give up the sensitivity ? In my opinion it's a easy NO. I'll be more carefull with my graphites such as my "Big Bait Specials"

Andy Giannini · Post by **Andy Giannini** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 4:09 am

I have never had a guide grooved from braid, but something like it happened.

Noticed a groove on the tip of a BPS rod, the stick was spooled with braid. After really looking at it close, it was not the guide at all. It was epoxy for the guide thread wrap that had made its way to the ceramic eye during the rotating drying/curing period. I popped it off with a small pick to find a perfect guide underneath. With mono on that rod, probably would have never discovered the little clear run. The sawing action of braid, and repeated pitching of heavy baits, cut a nice groove that at first glance looked like a damaged insert.

I wondered how many people might have had this happen, and if it was the origin of all the groove cutting stories.

A.G.

tunaman · Post by **tunaman** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 4:29 am

Big braid under high drag settings most certainly will groove guides, especially the cheaper 'Perfection" knock-offs. You need a real Perfection tip top with the carbaloy insert... forget ceramic or any of the other junk... you can also get USG/SIC guides, which also have silicone carbide - you can take a file to them and you won't leave a mark.

Roger