If you're like most fishermen, you've broken a fishing rod or two over the years. It’s a traumatic experience to break one, particularly if it was passed down from a family member or had a history of catching big fish. It’s strange that the most expensive rods seem to be the ones that get broken most often. Maybe it’s “Murphy’s Law” or just plain bad luck, but more than likely, the real cause for breakage is carelessness. Let’s note some of the ways that fishing rods are broken.

Believe it or not, cars are involved in more fishing rod accidents than boats. Probably the biggest causes are slamming them in car doors or rolling a window up on the rod tip. Not to be overlooked, are the numbers of rods left leaning against a trunk lid or tailgate. They fall to the ground when the vehicle moves in reverse or forward and are crushed by the tires. The second biggest reason for broken rods are that they accidentally get stepped on. This happens many times if they're mistakenly left on the floor, ground or deck of the boat.

“The fish was so big it broke my rod” is a popular excuse, but the real reason it broke is more likely angler error. A reel drag that is too tight will cause a rod butt to snap off in a rod holder when a “monster” fish hits. A tight drag will also cause a rod to break when undue pressure is applied during the battle. An even bigger reason is when a fish is reeled too close to the rod tip, and it breaks when the fish is being unhooked.



Below are other reasons so many rods are broken each year.
* Yanking and pulling on a lure tangled in a tree
* Casting lures and line that are heavier than the rod is rated to handle
* Hooking something on the back cast
* High Sticking – holding the rod too high while fighting a fish and putting undue pressure on the tip
* Loaning a fishing rod to a friend
* Pulling a big fish into the boat instead of netting or hand lipping it
* Road bounce - not securing rods while traveling down the highway causes them to bounce out, hit the pavement, break on contact, or get run over.
* Rods that aren't lowered before going under bridges and overpasses
* Holding the rod blank instead of the handle while fighting a fish
* Loose ferrule connections
* Holding spinning rod with line guides facing up
* Holding bait-casting or spin-casting rod with line guides facing down

Tips from Capt. Gus! Beware of Dogs!!! They love to chew on fish scented cork, the material that covers many rod handles.

Hot Spots of the Week: Bedding bass are in back coves and off river points. White perch are suspended over river and creek channels in water to sixty feet deep. Crappies are hitting jigs around covered boat docks and submerged brush. Arkansas blue catfish are hitting cut bait and chicken parts in water to twenty feet deep.

Upcoming Events:
The 35^th Annual Lake Norman Shrine Club Dogwood Bass Tournament - April 5, 2014 at Midway Marina, 8693 Hwy.150, Terrell, NC. For more information, call William Cork @ 704-516-0506.

“How to Navigate Lake Norman Day or Night” is a free safe boating class to be held at Morning Star Marina at Kings Point, Exit 28, Cornelius, NC on April 9th at 6:30 p.m. Becky Johnson and I will cover topics that include “Understanding LKN’s Channel Marker and Buoy System”, “How to Avoid Shallow Water”,” The Ten Most Dangerous Spots”, and “Interpreting Lake Maps”. For more information, call Ashley at 704 892 7575.

Free Fishing Seminar – “Bass Fishing around Rocks, Docks and Drop-Off’s on LKN” - Jake Bussolini and I will conduct this ninety minute seminar beginning at 6:30 p.m. on April 16th at Gander Mountain, Exit 36, Mooresville, NC. For additional information, call 704 658 0822.

Norman’s water level is about 2.0’ below full pond and 2.7’ below full on Mountain Island Lake. The surface water temperature is in the fifties and sixties in water not affected by power generation on Lake Norman.