A broken or lost fly rod can ruin a trip. I once had a guide on the Yellowstone River knock my favorite bamboo rod with a Hardy Reel overboard and lose it. I had a friend cast the whole tip section off his fly rod and lose it on the Madison River. Another friend broke my fly rod when he caught his fly in a tree and tried to pull the tree down. Alaska, with the ever present split shot, has claimed more of our fly rods than I care to count. We’ve had our Brittany Spaniels break rods in our drift boat and I’ve had students in our schools break fly rods in ways too numerous to keep an accurate tally.
In order to save the day or the trip I always carry extra rods. On distant trips I always take two back-up fly rods in each line size I will be using. On local trips I always carry one back up fly rod. In our On-The-Stream Schools I fill the back of my Jeep with extra fly rods.
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