Fishing rod guides may seem like an unimportant aspect of a fishing rod. But, once you break one, you’ll realize how vital these small components are. Each guide on a fishing rod is essential, and if a single guide fails, it renders a rod useless.
Many anglers look at a broken guide as a death sentence for a fishing rod, but that isn’t the case. Replacement guides are inexpensive, and they’re easy to replace with a bit of know-how and a few tools.
When you’re learning how to put new eyes on a fishing rod, there’s no reason to be intimidated. The repair process is as simple as removing the broken guide, preparing the new rod eye, installing it, and epoxying it in place. With a bit of time and focus, you can repair your broken rod in a few steps.
What You’ll Need To Complete the Repair
Before beginning the repair, you’ll want to round up all the required tools and materials to complete the job. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Replacement guide
- Fishing rod binding epoxy
- Heat gun (a lighter or candle will work)
- Rod wrapping thread
- Thread burnisher
- Flat file
- Razorblade
- Masking tape
- Rod dryer
Finding the Correct Replacement Guide
The first step to repairing your fishing rod is identifying the type of guide you need to replace and what size replacement guide you need. You’ll start by figuring out which kind of guides the rod has. There are three different guide types, and the replacement process is virtually identical for each style.
- Single foot guides: These guides have a single foot extending downward from the eyelet. They’re found on light-tackle rods, and they’re the least durable of the three.
- Double foot guides: These guides have feet extending upward and downward from the eye. These guides are standard on expensive rods and rods made for large game fish.
- Trolling guides: Trolling guides are similar to double foot guides, but they’re larger and more heavy-duty. Some trolling guides look like double foot guides while rolling guides carry the line with a roller mechanism.
Once you identify the type of guide you need to replace, you’ll need to figure out which size it is.
Fishing rod guides taper from larger to smaller as they make their way to the rod’s tip, and each eyelet is a different size. Anglers measure guides by the outer diameter of the ring in millimeters.
If you’re missing the ring because one of the fishing rod guide inserts popped out, you can get the measurement you need from the inner diameter of the guide itself. If one of the fishing rod eye inserts comes out, you’ll still need to replace the whole piece.
Once you know that measurement, you should be able to pick up a replacement guide from a local tackle shop or online. Many manufacturers offer fishing rod eyes repair kits that include an assortment of different size guides if you’re still unsure of which size you need for the job.
How To Repair Fishing Rod Eyelets
Once you’ve gathered the tools for the job, it’s easy to repair your broken rod in the following steps.
Step 1: Remove the Broken Guide
The first thing you’ll want to remove is the broken guide from the rod using a razor blade. While you can remove the finish without any extra help, it’s much easier to do if you heat the rod finish before reaching for the razor blade.
Using a heat gun on a low setting, gently apply heat to the rod finish. The heat will break down the finish, making it much easier to slice through and peel back to remove the broken guide. If you don’t have a heat gun, you can use a lighter or candle to break the bond between the finish and rod.
Regardless of whether you’re using a heat gun or something else, you want to cautiously use heat. You can easily damage the rod blank by overheating the rod, which will cause it to warp.
Once you’ve heated the broken guide, use the razor blade to carefully slice through the rod finish. You’ll want to slice through the finish directly over where the foot is on the rod guide. By cutting over the rod foot, you’ll protect the blank below from being damaged by the blade.
Once you cut through the finish, peel it back and off the rod, remove the rod thread and take off the broken guide.
Carefully examine the area to ensure you’ve removed all epoxy finish and loose thread. A little extra time spent preparing the work area will make the job more seamless.
Step 2: Prepare the New Guide
Using your flat file, you’ll want to grab the proper size from your fishing rod eyelet repair kit and begin prepping the guide. The foot on the guide is oversized, and you can file it down. Start by filing the guide foot to a point, which will make for a smoother transition when you wrap and finish the new guide.
Once you’ve achieved a fine point, run the back of the guide over your fingernail. Your fingernail is a decent approximation of a fishing rod blank. If the guide scratches your finger, it will scratch your rod. Gently file the backside of the guide foot to remove any burrs or sharp areas which can compromise your rod blank.
Step 3: Attach the Guide
Look carefully at the rod in the area where you removed the old guide, and you should see an indentation or some mark from where the last guide was. Use that as your starting point, carefully align the new eyelet in the proper position. Rip a thin piece of masking tape and wrap it around the guide to secure it to the rod.
Step 4: Wrap the Guide
Take your rod thread and begin the wrap about a quarter inch below the foot on the rod guide. Wrap the tag end of the line around the rod and over the running end. Place a finger where the two threads cross to hold it in place and rotate the rod, crossing the running thread over the tag. After you complete a few wraps, it will lock into place, and you can remove your finger.
After 8–10 wraps, hold the razor blade parallel to the rod and cut the tag end off. Continue wrapping with the running end of the thread. You should wrap over the foot until you’re about an eighth of an inch from the guide ring.
At this point, cut a small piece of thread and loop it over itself. Take the loop and hold it against your wraps. Continue wrapping over the loop you’ve made until you reach the bottom of the guide ring. Take your running thread and pass it through the small loop to secure it.
Finally, pull the ends of the loop, so your running end passes underneath the wraps to lock it in place. Hold the razor blade parallel to the rod and trim the end of the thread as close to the wraps as possible. Use a thread burnisher to straighten out any of your wraps, ensuring they’re tight and uniform.
If you’re installing a double foot or trolling guide, you’ll repeat this step to secure the second foot of the rod guide.
Step 5: Apply the Finish
Now that your new guide is tightly wrapped, it’s time to apply the epoxy for fishing rod guides to lock the eyelet in place permanently. There are plenty of rod-specific finish options on the market. If you can’t find any, a two-part epoxy finish will work fine.
Anglers prefer two-part finishes because they have self-levelling properties that provide a smooth and professional-looking finish.
Follow the instructions for the particular finish you’re using, and paint it over your thread wraps as neatly as possible.
Step 6: Drying the Rod
Once you’ve applied the finish, you’ll need to put your rod into the dryer so that the finish stays evenly distributed as it dries. A rod dryer rotates the fishing rod slowly to ensure adequate coverage with no drips or pooling.
Step 7: Add Additional Coats of Finish
Most rod finishes require two or three coats to achieve proper buildup and a professional look. Follow the drying time instructions on the product label, and recoat the rod the guide as many times as necessary to achieve the right finish. Place the rod back in the dryer after each additional coat.
Rod finishes require 48–72 hours of cure time before the product cures fully. Once the finish cures, you’re ready to take your rod back on the water.
Happy Fishing &Tight Lines
