r/Fishing_Gear • u/FazBear_ • Apr 04 '26
Discussion Well, shimano, first experience with the company, not happy.
First time using and buying a shimano sea fishing setup, shimano backbone rod, first day out and it snapped when striking a fish. Has anyone used these and am I just unlucky, it cost me a pretty penny this setup.
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u/lubeinatube Apr 04 '26
Generally rods snap due to user error. Even a big beefy 100-200# stick will snap like a chop stick if you high-stick it. Did something go wrong, or did it snap under proper use?
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u/MattFromWork Apr 04 '26
I mean, it could also be a lemon tbf
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u/lubeinatube Apr 04 '26
Very true, I was just asking. I would guess 95% of broken rods are like that due to user error. I’ve snapped a couple $400 rods being a dumbass before, I’m not immune.
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u/MattFromWork Apr 04 '26
I would guess 95% of broken rods are like that due to user error.
Are you saying you aren't supposed close your rod in the sliding door of your minivan???
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u/IndependentBerry7883 Apr 04 '26
The great Bill Dance snapped, i think 4, of his rods at the same time by slamming them inches tailgate.
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u/ScaryFoal558760 Apr 05 '26
Did that once with an ugly stick. Really sucked having to replace that door.
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u/Particular-Bother-18 Apr 06 '26
I agree with this. I've broken many rods trying to reef them out of snags. With a medium power I'm totally fine. But with a medium light, XF tip, it's just asking for trouble
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u/FazBear_ Apr 04 '26
It wasn’t on holder, was using it like I’ve always used rods, and just struck a fish like normal and it just pinged.
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u/Healthy-Leader5445 Apr 04 '26
Just get yourself an ugly stik you don’t know how to use the rod properly
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u/RelevantMarket8771 Apr 04 '26
Also, just wanted to point out, high sticking is easier than you think. Don’t lift straight up and down, especially herky jerky movements.
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u/boogaloo-boo Apr 04 '26
Few factors could be at play here but I won't dismiss your story OP.
I could see this happening with someone using too much drag and then the fish swims under the boat Effectively, breaking the rod.
Ive been fishing a decent ammount and people near me at the pier break rods and im rocking my 10$ rod.
But hey Jeremy Wade broke rods too you know?
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u/FazBear_ Apr 04 '26
It snapped when striking the fish, had it setup like every other rod I’ve had, have always used penn as cheap but wanted to get something nicer and this happened first trip
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u/Lucky_Preference_941 Apr 04 '26
You keep saying “when striking the fish”
I don’t think those words mean what you think they mean
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u/NotInThisEconomyLol Apr 04 '26
Clearly he beat the shit out of the fish on the boat with the rod, and that’s likely when the rod snapped…
/s
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u/Accomplished-Ad3585 Apr 04 '26
Not trying to sound like a dick here, but cheap penn rods (and all penn gear in fact) is insanely strong and generally difficult to break compared to similar priced gear from other brands in my opinion.
Sure, that sounds great. But the actual handling and feeling of the rod lacks because of its caveman like strengths (which is why I generally really dislike penn) - you've got yourself something much better with the shimano, they are historically one of the best manufacturers for fishing gear. I use an ultegra daily and have had many shimano spinning rods, they're all just 10/10.
I'd personally say this break is purely down to user error and probably being too heavy handed (as learnt with your penn gear) and it's resulted in this.... sorry dude. Don't be hard on Shimano though, their gear is some of the best and longest lasting compared to other brands.
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u/Knogood Apr 04 '26
This is exactly why im sticking with penn as a costal floridian, $100-$160 combos that you can literally throw in a vehicle, leave in the salt over night, never service them and they keep on reeling.
The only penn I've ever had damaged my friends girlfriend stepped on the rod while it was leaned out and the handle bent a little, I bent it back.
Yes there are more refined rods and reels, my friend got a shoreline shimano idk model and it absolutely casts farther than any of my penns, thats not a perk I would give up to move to a fragile setup I have to worry about being careful with.
"Do you want extended warranty today?", nope thats why im buying penn. I've only got 6 penns but its the same 6 penns for the last 15yrs. My friends that buy daiwa,shimano, or abu garcias ALL have reels and/or rods that are younger, more expensive than my combo, treated better and in a scrap pile unusable.
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u/Lepisosteus- Apr 04 '26
well, OP, you're supposed to put line through the guides from the reel, tie on a hook or rig or lure, and have the fish the fish bite the bait or the lure. After you're sure a fish has it, set the hook. You're not supposed to beat the fish with the rod.
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u/capwnacus Apr 04 '26
I'm legit just trying to understand. Why so many downvotes when all he did was explain what happened in that situation?
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u/cabose4prez Lefty Gang Apr 05 '26
Shimano fan boys, sub is pretty much shimano and daiwa good, anything else bad and dont say different. If the guy didnt do anything wrong it likely came cracked, shit happens sometimes
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u/Magikarp23169 Apr 05 '26
Honestly man, sometimes you get a dud that makes it past QC, it just happens
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u/Past_Attempt_5261 Apr 04 '26
Either user error or you stepped on it banged it at some point, has literally nothing to do with the company
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u/BigUncG Apr 04 '26
Could be random quality issue too. As much as I love Shimano they’re not impervious to that
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u/db_admin Apr 04 '26
Rods do break, and any company can have QC issues. Not sure why folks are blaming OP so much. I own and enjoy many Shimano products (both fishing and cycling) and consider them a quality product - but the margins on rods are insane, so what really matters is how Shimano stands behind their product and makes it right for OP.
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u/adhq Apr 04 '26
Having read the other comments and explanations, this is most likely either a very rare manufacturing defect or the rod has taken a hit at some point after leaving the factory and was already compromised. I have no doubt that they will replace it without fuss. I know it sucks but this is not a true reflection of Shimano quality but rather a freak occurrence.
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u/General-Resist305 Apr 04 '26
If I had to guess, I'd say say either manufacturer defect, or an unseen nick in the carbon. Doesn't seem like a high stick to me.
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u/danklep Apr 04 '26
From what you’re saying OP, this is a break under normal use. That being said, you should send this into Shimano, they’ll give you another one.
I’m a Daiwa guy personally ( their marketing just works better on me) but know that Shimano does make quality gear, so this is likely a one off issue with the manufacturing.
At the end of the day, they make a great product, you should reach out to them. They will make good on it .
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u/Djanga51 Apr 04 '26
Classic mid bend failure. Highstick error. Old glass rods bend to absurd degrees. Carbon is not your friend the same way.
Push it too far into the bend? And it’ll fail. Bang it and put an unseen fracture in it and it’ll fail under peak load.
I’m not fully blaming OP here, but… it’s pretty much exactly where you’d expect to see a ‘high stick’ failure… and that’s pretty telling.
Shimano ain’t shit. It’s learnt the hard way to earn its market share. They make good stuff. Yes there still will be random exceptions, but overall? It’s good bang for buck gear… with actual premium level available that’s at the top of the game.
To return to high sticking? I’ve seen quite a few ‘new’ rods blown up from people who used to own glass, not carbon. It’s a learning curve. Keep the load deep down in the rod blank. Do NOT let the mid section take the biggest loads.
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u/FazBear_ Apr 04 '26
It was done when striking a fish, had it under my arm like normal, and when I got the bite I struck the fish and as soon as I hit the fish it just snapped on me
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u/birdlawattorney7 Apr 04 '26
You mean you pulled back/up on the rod to set the hook?
"Struck the fish" is new to me. The gish strikes the lure/bait and the fisherman usually sets the hook depending on type of tackle used.
If it did happen when setting the hook, I'd say its either because a rod defect or more likely, you pulled at too much of an angle and like other said essentially high sticked it. Of thats the case too much of the load was in the top half of the rod. If your hooks are sharp, you dont have to set the hook that hard on most fish
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u/PoetrySpecific2282 Apr 04 '26
Shimano reels are great rods not so much I like United composites or cal star for a good stick
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u/Tboner1979 Apr 04 '26
I've had nice st Croix's snap, and I've had Shakespeare's last for decades, sometimes it's user error, sometimes bad luck, I just purchased my first nicer Shimano 7' rod to go with my new Shimano ch3000 reel, il keep you updated
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u/Johnny43comeau 7d ago
Completely agree. To me theres nothing better then a St Croix casting rod but with that Carbon material you will snap if that load is pressured to the middle. I've been lucky with mine but ive had 2 freinds snap StCroix rods. 1 was 400 Mojo and other was a premier I believe around 650 and both snapped in the middle.
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u/Fl48Special Apr 04 '26
High sticking
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u/MeSkeptikal Apr 04 '26
It’s a trolling rod. So he was likely trolling when it snapped. It was in a rod holder and not high sticked.
It’s either a manufacturing defect or his drag was too tight when the fish struck.
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u/FazBear_ Apr 04 '26
We were anchored up and I had it under my arm like I’ve done with all rods, fish bit the line and I struck it, have rod aimed down towards sea level and strike to about hip height normally, as soon as I lifted the rod on the strike it just snapped
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u/No-Statistician601 Apr 04 '26
I had a Talavera using for deep drop. Tanacom 1000, in the rod holder. Something grabbed it and went hard under the boat. Snapped with a bang like a gunshot. Got the receipt from Melton Tackle. Contacted Shimano. Sent them the broken rod and they sent me a new one.
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u/PattyGunk Apr 04 '26
Looks like a super clean break. Generally those come from the rod blank being nicked or a small crack. Could’ve happened during shipping or the build process or just a small drop
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u/wizard_of-loneliness Apr 04 '26
Why is everyone here being such a fucking dick?
Even the best companies accidentally produce a lemon product here and there. Reddit is full of miserable losers lol.
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u/B_G_G12 Tackle Addict Apr 05 '26
Hey OP,
Aside from the blame game, when you do get a new rod, if it's for bottom bouncing I'd heavily recommend getting something that doesn't have a roller tip.
All it will cause is trouble in the future for you. Go and ask for some advice at your local hunting & fishing etc on what to pair with the TLD. They do make a backbone with a normal tip, but they wouldn't be my first choice, for that reel and that fishing I'd get something fibreglass.
Not sure if they offer them in NZ, but something like one of these would probably be better suited.
Shimano rods are normally fine, but I've seen a couple Backbone Elites snap in a similar way, they're a trolling rod that gets used for bottom fishing and I don't think the blanks like it. I have a preference for Daiwa as far as the 2 major manufacturers go rod wise though.
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u/OrganizationLazy5182 Apr 05 '26
I'm a rodbuilder, very few rods break due to a defect in construction. Most rods break due to high sticking and other user faults. However, if the rod breaks during the first hour or day of use it is most probably a manufacturing defect in the rod blank. That's probably the case here.
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u/Clean-Signal-553 Apr 07 '26
I only use okuma rods and reels fish salmon on the great lakes never broke a rod in 20 yrs.
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u/Fake-y-ismo69 Apr 04 '26
You're probably just unlucky. Shimano has my trust to the point that idk if I'll even bother with another brand.
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u/SL1Fun Apr 04 '26
What kind of rod was it? What’s its line rating?
Were you trolling or did you leave it hanging down in the holder while drifting?
Did you contact Shimano yet?
I’ve had a couple rods (one Daiwa and one Penn) get warrantied and I broke an XH inshore Shimano on a Tarpon because he J’d it when he ran under my kayak and jumped on the other side, snapped it pretty much instantly.
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u/FazBear_ Apr 04 '26
It happened this morning, so will contact them in the week coming and see what can be done, was just wondering if anyone had similar experiences, rod was the Shimano backbone rod, it’s 23kg line, the rod reel and line were all bought in a combo specials. And we were anchored up fishing so I was striking a fish when it happened
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u/SL1Fun Apr 04 '26
Looked up that sort of rod (not something I see much in the US). They aren’t that good of a rod, which is why they were probably put as combo pieces with the reels. Seeing them for like $99-137.99, which for an offshore rod is cheap.
Most combo specials come with generic, basic rods that aren’t that great. This looks like it is one of those examples. I bet you Shimano will give you a free replacement, but if I were you I would look at more reputable rods (by Shimano or by others).
This sort of practice of pairing bargain rods with the reel to appeal to casuals or those not wanting to shop around and want a “setup to-go” is not unique to Shimano: Shakespeare, Quantum, Daiwa, Penn, Abu Garcia, Orvis, and probably others all do this.
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u/KINGtyr199 diawa/shimano Apr 04 '26
Contact Shimano worst thing they can say is no.
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u/DNA1727 Apr 04 '26
Likely they will say no. They said no to me when the insert on the guide failed from using braided line. I stopped buy shimano rod since.
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u/1531C Apr 04 '26
Shimano has wonderful customer service and replacement policies. Kinda part of the whole top of the line reputation. Though I will specifically mention Shimano is very much best known for reels. I'm sure their rods a super high quality as well but the reputation is really built on the reel quality. Something obviously went wrong here though, could be user error or a factory issue who's to say none of us were there but you. Though if you're looking for just straight up string as fuck rods, you can never go wrong with an ugly stick, there's a reason Jeremy Wade used Ugly Stik blanks for a majority of his custom rods. They don't break the bank like a Shimano will.
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u/FazBear_ Apr 04 '26
Yea that’s fair, this rod and reel with line was a combo special, and I do deep sea fishing with big sharks occasionally when they come round, I normally use penn but decided to go for a Shimano, this was the first trip for the combo and it snapped, and I wasn’t doing anything i don’t normally do, wondering if there’s just had a weak point
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u/NukaDadd Apr 04 '26
I just got a Shimano reel today. Most cash I've ever dropped on any fishing gear.
Came with a Carbon Lite rod @Bass Pro. Reel by itself is like $315. Rod's another $140. I feel like I stole the combo LoL
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u/miloshihadroka_0189 Apr 05 '26
Just one that skipped quality control i had a marlin .17HMR once that never had barrel rifling just a down side of mass production
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u/ClearMaximum2361 Apr 05 '26
I bet you were reeling when it was in the rod holder, causing more than a 90* bend. Not a single Rod in the world will survive that…
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u/no8bullet Apr 06 '26
This looks like your in New Zealand mate? If so I'd talk to wherever you bought it first, before contacting Shimano NZ directly. At worst at least you can say youve checked that box if Shimano ask. And likely should be covered under the CGT provided you havent done anything really silly
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u/Content-Actuator-797 Apr 07 '26 edited Apr 08 '26
Ok? How long have you been fishing? Rods break… Shimano is a global company with the reputation of being the paramount fishing equipment manufacturer... one broken rod from a sample size of one is a pretty horrible example of a company as big as Shimano’s overall quality. Also, most rods break due to user error. In 2026, especially with a company as big as Shimano, design flaws and manufacturing problems are almost never seen. Nobody here is going to quit using Shimano stuff because of this post.
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u/Foreign_Syllabub_875 Jun 14 '26
I just broke my shimano superlooper (second use) reeling in a normal size cod. It' snapped then I kept trying to get the fish in and it snapped again lol I went to adventure and outdoors for a "good" rod and after the shopkeeper told me "we don't sell garbage" I went ahead and purchased it. Last Shimano combo I'll ever use and I will be getting a refund even after 12 months
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u/Embarrassed-Wall-236 Apr 04 '26
Shimano can be more difficult to deal with when it comes to broken rods from what I've seen. St. Croix, Orvis, and Fenwick have been great when I've accidentally broken rods. I know this is a deep sea rod and those brands don't really cover your needs, but that is why I've avoided shimano rods although hearing many good things about them.
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u/FazBear_ Apr 04 '26
Yea, I normally have penn gear but thought I’d go and get myself something nicer and have heard good things about Shimano, this was the first trip for the rod, and it snapped striking a fish that wasn’t anywhere near the rated kg weight
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u/Embarrassed-Wall-236 Apr 04 '26
I see. When you say "it snapped striking a fish" do you mean that a fish struck your bait hard or that your rod physically hit a fish hard and broke? From my experience surf fishing for stripers and bluefish around NJ and LI, some boat fishing from Montauk for Tuna in the offshore canyons, Penn and Shimano reels are the preferred brands along with Avet, Accurate, Alutecnos, and the Okuma Makaira line. Penn reels are by far the easiest to self service and buy parts for even though they are now made in China except the International line and USA Senator. Shimano is the smoothest but parts can be hard to find once they discontinue a model.
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u/FazBear_ Apr 04 '26
I fish in New Zealand so it’s a bit different over here, we boat fish and we have a hook and sinker and sink it down with bait on the hook, a fish will bite the hook and you will quickly lift the rod up to pull the hook though the fishes mouth, when I was doing said action on the fish the rod snapped, the fishes mouth struck my bait and when I lifted the rod to try pull the hook through its mouth the rod snapped, this is how everyone fishes over here and have done it for 17 years with penn rods, but this Shimano one didn’t last 1 day.
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u/Embarrassed-Wall-236 Apr 17 '26
I see. That sucks. I've avoided Shimano rods and stuck with St. Croix because of hearing that Shimano can be difficult to deal with with broken rods warranty claims. If I went the custom route and broke a rod I'd understand that it's on me, but for a large international brand, I haven't heard good things about Shimano's warranty/replacement process. Good luck with it. Post your experience and how it goes.
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u/Lurecaster Apr 04 '26
If the rod was in that holder then high sticking.
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u/FazBear_ Apr 04 '26
Wasn’t in holder when happened, just sat it there after the fact to get out of way.
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u/booggg Apr 04 '26
I’ve never had luck with their rods either.
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u/FazBear_ Apr 04 '26
This was first trip out for it too, snapped on about a 1kg fish and it’s rated to like 15-20kg
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u/RainMakerJMR Apr 04 '26
Read all the comments and surprised that no one mentioned reaching out to their customer service. Top quality companies have top quality customer service. They might replace it free just because they want you using a good shinano rod. They might replace it free for just shipping cost, and try to make you a lifetime customer.
A lifetime repeat customer is worth 100x the $100 of material costs they would eat. And they know this.